PINKY AND THE GULMOHOR TREE

PINKY AND THE GULMOHOR TREE


Before you enter Tukai’s house you would find a huge krishnachura tree, branches full of velvety lush green leaves, washed clean by a rains last night.. Pinky was so fond of this tree.- her favourite tree. She could touch the branches from their roof and pluck flowers, playing with the petals and long stems .The tree, though belonged to Tukai, but was more fond of Pinky it seemed and that was why it I spread its branches with leaves and flowers towards their roof only. Pinky searched for the flowers to pluck but could not find any near at hand and was coming down the stairs when she found them talking together , agitated and gesticulating. They mean, dadi, monima and mimiaunti (Monima’s younger sister ) Monima was speaking in a high pitched voice- this must be the work of that naughty old bham ( old Mole ) ….a bunch of bananas, all finished ! Dadi looked to all with a vacant look – just think of it! So, this was the problem. There was a satyanarayan puja scheduled for today. Being very pious, dadi kept fruits to be offered to the deity at a corner of the room only last night and this morning they are all gone- all twelve of them. Dadi was squatting on the floor, eyebrows raised almost touching the hairline , eyes round and lips making perfect round O. Mimi, who had come to spend her vacation seconded monima vehemently. Yes masima (aunty), it must be the handiwork of a bad old Bham. I have heard they use their hands when they eat. Pinky couldn’t restrain herself any more and could not conceal her doubt of the absurdity of their suggestion –“but how can Tukai’s jethu (uncle) have twelve bananas at a time and how could even he do that without any of us spotting him?” There was an unusual silence in the room broken first by Dadi ‘Pinky will you stop talking nonsense and confuse me further. What ! where does Tukai’s jethu come in the picture . Pinky came forward and tried to say: You know nothing Dadi, Tukai’s Jethu is a Bham, ask Mimiaunty?” Pinky who has never seen a Mole, the small burrowing mammal , and was not even aware of its existence, thought it is some kind of a name for his friend’s dark and fat uncle. The fact is Mimi, a bubbly young maiden, was in the habit of calling people by funny names, like she had named the fat and round milkman Ramu as ‘Hontka” , the extra smart news paper vender vendor as “Sharukh” and for some reason not known to Pinky she named Tukai’s uncle, a sturdy and very dark bald man ,who was most often seen standing on this side of their first floor veranda inspecting the activities of this young lady , ‘Old Bham’. Pinky often wandered why should she call Uncle old, for he did not seem that much old to Pinky and she was yet to ask anybody as to what ‘Bham’ stood for. Coming back to the present we saw that Mimiaunty did not let Pinky finish and her voice was drowned by a torrent of denial from Mimiaunty. See how she lies. Stop making up stories Pinky and go play with Bablu and Bhulo. Don’t comment about things you don’t understand . You have no business butting in where elders are discussing serious matter. Monima gave a stern and suspicious look to mimiaunty and would have crossed further but her attention was diverted by what her sister was saying now : ‘I am telling you masima the bham would come in the dead of night and no body would know. They walk very silently and they can climb pipe and tree alike. This huge tree that you have grown before your building makes an easy access to your house for such animals and for that matter for thieves also. You must cut that tree down. ‘No, please don’t’ Pinky screamed. You can’t do that. Dadi said solemnly ‘I see, you have a point there Mimi. We must do something about it.’ Monima did’nt said anything but laid Pinky away from the room tactfully. Next morning Pinky was still in bed and dreamt that she had gone to the Circus with Bablu , Mimiaunty, Monima and Mama . There was a small girl in a short pink frock who was walking on a rope high up. Suddenly the rope became a branch of a tree with beautiful red flowers and the branch broke and started falling down together with the girl and people down below cried out …..help her, help her.. the tree is falling…, the noise continued and became louder. Pinky opened her eyes and heard a lot of people talking together outside her room, in the veranda. Pinky quickly got out of her bed and rushed out. There she saw, Dadi, Monima and Mimiaunty having an agitated conversation with Tukai’s uncle, who was standing on their side of the veranda. Uncle was visibly angry and almost violet with anger. ‘It is not…..good…I mean… not proper..er…er .. at all fair that you should cut that tree without my…er..er…our consent. You should have known …don’t you know….that the tree is mine..er…..er….was planted by us only.’ He was so angry, he had to grope for the right word and took a long time to finish each sentence. ‘If it is your tree, you should keep its branches to your side only Montu. If your tree disturbs us we have every right to cut it’…. Dadi was so happy with her logic. But Masima, it is a tree, I can’t very well ask it to draw back its branches from spreading in that direction. You are being absolutely illogical. Uncle almost jumped like a baboon. You are being illogical. You don’t know what logic is- Dadi A kya.. kaun giraya lakri… kaun hai upar….(what is this.. who has fell the tree, who is up there) the local constable Ramdin was strolling by, while a small branch of the tree fell on his head. Ramdin stopped and looked up and saw two legs hanging from a solid branch covered with thick green leaves and flowers. The legs belonged to Kesto, the community sweeper, who was trying his best to hide every other part of his body from the constable down below by the foliage. Kaun hai, moo to dikha…chal.. niche aaa (who is there, show me your face, come to the police station) Kesto, peeped from behind the flowers and leaves and said in a small voice ..nehi, nehi, mai nehi, oo hai upar varanda me (no, no it is not me, there she is up on the varanda) kya, mai burbak hoon. Mai dekh raha hoo,tum upar baitha, haath me kulhar our bol raha hai mai nehi. Abhi utar, chal thaneme. (what, am I a fool. I can see you sitting up there with an axe in hand and you say, it is not me. Come down , come to the police station) Ramdin stamped his feet and the fat baton on the ground. Atlast dadi relented and said ‘Ramdin, let him go. I asked Kesto to cut the branches.’ “Lekin kiu, maiji, aap jante ho na, per girana kanunjan gunha hai” (“But why lady, you should know it is a criminal offence to fell trees without permission”) But it is only some branches and not the whole tree, constable. “oo bhi gunha hai!” That too is an offence. Ramdin was not convinced. But what can I do ? the big black bham comes by that branch to our house and create nuisance. Today it came and ate all the fruits kept for Narayanpuja. Now that bit of information shook Ramdin to the core, being a thoroughly religious individual himself. He looked up at Tukai’s uncle and said ‘ yeh to thik baat naahi aache. Aapne bham cheriyechen keno. U bham pujar fal kheye liyeche. Ee to thik baat naahi aache. (this is not right. Why did you let loose the Mole. It has eaten fruits kept for worship. This is not right) Tukai’s Uncle jumped twelve inches from the ground and ground his teethe. “What nonsense. Is bham (Mole) a thing to be kept as a pet? It is not my fault that a bham should climb the tree to their house.” Ramdin’s face became crimson with rage “ to up hume nonsense kaha? Up chaliye thaneme. Ek to upne bham cheriyechen –upar se gaali dichhen.” (So you have called me nonsence. Come to the Police Station. You have let loose the mole and over and above you are calling me names.” Things were turning bad to worse and inquisitive people were enjoying every bit of it from windows and veranda of other building as also on the lane down below . Mama who returned from his tour the night before, went down and called Ramdin aside. After a few notes exchanged hands further unpleasantness was averted. After that incident for a few weeks there was cold war between the two families excepting Tukai and Pinky, who were secretly immensely happy and relieved that a catastrophe could be avoided for the time being and tree was very much there with bright red flowers and green leaves and as a taken of appreciation of their support it showered a few petals and flowers on them, to show its love and affection for the two little loving souls.

Your Mirror

Your Mirror

Our first encounter! But I don’t’ know.

Though I smelt you in my mother’s womb from the word ‘go’

Admonished by father I cried, a naughty child

You were in my papa’s voice, in his stern stride

My girlhood friends and mates –

I loved them all with burning desire ,

With my body and soul

The thread in your hand

You smiled all through

But even till then, I have never known you

Until the day my first born was lying in my arms

A tiny little angel – my bundle of joy

So pure and gentle, my tears ran out

Inside I was laughing

Yo are here no doubt

The innocence, the purity

The love that it draws

Picture of divinity

Your mirror shows

Moni-Maa

Pinky had carefully drawn big squares for playing ekka-dokka when Tukai came and peeped over her shoulders. ‘Oh my! What big squares! Are you sure we can jump over them’ Tukai was clearly skeptical of her own jumping powers. ‘Why not , look here how I jump. It is so easy’ So saying a buoyant Pinky started jumping over the marks. Tukai took a step forward eagerly ‘let me try. But it is so hot out here. I am feeling queer……. thirsty….Pinky will you….’ tukai stopped talking and started tumbling down slowly like a Pack of cards . A strange sound started coming from Tukai’s open mouth- aanha…aanha…. Pinky looked awestricken at Tukai’s half closed eyes and began the fastest run in her life . Pinky knew what it was. It must be tetanus. She was sure. Only two days back, Pinky and Tukai were climbing the guava tree when Tukai fell from the lowest branch and scratched her arm. Pinky insisted that she should tell her mother and get an injection but Tukai would not listen. She was such a coward, so afraid of the needle. Though in her heart of hearts Pinky admitted that if it was Pinky, she herself would not have divulged the news for fear of the needle. But outside she put on a brave façade and urged Tukai to come along and get a proper medical attention. Tukai begged and begged of Pinky not to disclose the incident and a reluctant Pinky had to give in . Now see what happened. Dadi and Monima were in Dadi’s room . Dadi was busy reading the newspaper with her spectacles balanced precariously on the tip of her nose and Monima was busy knitting a pullover for Bablu. The ceiling fan was moving in full speed. It was mid April and quite hot outside. But the room was cool and comfortable. Bablu and Bhulo were no where to be seen and were most probably playing with ball in the garden. It was quite evident from Dadi’s countenance that the news that she was reading was quite pleasant. There was an overall atmosphere of congeniality in the room when it was rudely shaken by a sudden and violent intrusion in the form of a shrieking and disheveled Pinky who came panting and pale like a sheet of paper, ‘dadi, dadi, monima, monima, a disaster…a disaster . Come soon’ Dadi took a little time to comprehend and looked up from her newspaper with resignation written large on her face but did not show much alarm. But Monima acted so strange. The ball of wool and the half finished sweater fell from her hand ’ What is it Pinky ? Is it Bablu? What happened to my Babulu.. Where is my Bablu?” Pinky took a deep breath and a step backward. No no, it is not Bablu Monima, but Tukai. She has fallen down and is not talking. A somewhat relieved Monima and now an anxious dadi trouped behind a pensive Pinky to the spot, which was way up on the roof. Pinky sensed a stabbing pain deep in side. How panicked Monima looked and how strangely she cried ‘My Bablu..’ Pinky’s little soul some how realized that because Bablu was her own son, she was so upset. Would she have been that much perturbed if it was Pinky and would she have cried saying ‘My Pinky’ ? Pinky doubted it very much. Tukai was taken downstairs to Pinky’s room. But Doctor uncle said it was nothing serious but too much heat and a heavy dinner the night before that she had had at the wedding ceremony of her relative had a combined effect on her. A little rest and a few glasses of water with salt and sugar would be enough to make her fit and running. Pinky was sitting by her side when Rangakakima, Tukai’s mother, came rushing in. Rangakakima loved Pinky and showered her with hugs and kisses whenever Pinky visited their house. She was Pinky’s favourite as she had a mole on her chin just like Pinky’s mother had. Though Pinky did not remember her mother but she has seen the mole in her picture in the silver photo frame that is kept beside dadi’s bed But today Rangakakima came like a storm and did not even look once at Pinky. She bent over Tukai, and murmured in a broken voice ‘Tukai, my dear little girl. Are you ok?’ To Pinky it seemed as if a frog was crocking through her voice. And Tukai ! She also did not even think of Pinky. Did not care how much Pinky was worried for her and went home timidly with Rangakakima. And she claimed she was Pinky’s best friend. Pinky felt so much let down, neglected, and utterly forsaken. For some unknown reason Pinky felt like crying. Bablu stood by her side and tugged softly at her hand. Pinky brushed him rudely and said ‘ don’t you dare come to me.’ Monima now turned to Pinky…. ” How many times have I told you not to go to the open in this blazing sun. But no, you would not listen” ‘Ok, I am a bad girl. I do whatever I wish. I don’t care about what anybody says. I WILL go in the blazing sun and I WOULD be sitting under it the whole day long. I DON’T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU SAY“ cried Pinky at the top of her voice. A dumbfounded dadi looked at her and exclaimed “Oh God ! What ever is the matter ? Why are you so upset? Calm down child. Come down.” “Why then she always picks on me?” Pinky cried defiantly? Monima was furious – Maa, I have told you, that you are spoiling her to no end. See how insolent she has become. She will be naughty and over and above she would answer back. How dare is she. Pinky I am warning you. Be very careful in future. If ever I catch you on the wrong foot again you will be sorry that you crossed my path”. And she gave a good spank on her back. See how unjust monima is, Pinky talked to herself silently. She would love Bablu more and on top of that she would strike me.. The whole day Pinky avoided Bablu like a plague. For some unknown reason she could not tolerate the sight of Bablu. She did not talk to anybody at all and kept to herself. No body was aware of the turmoil inside her little soul, how hurt she was and how angry at the world as a whole for the injustice of it. Little Bablu avoided her and kept at a distance. That night Pinky went to sleep crying and feeling angry and desolate. Next morning Pinky felt odd and flushed and very uneasy. She went back to her bed shivering from a very high fever. She found a towel lying on the floor, covered herself with it and went into a drowsy sleep. Not finding Pinky in the breakfast table, Monima went in search and the sight of the little orphan lying alone in that fashion pierced her heart like a sharp dagger. To say Monima and Dadi were flustered would be to grossly understate. Both the elders were so upset and cursed themselves so mercilessly that doctor uncle had to intervene and console them like two children. The whole day Monima never left Pinky’s side. Gave her medicine, took her temperature, stroked her tenderly. Next day Pinky was feeling much better. After two days the fever was gone but she was not allowed to leave the bed. Monima still fussed and refused to leave her side. Around noon, after giving Pinky a hot body sponge and washing her head with cold water, and after feeding her piping hot chicken stew with bread, monima was reading out a story while Pinky and Bablu and even Bhulo listened with rapt attention when Ramala-aunti, Monima’s friend and next door neighbor entered the room. ‘Seema (it was Monima’s name) I have got two tickets for matinee show of the new movie now showing at Menoka. Get ready fast. The show starts at 2.30 sharp’. But Monima showed no interest ‘please excuse me this time, I can’t go’. ‘ But why not? It is a real good movie. I have gone through the review in today’s paper’ coaxed Romala. ‘Please Romala, can’t you see Pinky is not well. How can I go to a movie, leaving her alone . No, no, I am not coming’ Monima was very definite in her assertion. Romala aunty was not at all happy ‘really Seema, you are making too much of a fuss. She is not that ill and Masima(meaning Pinky’s dadi) will be at home. Won’t she?” “May be, but I am not feeling like going to a movie and that is final.” Pinky’s pillow became wet with the flow of warm and salty tear drops that flew right from the bottom of her six and half year old heart. Bablu exclaimed “ma, ma, didi is crying.” Monima got worried ‘ oh dear. You are not feeling well ? See for yourself, if you don’t listen to elders, you suffer. Come on, dear girl, don’t cry’ ‘If I listened to you , I wouldn’t have known naa? Pinky whispered through her sobs. What would you have not known, child ? Monima was at a loss. Little Pinky felt shy and she put her head in her aunty’s soft and warm bosom and whispered ‘That you are a Jewel , my Moni MAA’ (jewel-mother)

Monkey Business

Pinky was jumping around the room almost like a baby monkey without a tail. Whoop, whoop, Whoop and thud, thud, thud, jumping from the divan on the floor and again up on the chair. Bhulo was sitting on the floor , watching her move with watchful and keen eyes, wagging his tail and was about to follow suit when “Oh stop it, Pinky; you are getting on my nerves. This is not a jungle but my study and you are disturbing my concentration”- grumbled Mama. “Don’t be such a spoilsport Mama!” Pinky complained with a pout; “you know I am the great monkey in our school’s drama in the Annual prize distribution programme.” “Don’t make me laugh, why in the drama, you are the little monkey in home also, you need not practice so much, you need no rehearsal. And now get lost, don’t make me angry.” “And you are the wicked devil,” muttered Pinky under her breath but she had no option but to run outside on the courtyard with Bhulo on her toe and start rehearsing, this time on real grass and on real trees. December has gone past. This is early January, a beautiful and cool Sunday morning The morning sun was blazing high and Pinky felt like being embraced by a warm and soft blanket. This year Pinky has managed to get a small role in their school’s drama. She is doing the ‘little pet monkey of the poor queen’ . In the beginning though Pinky objected – “give me the little princess’s role instead. I want to wear beautiful dresses”. “Look here Pinky anybody can do the role of a King, or queen or a princess as we are all humans. But just imagine imitating a monkey! It really needs strong acting prowess. We know only you can do justice to this role”. So Pinky had to oblige. She could not very well let them down. Pinky..eee…eee, some one was calling. Bhulo pricked his ears and ran towards the gate. Pinky looked over her shoulder, but could not find anyone. Pinky tiptoed towards the gate. There she was, waiting with a finger on her lips. “What is it Tukai ?” Pinky enquired in a studied whisper. “Come along, a circus party has come; they have camped near the railway overbridge.” “Look at those girls Pinky. They will walk on ropes wearing shiny dresses. I have seen their pictures on the posters” – Tukai was all excited. “Where are the cages for the monkeys, I must see how they behave, like how they laugh, how they cry, how even they eat bananas.” “Oh no Pinky not again. Stop being a monkey for a while, will you?” “I see, you are not my best friend! You should help me to be a perfect monkey” – a glum Pinky complained. Suddenly Bhulo emitted a mild bark as if to warn the girls . “Hey you girls, what are you doing there?”- A very fat and ominous looking fellow came out of one of the tents. He had a green and white checkered pajama and a crimson t-shirt on him. “Come inside I will show you my cages full of animals.” Pinky , Tukai and Bhulo were half way across the meadow before he could even finish his sentence. “We are very lucky to have escaped unharmed you know Tukai, Mama said these people kidnap kids and put them in their cages. That is why they are called ‘kidnappers’. They capture the kids and then put them to sleep and mesmerize them into animals and let them perform the shows. Didn’t you hear he said ‘come I will throw you in my cage’ ?” “But I thought he said I will show you the cages”- Tukai intervened doubtfully. “You don’t know anything. They will call you on false pretext and then …ok… if you don’t believe you can go back on your own.” Pinky was visibly hurt that Tukai questioned her knowledge on kidnappers. None of the girls narrated the incident to their respective elders though. On the big day Pinky was up and about in the wee hours and ready before dawn. The school gates though were opened only after 10 in the morning and the dress rehearsal started at about 12 noon. Everything was going smooth as ice cream. All the dresses, like that of the Queen and King, their Kings men were very good but the mask and the costume for the good little monkey was superb. Everybody was highly impressed. “Pinky, really, you look like a monkey out of the jungle book, such a beautiful tail” and Pinky was as happy as could be. They were served a lovely lunch full of fried potatoes and sweets and Pinky was so hungry she cleaned her plate like new. Purnima madam, their games teacher saw her empty plate and put two extra sweets on it- “I am giving you sweets in advance for looking so much like a monkey only and after the play is over, if you do your part well, I will give you a chocolate,” she patted pinky on her head. The show started at 5.30 and progressed without much hitch. Pinky had six scenes to her credit. In the first scene, the monkey was seen sitting beside a animal-trader and having a banana and the king bought it from the trader. Pinky was so natural in her hunched position and the way she ate the banana that the audience, mainly her classmates and family clapped hugely. Next she was seen sitting beside the sleeping queen, who was banished from the palace and lived alone in a mud hut. Pinky was supposed to sit for a while and quietly go out of the room in search of the palace and the king but Pinky thought that she would act a little more natural and started to pick lice from the sleeping queens hair as she had seen monkeys do. Leena a student of class VII, who was the sad queen in the play was not expecting any such move and jumped up in a most un-queenly manner with a hand on her head and exclaimed “what mischief are you at?” But the audience could not guess that it was an extra and the things passed of with only a stern look from their teacher. In her next few appearances Pinky was very cautious and acted as she was told. In the last scene, the monkey was to come on stage and the king (played by Rumpa, a Class X student ) would present him with a pearl necklace. Pinky was supposed to wait on back sage but she thought, there being two more scenes to be enacted before her scene was due, she could safely go out and have one or two toffees that she spotted in the teachers common room, which by then was thankfully left vacant, the teachers being busy watching the drama either as audience or managing the girls on stage. After a successful mission, Pinky was coming up on the stage, a very happy and content soul hopping two steps at a time, when her tail got tangled in a hook in the bottom stair. She frantically tried to free herself. All this while, unnoticed by everybody, a lone monkey escaping from the circus party was sitting on the top of the false ceiling made over the king’s throne and watching the proceeding down below with a keen animal interest. He had a very strong impulse to jump on to the stage and snatch the bananas but held himself back as he was suspicious of Pinky in the guise of a monkey. Years of training told him that he should beware of this creature but as Pinky was no where to be seen and the king howled “Oh monkey come and take your reward” for a couple of times, obviously to cover up the time gap, the monkey jumped down on to the stage and stood up before the king. Every body was a little puzzled. “Hey have you changed your costume?” Kabita a student of class V, standing beside the king and waiving a huge hand fan, muttered under her breath. The monkey made a face and said ‘cheeek, keeech, , cheek, keech’. “Don’t overact “(this was in a whisper and then in a loud voice) , “come here and take your reward”- the king extended his hand but the monkey was not interested in the necklace . He was hungry and he eyed the plate full of sweets and fruits placed before the king and showed him his teeth. “Oh naughty monkey, “ Rumpa invented a new dialogue line “take your reward or else..” Making a violent face, only to scare off the humans on the stage the monkey made a dash for the fruits. Realization dawned on people on the stage a little late and Pandemonium broke loose. The girls in their colourful, costumes screamed and scurried for cover. “It is a real monkey, it will bite us” “where is Pinky- has she turned into a monkey” and some one thoughtfully pulled the curtains down. In the audience Tukai almost fainted. Pinky was right ! The fat man has turned Pinky into a real monkey. And she jumped out of her seat and ran to the headmistress. Mrs Banani Haldar, a small, plump and fair woman having a very amicable disposition have just started taking a late Tiffin when Tukai rushed into her room panting and flushed ‘Big Aunty, Big Aunty , come, come Pinky has turned into a real monkey. It is not my fault. It is the fat man at the Circus”. Mrs Haldar looked on at Tukai uncomprehendingly, her eyes round and mouth wide open , full of sweets, which she forgot to swallow. The news that Pinky had turned into a real monkey, was puzzling enough to be digested, to be added with the vehement denial that Tukai was in no way responsible for the transformation, which she obviously could not be even if the transformation was real, which in itself was a matter of great disbelief and a further incoherent allusion to some strange fat man in a circus made her brain stop functioning for a while. Mrs Haldar was a very level headed woman, quite capable of dealing with the incongruities of little souls, but Tukai’s submission was too complicated and too sudden even for her consumption. Bahadur, the school caretaker, in the meantime, came and led the monkey away from the stage after tempting him with the bananas. Pinky was still toiling hard to free herself from the tangle. She did not want to spoil her costume. But when bits of conversation on stage and the screams reached Pinky’s ears she tugged at her tail mercilessly which came midway off into her hand. At last Pinky entered the stage. Oblivious of the commotion around, she stretched out her hand and said “Oh Rumpadi, I am a here, my tail got shucked, now you can give me my reward” In the excitement she forgot her lines somewhat. “Now you can give me my reward” - Rumpa mimicked “where were you . can’t you see the curtains are down?” All the girls pounced on Pinky. ““See what you have done, you have spoiled the whole show, it was going so smoothly, every body was clapping and only for you…” “But what can I do, my tail got stuck naa.?” Pinky whimpered in a nasal voice! “So what! You could have come without a tail or for that matter without costume also. Your antics are so much like a monkey nobody would have missed the tail. And any way, why were you not on backstage? You were supposed to wait outside for your scene? You stupid girl!” “We should have known better than to take you in our play and that too as a monkey. See what happened. Your friend came in search of you and spoiled everything. Next time you come a begging for a role in the play, we know you will, and then we will see.” Struck with the disaster, the girls, as girls of their age would be, unconsciously linked Pinky’s absence with the misadventure of the monkey and were being unreasonably harsh and critical of Pinky. Their games teacher came to Pinky’s rescue, ‘ girls, you should not blame poor little Pinky, you know. It is not her fault that a monkey should escape from the circus party and target your play. And it is only an accident that her tail got stuck.” And the teacher even actually gave the tearful (which the senior girls were sure was faked) and naughty Pinky a pat on the back and a chocolate as a consolation. The seniors looked on helpless and angry. They knew their teacher was right but still they had a feeling that Pinky was some how responsible for the mishap. Pinky, her hand held firmly by the teacher, looked back at the girls and gave them a perfect one sided grin which had a very uncanny similarity to that of the monkey in the jungle book.