Long walks with Thatha and the promise of endless goodies and stories from Ajji, what more could a boy want?
Ravi sighed with contentment, and closed his eyes. He listened to the gentle ‘swish-swish’ of the fronds of the coconut trees just outside his window, swaying in the pleasant night breeze. Soon, he fell asleep.
He awoke suddenly with a thudding heart, ringing ears and dry mouth. It was still dark, but he thought he heard faint sounds of birds chirping. Something had woken him up — something terrible, going by the way his heart was hammering against his ribs. Ravi licked his lips and looked around. The street lamp threw its light on the familiar walls of the room. A framed painting hung on one wall, next to the Bangalore Press calendar. The other wall contained a book-case stuffed with books. Everything was familiar and comforting.
I suppose it was just a nightmare, he thought, and closed his eyes again, when “Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeechhh!”
It was the eeriest, most terrible sound he had ever heard and it came from just outside his window. Ravi found it impossible to breathe. He sat up, not daring to look towards the window. What was it? If he had been younger, he would have thought it was a monster. Ravi listened to see if the sound had awakened Thatha and Ajji. There was no sound from the next room.
Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeccchhh! This time it sounded more human and more frightening than ever! Ravi leapt out of bed. Not daring to look at the window yet, he stumbled blindly through the door, dashed into the next room, and flung himself on Ajji.
“What, what?” said Ajji, sitting up in confusion. Thatha switched on the table-lamp and put on his spectacles. Ajji held the trembling boy in her arms and asked, “What happened, child?”
“There is something.... or someone.. outside my window... someone screaming... didn’t you hear?”
Just then, it came again — Screeeeeeeeeeeeeccch!
Ravi thought the sound wouldn’t scare him now that he was nestled safely in Ajji’s arms, but it sent a chill down his spine.
His jaw dropped when he saw Thatha and Ajji laughing. “Oh, poor child... we should’ve warned you,” said Ajji.
“That is the call of the ibis, Ravi,” said Thatha. “A few of the birds are nesting in the coconut tree. Terrible sound they make, huh?”
“Ibises? Those big birds? On the coconut tree in your garden?”
“Yes, they frequently nest in trees in towns and even cities, you know,” said Thatha. “And our house is close to the lake, so it is natural that they should nest here.”
“It’s already 5:00 a.m.,” said Ajji. “Go to the terrace and you can see them clearly from there.”
“Good idea,” said Thatha, getting out of bed. “Get ready, Ravi. Let’s go.” By the time Ravi brushed his teeth and washed his face, Thatha had brought out a pair of binoculars and a big book on birds.
The horizon was a pale orange by the time they climbed up to the terrace. Ravi could see the birds clearly from where he stood, but he held the binoculars to his eyes and tried to focus.
“This must be the Indian Black Ibis,” said Thatha, looking at the book, while Ravi peered through the binoculars. “Look at its long, curved beak and the red nape.”
There were half a dozen ibises in the trees in the garden. Thatha pointed out to some more in the neighbours’ gardens. The birds called out from time to time, and every once in a while, they swooped from one branch to another with a great fluttering. Ravi and Thatha spent the next hour watching the birds.
Ravi couldn’t stop talking about the ibises. He was fascinated. He had only seen crows and pigeons from the windows of his apartment in the city, but here were such large and interesting birds within reach!
That night, as Ravi was getting ready to go to bed, Thatha asked with a twinkle in his eye, “So Ravi, will you get scared again? Would you like to sleep in our room today?”
“Oh, come on,” said Ajji, rushing to Ravi’s rescue. “If you tease Ravi, I’ll tell him how scared you were the first time you heard the ibises’ terrible calls!”
Thatha pretended to be very ashamed while Ravi and Ajji laughed till their stomachs hurt. Ravi went to bed with a smile. “What a wonderful holiday!” he thought, as he lay down. “I hope I can see the eggs hatch and the young ones fly before the summer holidays are over!