ডাকবাংলা

The nice thing about goldfish is that they don’t bark!” said Granny, as she stood back from the goldfish tank to admire the pretty gold, orange, yellow and striped aquarium fish as they glided about in their silent, glassed-in enclosure.

“They don’t make any noise at all,” said her granddaughter Koki who had joined her in front of the tank. “They don’t bark like dogs, they don’t bray like donkeys, they don’t sing like birds. How do they talk to each other?”

“They can communicate without talking,” said Granny. “Do you see them bump into each other? Humans do a lot of talking, and even then they keep bumping into each other.”

Granny had acquired the aquarium recently. For over a month she had kept a dog, a scruffy looking terrier, but the dog would bark all day and all night. It barked at other dogs, it barked at squirrels, it barked at mice (but never chased them), it barked at shadows, it barked when doors creaked, it barked at autumn leaves falling from the chestnut tree. 

Granny couldn’t stand so much barking. So she gave the dog to her sister, who lived on the other side of the hill. Her sister liked dogs that barked. Some people do. Granny preferred goldfish. 

What did Granny look like? Well, she looked like everyone’s nice Granny – kind, white-haired, a little plump, wearing an old pair of spectacles. And she smelt nice, like freshly baked bread. 

And what did Koki look like?

She looked like everyone’s sweetest, prettiest little sister. What more can I say?

She had two homes – one in the city with her parents, and another here in the foothills with her grandmother whose little cottage nestled in a forest of Himalayan oak and maple trees. Koki spent as much time as she could with her grandmother – summer holidays, the winter break, even Holi or Dussehra. In India, children get lots of homework but they do get a lot of holidays in which to do it!

Koki was doing her homework when she noticed a large ginger-coloured cat sitting at the open window, staring at the goldfish tank at the other end of the room. On warm summer days, the window was usually kept wide open. It opened onto the trees and sometimes a bird from the forest – a wagtail or a bulbul or a scarlet minivet – would hop in, explore the room and then return to the forest. 

Granny didn’t mind these visitors – in fact she welcomed them – and she didn’t mind the cat either; at least it didn’t bark!

But Granny had forgotten that cats like fish. Not because they are pretty, like goldfish, but because for a cat, even a small fish is a tasty dish. 

Koki noticed the cat. She stroked and petted it and presently the cat went away. Koki closed the window.

But next day the cat was back, and this time it managed to conceal itself behind the window curtains. Koki had gone into the kitchen to help Granny prepare their lunch. Suddenly there was a crash in the front room, and a strangled cry from the cat. 

Granny and Koki dropped what they were doing and ran to see what had happened. 

They found the cat upside down in the goldfish tank, half in and half out of the water. It had climbed up the stand but had been unable to balance itself on the edge of the tank and had fallen in. The tank was half empty and two goldfish lay on the carpet flopping about helplessly. 

Koki got the cat out of the tank with some difficulty. It showed no gratitude but fled from the house, howling in shock and anger. It wouldn’t be back for some time. 

But Granny had lost two goldfish, and now only three remained in the tank. So the next day, when they visited the Mussoorie Mall, they bought three new goldfish. One was a very pretty deep pink fellow who was to become Koki’s favourite.

Summer sped by and pre-monsoon showers swept across the hills. The grass on the hillside was transformed from a dull brown to a lush green. Tiny streams became torrents of rushing water. The insect world came to life. Cicadas sang in the oak trees. A slender praying mantis balanced on the window sill. At night, moths flew into the front room, and sometimes one of them would fall into the goldfish tank and drown. 

Beetles kept blundering in through the open window. They seemed to be attracted by the bulb above the goldfish bowl. Every now and then one of them would fall into the water, and Koki would have to fish it out. First, an elegant bamboo beetle. Then, next evening, a clumsy rhino beetle, followed by a stag, floating, struggling, sinking, until Koki came to the rescue.

Naturally the goldfish were alarmed. Plop! Splash! Every now and then one of these chimney beetles would land in the tank and be unable to get out. The goldfish were used to stillness, silence and calm waters. The beetles were a terrible nuisance and Koki had to keep the window closed towards evening, when the lights come on. 

The goldfish looked grateful.

Koki put her face against the glass of the tank and her favourite pink goldfish came up to the glass and for a time they were nose to nose. It might have been trying to say something. Who knows?

Then came the dog that didn’t bark. 

Determined that Granny should keep a dog, her sister had sent a strange-looking hound, long and thin and very hairy with a note saying it didn’t bark but that it would keep the jackals away. 

The dog stayed with them for three days without barking. When it spotted squirrels, it whined a little and tried to chase them. And when it saw the cat it growled and tried to look menacing but it didn’t bark – not even at the postman.

Then early one night, as the full moon came over the mountain, the dog raised his head and let out the most dreadful howl. 

And this set off all the dogs, jackals, wolves and foxes in the forest, and soon they were all howling! Some howled at the moon, some howled at each other, and some howled because it seemed the thing to do. 

This went on for about ten minutes and then it stopped just as suddenly. The moon disappeared behind a cloud, the hound fell silent, and all the other animals fell asleep. The goldfish didn’t seem to mind at all. 

Granny, being kind-hearted, did not send the dog away.

“If it’s only the moon that bothers him,” she said,” we’ll just keep the curtains drawn whenever the moon comes up!”

It was that simple.

And the dog would be a good companion for Granny in the days and months to come.

It was time for Koki to return to her home in the city.

She couldn’t take the goldfish with her – not even her little pink favourite. But she knew she would be back before long – perhaps during the winter break. 

She said goodbye to the dog, she said goodbye to the cat, she said goodbye to the birds in the oak trees, and she gave Granny a long, lingering loving hug.

Then she put her face to the glass of the goldfish tank and said goodbye to all her pretty, silent friends. They didn’t say anything. Goldfish don’t talk. But the little pink goldfish, Koki’s favourite, glided up to the edge of the tank and pressed its face to the glass, right up against Koki’s gentle face. Only the glass separated them. Was it trying to say something? Was it saying goodbye? Who knows? 

Illustration by Suvomoy Mitra

Read in Bengali