Short Story: A FRUITFUL PICNIC

- V.M. VIVEK MOHAN

After another bad day at the office, Mr. Verma returned home, dog tired. At home, he was welcomed by the blaring radio sets, that belonged to his children and the hullabaloo created by the other two members of his household, Mrs. Verma and his dog Moti.

As usual, he sat back in the sofa, trying to catch a wink of sleep.

Mrs. Verma entered the room, shouting at the cook, the servants, the children and at her latest victim, Mr. Verma.

But Mr. Verma seemed oblivious to all this. His secret? Two rolls of cotton plugged deep into his ears!

Slowly he opened his eyes and saw Mrs. Verma. He pulled out the rolls of cotton from his ears. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets as his senses were greeted by the din.

That night, he proposed the idea of a weekend picnic to his wife. She agreed to this, and the Vermas set out to the beach early on Sunday morning. There they selected a quiet and peaceful spot and set up their picnic.

The children began playing with Moti. They were throwing him a frisbee to see his midair catches. On one such throw, Moti jumped a bit too far and landed on Mr. Verma's stomach. Mr. Verma had been doing what he did best - sleeping!

"Earthquake! Tsunami! Help! Run!" cried a very startled Mr. Verma, breaking out of slumber. He stood as red as a beet, when he noticed that everyone was staring at him. He grinned sheepishly and lay down again, but not before aiming a well - directed kick at Moti.

Mrs. Verma said nothing but glared at Mr. Verma and the children, and if looks could kill...

Suddenly, there was a huge commotion. "Help! He's stolen my neck- lace", a woman's voice was heard.

The thief was now making his way through the confused crowd. Just as he was passing by the Vermas, Mr. Verma stuck his leg out. The thief tripped and fell headlong into the sand. He was soon overpowered and taken to the nearest police station.

The diamond necklace was returned to its owner, Laila, the wife of a rich businessman. As a small token of gratitude, she gave Mr. Verma a reward of Rs.5000.

Actually, Mr. Verma had just wanted to stretch his legs a bit and this action had coincided with the theif running past him.

He had started off with a picnic and had ended up with Rs.5000 in his pocket, a smile on his face and another pair of cotton rolls stuck deep into his ears to block out Mrs. Verma's shrill voice!