RESCUE OPERATION

After a long stint at sea finally i was back home on my vacation. As soon as news spread that i was back from sea, many of our neighbours, relatives & friends started visiting at my home. First few days of my vacation at home, i didn't know how time passed by ... I was sitting without any tension & narrating my experiences at sea, to my family members, friends,relatives & to my neighbours. Some of our neighbours grilled me with their questions as though i was holding a press conference, I could see the curiosity & inquisitveness in their eyes......some more days passed by.. One fine day i got up early & i was planning how to spend my rest of the day...My eyes quickly moved towards news paper lying there. I started to glance at it. One of the television channel advirtised about the live telecast of cricket match between two nations, one among them was india.. I gathered all the information, when the match will start? , experts analysis about how india should play? what should be india's strategy??? so on & so forth..I decided to spend that day by watching the live broadcast of the match, it was day/night match, It started in the afternon. I glued myself infront of the telivision set & watched the first half of the match without a ball being missed.( thanks to state electricity board there was no power cut on that day)before another half of the match starts there was a gap about forty five minutes. I was still glued my self infront of the television watching experts review about the first half of the match, i was deeply immersed myself in watching television..Suddenly i could hear someone calling me, it was my mother asking me to put on the pump to fillup the overhead tank with well water which we use for our domestic purpose.we had "well" near to it a pump which is situated in a shed above which tank is situated. We usully keep the shed closed, but there was big hole drilled in the wall for the pump suction pipe which extends to well from the shed. The hole drilled in the wall was much bigger than reqired for the pipe tp pass through.. So there lies a big gap through which some animals made as their entrance to their temporary habitat. Once i remember when opened the door snake was hissing at me as though i had entered their teritory.This time when i opened the door of shed so that i can put on the pump to fill water to overhead tank , i could see strange animal in pair ran hurridly out of the shed through the gap which earlier mentioned. In doing so one of them fell in to well, the other animal didn't know what to do?? so the other animal was scampering across the ground... The animal which fell into the well making unusual howling from the well.. after listening to the howl from the well, the other animal was peeping at well to see his/her mate struggling to climb up from the well.. i was watching all these at a distance for a while...now i went near the well to see the animal which had fallen into the well.. I never seen that kind of animal before it almost looked like a wild cat... That was floating on the surface of water & making desperate attempt to climb up the well but in the proces again falling back to well.... I could see his/her mate outside the well moving here & there desperately in between looking at the his/her mate...since it was almost fag end of the monson season, the level of water in well was high enough.. I felt the animal can climb up from the well... Just for a while i thought if i put on the pump the water level in well may go down then for that animal which was floating on the water surface, it might not only be difficult to climb up but also may prove impossible..So i called my mother briefed about the incident.. As my mother & myself moved towards the well to see the animal which was floating on the water surface, it's mate outside almost attcked us in anger, thinking that we might harm it's mate.... My mom warned me not be near the well as this animal might attack & harm us .. So my mother decided not to put on the pump today, but the next day we will do it.. My mother continued to say that these animal in pair used to come to this time around every year.... So we both proceeded towards our home back thinking that the animal floating on the water surface will climb up after several attempts.second half of the cricket match is about to start...In which india was supposed to bat & chase the target... I was looking for the fireworks from indian batsman & sat down watching television..To my surprise indian batsman started tearing the opposition apart, surlely fireworks from indian batsman had begun...I was supposed to be happy with this but i donot know i was not enjoying the match, eventhough indian team was doing well....but i do not why it happened to me that day???I felt bit frustrated watching television ...I was watching television physically but now my mind was nearby the " well" & "animal" floating on the surface of water...Many questions in the form of waves started to erupt from inside.. Will the animal may climb up & get out of the well ??? Will the animal die of hypothermia??? Shlould i go back & try to save the animal from the well??? Will it be too risky if i go to help ??All these questions were pricking at the back of my mind...Now i have to decide soon on the key question among them, that is should i go & try to rescue that animal from well??? Since sun was almost set, visibility was becoming poor....Once the darkness covers there was no point in trying to rescue that animal...I was unable to decide whether i should sit back & watch the match or should i go & try to save atleast....Now i was no more watching television but i was deeply involved in thoughts, in between my father came from work & he asked me the score but i was in no mood to reply... I was lost somewhere...For a while i closed my eyes then i could see something... rather i will put it as i could visualize something...In that scene i was sailing at mid sea & i had fallen overboard.. i could see lifeline & lifebuoy which can save my life, while strugging to survive... but i could not see anbody nearby to throw a lifeline or lifebuoy at me... i was desperate.... struggling for my life..... suddenly i opened my eyes & i would not like visualize that scene anymore....I switched off the television my legs proceeded towards the "well", visibility had already became poor, i checked for the animal which was scampering around the well, but i could not see the animal anywhere nearby... so i looked in to the well , there the animal was trying to climb up & again falling back to water.. now i decided to do something to save that animal from well .... I was determined without any hesitation in my mind....Quickly i had arranged for a rope & basket, tied the rope to basket, & started to descend slowly the basket into well. once it reached the water surface, i started to manouvere the basket with the help of rope, where the animal was floating..But the animal instead of moving inside the basket , it moved away from the basket, in fear i suppose.I didn't know how to communicate to that animal i was not trying to harm in any way but i was trying to help..But i kept on trying, all my efforts went in vain.Now visibility had deteriorated further, i could not see the animal anymore in the well...but i was in no mood to leave it like that....Again i came back to home. I searched for the some piece of wire & lamp holder with lamp. I had gathered all the tools required to lit up the well surrounding..I took the eletrical supply from the pump shed & successfully lit up the surrounding near the well.Now i could see the animal in the well. By this time i had realised that i cannot convince the animal that i was trying to help. Now my course of action concentrated towards, to facilitate that animal somehow, so that it can climb up by itself...So i had decided to descend a ladder in to the well, so animal can climb up the ladder.As soon as i started descending the ladder into the well, animal floating on the surface of water moved & circled around the well in fear. How can i convey to that animal i was not harming....Anyhow i had arranged the ladder in such a way that it's lower end is at the water surface,while the upper end on the bulwark around the well..but to my dissappointment, animal did not make any move to climb up the ladder, i waited patiently, but that animal was testing my patience..Then i decided to move away from the visibility of that animal but started to watch the animal from the top of overhead tank.. so that animal can't see me but i can see it's movement...Still there was no movement from the animal.... After a while i saw animal was trying to climb up the ladder, it successfully climbed up two steps of the ladder, but again slipped back to water. i could see it was unable to grip the ladder steps.. But it was making atempts... but in vain....Now i came down from the overhead tank, pulled out the ladder from the well, i went back home & brought the fishing net, it was moderately knitted one, neither being too coarse nor being too fine...These fishing nets we used to cover the coconut peices while drying the coconut peices before we extract the oil from it. Now i took the fishing net wrapped it around & secured to lower part of the ladder. Now again descended the ladder with wrapped fishing net. Again i moved away from the visibility of the animal but i was watching it's every move from the top of overhead tank..My plan here was, by wrapping the fishing net around the lower part it won't slip back but be able to grip through the closely knitted fishing net..I waited, waited, but there was no movement from the animal.. I was sacrificing little bit of my blood to mosquitoes.... But i was optimistic..... At last i could see the animal trying to climb up, this time as i had expected it did not fall back to water.. I was anxiously watching it's everystep..I could see it's legs gripping to fishing net, not allowing to fall back. Ultimately it was able to climb up the ladder, came out of the well, & dissappeared in the darkness....I was very happy at this point of time... I removed all the arrangements made for that animal, I proceed towards my home with the sense of fulfillment..My parents were watching fag end of the match on television, where indian team was at the doorstep of victory...My parents what was i doing ?? I said all my efforts.. My father gave smile in appreciation for my work. But my mother read my mind through my eyes..She said " since you saved that animal's life today, if you are at distress while at sea this good deed may save you"I was speechless to my mother's golden words.India won the match, i was very happy. That night while before sleeping i was thinking where the other animal had disappeared ?????. I didn't had the answer then.... & slept. Next morning my mother woke me up & she was telling me dat she will show me something... ...I got up & followed her, she took me to garden where i could see the animal in pair playing freely ..I smiled at my mother & went to brush my teeth.......