The Uninvited-visitor'

 Lockdown 2020 was on,Winters were waning, April had just begun. The  day had gone by in a peaceful and regular...desolate way. In the early evening, I was sitting in the Drawing Room- adjoining  to my terrace, relaxing after tending to my 'adopted and much loved' plants . To melt away the desolation triggered tiredness I brewed for myself a cup of tea and reclined placing my feet on the coffee stool. Intermittently Sipping my tea  I continued to work on my needles, knitting a sweater for my grandson.  

As I bent down to keep my cup on the side stool, I felt something swishing past me but wasn't able to gauge it. To ascertain that it was nothing but my heightened senses... I got up and as I tiptoed towards my bedroom what caught my glance was a squirrel(🐿️) on its hind legs ...probably sensing me,  long jumped in a swish like an over shot arrow and landed once on the bed and in another  lob disappeared  behind the sofa chair in the corner of my bedroom.  By this time I had reached my bedroom door and my husband who was watching TV ardentlly, with a single point focus asked me " has something entered the room?" Yes I said " A 🐿️..." .He was shocked into motion. He turned  the TV off loosing all interest hitherto in the news suddenly as if  happenings in the world had blacked themselves out...

I was also at a loss somewhat, never ever  had I imagined that I would have such a visitor ...the task at hand was how to see off this 'uninvited visitor' !!!

I climbed  on the bed and pushed the chair to force the 🐿️ out of its hiding place, nothing moved, no sound...nothing, it had disappeared from behind the chair. I realised that it would be a long drawn match and not a simple knock out game...which in the hind sight turned out to be true !

As a necessary prelude, I opened both the  outward doors of the house to give 🐿️ an easy exit. Then to give all-out impetus to my efforts for its early decamping I created  cacophony of noises...but not a trace, my visitor -🐿️ had vanished into thin air...not a movement or sound. As the dusk was turning into night the thought of  the 🐿️ jumping on me while I slept, was driving me crazy.The need to  deboard the 🐿️had become poignantly urgent, and so the efforts became more concerted .To channelize my 'visitor-🐿️'s ' route, l barricaded my staircase by placing vertically my runner carpets... an indegenously ingenious way ! ( In hindsight now,  it was downright foolish🤪 having seen squirrels trapeze over wires, Walls any foothold they can latch onto !!! ) Nevertheless for an hour or so the efforts continued...I waited for the 🐿️ to show up...tired I went and  sat in front of TV in the bed room...a small movement caught my eye, there it was... bundled like a small  cotton-ball, in shadows of the  corner console, intently gauging as if waiting for a loose moment like any child hiding to slip out unseen from the eyes of  an adult ...I left the room so that it could lower it's guard and make its moove! But no Luck, evening turned into night...the doors had to  be shut to keep out mosquitoes and other rodents. The 🐿️ was  to be , for this night, my unwanted, uninvited guest! So to avoid any  risky incursions by my 'guest' during my sleep, I locked my bedroom door.

Next morning  the first  thing I did was to open  the outward doors again  and sprinkled some corn seeds  leading to the door and went about finishing my work at a easy pace (...this happened during lockdown). The day passed  with absolutely no sight of or sound from the 🐿️ ...none whatsoever...the evening passed , night befell , assuming🐿️ had left for good...unseen, I went off to sleep.

 Next morning I sluggishly followed the routine ( there was no sense of hurry...being homebound ...) .Post lunch to keep myself occupied, I picked up my knitting and sat down, assured at the back of  my mind that the squirrel no longer inside my home, surely had slunk away.

I must have been knitting for half an hour or so when I heard a rustling sound  from above me and as I looked in the direction, my eyes widened in absolute shock...there it was perched on the corner of  the wall painting, before I could react, it lobbed down and scurried towards the door curtains. All hell broke loose...the exit doors were again opened, all the curtains, apart from the one it disappeared under were folded up to have a clear view of its movement, a broom - most readily available weapon-was  picked up to prod the 🐿️ out of its hiding space, small chair, side stools were shifted out on to the terrace... . The doors to rooms and kitchen were shut, totally made out of bounds for the 🐿️. It could run on as many highways-, helter- skelter, but only in the Drawing Room, all ways led to only one destination...ONLY  and ONLY OUT-WARDS. The Ground zero was thus prepared for  the final Push - out game ! 

I ventured steadily towards the culprit- curtain and slowly pulled it upwards and could see the 🐿️  hiding in its pleats...our eyes caught  and it lunged and hit the ground running crazily...dekho, dekho woh gayi !, arre  bhagao ! ... total pandemonium was being orchestrated by no one else but us owners of the home 😂 !!! The 🐿️ tried to break through shifty barricades, tried to slip through the our  somewhat well gaurded bastions unsuccessfully. This time, No Victory for the 🐿️. l very happily saw her sliding out of our front door, rather slithering across the slippery floor to her outside open  green world...her own territory🏞️!

I heaved a huge sigh of relief after seeing off  the  untamed, uninvited guest out from my house, almost after 2 and half days of cohabiting ...us with the 🐿️...!!! 

But it was sure an experience 😊, have a hearty laugh NOW !  But certainly, not looking forward to another one ! 😅