Dhab!

A thud was heard. Meow sound too.

Renuba struck the roller. Fourth time since this morning, the kitten with innocent green eyes broke through the fence and came inside.

Nancy grabbed the baby lovingly, "Baa, let her come. She is as cute as bug's ear!" The little girl had fun rubbing her hands on kitten’s black and white shiny hair.

Renuba wanted to get rid of it. She threw it out thrice but, the baby might be looking for her mother or forget the way to home.

"If getting habituate, she won’t leave then." Renuba was very annoyed with such dogs and cats.

Nancy poured some milk in an old vessel and put before her. The kitten started drinking quietly.

"Take her outside and let her drink, she will spill the milk here." thought that Nancy would not listen to her, Renuba spoke angrily.

"I'll clean it up."

"You? And cleaning? Do you even know that?" Renuba shouted. The kitten stood up and stopped drinking milk.

“Nothing, Babu, you drink,” Nancy smiled and rubbed one hand over kitten’s fur. She looked at Nancy and resumed drinking, sounding 'gulp—gulp' as she was hungry.

Next day at noon, Nancy, Munno, Lalo came from school. All were together for lunch at the table. Vinodrai was also at home for the meal. The kitten came again, sat down next to Nancy's chair and started scratching her one foot with the other.

Renuba was very annoyed.

Vinodrai asked, "Where did it come from?"

"She is Nancy's friend." said Lalo laughingly.

Nancy said, "Papa, she is so sweet! I will name her Nilu."

Vinodrai tapped Nancy's head and smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Renuba screamed and Nilu ran away meowing, which offended Nancy.

In the evening, Nancy was playing in backyard. Nilu came there and she brought her home.

"Baa, give her some milk and bread."

"Again you brought her! She will make house dirty. I won't let her eat anything!"

"But look at her Baa, she is hungry."

“Many strayed cat out there are hungry! It’s not your responsibility!”

Nilu stared at Renuba for a while. She couldn't understand, if she would be getting food or not.

Nancy fed her milk and bread. Gently, Nancy petted her and she nested in her lap with motoring sound of utter contentment.

After a while, Nancy went to play. Nilu started roaming in the house. Renuba lost her mind. Nilu sensed her anger and started running.

Nilu went into one bedroom. Taking roller in hand, Renuba ran after her. Nilu crawled under the bed. Renuba threw stick towards her.

Nilu then ran away and went into pooja room. Renuba barely got the roller out and ran after her. But as if Nilu had decided not to leave the home, she kept running from pooja room to drawing-room, under the sofa, outside in lobby and again back inside through another door.

Renuba got exhausted. Anger grew with fatigue. "I’ll kill you!”

Renuba hit Nilu hard with bat. Nilu’s feet got injured. She went outside meowing through back-side door of kitchen.

‘Phew!’ Renuba came into kitchen happily like a victorious warrior, rested for a while and-

‘Meow! Meow!’

‘Uff!’ Renuba turned. Nancy was standing with Nilu.

"Baa, someone hit her! Look, it’s bleeding too."

Renuba frowned. Nancy started treating Nilu.

Next morning, while Renuba was braiding Nancy's hair and getting her ready for the school, Nilu appeared. Nancy ran and grabbed her.

'How anyone can like rubbing hands on such shit fur!' Renuba thought and said, "Hey, don’t put your hands on her paw. She will hurt you with nails."

"Animals, and even inanimate, also feel and understand love. Nilu won't hurt me. See! How lovingly she puts her paw on my hand!”

Lalo, studying in 8th class, said, "Our science teacher says that if we play soft music or speak loving words, atoms of water inside glass get arranged beautifully. And if loud noisy music or annoying sounds surround the same glass, atoms appeared moving randomly and colliding with each other.”

Nancy listened intently, wide-eyed, to new fact about love, which supported what she had just said.

"Science? What’s that rubbish!" Renuba expressed irritation.

"Oh, Baa! You should know little bit English now, science means Vigyaan."

Few years back, an English school was opened few kilometers away from small village where they three were studying.

Nancy took biscuit from lunch box, some milk from glass and gave it to Nilu. Renuba grimaced.

On returning from school, Nancy asked, "Baa, has Nilu came?"

Renuba didn’t answer.

Nancy liked Nilu very much; she asked, "Papa, may I make a cathouse in backyard?"

Renuba Frowned.

Vinodrai smiled, "yes".

Renuba vehemently opposed, but no one in that house could deny Nancy. She was darling daughter and beloved sister. After two sons, having a daughter was like blessings of god.

Nancy brought a big box from Vinodrai's medical store. She cut its one side and laid it horizontally on ground. She put a clay pot and a vessel for water too.

She waited for meow sound to hear.

No one paid attention to Renuba’s wrangling.

Nilu also liked Nancy. She now started living in that cathouse. Before going school, Nancy used to put milk, bread and water for her.

First thing Nancy would do after returning from school was to look for Nilu. Whether she is there or not, had food or not! In afternoon, Nancy would bathe her, feed her and play with her.

Surprisingly, the girl who never had lifted up her own plate nor did any chores, was taking care of Nilu’s every need! What a bond of indebtedness!

On children’s birthday, Vinodrai used to buy cake from a nearby town. They would divide cake into two parts, one for two brothers and the other for Nancy. Once, Munno had eaten more cake. Nancy got very angry and started crying until Vinodrai had to go and get another one.

On Nancy’s birthday, she got one-half. Suddenly Nilu came there and started licking Nancy's piece of cake. Everyone thought that Nancy would get annoyed, but to their surprise, Nancy laughed and gave Nilu a piece of cake. Nancy tied lovely band on Nilu's feet on friendship-day too.

Now Nancy and Nilu both became accustomed to each other. Renuba would not let Nilu come inside, and if somehow Nilu entered into house, Renuba would immediately throw stick at her. Nilu understood her anger and would rarely go inside, but Nancy used to take her.

Renuba hated Nilu very much. She even hated the odor of animals.

On Sunday, Vinodrai used to take family for a drive in his new car. Despite of Renuba’s chattering, Nilu always been there with family. After all she was Nancy's Nilu.

Once, Nancy went to school and somehow Nilu came inside and milk spilled out by her jump.

It finally happened! Renuba, who never came nearby Nilu, picked her up. Nilu panicked and looked around with her big eyes, may be looking for Nancy.

Renuba asked Vinodrai to drive car to the market saying that she had some work there. There was only one big market in village. Vinodrai was surprised to see Renuba with Nilu, but said nothing. Behind the market, a dried-up river and open fields were there. Renuba went there and dropped Nilu.

Nilu ran as got freed from Renuba's grip.

"What did you do Renu? That poor thing will be hunted by hound dogs!" yelled Vinodrai, but alas! Nilu ran away.

Nancy came from school, looked for Nilu, waited till afternoon, and then became restless. She searched for Nilu in village.

She also asked Renuba, but got an annoyed answer, "I’m not free to look after your kitten!"

Anyhow, for Nancy it wasn't fun to play without Nilu. She was very much worried about her.

At evening, everyone was at table for the dinner. Nancy's eyes were on the gate. She got up twice and went there. Vinodrai understood Nancy's restlessness.

"Papa, how’s cat's memory? Would Nilu find our home if lost?” Nancy asked.

"Yes dear, they remember everything."

"Then why hasn't Nilu came yet?"

"She must have found a fellow cat in another house, so might be playing with."

Nancy couldn't eat anything, which was not bearable for Vinodrai.

Next morning, Vinodrai took Nancy to the place where Nilu was dropped. They started looking for Nilu.

Nancy started shouting, ‘Nilu! Nilu!'

She heard barking dogs. She looked in that direction.

There, her beloved cub was running to save herself from two stray dogs. Nancy ran towards her and picked her up.

Nilu clung to Nancy like a frightened child to mother. Though Nancy was very afraid of dogs, but it was the matter of Nilu's life. She grabbed Nilu with one hand and stoned the dogs with the other. The dogs stood up and barked. Even though she was scared, continued throwing stones.

Vinodrai came and chased away dogs. They sat in the car with Nilu. Nancy started talking to her like mother would talk with her child.

"Are you scared, Nilu?"

“Meow!”

“Dogs came to you?”

“Meow!”

“So why did you leave us? Don't go out alone until you grow up.”

“Meow, meow!”

"See Papa, she understand everything!" Said Nancy.

Vinodrai was relieved to see Nancy happy.

Nilu came back. Now Renuba could not oppose Vinodrai or Nancy openly. So she adopted another way. One day, Vinodrai had to be given a drug dealership by a big company; it would have been proven a very profitable deal for him.

Renuba offered him prasad, "You are going for such a good deal, go through the back door of kitchen. The cat must be sitting next to the gate. If cat crosses the path, it’s sign of bad-luck."

Vinodrai smiled and walked without considering Renuba's words.

Nilu was there at the gate, playing with Nancy, and she crossed Vinodrai’s path.

Renuba asked to stop for a while. But Vinodrai didn't believe such myths, thus he left. Coincidentally, he didn’t get that deal. Renuba blamed Nilu and her hatred increased. But it didn't matter to Nancy.

Few days later, the company had been caught making counterfeit drugs, so the company and its dealer were arrested.

-----------

An eternal love-bond between Nancy and Nilu it was!

But that debt may have come to an end, and six months later Nancy caught by an unknown illness. Her body temperature was not getting down. They went to city, many hospitals, many diagnosis, medicines, but no use!

Nancy's body was not responding any of it. She was not even able to eat. But she fed Neelu without fail. Renuba, Vinodraai were very much disturbed and tensed with Nancy's condition. It wasn’t tolerable for them.

Within few days, she became so weak that she had to be on bed only. Nilu too realized that her relationship with Nancy was going to an end. All day long, Nilu used to stare at Nancy from the table before Nancy's bed. Sometimes, she would put her paw on Nancy's hand.

On Nancy's request, Munno gave her milk, biscuits a couple of times, but Nilu refused to eat. In her big green eyes, a kind of helplessness was seen for Nancy's melting life.

One night, all were in a deep sleep, Nancy started vomiting a lot. Nilu went to Vinodrai, Renuba's room and woke him up by meowing. And alas! It finally happened! The little girl breathed her last. This was unbearable loss for all. Renuba, stunned by shock, could not cry.

With Nancy, Nilu also left house and didn't come back. As if with Nancy, her debt with that family was also over!

The family was broken with terrible shock. Vinodrai's tears would not stop. The darling daughter and beloved sister was gone. But Renuba could not cry nor speak a single word. She was under big trauma. Everybody tried hard to make her cry. But she was staring at nothing like a statue. At the end of twelve-day rituals, relatives left, but Renuba's condition didn’t change.

Gradually all began their daily chores. Vinodrai started going to his shop. Lalo, Munno started school, but Renuba still was shell shocked. Sometimes, she would uttered a couple of words, nothing else.

Many attempts were made to make her cry, knowingly they brought photos, clothes and other things of Nancy to her; tried to make her talk about Nancy, Vinodrai himself cried in front of her. But Renuba couldn’t. She was greatly down into dumps. The doctor said that if her feelings didn't come out, it will greatly affect her body and health.

After three months, again it was Nancy's birthday. Vinodrai said that they will celebrate it the same usual way, perhaps Nancy’s memories would make Renuba cry. He brought the cake, as usual cut into two parts. Half was for two brothers and another half for distributing among poor children. Everything was happening in front of Renuba, even though she was sitting blank-eyed like a stone! She got up and started walking out.

Dhub! A thud was heard suddenly. Meow sound too.

Everybody turned around. Yes! It was there, Nancy's Nilu was there, she came back on her beloved Nancy's birthday.

Munno thought that Renuba wouldn’t like that, so he also got up to take Neelu outside. But Vinodrai shook his head saying 'No'. Munno stopped.

What will happen now? Everyone waited bated breathe. Renuba turned and stared Nilu for few moments. Then, with such a sudden gust, she took Nilu in her lap, sat on the ground. And--

And, she cried out loudly, ‘Nancy! O my Nancy! My darling daughter!’ Gently moving her hands on Nilu's black and white shiny hairs, on his paw exactly in the same way Nancy used to. She literary broken into pieces, everything that was frozen inside melted and came out in form of tears.

Vinodrai let her cry.

After crying a lot, she brought cake, milk, biscuits etc., and fed Neelu. Then asked "Munna, what is that said in english? Cat hussss-- or something?" And Vinodrai, Munno, Lalo all had tears in their eyes and smiles on faces. After three months, they heard Renuba speaking in her original accent.

"Baa, it’s called cathouse." replied Munno.

"We will build a cemented cathouse in our backyard." said Renuba turning to vinodrai.

And in just few days, in an approximate 200 square meters space, a cathouse was built. Renuba brought not only one or two, but fifty cats into the cathouse. She developed it further. With couples of people, care of the cats and their cubs, vaccinations, food, bathing, everything started to be done under supervision of Renuba. She also deposited some money in the name of cathouse.

The cathouse kept open for visitors on Sunday. People were overwhelmed to see poor animal entities being served without any expectation. On the gate of cathouse, a hoarding hanged with Nancy and Nilu's photos, and cathouse’s name was also written in big letters:

"Nancy's Nilu"