"So, kids! I hope all are assembled here." Sreeni uncle's booming voice resonated and ricocheted all over the room in its full bass volume.

"Pearl! I guess you are not sleeping" Chithappa's mocking remark made me raise my head which was in a drooped down position all the while.

Ben nudged my elbow playfully. I glared at him. Not enough of that Alvin who was seated next to me. nudged me

Ben chuckled when I jumped a bit because of Alvin's nudge,an action catalysed by Alvin,breaking the glare I was casting Ben

"Well, the cub is still alive and in her full on vigour" Sreeni uncle said playfully when he noticed the silent stunt pulled up by me and my brothers in all this.

I looked up at Sreeni uncle with a forced smile. Sreeni uncle broke out into a huge wide grin seeing me.

"Well, that was cool of you Pearl." Sreeni uncle said knowingly his eyes strolling towards The way Om was seated.

Sreeni uncle held a sly smile on his face when he spotted Om staring at me and then back to uncle.

"Come to the point Frankenstein junior."' Om said impatiently rubbing his neck forcefully like it belonged to someone else's rather than him.

"Yeah, so where were we" Sreeni uncle said suddenly when realization dawned on him considerably.

"Actually we were nowhere till now. Only wait is for you to chart where should we be in a right sense Mr. Frankie Jr." Alvin jeered at Sreeni uncle impudently ignoring chithappa's warning glare.

I smacked his arm a bit roughly. But he patted the sleeve of his shirt off it is nothing to be taken care off.

"You are acting so weird off late ,Vin. And I warn you when Chithi gets a tight hold of your neck that will be the end of everything. Learn to behave. Sreeni uncle is our elder." I reminded Alvin in low whispers, covering my mouth with my hand and leaning towards him.

"Okay mom! As you wish" Alvin said sticking his tongue out at me and twisting his nose to a weird position. Again he went on with pulling out his sarcastic ways on me.

"There is no need to pull on such faces Vin. You already resemble an ape for all that I am viewing" I said sardonically.

"Really? Wow! My monkey sis found out her ape bro" Alvin squealed like a girl putting his hand on my shoulder and strangling me by holding his arm tight around my neck.

I shook my head holding his arm with my hand and trying to wriggle out of his clasp.

"Just let her be,Vin. Today is not the ideal day to pull up pranks." Ben said quietly taking my hand in his.

Alvin loosened his hold on me and patted my shoulder endearingly.

I looked at Ben gratefully and harrumphed at Alvin.

"See, Vin, our sis resembles an utter messed up wreck. That is why I told you ,today is not the ideal day to kill her. We will do it tomorrow. Yay! Joy!" Ben retorted sarcastically much to my vexed state.

"Why did I ever commit the folly of believing my brothers? You guys are just impossible monkeys." I said shaking my head in dismay.

There is no one to back me. Even my brothers think that I am a doll for them to pull pranks on me.

I slumped my shoulders in defeat.

"Next issue of this part will be staged on tomorrow. What say ( Witch)" Alvin mocked at me with a twisted laugh.

"Thanks ( monkey). Now keep it shut." I said with an action of zipping my lips with my fingers.

Alvin ended the show with a heavy smack on my shoulder. I staggered a bit towards Ben's side.

Ben being a wonderful and helpful brother nudged me out of his way.

Why am I enduring all this. I huffed letting my eyes stray around the milieu.

We are now seated at dad's study.

The seating arrangement has change to lodge in the raised population in our household who are attending this meeting

Ahaan-Sarah,Arthur- Athena, Jovian-Jasmine, Ben- Krystal, Druv- Kathelyn, Om,Alvin, Steeve, Saffy and me.

We are the ones who are going out tonight where only god and these insane people know.

Saffy sat next to Alvin . Steeve occupied a seat next to Saffy. Lucky Saffy. She is in the company of an angel that is Steeve. As for Alvin,he is too much engrossed in tormenting me that he didn't give a second thought of Saffy sitting next to him. I am plaintively trapped between Scylla and Charybdis, that is Ben and Alvin who never left a loophole to torment me with nudging or pulling my hair.

I think they should have been some monkey reincarnate for that matter.

The room is turned into a mini conference hall. The most astonishing fact was that all these arrangements were done in a short spell .

The chairs were arranged in semi circular form. I occupied the middle part of the front row and as if to torment my already cluttered nerves Om sat at the farthest end seat of the front row from where he could sent me death glares time to time. If looks could kill I would have been turned into smokes and ashes by now itself for the ghastly glares I was receiving from Om at a right neat stretch of say five to ten mts.

I glanced at the wrist watch impatiently praying to all available gods to spare me from this curse I have been cast into.

As if Gods had listen to my bidding, which is a very rare phenomenon when I am the one at the bidding end, Sreeni uncle cleared his throat and enticed our attention towards him.

"We are gonna leave for Kerala today itself. Om ,I hope all the arrangements for our journey from there are done and there will be no question of checking and complaining afterwards " Sreeni uncle let all of us know about the intention of this meeting.

"All is perfectly arranged and primly taken care of . Only wait is for you guys to join the crew who are waiting to take you from there. Also Georgette papa and Lucian papa will be there to join you" Om said suddenly standing up all the while his eyes glued to the phone in his hand.

"That sounds assuring and great" Sreeni uncle said smiling widely.

"And now back to the point. Kids! Listen!" Sreeni uncle clapped his hands and called out trying to bring our feather brained attention towards him.

The buzz around the room which was escalating from time to time like a wild blazing fire came to a subdued halt when we heard Sreeni uncle.

Every head turned towards the source.

Sreeni uncle stood before us whilst Daniel uncle, Moraelson uncle and Chithappa sat on the chairs which were kept before us .

"So, how are things going kids?" Sreeni uncle enquired casually but there was a tone of uncertainty latching over his calm composure.

"( Everything gun). ( How about you?) " Alvin quipped in before anyone allowed their mind voice out.

A few chuckles and giggles spread among the crowd gathered here.

I couldn't help but smile at my cousin's imbecile act but not before nudging him roughly on his forearm warningly .

Alvin held a goofy grin on his face, waving his hand at our other cousins and their counterparts for acknowledging him with their valuable chuckles and giggles.

How funny is that ? I had to roll my eyes again at this petulant act of my cousin with a huff of course.

"Vin! What is going on young man? What is so funny about this event? Explain, let me also have a laugh." Chithappa's rough voice startled us and we turned our head to face the fury of a burning copter that is my chithappa and Alvin's dad, to be precise.

Alvin dropped his head down folded his arms across his chest. A straight way of surrendering to chithappa's chagrin fire.

I clasped my hands around his forearm and looked at him.

"We are here to discuss something official and you didn't leave a chance to find humor at this situation too? Wow! My son! This is what you are taught to be? When will you grow up Vin. At this rate I feel like giving up the last strand of hope which I was holding on to all this time. No sense of timing, no punctuality, no discipline just leading a life of a cave man" Chithappa snapped at Alvin in his heavy and snarling voice.

I flinched a bit to see this agonizing side of chithappa this close after a long time.

He used to be pretty harsh on me and Saffy when we were small. But as we grew up he willfully detached from us and if he ever wanted anything done from us Chithi used to become his hamzam( mediator/postal service is the exact term ) to convey his message to us. He is a person who never showcases his love openly to anyone except chithi.

His kids suffer and yearn for his love but wow! Fate! He is busy romancing his wife that his kids or his brother's kids always become a least concern for him.

Same goes for my dad as well. But he is good at expressing his genuine love for all of us from time to time. That is like an oasis in thar desert.

I suddenly took a keen interest in the patterns of The carpet sprawled on the floor. I gently traced the patterns on the carpet with my toes looking down. I didnt have the courage to look up at the furious form of chithappa.

I could here his explosive chiding. Actually no special hearing ability is needed to hear the blaring and deafening voice of chithappa that too this close.

Even a deaf person could clearly hear what he is now clattering out of his mouth for his son.

"We are standing on fire? And you are humouring your sick sense with your foul good for nothing joke?" Chithappa spat off each and every word outrageously

My clasp around Alvin's forearm tightened. The room was suffering from a harsh cold silence except for the occasional barking and mutterings of Chithappa.

I looked at Alvin. He winced a tad pulling his eyebrows together and pursing his lips tight.

His jaw clenched. I really felt bad for Alvin. I couldn't tolerate this pained look of shame on my brother's otherwise pleasant and twiddling features.

Tears stung my eyes seeing Alvin in pain and suffering.

"Dad! Take it easy. We all are going through the same spiel as of you. Even if we act serious and fuming or cool and calm we are gonna get the same result of our hard work. It is our hard work and earnestness that matter not the way we present ourselves before others. If we keep the fury grill on it will affect others out put too. They will doubt their ability and existence and that will lead to a serious fall apart libretto. So in a nutshell if we wanna get good results stay cool to the maximum. Don't think about the result. At the end it is always the purity of intention and truth triumph not the heat of chagrin or fuming grill we carry hazarding and risking the lives of those who are with us in this as well." Alvin said calmly looking straight into the eyes of a rage consumed chithappa.

I stared at Alvin in disbelief. Alvin winked at me with his usual goofy grin on and patted my cheek in assurance wiping off the tears which fell out of my eyes.

But Chithappa being chithappa was getting ready to pitch out another fit of tantrum.

"( Buddy! Your kid is telling the truth. He is of course small in terms of age yet pro in his thoughts and words. He will prove himself someday or the other with this prowess in his attitude. He has that unyielding and undying spirit within him.) I am sure he will be an asset. I can see the positive signs of that exuding from him" Daniel uncle declared getting up and walking towards us.

Daniel uncle patted Alvin's shoulder appreciatively.

Alvin shrugged with a mischievous smirk looking at his dad who stood like a loser and wet kitten.

I couldn't see the trace of the fuming tiger anywhere within chithappa who now resembles a perfect drenched cat.

I sniggered at my own thought.

Alvin pulled my nose playfully as if he heard my thought.

Actually he should have heard it. Because we cousins are so connected to each other so much that we are capable of hearing or better understanding the thoughts within one another.

"I felt a hand touch my forehead. I suddenly tweaked my head to my side to see Daniel uncle smiling at me endearingly placing his palm over my head.

"You are a loving sister, I must say. Yeah and a fuming cub too" Daniel uncle said laughing loudly but both the statements were genuine and from heart.

I felt a bit embarrassed by the second remark when the first one filled my heart with joyful warmth.

"" ( She is a lioness of a girl) Daniel said between his laughter.

The whole group which seemed like drowned of any goodness of speech or humming sound now burst out into a fit of laughter and giggles clapping their hands in approval to Daniel uncle's cub statement regarding me.

From the beam that is exuding from his face now I can tell Alvin was having his joyous time of tap dance in his mind.

I saw Om through my peripheral laughing his head out when he heard his father's remark.

Ben patted my shoulder proudly.

"And this one is a real gem of this family. She is a . ( A hidden treasure). Safrin! Ah! My darling child" Daniel uncle moved towards Safrin and said holding her chin fondly.

She smiled feebly correcting her specs and holding her book a bit more tight beneath her arms and closer to her bosom.

"She has the bone of intelligence splendidly furnished within her. Also the milk of humility and kindness are brimming like Niagara and streaming and coursing through her veins in flourish. " Daniel uncle remarked.

Safrin again let out a polite smile gazing down at the book she was holding close to her twiddling the pages with her finger.

I looked at Saffy akka and smiled. Steeve who sat next to Saffy gestured me to join him there and let him have my seat.

"Ben, I will sit with Saffy. Steeve wanna join you guys here" I said and got up.

Alvin pulled my arm and prevented me from moving further.

"Where to?" He asked frowning.

"There to" I retorted curtly showing my hand towards Steeve.

Alvin and Steeve looked at each other for sometime before nodding at each other quietly.

Alvin let go off my hand with a small squeeze and smile.

I passed Steve exchanging a high five moment and smile.

I walked towards the vacant seat next to Saffy. Suddenly Om got up from his seat and walked towards me.

I looked down and continued to take small and cautious steps towards the seat.

Suddenly I felt something slithering towards my neck. I jumped a bit and stumbled on my way when I felt this funny feeling.

I tried to shirk way the thing that dared to crawl towards my neck. In my haste the chain I was wearing snapped out of its hook and fell on the floor.

I sighed at my hasty and panicky move. I leaned forward and was about to pick it up from the ground but leaving me astonished and astounded as ever my chain swiftly moved to the other side like it has a life of its own.

I gasped when my eyes trapped this rare occurrence and mind perceived the horror.

I tried to ward off the sick nauseating feeling that began to swirl from the pit of my stomach.

I shook my head and slowly moved towards the chain but it moved away from me like someone is making it move just to see me in a tortured situation.

I moved towards it and tried to catch hold of it but again it moved making me feel dazed and weird.

I tried to follow it but in the next swift move it took the shelter underneath my dad's study table.

I turned and looked at my cousins but they were all busy talking and caring about their own things.

My eyes fell upon Om who was curiously staring at my direction.

I was about to explain the scary phenomenon to him that he straightened himself turning his head and attention towards the phone. He veered towards Daniel uncle looking at his Phone and tapping his fingers over the screen, like nothing had ever happened or he had ever witnessed something like I have seen.

I sat next to Saffy looking at her. She was apparently deeply engrossed in reading her book.

Her shoulder length curly black hair left loose. She was wearing a specs. Actually there is no power problem with her. But as a precaution for her eyes she wears a plain specs when she reads or does her work on lappy.

I sat next to her silently viewing her. She seemed still and lost in some other world.

It was like this only her body was present here but her heart and soul somewhere else.

At times distorting her blissful calm her phone buzzed making her jump and stare at it in disbelief before avoiding the caller.

I tried to get a glimpse of the caller who was desperately trying to contact her but to no avail.

Krystal was seated next to me. She smiled gently at me.