A Strange Stranger

The story I am sharing with you today is strange. It's about a very strange stranger I encountered while I was working in Agra. It was monsoon and on that particular night, it was pouring. Those were the days when I was getting very spiritual and was even part of a spiritual group that advocated a very special type of meditation. I was practising this meditation for a year now and was finding it very helpful. I was waking up at around 3 in the morning for meditation. 

As I said, it had been raining throughout the previous night and when I woke up early in the morning, it was still drizzling hard. I closed my eyes and began meditating, which involved a process of emptying your mind of thoughts and external sounds. Soon, my mind was an empty vessel.

Just as I was getting deeper into my silence, I heard a noise. Someone was at the door, and it seemed like he or she was knocking. It was not knocking but a scraping sound. Everything around me was still and silent and the scraping sound could now be heard very clearly. Who was it? At this time? Could it be that someone was trying to force into the house? A burglar perhaps? But the noise suggested that there was no attempt to break-in. Then what could it be?

My meditation now completely disturbed and my attention now fully focussed on the mysterious noise at the door, I got up to investigate. I unlatched the door and opened it a little. The opening was enough for the animal to squeeze through and in it rushed, a brown and wet dog!

I was taken aback at the dog and it's audacity to enter a human house with such fearlessness. I looked at the uninvited guest and he looked back at me. His eyes were pleading and he was shivering with cold. He was a stray and I had never seen him around our colony before. I debated with myself whether I should turn the dog out or give him shelter. I looked into his eyes once again and was drawn to him in a strange way. He needed help, and I decided to help him.

I brought out a large towel and dried him. He was co-operative and grateful. I then asked him to sit under the dining table, pointing out to the place where I wanted him to go. He understood and went there and sat.

“Are you hungry?” I asked him as if he was human. “ Do you want anything to eat?”

He did not reply, but his looks suggested that he was hungry. I went into the kitchen and pulled out two slices of bread and heated a cup of milk. I poured it in a bowl and put the bread slices in it. I then place it before him. He lapped it all up in minutes and looked at me again.

“You want some more?” I gave him a second helping which he finished quickly. He then put his head down and soon went to sleep!

Fifteen minutes later he woke up. I was sitting on the sofa and reading a book. It was still early and the household was fast asleep. The dog walked up to me and I felt him licking my hand. His tail was wagging. He was rested and looked happy. He was thanking me for helping him.

“Ok, you look good to go.” He looked alarmed at my suggestion and ran under the table to lay down again. I opened the door and peeped out. It was still drizzling, though lightly. Let him rest, I will chase him out once the rain stops, I said to myself.

Soon enough, my wife woke up and walked into the drawing-room. She saw the dog under the table and looked at me with question-marks in her eyes. I told her what happened and she laughed. After a while, my two daughters woke up. They would hurriedly get ready and go to school in an hour or so. The dog too was awake now and the moment he saw my daughters he bounded up to them in delight as if he knew them well. My daughters were excited to see him and soon they were running all around the house with the dog following them. When they sat on the sofa, he jumped on it and started pawing them playfully.

“Enough dog. Now you are becoming a nuisance. The girls have to go to school. Leave them alone.” I opened the door and asked him to leave. He understood. He ran up to me, jumped up and pawed me for one last time and then bounded out of the house into the streets.

My daughters were disappointed that I had shooed him out. I felt a bit sad, I could have perhaps kept him for a bit longer. I went out to see where he had gone but I could not see him anywhere.

For a week, my family would look at every dog in the street to spot our stranger, but he had vanished. We never saw him again, but that strange encounter remains etched in my mind even today.