The Twilight Threat

 It had been a long, completely engaging day and she had just finished three lectures and four lab practical hours when Anita knocked on her hostel room door and pushed it in. 

“Hi Ani!” Her seemingly-always-cheery roommate Rani looked up from her desk. 

“Hey Akka! (transl.: ‘Elder sister’ in Tamil)” 

“How was your day?” 

Ani looked up at her almost-adopted-elder sister and smiled. She was from Kerala while Akka was a native of the neighboring state. They had only been together for the past nine months but it felt shorter every day as it went by. They were known as the ‘symbiotic sisters’ among most people but to friends, they were titled ‘partners-for-the-common-good’! 

“You know you always make me smile as soon as I enter our room,” Ani walked up to Rani’s desk and gave her a hug from behind, “and that makes all the difference!” 

“I just really like to see you smile.” 

“Aww!” Ani grabbed her sister’s cheeks and pulled playfully. 

“Except, when you do that.” 

Ani laughed and asked, “How much time do we have left for dinner?” Rani glanced at her table time piece. 

“Almost 45 minutes.” Rani would always tell the time slower if they were early and ahead if they were likely to get late. Ani saw through it immediately. 

“You mean an hour.” 

“That’s what I said!” Rani shrugged. 

Ten minutes later, Ani plugged in her phone, put on her favourite playlist, grabbed her bath towel and was about to open the attached bath’s door to freshen up. 

“Kadavule! (transl.: ‘Oh God!’ in Tamil)” Ani frowned. The pitch of the words screamed their urgency. Anita whirled around to find her roommate jumping across the room to her side of a bed. She told Alexa to stop the music. 

“What’s wrong Akka?” Ani asked the now gasping and visibly vexed Rani. 

Clutching her cross-shaped necklace, Rani said, “It’s that lizard from last week.” 

“What?” 

“I told you na, that it never went out. It was always here!” 

“Okay, okay. Calm down, let me see.” Ani put her clothes down on her bed, grabbed the broom under it and proceeded towards Rani’s desk. She was never easily scared by house pests but spiders and lizards were slightly different. She would only be just-brave most of the time. Somehow, she felt stronger today. 

“Vena Ani, (transl.: ‘Don’t Ani’ in Tamil) don’t go there.” 

“Where did you see it last Akka?” Ani asked without looking back. 

“On top of the switchboard,” was the reply. Ani kept scanning the walls, the desk and finally the switchboard. She brought the broom up to the top of the switchboard and lightly brushed the top. The tiny reptile jumped out of nowhere and onto the shoe stand near the desk. Rani squealed and Ani found herself with the same-old funny feeling in her stomach. 

“It’s okay Akka, we can handle this.” No sooner had she said those words, the lizard jumped onto the floor with a rapid gait and came straight for her feet! “Oh, hell naaww!” Ani nearly screamed and jumped onto Rani’s bed. The pesky reptile ran straight into the last rack of books across from Rani’s desk. Ani looked over at Rani; she was now on top on Ani’s bed and was holding her salwaar up in the exact way one would when crossing a river. “Okay, how about we call those girls, just like last time?” 

“Yes, please. Yes!” Rani was shaking her head now. Ani put down the broom, unlocked the door and went to get the ‘bravest girls’ on the floor. As occurrences like these were common, mostly everyone in the hostel had an understanding on whom to call for what threat. Ani knocked on the door of room twelve. A girl with half of her oiled hair in one hand opened it. 

“Hi Akka!” she greeted Anita. 

“Hey Da. I was just looking for Sri and Keerthi.” 

“Oh palli (transl.: ‘lizard’ in Tamil) problem ah?” 

Anita smiled sheepishly. She was twenty-five and the girls she’d just asked for were eighteen and nineteen. She shook off the thoughts of self-pity and reminded herself that it was absolutely okay to ask for help from those around her – even if it made her feel uncomfortable, especially if she already knew that they did the job better than her. “Yes Da, are they around?” 

“Yes Akka, I will get them right away!” 

After some eagle’s-eye-view scanning, battle plan and attack mode negotiations, the girls managed to catch the pestering reptile (that ‘alive’ tail included) within a crumpled up piece of newspaper and threw it out the window! 

Thanking the girls and promising them a Munch the day after, Ani closed the door and looked back at Rani. She couldn’t stop from giggling. Rani looked up, bewildered. 

“How can you laugh at this Anita?” 

Ani was laughing now, clutching at her sides. Her laughter must’ve been contagious, because Rani couldn’t stop from joining in. “Who knew one tiny lizard would scare the crap out of two grown women Akka?” 

“Very funny,” Rani said as she threw the bath towel onto Ani’s face.