Not so Short Stories!

A day full of Adventures!

Ani and Simi were two sisters who lived with their parents on the outskirts of the city. Their home was very close to the forest and near the highway. Since the forest was very close, their parents had built a boundary wall covered with long wired fences all around the house. To enter the house, one has to cross the main gate attached with the boundary walls. The entire family lived at first floor, they had the entry to their home at first floor via basement. This helped to safeguard them from any intruders or wild animals from the forest. However no wild animals were ever spotted around their locality except a few dogs and cattle from the nearby farms.

Ani's and Simi's parents ensured that they always returned home before dark. They had hired a nanny to accompany their daughters until they were back home. Their uncle and aunt also lived a few kilometers away from them. They had each other's back in case of any kind of family emergency. One day Simi's dad had a late night office shift. Her mother also had an important meeting. During noon, there was sudden climate change and it became dark, cloudy and windy. That day, the babysitter also fell sick, therefore, Ani's mom decided to come home early. By that time an orange alert was issued and her mother got stuck at office. Since they lived near the forest area, the advisory was issued to not leave their respective home or offices till the next notice. Ani's mom was extremely worried as her daughters were alone in the home. She was checking in regular intervals through calls to ensure they were both comfortable at home. She also tried reaching Ani's uncle and aunt but couldn't connect with them.

It was only afternoon but it felt almost like late evening as the clouds were dark and windy. The electricity was long gone and the home was supported by power back up which would generally last for 4 to 5 hours. It was almost evening but the weather remained same. Ani and Simi's mom had instructed them to charge their phones, tab, and emergency lights as the backup might also go off. It was now 6 pm in the evening and backup power gave up as well. Both the sisters were trying to be their best at home and waiting for their parents to return. With no power, it was completely dark in the house. Suddenly, Ani and Simi started to hear crying noises, they were so loud that they had to peek through the windows to identify the source. They saw a mama bear with her cubs surrounded by the dogs. The baby bears were crying loudly as it was drizzling heavily. Ani and Simi wanted to save the mama bear and cubs from the harsh weather and the dogs. The entry gate was almost open, hanging on a hinge due to heavy winds. It was an instinct for both the sisters to help the bears but the question was how to help them.

Given the weather conditions, the mobile phones were no longer working so they could not contact their parents. Both sisters had an idea and as if they had read each other's thoughts through their eyes. They thought of enticing the bear and it's cubs in the basement area to lock them. The basement was covered by concrete wall with iron gates and there was a separate entry for the first level of house. It was a safe bet and given the situation,they thought this was best option to save the mama bear and cubs. Both Ani and Simi bought some leftover food and snacks downstairs. They put up a trail from the corner of the basement to the main entry gate. They opened the entry gate of the basement and locked the path (second iron grill door) that goes upstairs. After entering through the first  gate, it sided towards the basement which could also be locked through sliding iron grills once entered via the first gate.

Both sisters had put out enough food, slightly opened the sliding iron grills and locked themselves behind the second door from the basement entrance. They also secured the view from the second door via old sheet. Ani and Soni were praying that everything goes well and no one is harmed. Due to high winds, their entry gate to the gardens was hanging through a loose hinge. The mama bear attempted to open the door and with little force, the door bursted open. As soon as the door opened, Mama Bear and the cubs came running inside, the dogs were gone hearing the loud thud of the door opening. They could see that the bear was smelling food, and after few minutes of wait, the mother bear and cubs started following the food trail.

Both the sisters were watching silently behind their second door. As soon as the bear and cubs were settled and busy eating their food inside the basement, Simi locked the sliding door with the help of a wooden stick. Once the sliding doors were closed, they came out quietly and secured it with a door lock. They went upstairs and dropped messages to their parents about their well being. The weather was becoming stable, the electricity returned and the Mobile signals were also restored.

As soon as the mobile signals came back, both sisters received a call from their parents, they had made a conference call. All of them shared their well-being and then Simi narrated the entire evening's incident. Their parents were a little shocked but also proud of their quick-wittedness. Simi's parents were on their way home and also informed the forest officials about the incident. Once their parents reached home, forest officials had already gathered around their home and had checked upon the bear and cubs. They were in good condition.

The forest officials requested to wait till early morning to release the bear and cubs. Their parents headed upstairs to meet their daughters, as soon as they entered home, Ani & Simi jumped up to their parents and hugged them tightly. They were overjoyed by their daughter's actions, finally, everything was coming back to normal. The forest officials securely moved the bear and her cubs deep into the forest. Ani's mom received a call back from their uncle and came to know that they were traveling to their hometown, hence the phone was unreachable.

It was Saturday morning and the weather came back to normal. Ani and Simi were playing in the garden with their friends, sharing the last evening's story. Turns out everyone had something to share. The newspaper covered Ani's and Simi's story of their bravery, empathy, and thoughtfulness. As time passed by, their parents found them more responsible and alert, ready to take on any challenge they ever encounter in the future!!