The Wonder Raft (Competition Entry)

The Wonder Raft

Summer holidays were coming to an end. I had been reading a lot of Enid Blyton Mystery Series, the Five Find-Outers and Dog. One day I told Didi (sister), "Wish some mystery crops up in our life". She gave a grave look and said, "Stop reading those mystery books".

"But Didi, I know you also read those books. Isn't it?" A sideways glance from her was enough to put my fingers on my lips.

Being the youngest among the lot of five I was getting bored with nothing much to do. Yes, I loved that day when it started raining. I ran out spreading out my hands like the wings of a bird in flight and looked up at the sky. I couldn't keep my eyes open but let the drops fall on me with closed eyelids. "Do you want to fall sick and miss your school when it re-opens", Ma shouting from the verandah with hands on her hips. I ran in and quickly changed into dry clothes. I could still feel the shiver of the drench.

The rain stepped into the next day. Then next and it was the fourth day. The water no longer flowed down the drains with full speed. It stood and rose reaching the last step of our front gate. Going out of the house meant wading through the water. We were fed up with the rain and no way to go out. We were stuck up within the four walls on the house. Something must have been working in Ma's mind by now. She called the servant and the cook of the house. The three of them went to the backyard, Ma with her pink umbrella and the two of them wearing a typical hood-like protection made from palm leaves.

Ma came back and said, "Surprise for you all". She gave a sly smile and went in. She had made the two of them cut seven banana trees. The leaves had been chopped off and only the stems lay side by side on the cemented verandah. Ma was the originator of the day. Soon cocoanut coir ropes were used to tie the stems, one after the other. Now this whole thing looked like a huge plank. Her two helpers carried this plank outside and slipped it on the stagnant water. To my utter surprise, this was floating. Ma gave a loud laugh and said, "This is a raft. You can sit on it and move on the water from one end to another with the help of a pole".

All of us were left dumbfounded at Ma's creativity. "It's a raft?" said Didi with a beam of surprise. One by one all of us got a chance for our rides on the raft. "Ma you've really made our day", we sang in chorus to thank her.

That night as I went into bed I did not give a thought to Enid Blyton's mysteries.