An act of bravery

“Wake up mamma, wake up. The tank is overflowing,” my three year old child was whispering. I was then clearly hearing the sound of overflowing water from the overhead tank of our single-storey house on a November night at 1.30 a.m., ten years back.
What a beautiful and cozy house it was! Having a carpet area of 1500 sq. ft. it had a sprawling garden and orchard spread over few acres. One big stream flowed down behind our backyard to meet river ‘Sukhi’ which flowed along one side of the fencing. Such was the tranquility of the surrounding that besides other natural sounds one could hear ones’ own activities. Even in daytime we could hear the gurgling sound of water of the stream water. Though, the nights were filled with orchestra of crickets and cries of animals. A walk of 150 metres on the other side of the house took us to the dear breeding park which had ‘Sambhars’, ‘Cheetals’ and black bucks. While taking breakfast many a times we used to observe a big white owl perched on the big mango tree seeing towards us as if counting our calorie intake from beginning to its end and sometimes more to watch how we use it. Often, in afternoon, monkeys used to play hide and seek on our terracotta tilled roof. Sometimes I was so thrilled on my fortune for being the lady of the house surrounded by Satpura hills that I played old hindi movie songs which described the nature’s beauty while me humming in unison.
On such a bubbly afternoon while cooking and enjoying music I just went to the window of the kitchen to appreciate the medicinal plants’ plot which I had started raising. Beside the small bushes of basils, I saw a three feet long crocodile like creature, without any activity as if it was also enjoying the movie song. First I thought it be some formation of mud and mosses but soon my sixth sense told me that it was something more alive. All the melodies stopped and I rushed to dial my husband’s number. He, after hearing the description, asked the whereabouts of our daughter as it was a monitor lizard which could be dangerous for any 2-3 years old. It was not my first rendezvous with fear. Few months back only, one morning, when I was opening the front door a snake fell from the crack of the same and disappeared without any exchange of pleasantries. Since it didn’t bite, everyone christened it to be a rat snake (Dhaman). Many nights, the antelope neighbours used to raid my kitchen garden to relish ‘Gwarfali’ and I chose to remain a mute spectator as any disturbance might have invoked violence.
In this background then, water was overflowing there and my child was a witness of my fears as well as my dogged campaign to save the precious natural resource. I was feeling every single pulse-beat tickling over my body with thumping heart beat. It generated the same sensation as that of in an examinee just before the distribution of question paper. Though in such situation you don’t fear for your life. There, I was considering two lives. What if I went outside and anything in human or non-human form enters the bedroom, where the child was sitting. On the other hand what if some misfortune happens to me while closing the valve of the ascending water pipe.
Anyway I had to put up a brave face so I switched on the light, took a torch and instructed my child not to step down. I went outside the bedroom, crossed the dinning space and was standing in the backyard when there was a blackout. As the street lights went off, the hope of light was coming only from the torch. I then thought there was hardly any need to stop the valve as the incoming water should automatically cease flowing from the main supply tank since that was being filled with help of electric pump. No sooner I stepped back, the electric supply resumed.
With trembling hand and shaking leg I slightly opened the noisy wooden door of the backyard and went outside in the garden. Keeping the feet lightly and lighting the torch brightly, I searched for the valve. So perplexed was I that first I couldn’t find but after a nervous probing, I got and rotated it to stop. Devoid of any emotion, I hurriedly came back and leapt on the bed hurriedly to sleep when the little child hugged me and said, “You are so strong”. At least I was able to uphold my values.