28/08/2022
The Detective and a friend
Last winter, probably in December, we undertook a journey to explore the ruins of an old Fort in Thar desert. My father has a very keen interest in history and has decided to explore some ancient monuments. We live nearly 50 kilometers away from the place and hence preferred travelling in our own car. The weather was pleasant and we arrived near the main gate at 11 am. My father decided to park the car under a banyan tree, ignoring the advice of my mother to park the car in a designated parking area.
We walked inside the fort, carrying only water bottles and a digital camera, and left all other belongings, including two mobile phones, in the car. The walls and architecture of the fort was heavily damaged but still attracted my attention. We walked from one building to another, praising its beauty and taking pictures. My sister is a great photographer and handled the photography task perfectly. We played and fought along the corridors and on the streets, prompting my mother to intervene and scold us many times. I lost the count of snacks we had eaten as there were numerous vendors selling items nearly everywhere. We returned to the place where we had parked our car at 3 pm after eating our lunch in a roadside eatery.
To our surprise, we found the glass of the rear door of the car broken and all our belongings missing. My sister started crying about losing her favorite clothes. My mother started cursing my father for not listening to her advice of parking at designated areas. I too was shocked. My father, meanwhile, talked to shopkeepers and vendors nearby to find out if anyone has seen somebody breaking the glass of our car and stealing our belongings. To his dismay, none answered in affirmative. He rushed to the nearby police station, after asking us to wait near the car, to lodge a complaint. He came back after 1 hour with one policeman who assured us of a thorough probe and to find the thieves as early as possible. He also kept blaming us for the theft as many such incidents had happened in the past and still we did not park the vehicle at the right place. He left the place, after a while, saying they will come accompanied by some senior police officials.
Somebody pulled my shirt while we were deciding on what to do next. I ignored it at first but jumped later when my mother said ‘It’s a monkey pulling your shirt ‘.I shrugged him off by throwing a water bottle on him. My father immediately picked some pebbles to scare him but my mother stopped my father from hitting a small monkey. The animal ran away and once again we got busy brainstorming. After a few minutes, when my father and mother were sitting under a banyan tree, I found that the monkey was again pulling my shirt as if he wanted me to accompany him. I started walking after him ignoring the shouting of my mother. I followed him and in a few seconds we were near the outer wall of the fort standing in front of a dilapidated old building of barracks.
The baby monkey went inside and I followed him. It was pitch dark with no sunlight. The floor was filthy and there was a foul smell everywhere. I went inside a room and was awestruck to see it filled with numerous bags, phones, gadgets and other things. I quickly realized that some thieves use this place to store stolen items as I saw our bags lying there. I heard some people talking and laughing in the next room. I sneaked into the room to find four men, very scary and gigantic, resting on the floor. They were carrying knives and swords. I was terrified and ran away from the building followed by my monkey friend. I rushed to my father who was visibly very angry and afraid, on my leaving him to follow a monkey. I narrated him the whole episode while my mother kept reprimanding me for my irresponsible behavior. My father immediately went to the police station and pursued the officers to search that building. The police, initially reluctant, searched the building and arrested four people. They recovered many things from their possession and returned our bags to us. Of course, they praised me for my instincts and courage , although nobody believed that a monkey led me to this place.
In the evening, we returned to our home recalling and discussing what has happened throughout the day. It was such a great adventure, after all. I kept on wondering why the monkey helped me and how I understood what he wanted to convey. Next day, all newspapers wrote about the arrest of a gang of thieves and recovery of valuables from their possession. Newspapers mentioned that people were afraid to go near the old barracks as they feared of some ghost residing there. The gang had spread these rumors so that people including policemen stay away from the building and thieves can stay there secretly. My name and family photo was printed in every article and I was given the name ‘The Detective Kid’. Everybody praised me for being courageous and curious but in my heart I knew that it was my monkey friend who was the real hero.
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