Page 20 - My FlipBook

grown up with a plan. Anushka went to get her cat.

The cat, however did not appreciate being plonked among so
many strangers. She started hissing and spitting. When the
mouse showed up the cat was momentarily distracted. But
then, a loud clap of thunder startled Karishma and she
knocked a glass of water off the coffee table. The water
fell on the cat. Now the cat was angry and terrified and
raced out of the front door, that nobody had remembered to
close. Anushka shrugged apologetically and ran after her
cat, closing the door behind her.

For the next hour Tanisha, Nisha and Nikhil cowered
uselessly on the dining table while the rest of the kids
made futile attempts to catch the elusive mouse. At one
point Tania, in a hurry to make a grab for the mouse,
tripped over Vivek and fell on Sonali.

Sonali was outraged. "Can't you look where you are going?"

"I was just trying to catch the mouse. Vivek tripped me. It
is his fault." Tania snarled.

"My fault!" spluttered Vivek in rage. "You are the one who
dashed without looking. Besides this is all your fault. You
brought us here to stay with this loony aunt of yours. What
kind of a grown up is she?"

"Yes Tania. This is all your fault. Why did you bring us
here to your nutty aunt?" Karishma complained. "The teachers
may have found a better solution."

"She is not crazy. I love Nisha aunty and I won't have you
speak of her like that." Tania was shouting now. "We were
stranded and I got us to a safe dry place. Nisha aunty gave
us food, clean clothes, a place to stay all night and found
a way to get a message to our parents. She has been very
nice to us. Now she is scared of the mouse, just like we

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