I AM A STRAY DOG

  

    I am a stray dog. I don't know who gave me this name but everyone in 'Tribhuvan Colony' calls me 'Kalu'. I am a skinny black mongrel. I have soft and shiny fur except for my back which is burnt. That was when a drunken man tried to put my tail on fire. However, I managed to bite him before running for my life. One of my feet is gone for good but you can't call me lame as I run pretty well.

I was born in a garage with my six siblings. Two of them died due to cold, one after falling from a roof. One of us, the white one, was adopted by a family living nearby. He lives in his own house and eats branded food. I get to see him in the evenings when Ashish takes him for a walk. He walks in pride and groans at me. No, I've never been jealous of him. After all, who wants to be on a leash all the time? My mother along with my sister shifted to another locality. Finally, only  my brother and I were left in the family. A leopard took him away one night.

Now I live with my gang which  comprises of five other dogs. One of them, a so called Pomeranian joined us few days back. I say 'so called' because ninety percent of her hair has fallen out. She doesn't resemble a dog, let alone a Pom. At first we tried to get into a brawl with her but she was too timid to fight with. She was turned out of her house after she got that incurable disease. She has been sulking since then .'Max', the German Shepherd of our gang tries to console her by citing his own example. He was abandoned by his owners before they left for the US.

We keep loafing around the whole day. We do not bark at local residents. We scare away the monkeys and mess with the dogs of other localities. Then there is this troublesome cat called Clara. I have tried to catch her many times but she's a big cheat who climbs that damn tree each time we get into a face off. For my afternoon nap I go  to the deserted house at the hill top with my pals. People say it is haunted. What on earth does 'haunted' mean? Most of my time goes in scratching myself. My fur houses a few ticks and some fleas. But I'm far cleaner than my friends. At least I don't have ticks on my eyelids and thorns clinging to my body. We spend our night in a semi-constructed building. It is going to be a hotel soon. Thinking of the delicious food makes my mouth water. 

We eat whatever we find. There is a nice old lady who calls my name everyday and gives me fresh rotis to eat. There is also a fat middle aged woman who throws stale and stinky food at me. Though I hate the taste I can't resist the temptation. Me and my gang loves it when there is a party at the Kapoor House. We always get to munch on some yummy bones the next morning. But I hate Mr. Kapoor's daughter Lily. I don't know what's wrong with her. Whenever I cross her she covers her face with a handkerchief.

    I enjoy my life but sometimes wonder how will it come to an end. Will I be run over a car like Jimmy or will I die of some disease? Will I be poisoned by municipality people or  will they  take me away in a sack to never bring me back. Or maybe a leopard will have me for his dinner. One thing I'm sure of is that I won't be dying a natural death cause ' I am a stray dog'