Just Another Party?
Nimi Kurian
16 November 2007, 06:53Hound watched from his kennel. The house was full of activity. Nothing unusual, it happened every year. Sometime during the end the year the humans got very excited about something and began behaving strangely.
First, the woman would begin to clean the house. The maid had a tough time, for nothing was actually as perfect as the woman wanted it. Then large orders of groceries would begin to arrive. From then on the cook would be busy. She would be shouting orders and running from store room to kitchen, stove to table, cutting, chopping, frying, baking… All that was very well, but it was the only time of the year when Hound was forcibly confined to his kennel. So he lay in his kennel and watched.
Then one evening, the Tree was brought out from some dark hiding place and put in the front room. As evening fell, he saw the family gathered there and begin to decorate the tree. ‘They seem to be enjoying themselves,’ he thought, as he watched them hang up the decorations. It looked so cosy and nice, seeing the family together. Hound sighed. ‘Yes, all that is good. But, what about me? I’m stuck out here in the cold!’
The preparations went on, and Hound lost track of the days. He knew that on the Big Day he would get a nice big bone with a bow on it and a fancy collar. He just hoped it wouldn’t be red again.
Soon it was the Big Day. Hound watched as all the friends came. Many brought large gift wrapped parcels. Some brought flowers. He tried to bark and wag his tail but nobody really looked his way. No one even thought of saying, “Nice doggie”. He sighed and lay down feeling rather sorry for himself.
As people walked in they greeted each other with ‘mevy chrisima’. Or that’s what Hound thought was said. The room was brightly lit and there was music and laughter. It was a happy sound that came from the room. Hound watched. It was all so predictable. The happy voices as everyone enjoyed themselves.
At midnight, they sang songs — always the same songs, the same tunes…Then they opened their gifts. The woman came running across the lawn and patted him, and gave him his bone and removed his old collar and put on a red one. Hound saw the colour and winced. ‘OH no! Not again. A red collar for another year!’ But he simply wagged his tail. The woman rushed back to the house. There were loud cheers and shouting and laughter.
Finally, after a lot of hugging and kissing the friends left.
The next morning, the house was quiet. The curtains were drawn. Hound did not get any breakfast and his stomach was growling. He got up, stretched his back and yawned loudly. He barked. Nothing happened. He growled and still nothing happened.
‘Oh, why is it always like this? Every year, after the Big Day he was left hungry. The family, well fed, happy and tired would sleep through the morning. But what was it they were celebrating? Year after year?’
Hound thought about it but just could not figure out what they were celebrating. He even got to a point when he wondered whether the humans themselves knew what they were celebrating. Or was it simply just a big party?
