Imagine a Kerala in the early 1950s. In one of my aunts’ words, my dad who was all of five years old at that time, was a super busy bee. Not even a minute went by without him finding something naughty to do. That was the time when my grandpa had recently constructed a new house as the family was growing and they needed a bigger place to stay.
During those days it was a common practice to dilute limestone powder in water and create a sort of paint to whitewash the house. Usually a pit, that was five feet long and wide was dug up where the paint was mixed and stored. Though the construction of the house was completed, the pit remained in the backyard, filled with rainwater since there was no cover for it. Apparently, my grandma had asked grandpa to seal the pit which he was planning to get done soon.
One of those days, dad as usual was his busy self and was running around in the backyard. His eldest sister and another cousin sister were watching him from a distance. While the sisters were busy with their own activities’ dad ventured a bit far away and was exploring the length and breadth of the backyard which was one of the ways by which he frittered away time.
After a while, in between their games, dad’s eldest sister realized that she didn’t see the little one for some time. Along with her cousin she started calling out his name, but there was no response. Panic set in. Though it was their own backyard, for a five-year-old little one there were enough and more dangers to be left alone. Not to mention when it was someone as hyperactive as dad.
As the sisters rushed to the backyard looking for their brother, the elder sister heard a tiny splash of water. As there were no other water bodies in the backyard, she dashed to the only place that could hold some form of water from where the sound must have come from. She reached the limestone pit and the scene there was as scary as some of horror movies that were to be made in later years!
Dad was literally covered in water and was in the final stages of struggling for his dear life. His face and body were almost submerged in the water with the hand alone up in the air trying to grab attention of anyone who may pass by.
The sisters acted quickly. They shouted for help at the top of their voice and tried their best to get my dad out of the pit. In his cousin’s own words, he almost died that day.
But God had other plans for him. When He designed and gave life to my dad, he was meant to do greater things in life before he was finally called back. The return journey was not meant to happen unless the calendars were replaced 68 more times!
Part 2 - The Road Trap: https://trexperiences.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-road-trap-death-defying-dad-part-2.html
Part 3 - The Final Trap: https://trexperiences.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-final-trap-death-defying-dad-part-3.html
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