A Close Call

"I knew something was up," my brother said. "What's up with you holding that furry soft toy in your hands? I thought you had gotten rid of them many years ago?"

"You know, when you're really depressed," I said with a nervous laugh, "something soft to hold in your hands feels comforting. Just like hugs."

"Since when did you start liking plushies again?"

"I just got one to fight my temper, I guess. It's soothing. You can find a small one in the closet drawers, the second one on the right. It's kept with the scarves, but in the corners of the drawer."

The time he took to search for the plushie bought me some good time.

"Shoo," I told the wolf pup.

But it whined at my disapproval of it staying in my room any longer.

"Go quickly," I told it in a whisper, with a slight pleading note and sterness in my voice. "I won't get meat for you later otherwise.Go, shoo shoo. I'll bring it for you in the garden later."

It finally obeyed its master and ran all the way down the tree and out of the villa's compound. I kept my eye on it until it completely disappeared into its favourite spot to hide and seek: the bushes.

"Why do you have to go to the window to take it?" my brother said. "To display it when you want to hide it?"

"Well..." I said nervously while racking my brains quickly for an answer. "I was trying to keep it outside on the tree branch in a little box since I didn't want anyone to see it."

"Why not the treehouse?"

"Because I don't want Mum finding out about it. It's a secret for now. Please don't tell her."

"Let me have a look at the box then."

I came to stand in front of him in defence. I had to protect my lie and keep it safe enough so that he wouldn't doubt me.

"The box fell down," I said quickly. "I could have brought it up with a rope and a hook, but I can't reach the box. It is stuck in a very bushy region. I'll try to get it out with a stick."

"I'll try to reach it from the bottom of the tree," he said, thoughtfully looking at the tree "It shouldn't be very far up."

He went out the door and climbed down the stairs before I could resist him from helping me. I was totally doomed if I couldn't find another solution rather than following him out.

"Aysha, give me a plushie," I whispered to my sister after knocking on her playroom door. "Quickly!"

"You will make it dirty again," she said. "And you're not very kind. Didn't you say one must use the golden words?"

"I promise I'll bring it nice and clean. I'll wash it for you if it gets dirty. Pretty please?"

"No."

"But it's urgent! I'll get busted otherwise and then I'll be mad at you. I won't allow Mum to buy or feed any pet."

She made a small pout of annoyance and then yielded. I hadn't told her or let her see the little fluff ball I had for I knew that this cunning child would take advantage of me.

She gave it and threw me a fluffy, furred plushie. I ran to my room swiftly and rummaged through the cupboards for a small box.

My heart was racing as there were barely a few seconds left. In the short amount of time, I needed to get my head out of the window as well as get the box chucked into the right place with a long stick.

I plucked out a small, bendable box and hurried to the open window. I stuffed the toy in it and picked up the hooked stick kept behind my bookcase. Just as the tip of my brother's head appeared out of the garden door, I threw the sealed box without a second thought. There was no time to adjust it with the stick and I had to pray that luck would be on my side.

The damned thing went straight the gaps of the tree branches. I cursed and reached out with the stick to stop one of the branches. But by that time, it had already landed on his head.

"Oomph," he said once it hit him. "What a shot. That was a bullseye hit. Anymore home runs coming?"

"No more coming soon," I replied with a chortle as he rubbed his sore head vigorously.

"Kindly give a warning the next time you try to get it down."

"I told you I'll fetch it myself! Besides, you were the one who came under the tree. You should have stayed out of that area!"

"This is not even the part with thick leaves! How did you get it here?"

"I picked it up with the hook, but while carrying it, the box slipped out of the hook. Of course, it was bound to fall."

"You dropped such a precious box. Now let me see its contents."

Before I could say no, he had pulled off the lid and the furry kitty toy fell onto the ground.

'This is amazing,' I said in an annoyed, sarcastic tone. 'Just great. Now I have been blessed with the task of washing the muddy toy. Thanks a lot. Both of you.'

"This was the fluff ball you were holding?" he asked, looking at me while raising it towards me. "It wasn't white—"

"You're colourblind!" I yelled back. "Or you have a huge problem recognising colours of different shades!"

"You know the first one doesn't apply —"

There he went again with his science lectures. I had no energy to rebuke him for having a small, and sometimes smart, mind so I shut the window. And since he always had, for quite a long time, not been able to differentiate shades, I used it to my advantage to mould it into a white lie for once.

After a hearty breakfast, unlike last night, I thought of a quick plan to use it to my advantage while giving some space for the others. Being with the two of my siblings, I had picked up this skill to help me out of a fix. In a way, my intelligence level had increased while trying to solve the problem.

'And that's how you ended my with having to wash the kitty plushie,' my brain said with humour and cackled.

'Laugh all you like,' I responded with a roll of my eyes.

"Anyone wants to buy anything?" I asked.

"What happened to you?" my mum asked in surprise.

"I am trying to take some initiative since being hooked up in my room isn't healthy. So I thought I will walk to the store and come back after inhaling some fresh air."

"That is a good thing. What do we have to buy, you say dear son?"

Just as the two of them were making a slightly long list of things to buy, I slipped in some good bits of cooked meat just for the little pup. Good pets, as the wolf pup had become one for me in my heart, deserved a nice treat.

"What are you doing?" came my brother's voice behind me, making me jump out of my skin.

"Eating a little meat," I responded. "I didn't get to eat enough yesterday."

"You don't have to sneak up, you know. Take a mouthful and then go shopping."

With a slight smack-pat on my back to getting moving, he left to speak with Mum again.

'Phew,' I mumbled with a sigh. 'That was a close call.'