Fur In The Fate

By Srotoswini Bar Saha

It was Sunday. I woke up around 6:30 in the morning.

After finishing my routine, I sat by the window with a cup of tea in one hand and The Blue Umbrella in the other.

Everyone in the house was busy with their own little worlds.

Papa was shaving, getting ready to go to market, Mamma was cooking making the whole kitchen smoky, Gran was hunting for his spectacles so he could read the newspaper which was actually stuck on his head, and Didi was snoring away—probably dreaming of Kim Taehyung.

Birds were having their breakfast, the wind was humming, and the leaves danced to its rhythm.

A cold breeze ran down my spine, pulling me gently out of my thoughts.

I sipped on my bitter cup of tea , and began reading again.

And, suddenly—a loud noise shattered the calm.

Within seconds, a crowd had gathered outside.

Mom and Dad rushed out to see what had happened.

I tried calling Didi multiple times, but of course—no response. She's truly the daughter of Kumbhakarna.

Frustrated, I took a deep breath, aimed, and gave her a solid kick. She landed on the floor with a dramatic thud.

"What the—what’s wrong with you, girl??" she yelled.

"Accident…," I said.

Her expression changed. “Where??”

Without wasting a moment I dragged her out.

A motorcycle was laying on the road, scratched but not too damaged. The rider was surrounded by over-curious neighbors. I glanced at him briefly, but something felt off. I started looking around for what could have been the  reason for this situation.

After a bit of searching, I found him—a tiny puppy, trembling in horror, and limping on 3 legs.

Instead of comforting him, people were blaming him for the whole mess.

Without thinking twice, I scooped him up into my arms and rushed to my room.

With the skill of a one-woman emergency team—Sergeant Me got to work. I gently wrapped his leg, offered him some water, and did my best to calm him down.

He looked up at me with the biggest, softest doe eyes. And I could feel my heart melting like ice cream under the summer sun. 

I gave him a warm hug and whispered, “Kaju.”

He replied with a tiny, melodious bark.

That’s how Kaju and I met.

Now, three years later, he’s the proud father of four adorable puppies.

And the mother? None other than Kismis—my Didi’s sassy little Beagle.

From a street-side accident to a house full of paws and laughter…

That’s what I call Fur in the Fate.

By Srotoswini Bar Saha