Ugly Beauty

“This one week, till I come back, Dibby’s responsibility is yours.” Before moving out from the home Lilly’s mother, Menaka said to her.

Lilly’s heart was with full of joy. She was just waiting for an opportunity like this. She formed a plan in her mind to get rid of Dibby when she came to know that her mother would go to her grandma’s home and stay there some fifteen days.

“It completely depends on us. No one in the village is providing food to it. If you don’t look after it carefully for this fifteen days or so, there will be no more Dibby.” Looking carefully into the eyes of her daughter, Menaka said. Her mother knew Lilly’s dislike about Dibby.

“You need not tell me this many times. I never will be cruel to an innocent animal like Dibby. I look after it so carefully until you come back. Don’t worry about it.”

It seemed her mother was satisfied with what Lilly said and did not say anything further.

Lilly smiled so happily in herself once again. A rare opportunity has come in her way. She has to make complete use of it. Early in the morning her father would leave for his business and he would not return home until night and he was not having as much concern as her mother was having towards Dibby.

Dibby was a street dog. If it was just a street dog there was no problem. But it was a weak and ugly dog. No one in the village liked it and no one let it come near to their homes. The ugliness of it was like that! It got its food only at Lilly’s home. It was taking its food and water only at Lilly’s home itself for a long time. Lilly did not know the reason why but her mother liked that dirty dog a lot. Menaka never forgot to give water and food to that ugly dog. Because of that most of the time that dog roamed at Lilly’s home.

“Why are you people giving food to that ugly dog? Do you know everyone in the village hate it? As you are giving food and water to that dirty dog, it is not leaving your home at all. If you want you can keep a beautiful dog rather than looking after that dirty one.” Lilly’s friends many a time said to her.

“What should I do? It is just because of my mother.” Every time her friends said like that Lilly would seethe in anger. Her mother was so good in all other things except this ugly dog. Many times Lilly asked her. “Why should we give food and water to that ugly dog? All my friends are laughing at me. No one likes that dog.”

“That poor thing has been coming to our house for a long time. What we are losing just by giving small food and water to it?” whenever Lilly said so, this was the answer of her mother.

“We can keep a beautiful dog in our home if we want. This dog is ugly. I don’t like it.”

“Don’t talk like that dear. We must not like or dislike anything by its physical appearance.”

After discussions like this many times with her mother, one thing was made quite clear to Lilly. That her mother never would give up on that dog. She has to see for some way to get rid of that dog first. Then they could get a beautiful dog into their home.

“Don’t forget about the dog, Lilly. If you tell me you look after it I don’t bother about it” before going to his business place her father said.

“Why no one believes me? I said I look after it. I promised to mother so. Don’t worry about it.” Lilly angrily said.

“Alright then. I believe you.” her father said.

“It seems you are also caring for that ugly dog.” Looking carefully into her father’s face, Lilly said.

“Not as much as your mother does.” He hissed out heavily. “But I care for everything that your mother cares.”

Then without anymore further discussion he left the home.

‘Now my chance has come. I am not going to keep any food in that bowl.” Lilly smiled in herself.

She felt so much happy looking at that lingering ugly dog before their home for its food while she was leaving for her school. That dog was going to have only such experience for the next three or four days. She could not get its food at any other house either as all the villagers also hate it a lot and don’t want it near their homes. It was such a weak dog that it could not get its food in any other way at all. It has to get its food only at Lilly’s home and she was not going to give it at all to her.

There was no necessity to wait for fifteen days. Without food this dog would die just in one week or so. By the time her mother comes, there would be no Dibby. Her mother sure would guess what happened but she could not do anything. Lilly knew that her mother would get lot of angry on Lilly for what she did but she could not do anything else except cursing Lilly for one or two days. She must cool down thereafter and forget about this Dibby completely. Then Lilly could persuade her to get a beautiful dog into their home.

Lilly’s thoughts were around the new dog that they would get into their home. In fact her parents were not interested in pets. There was no problem with her father that she could easily manage with him. But the problem was only with her mother. Her mother was providing food to Dibby only out of sympathy and she was in fact against keeping any pets. Lilly has to do lot of persuasion job to make her mother to agree to get a new beautiful dog into their home.

“I want to get a new beautiful dog into our home and you tell me where I can get one.” When there was no teacher in the class and children talking to one another freely, Lilly asked her friend Rita.

“Why, is that ugly Dibby not enough for you?” giggling in herself Rita asked her.

“Shut up. Dibby is not our pet. It is only a street dog.” Lilly angrily said. “Anyhow I am going to get rid of it very soon.”

“What! I cannot understand.” There was surprise in the face of Rita.

Then Lilly explained to her what she was going to do.

“Best thing you do. Whether you get a new dog into your home or not, getting rid of that ugly dog is important. It is always roaming before your home and none of us like it much.”

“Oh, it happens anyhow.” Lilly hissed out heavily. “First tell me where I can get a beautiful dog.”

“If you are really serious to have a beautiful dog in your home, take a small puppy. Then it grows up in your hands and listens whatever you say.”

“I do it like that then.” Her friend’s advice appeared reasonable to Lilly.

By the time Lilly reached home from school, Dibby was again lingering before their home. Just at one look Lilly understood that it could not get food anywhere as she expected. As soon as it saw Lilly it came towards her running and tried to lick her feet.

“Just get out. Don’t show your ugly face again to me.” Lilly angrily said before going into her home.

By the time the next day Lilly leaving for her school, Dibby was before their home as usual. Once again she came running towards Lilly with lot of anticipation in its eyes.

“Don’t you leave us at all? Do you want beating also?” Lilly looked around for something suitable to beat that dog and found a stick. She took that into her hands and beat that dog strongly with it. Dibby yelped feebly and ran away from that place.

In the class room, in the free time, Lilly once again discussed about beautiful dogs with her friends. All her friends advised her to take a puppy instead of a big dog into her home. One of her friends Monica said that they got a puppy just four days back and invited Lilly to her home to see it. Lilly happily agreed to see it.

After school, in the evening of the next day, Lilly went to Monica’s home and saw their puppy. They named it Booty. It was appearing so beautiful and Lilly asked about all the details like where they got it, what kind of dog it was. She also decided so strongly in herself to get such a beautiful dog in her home.

While Lilly was coming to her home from Monica’s, Rita came across her. “Everyone in this village is beating your Dibby. Either it dies because of the vigorous beating or goes far away from this village. Good thing for all of us, is it is not?”

Instead of feeling happy by what she heard, Lilly suddenly felt a pang in her heart. Why she was feeling like that? With force she replaced that feeling in her heart by thinking something else.

When Lilly reached home Dibby was there again. It once again came running towards Lilly. It became weak and Lilly understood that it was desperate for food and water. For a moment Lilly felt so strongly to give food and water to Dibby. With force she overcame that feeling. If she became smooth now, she never can get rid of this ugly dog. She never can get a beautiful pet into her home.

“Get out. I can beat you again.” Going fast into her home Lilly said.

The next two days also happened in the same way. Lilly heard from her friends how the Dibby was receiving forceful beating in the hands of the villagers. She did not know why but Lilly felt very odd. Deep in herself she was feeling sad. She could imagine how Dibby was barking while receiving the beating. She still could remember the look in Dibby’s face when she came running towards her with lot of anticipation. She has to force herself to come out of that feeling.

When she reached home in the evening of that day, there was no Dibby. It used to be there by that time everyday. Lilly felt so odd once again. Some sort of feeling she herself could not think what, overwhelmed her heart. On the night of that day she tried to sleep in usual way but she could not. She could not get rid of the thoughts about Dibby. Was she doing a mistake treating it like that? She did not know when she fell asleep but it was quite fitful. All through her sleep she had dreams only about Dibby. 

As it was becoming morning Lilly got another dream. In that dream Dibby was beat by the villagers so vigorously it was wounded a lot. While blood oozing from the wounds it came to Lilly for food but Lilly also beat it with a stick. Then Dibby wailing pitifully fell at the feet of Lilly and died.

“You are the reason for the death of this poor creature, you sinner” her mother was yelling at her. “Are you a stone? Don’t you have any pity at all in you? Just look at that poor thing.”

“No” Lilly sat up on the bed. Her heart was beating so fast. She wanted so much to get rid of Dibby but she never could be that much heartless. She never could beat a weak dog in such a cruel way. In fact, she did not want Dibby to die. She just wanted it to go away from their home.

Lilly hissed out heavily and got off from the bed. Unknowingly she was wishing a lot to see Dibby before their home again. Every time in the morning at eight, Dibby would be at their home. Lilly decided to give it some food, only to give it strength to go far away from their village. Lilly put some food in the bowl and looked for Dibby. There was no Dibby nearby. It seemed Dibby understood that it could not get anything at Lilly’s home.

Feeling so bad in herself Lilly went to school. Surprisingly now, her heart filled with Dibby rather than new puppy they were going to get into their home. Why she was thinking about Dibby this much Lilly could not understand. She never has thought that her mind would change like this. Unknowingly she was wishing so much that nothing should happen to Dibby.

She could not concentrate on what teachers were saying and two teachers scolded her for her inattention. At the interval time, while she was unmindfully eating an ice cream, Rita came to her.

“Your Dibby is under the huge banyan tree before Rama temple. Someone beat it indiscriminately. It may die at any moment.”

As soon as she heard that, Lilly threw the ice cream away and started running.

“Hey, where you are going? I am also coming.” Rita also started running after her.

It did not take more than five minutes to Rita to reach that huge banyan tree. There, beneath that banyan tree, that ugly dog Dibby lied. It was just like as she had seen in her dream. There were wounds on its body and blood was oozing from them.

Lilly reached fast Dibby and took it into her hands. Dibby groaned feebly and looked into the eyes of Lilly. Lilly felt so happy that it was not dead yet. She did not know when she started but she was weeping terribly. “It is all because of me.” Amidst the sobs she was saying.

“Are you worrying about this ugly dog? You wished so much to get rid of it.” It was all so much surprising to Rita.

“No.” Lilly vigorously nodded her head. “I never can let it go. My thinking all the time is so bad. I don’t need any other puppy. This Dibby is enough for me.”

“What are you going to do now?” still Rita could not come out of her surprise.

“First I have to take this dog to my home and give it food.” Lilly said murmuring in herself. Then she looked into the eyes of Rita and said. “Will you please take my school bag to my home? There are keys of my home in it. In the meanwhile I do take Dibby to my home.”

“Sure. I do take it to your home by the time you reach there.”

Lilly knew that everyone around was looking surprisingly at her while she was carrying Dibby holding in her hands to her home but she did not care. Instead she was feeling happy that Dibby not died. By the time Lilly reached home Rita was there with her school bag.

Lilly put Dibby in a shady place, took the keys from her bag, opened the doors of her home and went fast inside. She felt so happy while Dibby eating the food she put in the bowl. Then she made it drink some water also. Just in minutes Dibby became its usual self again.

“Forgive me my ugly beauty. I never do behave like this with you again.” Lilly said.

She did not know why but Lilly was feeling so happy then.