Feathered vs weathered

 Uprooted plants, portulacas  dismembered , torn leaves- off late my garden witnessed mysterious attacks which had me baffled . No amount of arranging and rearranging or repotting, had an impact. The Sherlock Holmes in me , looked for clues and could find none. I decided to keep a vigil during the day and positioned myself on the sofa to get a full view of my balcony . 

 Before long, a handsome hunk, adorned in  astonishing multicolours, appeared . After an end to end inspection of my plants, with a look that said, "uff, cant she have some exotic ones instead of the obvious Portulacas or Vincas,," he started plucking them. No, 'plucking them' would be an understatement, he was pulling it the same way I shred the coconut with my hands, with all my might.. My heart froze in icy horror for a second. My babies, my precious , much looked after plants were suffering. Then regaining my wits, I jumped up from my cozy sofa and with a war cry , ran out in to the sweltering heat of the balcony .He just spread his wings and flew away to his territory , with a" catch me if you can" writ large on his smirking face.

I looked at him with that same stern look which I use  on my kids , to put them to place, but for once, I  failed. He looked at me from the adjacent balcony with red eyes that were shining like two rubies , in the sun. The eye to eye silent challenge continued. But after a couple of minutes , the 48 degree Sun , sent me back inside. He was trudging from one end to the other of his  balcony . I was reminded of Mohanlal, in Manichitrathazhu, impersonating the old cruel patriarch, walking to and fro, in front of the door, on the other side of which Nagavalli was puffing and heaving. The status quo continued for some more time.

Seeing me inside the confines of the room, back he flew to pluck and pull. Once again I ran out with all sorts of thudding, screeching and what not sounds . Leisurely he flew back. Dont know if he was testing my patience like any other male, or he was nonchalant as he was used to such vagaries. Anyway , after 10 minutes of this my patience wore off . It was time for truce .After all he was doing this for a mother like me, trying to  build and nurture a family. I , as is my habit, started making things easier for him. I collected little twigs and dry branches and kept them at an easily accessible spot and left the balcony looking back at him , with a message that said, be satisfied with what you get. He seemed to have understood as he came in no time and started taking the collection ,twig by twig. My motherly instincts were trying to caution him about the precarious position of the nest being built .

Perhaps , once the house warming is done , eggs are laid, and once the kids learn to flap their wings and fly , the family would come visiting . May be then , we will recount our fight long back and laugh it off. Till then I better stay put on my sofa, lest he disregard my warning and start exploring the tenacity of more of my plants.

                                                           Pic courtesy: Roshan Prashant