The World's Best Acrobat

Time for another "pet" story. It's been a loooong time since I indulged in narrating a story about such 'small' but unequalled joys of the world. The VIP at home - my doggy - was enjoying the evening breeze just outside the main door and seemed to be getting into some sort of a trance (though, if asked, he might like to call it divine meditation). The door was open and the fella knew he was not encouraged to enter for he had the tendency to destroy all objects he found interesting and amenable for destruction. I decided to conduct an instant meeting with the chap, on an impulse, and went over to the door, bent down, patted and tickled his head for a while and then babbled everything I could think of, into his ears. He listened with part amusement, part suspicion and part ridicule. After a while, I decided to get back to my "Things to do" list lest my doggy return my favour in cash or kind. So, after emitting a sigh of satisfaction about a job I thought was very well executed (I rarely have problems with tickling and babbling), I started walking back in my room's direction albeit lazily.

The next moment, the world came to an end....or so I thought. I vaguely realized something was whizzing past me at break-neck speed and into my room. If you're somewhat smart you'd have surely realized the nature of the whizzing entity described herein. (Wo)man's best friend. Full marks. To you and to the world's best acrobat who happens to be a part of my family. He went into my room and picked up the door mat and flung it high in the air - directed at the ceiling for the door mat couldn't possibly go through it - and it landed in the middle of my room. Meanwhile I was shaking from head to toe wondering whether I'd be run down beyond recognition. Even as I tried an escape route into the kitchen to avoid going through experiences that roads are subjected to when being tarred, the world's best acrobat rushed back to the main door and then followed it up with two additional runs in the same route and in the same style. The door mat, luckily, was left alone after its first shocking and unexpected engagement with the gravitational forces of earth. If you believed that all I did was just escape into the kitchen, you are way behind in terms of common sense. Of course, I also shrieked my head off which contributed to the quick ending of the wonderful acrobat's performance.

When the acrobatics subsided and came to a stop at the main door after a few seconds, I approached the world's best acrobat with the strangest mix of emotions - confusion, respect, anger and ideas for improvement. Even as I shook like a feather caught amidst a combination of a hurricane and a typhoon, I gently held the main door (more because my grip had weakened than because of love for the door) and told the hero of the story what I exactly thought of him. To his credit though, he seemed to have performed such heroics as a gesture of gratitude in response to my flawless performance in the recently described 'meeting at the main door'. So, he was probably expecting another meeting involving petting, tickling and babbling and was justifiably surprised at the lack of appreciation. So, as I warned him about the consequences of a repeat performance, he raised a confused eyebrow (or should I say eye?) and looked away perplexed. I don't know if I am reading between the lines but his expression seemed to suggest that he did not understand why humans are so mad, stupid and illogical (ok, you can change 'humans' to a reference to just yours truly, if you are a stickler for accuracy). Anyway, before I recovered completely and decided to make up for the lack of appreciation and encourage him to continue his energetic performances but in a more controlled and predictable manner, he made a move and decided to bark at the dogs on the road.....

When I shared this with one of my friends, she looked at the whole thing from the other's perspective (obviously, I am not so important) and exclaimed that humans do not have the energy and enthusiasm to match that of animals. So true!!! Sad for them, eh? Sigh.