Evacuation

“Get this cursed creature out of my home. Out of my way. Out. Out.”, screamed Fei while driving away the fluffy beige colored dog from her room. “Get off my feet you silly dog,” scoffed Fei and pushed it with her foot. This time it didn’t linger around her feet and scooted inside the other room, where Chen was sleeping.

Fei chased the dog, hastily. Her lean stooping body made the sprint look so funny that Chen, her grandson, could stop laughing. “You could make the best of a jester in any show. Believe me grandma,”, Chen spoke with a stifled laughter that made his words hardly audible. “Oh you dirty dog. You woke up my sweet Chen. Again”, snapped Fei. “C’mon grandma. You always blame my sweet Po. I woke up because of your scream.”

Chen soon woke up and started a combing search for Po. It’s almost a daily drill. The small two room shanty doesn’t have enough space for Chen and his grandma. Loads of stuff that looks no less than litter, fills every nook and cranny leaving almost no free space to hide. Yet this incredible Po had mastered the art of becoming virtually invisible so well, that both Chen and Fei would fail.

“Oh now leave chasing the dog and have your breakfast. Don’t lose your precious business time Chen,” Fei kept on with her persuasion but her grandson paid no heed to it. “Don’t call me now grandma. I have to find him. Haven’t you noticed, he has become too quiet since the last week”, Chen retorted furiously. Her grandma’s voice lowered and she started mumbling in disgust.

“You know grandma it is the month of May. He stays absolutely silent now. So why on earth do you want him out?”, demanded a fuming Chen. His reminder of the month immediately casted a grim look on the wrinkly face of Fei. Her muttering stopped and she flopped on a chair nearby. “Did you forget all that rush last year?”, Chen kept ranting at his grandma when she interrupted him. “Where is that funny whistle that golden haired man gave it to you last year?” Chen’s eyes sparkled and he scooted inside the room. Among all the litter there stood a sturdy chest of drawers. The cluster of drawers ranged from huge to tiny. Chen pulled the tiniest one at the top and scoured through it. He finally fished out a slim long whistle. He blew that hard and looked around the room, hoping to see Po come out of his hideout. Both the grandma-grandson duo looked at the front door when it slammed open as Po entered.

Chen rushed at Po,”What happened buddy? You know it is that dreadful month dear. Yet you went out?” Both Chen and Fei looked surprised. Chen stroked Po’s fur and asked his grandma,”It has been four years now. Po has never stayed out during May.” His grandma nodded in agreement with fear in eyes. “I still get the goosebumps to recall the moment, when that golden haired man rescued Po last year. Poor Po was all wet and hot..,” Fei brokedown before she could end her line.

Every year in the month of June, China celebrates Dog meat festival. Dogs from all possible corners of the country are gathered. They are inhumanly killed by boiling alive and finally sold as as delicious treats. The shops proudly hand the bodies of these smart animals, some of which were once friends and sweethearts to different families in China. Po is one of those lucky dogs who has a home with human friends. Though Po doesn’t know to read a calendar, yet he exiles himself very silently inside the house each year, around the month of May, to escape the heinous slaughter. But this year has been an exception; Po is constantly going out of the house paying no notice to the growing incidents of dognapping in and around the town.

“Can’t we keep him chained grandma?”, asked Chen. “Why don’t you ask Dong”, suggested Fei. “Oh yes! You are right. I might fetch one at his father’s cycle repairing workshop.”

While they are discussing, Po displayed an anxiety. He kept running around in the house while his tail dropped down. Soon Po started to howl and that brought a pause to their discussion about how to chain up Po. They both looked baffled as it is so unusual of Po to make noise now. Chen couldn't stop yelling, “Stop it Po. It can bring those bloody butchers here. What has gotten into you?!”

Po looked desperate now and sprinted inside the room. He jumped up on the bed and put his forelegs on the wall. He then grabbed a framed picture placed on the wall fixed shelf and came before Fei. She immediately recognised the photograph and was enraged, “Oh you cursed bastard. Don’t you dare put your slime on my husband’s picture.”

With the picture held in his jaws, Po ran straight out of the house. Both Chen and Fei chased him. It took just a few minutes and both of them knew what Po had had in his mind. The day was 24th May 2014. More that nine thousand homes were destroyed and countless lives lost. The world knew how Chinese government evacuated thousands to safety. But only two knew about Po’s bravery.