On each of my trips to Goa I look forward to my first visit to the property as I’ve invariably had some surprise or the other in store for me.
September 2014. This particular visit was no exception.
For one, there was this scorpion on the front door mat, claws and tail all poised to welcome me!
But apart from that there was this low, ominous growl emanating from the garage each time I approached the area. Fearing the worst, it was a bit of an anti-climax when source of the threatening sounds eventually revealed itself!
There is a pack of mongrel dogs that roam the property. They look ferocious but are really quite harmless. On seeing me they’ll slink away and disappear into the undergrowth. One of the females had littered and concealed her pups, two of them, under a cupboard I keep in the garage.
Over the weekend there was a delightful pattern in my interaction with this cheeky duo.
The pups would be playing in the garage.
The moment they became aware of my presence they’d make a beeline for the cupboard and squeeze – yes, I mean actually squeeze – under it!
They’d then poke their noses from under the cupboard and growl away with a ‘I-may-be-tiny-but-I’m-bloody-dangerous’ type of growl!
Quite noticeable was the struggle to get their plump backsides back into the ‘den’, and one does not have to be a rocket scientist to realise that the time is fast approaching when getting back would be, in more ways that one, truly a bum deal!