Chapter 3: Mangoes on the ground
Photo credit: ROBERTO ZUNIGA
“Oy, who’s the one who broke these mangoes and made a mess?” Cried Adrian, “I just cleaned up this part of the driveway.”
Sawyer and Gabe couldn’t control their curiosity, they cycled as fast as they could to the spot where a sweaty and annoyed looking Adrian was standing.
“Woah, what’s the matter Adrian?” they both chimed in unison.
“Look at this mess, which one of you decided to break mangoes while we were cleaning?”
“Surely, you don’t think it was one of us?” asked Sawyer and Gabe in surprise, “Why we were playing all the way near the chicken coop, it’s not us Addie, we didn’t do it, but we can help you clean up again.”
“Alright, get some brooms and clean up these leaves and fallen mangoes,” said Adrain and he too got cleaning.
A strange rustling sound and scrapping sound was coming from somewhere. Then a low whimper…” arf, arf…woof, arf”
Adrian and the two boys looked up at the tree.
“What’s that?” asked Sawyer, they went towards the big mango tree to get a better look. “Sounds like a dog”, said Felix, “but what’s a dog doing up in a tree, isn’t that what cats generally do?”
“Cecelia did say doggie and point to the tree, perhaps that’s what she was trying to tell us,” Replied Gabe. “Hey, I have an idea, let’s rescue it.”
“Yeah, how?” Felix asked, with an unconvinced look on his face and his slender arms folded across his chest. “I don’t think we should bother; it will figure a way to get down, it did climb up the tree on its own, didn’t it? Let’s go and start the football match, if everyone has finished cleaning”
By this time more leaves were falling from the tree and a few other boys gathered around the tree to find out what was going on.
“Doggie, there,” an excited Cecelia pointed to the little puppy that was now visible to all. He had managed to climb to one of the highest branches and was now unable to navigate his way back down.
“We must save it,” said George, “it’s just a baby, see he can’t figure how to get down.”
All the boys agreed and there was a general rumble as everyone was speaking all at once.
“I’ll save the puppy!” said Gabe triumphantly and he rushed off towards the chicken coop. Sawyer and George followed him. The three of them came back hauling a heavy ladder and placed it besides the tree. There was just one problem that became apparent as they leaned the ladder to the tree bark.
“It’s too short! It’s not going to reach!” a chorus of voices said at once.
“Arf…arf, arf…” the puppy was trying to balance on a branch as he peered down to look at the company of boys.
“He looks frightened,” said Mel, who was the tallest of them all, let me try climbing up.
“No wait,” said Jared, “let’s not frighten it, it could fall down in fear. Let’s put our heads together and think.”
It was a strange sight to see eight boys standing in a circle; arms outstretched on their neighbour’s shoulders putting their heads together, trying to come up with a plan to rescue a puppy in a tree.
“I think, we should tell Fr. Donavan,” said Felix.
“NOOO!” came an instant reply from all directions.
“Let’s not trouble father, he’s already too busy.” Said Jared.
“How about, we tie a rope onto one of the branches and then pull ourselves up to the branch where the puppy is?” quizzed Adrian.
“How are you going to tie a rope?” asked Cherub.
The question was left hanging as no one had an idea of how to rescue the puppy.
Suddenly Seraph jumped from his crouching posture, “Hey! let’s build a human pyramid and we can reach the puppy,” he said excitedly.
By now there was total chaos, the boys were all talking at once and no one was listening to the other. Amidst the din of voices, the prior’s office door opened and a hush fell instantly.
“Oh no, it’s Fr. Donavan, shsshh,” said someone.