CANINE CATASTROPHE

The day dawned bright and sunny in Ooty. My friend Ammu (I will call her thus for the sake of her anonymity and my safety) and I had risen at daybreak (read 7 am). Having finished brushing and bathing, we were all set to venture out. It was the second day of our class’ excursion to Ooty. Since the cock was yet to crow for the rest of our friends, we decided not to perturb the sleeping beauties and slipped out of the room noiselessly. Feeling fresh and elated, we strolled along at a leisurely pace along the street.
Now I must highlight a particular trait of ammu’s character. She possesses this tremendous fascination and passion for all kinds of flora- flowers, plants (both big and small!!), trees and ofcourse, loves wild jungles. Foraying into forests and landing in trouble would be typical of her. Returning to the anecdote, the pleasant warmth of the sun and the tree-lined pathways lifted our spirits further, and we were soon chatting and giggling.
Suddenly, ammu nudged me and pointed across the road. “Look at those beautiful woods. Come, let’s explore it.” Glancing at the said ‘woods’, all I could perceive were some thick green bushes and shrubs dotting either side of a narrow, rubble-filled lane. Before I could voice my opinion, she had grasped me by my arm and dragged me across the road to her lovely woods. Not desiring to pour cold water on her enthusiasm, I gave in without protest and plodded along beside her. The bushes grew denser and more mysterious almost immediately after we had stepped into the lane. As we went ahead, drinking in the greenery, the road sloped upward gently and took an abrupt turn to the right. At the bend, there was a large house flanked by sprawling grounds.
The two of us went round the corner. Subsequently, multiple things occurred concurrently. A couple of dogs rushed out from the direction of the house, towards us, barking ferociously. Caught by surprise and feeling frightened, our instantaneous, involuntary reaction was to flee. Before we knew what was happening, we had fled a few steps forward, the dogs in apparent pursuit. The curve was a cul-de-sac and we realized that we were stuck. Then it dawned on us that it would be wiser to try and return the way we had come. But, to our horror, as soon as we attempted it, the barking ascended to a louder decibel level. Ammu, scared out of her skin, started screaming at the top of her voice, “Oh God! Let’s escape from here. Come, ranjani. These dogs will tear us apart.” Almost hysterical, she caught my arm and appeared ready to escape at lightning speed. Sensing that she was more frightened than me, I overcame my fear with effort and concluded that we had to stand our ground, for the moment. I clasped her hand tightly to prevent her from running in fright. Trying to conceal the tremor from my voice, I consoled her, “Do not be afraid. And whatever happens, DO NOT run. That will result in the dogs giving chase. They won’t attack unless we try to run.”
Meanwhile, the dogs had reached the threshold of the courtyard and halted in their tracks. As we looked on in fright, they positioned themselves at the gate, glaring at us and barking away furiously. A few, tense attempts by us to go back revealed that they had no intention of permitting us to go past them. Finally, we decided to proceed upward, where the path seemed to end in a cottage. Glancing behind fearfully, we slowly made our way upward, praying and hoping for another escape route from the ‘woods’. The cul-de-sac terminated in a staircase. We climbed up those steps and to our immense relief, came face to face with an elderly man standing in the garden of a tiny cottage. We narrated our plight to him and enquired if there was an alternative path for return to the main road. He quashed our hopes by replying in the negative. He informed us that our only option was to take the lane we encountered during our onward trip.
The memory of the fierce barking still haunting us, we asked him desperately, “But how can we return that way? The dogs will attack us.” He responded casually,”No. They will neither chase you nor bite you. If you are really frightened of going alone, my grandchildren will accompany you on their way to school.” So saying, he summoned two kids (who looked less than 6 years old) and instructed them,”Come, my dears. Escort these two ladies past those dogs.” The two tiny boys, draped in school uniforms and navy blue sweaters and huge bags strapped onto their shoulders, nodded in assent. They eyed us with the frank curiosity reserved for tourists. Bidding goodbye to their grandpa, they descended the stairs and began the trek downhill. We thanked our saviour and followed suit. The young boys strode on, unafraid and we walked close behind them.
When we arrived at the bend, the terrifying dogs resumed their vociferous barking, still settled on their perch proximate to the gates. Our guides remained unfazed and one of them stooped down, grabbed a couple of pebbles and flung it at the dogs. This panicked my friend and she shrieked frantically at them,”NO! NO! DON’T DO THAT!DON’T TRIGGER THEIR ANGER!”. After pacifying her, we proceeded along the path, numb with fear. Once we had safely negotiated the danger area, relief flooded through us, although the barks followed us for a considerable distance. Soon, the main road came in sight.
We thanked our brave ‘escorts’ for their assistance. They bade farewell and continued their journey to school. I spoke to my friend sternly and forbade her from deviating from peopled roads and rambling into the wilds. She meekly assented and we moved on, along the road. We came across two of our friends out for a stroll and grinned sheepishly at them, shuddering at the remembrance of our misadventure. The rest of our walk was peaceful and uneventful and we returned, exhausted to our hotel. Needless to say, we were rebuked by our friends for thoughtlessly wandering to unknown, remote regions!! The memory of this scary adventure remains fresh in our minds.