A squirrel to rescue

That was a time that belonged to the smooth flow of life, untouched of the IT revolution. As a school-going girl of fourteen, all I bothered regarding computers was having an email-check once in a while, when I was waiting for a reply, from the ISRO scientific secretary. (That was a sincere effort on my part, which received a sincere reply.)

That was also a time when I lived in a secure environment,  in the midst of gleefully waving greenery all around my residence. I enjoyed living in the center of what seemed like an urban mini-forest, waking up to find the front street covered in yellow amaltas petals shining vibrantly in the morning sun, and just in time to catch the magpie robin in its practise session for a new composition. Magpie robins are known to sing a new song of call, every new morning in the spring season.

Also amongst the inhabitants of the campus were a few dogs, some goats that came for grazing during the day, a swarm of bees, a flight of swallows, some families of the humming bird, tailor birds,  and a large family of squirrels living on the trees. The squirrels would all descend to the ground in search of grub, in the quiet afternoon hours. It was fun to see the dogs chase them in vain.

One stormy evening, it so happened that one of the electric poles that stood in the front was hit by a major electric spark produced in its box of fuses. The box was thrown open due to the shock and so were its contents, which were squirrel chicks alongwith their twig cushioning that would once have been their nest.

Me and some of my juniors watched as the mother squirrel grabbed two of the chicks and sprang off to some place that was difficult for us to track so fast. One of us carefully put the remaining two chicks on a platform with shelter, away from the dripping rain, ready for her to take away. The chicks lay squeaking-- their squeals easily heard over the storm.

When the mother squirrel returned, it took away only one of the two - the one who squeaked - and left the silent one where it lay. She did not return.

It was growing dark. Much soon, the assumption was made, supported by the old myth, that squirrels don't look after their babies touched by humans. Seeing it was unlikely that it returned, i volunteered to take care of the chick. I knew how to take care of a squirrel baby as i had read about it somewhere.

First, i put it on my bed, covered it in warm muffler. Then i prepared its sleeping basket, stuffed with cloth and rags to keep it warm. And then i tucked him in. After a while when we had our dinner, i dipped a cotton wick into milk and tried to feed him. He was quick in gulping some drops.

His sqeaks having stopped. I went to bed.

It only squealed again when it was morning. I woke up in fascination. He  had slept through the night. I checked with my finger to his chest - his heart was beating.

The baby squirrel was helpless in protecting itself. It could not yet kick its feet. I picked it out of its cozy bed to feed him some milk, and as I overlooked the possibility of letting him go, he started to squeal again.

Though I was  touched, I could not exactly sense what it needed. Sighing at what a responsibility I had taken upon me, I went on with the feeding and it kept squealing once in every while.

After some time, I noticed an adult squirrel in the back  verandah, that seemed quite alert, approaching with a doubtful hope, in the direction from which the squeals were coming, which was my room, where I  was sitting and watching it from a distance!

I had to realise that the old myth was not so true after all. It was a relief that squirrel had come to his rescue. My rescue. And it was now my responsibility to make this reunion happen.

The people in the house were coming and going from the verandah at regular intervals. Finally, when the hustle-bustle ceased for a while, I took the little baby squirrel and carefully put it on the verandah floor.  It squealed louder. Maybe it was cold. And I came back to my  room, to sit and watch, the prehistoric myth being busted in front of my eyes. The squirrel came and hugged the baby to its chest, and the baby clung to her body. She finally took off  to her destination, leaving behind this wonderful memory, of that time long  back, when I was  still a child. That day saved me the cost of my decision, and I learnt, help comes in the end, if only one did what one could do.