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Chenna’s wife also got on to the catamaran. So, did the cat. No one took notice of the dog
who was still sniffing around in one corner of the hut. The catamaran started moving.

Now it was in mid-water again.

Heavy rain started again. By then his
master had reached Ambalapuzha
at night. A huge crocodile came
near the house. The dog lowered
his tail in fear and started

barking. But the crocodile just
went away.

The hungry dog howled from
rooftop looking out into the
dark and cloudy sky. His cries
reached places far off. And those
who were still guarding their

houses must have said, ‘Ayyo , a
1
dog is left alone on the housetop!’
The dog cried out continuously for a long
time. Then he was too tired to cry. From some house in the north, a man was chanting
the Ramayana. For some time the dog turned towards the sound as if he was listening to
the chant. Again, he started crying. Soon nothing could be heard except the roar of the

wind and the sound of the waves. It was early morning. The dog started groaning. (Frogs
started looking at him amazed). He looked at the thatched roofs. They were his only hope.
No fire burnt anywhere. Fleas bit him and he drove them away with his paws.

The sun shone for some time. He dozed off in the sunlight. He jumped and barked when
he saw the shadow of the banana leaf on the rooftop. Then the clouds appeared. It was
dark once more. The wind stirred the water. The carcasses of animals floated around in

the waves. The dog looked at them longingly.

A small boat was moving fast a little away from the house. The
dog saw it, and stood up, wagging his tail. He watched till it Will the man in
disappeared. It started drizzling again. The dog stood on his hind the boat save
Just a Minute!
legs. He looked helpless. the dog?
The drizzle stopped. A small boat came from the house in the
north and stopped at the coconut tree. The dog wagged his tail howled: made a long, loud,

and made noises. The boatman picked up a coconut from the crying sound
tree, broke it and drank its juice. He then rowed off.

1 an expression used especially in South India to express a range of different emotions, including for example
sadness, surprise, fear, or happiness

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