About the Author

The author has published two academic books before. He is a

qualified electronic engineer with post-graduate qualifications.
He worked in electronics as a school teacher and as a lecturer.
He has a liberal view of people and is keen to learn about and
accept other peoples ways of life and points of view.

To Shivani, my daughter

Copyright Dhanraj Ramnath

The right of Dhanraj Ramnath to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and
78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the
publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims
for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British
Library.

ISBN 978 1 84963 593 6

www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2015)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.
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Canary Wharf
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E14 5LB

Printed and bound in Great Britain

6

On the Hills
At the end of the road a dog limps. Jason Barrington stood at
the school gate with one hand resting on the iron cross-bar and
his head leaning on his hand. He stared at the road leading to
the school entrance for the last time then, as he turned around
and gazed towards the hills, he spotted the distressed animal.
He thought to himself that he must help the poor dog but,
before that, he considered it proper to take a moment or two to
reflect on the thoughts that were dominating his mind. Jason
reluctantly released his hand from the rugged iron gate and,
with the last effort, managed to straightened himself and
began to walk slowly towards the hills. Sarah, his little sister,
occupied his mind so strongly that his heart was grieving for
her. That Easter weekend made it one year since his elevenyear-old sister had gone missing and, so far, not a trace of her
was found. The beautiful memories of her were killing Jason
inside. As he quietly stood at the gate and, even as he was
walking in the bright sunshine towards the hills, he was
thinking of those memorable days when he would go to fetch
her from school and she would come running with her arms
wide open to greet him.
The open landscape was dominated by tall trees and,
everywhere, wild bushes were growing luxuriantly. It was
mid-morning and the warm sunshine was beating down on the
somewhat dilapidated road and the undulating bushy scenery.
The road leading up to the hills where he saw the limping dog
was a dead end and, from the condition of the surface, it
seemed vehicles used it very seldom. Jason took a quick
glance at the injured dog and thought to himself that there was
still time to occupy his thoughts with the memories of Sarah,
while he walked towards the unfortunate animal. With his
7

head bent, occupied with thoughts of his missing sister, he

strolled towards the dog. Unconcerned of how far away he
was from the animal, he kept walking when, suddenly, he
heard a growl coming from the direction of the injured dog.
Jason lifted his head and found himself face to face with the
animal. What he saw took him by complete surprise. His
mood suddenly changed from serenity to anxiety. He made a
woeful exclamation, Oh my God! A sound that had every
air of desperation in it, then, he froze with fright.
The stories his uncle used to tell him when he was a
youngster rapidly rushed through his thoughts. They were
stories of the appearance of a ghost in the form of a huge dog,
and the twelve feet tall green-faced man that was often seen at
Phantom Gate. In Jasons mind those stories were frightful,
but just illusions in comparison to the imminent danger he
was, at the time, confronted with. Momentarily, it was a
situation of real danger and a matter of life and death. Jason
was so scared of what he saw that he even stopped thinking
for a while. When he came to full consciousness again, he
silently thought, Why me? Why should such horrible things
happen to me? He thought of screaming for help, but told
himself that that might be too dangerous. Jason started
thinking fast. He had to do something quickly if he was to get
out of that dangerous situation. Gosh, he thought, I didnt
mind it being a ghost. At least then, it couldnt physically
harm me.
Two large blue eyes kept piercing right through Jason as
he stood there motionless. The animal was huge with thick
powerful legs. Its face looked wild and hungry and its ears
were cocked up as if it was about to pounce on him. The
animal that was thought to be a limping dog turned out to be a
huge, wild and hungry wolf. Jason came face to face with the
ferocious-looking animal, which seemed as if it was about to
attack him at any moment. The only comfort he had was that
the animal was injured and that he may be able to outrun it in
a chase. Then, he sensed that the poor animal was suffering in
pain from its injury and, therefore, it was not too concerned
with him, so he began to slowly step backwards little by little.
8

He was getting further and further away from the injured wolf,
while the animal still stood its ground. A few moments later
he felt he was far away enough from the fierce-looking
creature to safely make a run for it.
He was almost on the edge of the other side of the road in
a diagonal position from the stricken wolf and thought he
could safely walk away. With his eyes fixed on the animal, he
started walking backwards at normal pace. As he was about to
turn around and walk down the hill towards the school, he
heard noises coming from the bushes behind the wolf. Jason
stood on a little mound on the side of the road and looked into
the bushes in the direction of the noises and what he saw made
his blood crawl. There were about half a dozen hungry fiercelooking wolves coming in his direction. He had to think fast
and do something to escape. Running down the hill on the
open road would surely not be safe since the wolves would
outrun him. He thought of climbing up a tree, but all the trees
had thick long trunks and were very tall, hence, very difficult
to climb.
Jason eased himself into the bushes, hoping the wolves
would not see him. Just then he saw the pack making its way
faster and faster in his direction. The wolves, he thought, had
spotted him and, therefore, were about to attack him.
Jason turned around and ran into the clump of trees down
the valley. There were few or no bushes there since there were
tall trees dominating the entire face of the valley. There were
dry leaves and other debris strewn on the ground. Jason ran
down the valley. He slipped on the dry leaves and fell
backward and, due to the steep slope of the hillside, he was
moving downhill almost effortlessly. He went faster and faster
down and down. He moved in that manner for a good couple
of minutes. He was beginning to think where on earth the
steep slope of the hillside was taking him when, suddenly, he
went splashing into a narrow stream where the water was
running down in a current. Jason paddled his way to the
opposite side and managed to clamber onto the bank. He was
dripping with water from head to toe, but that was not his
immediate concern. He looked up the hill among the trees to
9

see if the wolves were following him. There was no sight of

the animals and he felt a sense of security. He took out his
shirt and trousers and squeezed the water out of them and put
them back on again. He then began to think of how to get out
of that dreaded place.
He looked up to the sky hoping to get some guidance from
the sun, but the branches and leaves of the tall trees were
blocking his view. He chose a random direction and started
walking. After a couple of hundred yards he came to a clear
opening in the thick woods. He looked around and followed
the direction where there were little or no tree tops. He kept
walking for a while, when suddenly he thought he heard the
sound of an engine. He walked for a few minutes in that
direction and he heard the distinctive sound of vehicles. He
knew from the noises that he was near a main road and he
started walking, as quickly as he could, in that direction. He
walked for ten minutes or so and he could see the taller
vehicles driving along the road from where he was standing.
Only a couple minutes again and he would be on the roadside.
However, all along the road there were houses and, therefore,
he would have to jump over fences and pass through private
property to get to the main road.
Jason reached the fence of a back garden. He stood there
and gazed at the other back gardens trying to work out which
of the other fences might be easiest to climb over. Since there
were thick bushes growing along the fences, which would
have presented difficulty in walking along, he decided to
climb over the fence that was in front of him.
The garden over that fence was beautifully well kept.
There was a well trimmed lawn in the middle and on each side
there were flowers of all designs in full bloom. There was a
garage at the side of the house, which looked to be well kept
and the back of the house was neatly painted in well matched
colors. Coming out from between the house and the garage
was a well designed wide pathway. It ran to the edge of the
lawn and continued from the other side to the end of the
garden. A few feet away from the fence where Jason was
standing was a neatly built little hut with the door slightly
10

opened. Jason climbed over the fence and walked past the
little hut to the edge of the lawn. From there, he thought, if he
called, someone might hear him. He called out, Hello, hello,
while still walking towards the house.
He was just about to call again when two huge Rottweiler
dogs suddenly burst out from the back of the house and went
for him. Jason turned around and showed a clean pair of heels.
He was running for his life. The dogs were fast catching up.
Jason had to think fast, and again he did. Instead of running
towards the fence where he intended to jump over, he ran into
the little hut and pulled the door shut. The two huge dogs were
taken by surprise, it seemed. They try to make a sudden stop
but skidded past the hut. As soon as they got their balance
again they pounced on the door of the hut. They were standing
on their hind legs with their both front feet on the door. They
were growling and grunting and scratching the door with their
nails. Jason peeped through a little crease at the side. The dogs
were standing taller than him when they stood on their hind
legs and, when they growled, he saw their long sharp teeth.
Jason decided to stay in the hut and hold the door tightly shot
no matter what happened.
He couldnt tell for sure how long he remained there since
it was impossible to estimate time in such a frightening
situation. The dogs were, by then, walking around the hut and
attacking the door and the side of the hut at random. They
were sniffing, grunting and sometimes barking.
Unexpectedly, a voice called, Bijli, Moti, what is it?
The voice was that of a girls. It was soft and somewhat
musical with an air of concern, but friendly. Jason was
relieved to know that someone was around and quickly
peeped through the crease in that direction. What he saw made
his heart skipped a beat. He was looking at a girl who was
extraordinarily attractive looking. She had stunning long black
hair, which was thrown in front of her and which almost
reached to her waist. She had a roundish pretty face, which
looked even prettier enhanced with her dark round eyes. She
was wearing a colorful Indian outfit with a shawl round her
neck and her round silver earrings glittered through the
11

shadow of her dark hair. Jason just couldnt take his eyes off
her and, as she stood among the bloom of the flowers in the
garden, he wondered which looked prettier the flowers or
that gorgeous- girl.
Jason was relieved because just one call from the girl and
the dogs quietly walked back towards the garage and
disappeared behind a wall. The girl looked around for a
moment then turned to walk back towards the house. Jason
wanted to call, but thought he may frighten her if she
discovered that someone was hiding in the garden hut.
Therefore, he quietly got out of the hut and walked back to the
fence. From there he called,
Hello.
The girl looked back, saw Jason standing at the back of
the garden and screamed,
Mum, Sanjay, there is a burglar at the back of the garden,
call the police! Quickly! Call the police!
At that moment a woman and a boy appeared in the
pathway. The girl pointed at the boy saying, Sanjay, go and
call the police.
Jason, in an endeavor to calm the situation, called from
the back of the garden,
Stop, stop, dont call the police. I am not a burglar.
What are you doing there? asked the girl
Jason, taking a few steps forward replied,
I am lost. I need some help, please. Look at my wet
clothes.
Jason kept advancing along the garden towards the house
and, as he did so, he could see the anxiety on the face of the
girl and the other two people.
Dont come any further or else I will put the dogs on
you, insisted the girl.
Alright, alright, shouted Jason, as he stopped and put
his hands up as if he was surrendering to someone, while still
insisting that he was not a burglar.
The girl shouted back,
You stay right there, dont move, then she turned to the
boy and asked him to call the neighbor.
12

Jason sensed that the girl was making decisions out of

desperation and that she must be really scared. So he kept
really quiet and did as he was told. He sat on the grass with
folded legs and his hands above his head. The girl walked to
and from the garage impatiently. She, time and again, stopped
and spoke to the other lady who was standing on the pathway
a few feet away from the garage. The sun was shining brightly
and the weather was getting warmer. That was fortunate, since
the clothes on Jason were drying and he was getting some
warmth from the sunshine. He was sitting on the grass with
his hands above his head for some time, being watched by the
pretty girl and her companion, while waiting for the boy to
return with a neighbor.
Suddenly, the engine of a vehicle was heard pulling up in
front of the garage. The girls face lit up with what seemed to
be relief. She turned to the other person and said,
Mum, that looks like Dad.
Yes, thank God he came home early today, replied the
woman.
The girl ran to the door by the side of the garage and
shouted,
Dad, Dad, come here quickly.
A dignified-looking gentleman walked through the door
followed by the little boy who went earlier on to fetch a
neighbor for help. The gentleman was well dressed. He had a
neat hair cut and was wearing a colorful red and blue tie. He
was a medium-sized person with just above average height.
As soon as he appeared through the door the girl ran and held
on to his arm saying,
Dad, that man was in the back of the garden. He might
be a burglar.
All right, Princess, replied the gentleman, as he walked
towards Jason who was still sitting on the grass with his hands
over his head.
Who are you and how did you get here? asked the
gentleman.
My name is Jason Barrington. I was running away from a
pack of wolves. I ran down the slope of the hill, then fell and
13

skated down. I finally landed in a small river where I got

drenched. I am trying to find my way home. I am speaking the
truth, I am no burglar, sir, replied Jason.
The gentleman stopped for a moment, then shook his head
and said,
You seemed to be telling the truth, but in time like these
we cannot trust anyone. Do you have any weapons on you?
No, sir. You can search me, answered Jason.

14

Unexplained
At that moment something extraordinary happened. The pet
cat showed itself through the door into the garden. This cat
was very fond of everyone in the household. However, it was
especially fond of the pretty girl with the long hair, whom the
gentleman called Princess. In fact, Princess and the pet cat
were inseparable. Wherever Princess went the cat would go
with her. At that moment it ventured out into the garden
because it was probably looking for Princess.
The cat was an extraordinarily beautiful animal. It was
ginger colored with brownish stripes running from the back
down the sides. It was covered with long fluffy ginger hair
and there was a beautiful white color running from under the
neck towards the belly. As soon as Princess saw the cat she
ran towards the animal calling,
Oh! Dimple, Dimple, I left you alone, and went to pick
up the pet cat. However, what happened next never happened
before. As Princess held on to the cat, the animal pulled away
from her hand and ran towards the middle of the garden. The
little boy ran after it while the girl screamed,
Dad, it looks like something is wrong with Dimple.
The gentleman tried to catch the cat while it was running,
but the animal dodged away from him. Then, the most
amazing thing happened. The cat went straight to Jason who
was still sitting on the grass with his hands behind his head.
The animal went unconcerned to him and sat on his lap. It
cuddled up to his chest and began to gently touch his face
with its paws. The cat was doing this in such a humane
manner that it almost seemed emotional. Jason sat there not
knowing what to do or what to say, while the other four
people looked on in amazement.
Whats wrong with Dimple, Dad? asked Princess.
It looks as if the cat knows this person, but we shall soon
find out, Princess, the gentleman replied.
15

He went nearer to Jason and sat down on a bit of the

footpath. Princess went and sat next to her dad on the grass.
The little boy and the lady also sat in convenient places
nearby.
They were all sitting in the vicinity of Jason, with Dimple
still cuddling up to him.
The gentleman then drew the attention of Jason and spoke
to him,
I am Dr Vijay Anand, and pointing to the pretty girl, he
continued, This is my daughter, Priya, but I call her Princess.
This is my son, Sanjay, and this is my wife, Jaya. My whole
family is here. Now, please, tell me the truth. Have you ever
been acquainted with this cat before today?
By then Jason was given permission to put his hands
down and relax himself. He adjusted himself a little, having
sat for too long in the same position. He then looked the
doctor straight in the eye and said,
Dr Vijay Anand and everyone here, I would swear upon
my life that whatever I am telling you here is the truth and
nothing but the truth. I have never seen this cat or I have never
ever known this cat in my life before this moment. This is
Gods truth.
The whole situation had everyone rather bemusing. The
members of the Anand family were all asking the same
question, Why should our pet cat go to a stranger in such a
manner, especially when the cat actually runs away from its
owners? Priya moved a bit closer to the cat, which was still
sitting comfortably on Jasons lap. She stretched her hand out
and called Dimple. The cat stretched its paws, touched
Priyas hand and pulled back.
By that time Priya became very concerned. She thought
for the moment that she may lose her favorite pet. However,
in the back of her mind she became reconciled to the fact that
there was a basic truth about the situation. So, she drew the
attention of her dad.
Dad, she said, this man is speaking the truth. It is
impossible for him to know Dimple before today. Dimple is
about ten months old. A man from the council found her by
16

the old abandoned house while working there. Dimple was

very tiny. Her eyes didnt open yet. She must have been one
or two days old when I got her.
Mr. Jason Barrington, said Dr Anand, well young man,
I think you are speaking the truth, but this is still a mystery.
Do you have any explanation why our pet cat should behave
towards you like this?
Believe me, sir, replied Jason, all that happened here
with this cat is a mystery to me too.
Dr Anand stopped to think for a moment. He put his hand
over his head, looked at Jason and contemplated, Could it be
a case of mistaken identity by a pet cat to its owner?
The Doctor looked around at everyone, took a good look
at Dimple, then stared at Jason and commented,
Your name, Mr. Barrington, is what attracts my attention
a lot. You see, it brings back some great sporting memories to
me. I was one of the biggest followers of the great cricketing
hero Sir Ken Barrington. I think that he was one of the
greatest batsman ever lived any relationship to the great
man?
The Doctor smiled as he spoke those words. Jason, feeling
a bit more relaxed, casually commented,
We havent solved the problem about the cat, sir.
You will have to carry the cat around with you. I am
inviting you to come inside and have a cup of tea with us
and stop calling me sir, said the Doctor.
Thank you, Dr Anand and thank you everyone for
believing me, said Jason as he ventured to get up. As he was
doing so, Dimple jumped off his lap and ran towards Priya.
The cat sat at Priyas feet and was stretching its paws up as if
to touch Priyas hand. The girl quietly bent down and lifted
the cat in her arms.
Oh, Dimple, she said, I am please you havent
forgotten me.
Priya turned around and walked towards the house,
followed by her mum and brother. The Doctor and Jason were
still standing on the grass. Jason looked back towards the end
of the garden and beyond the trees and commented,
17

There are some beautiful trees in the back of your

garden, Dr Anand.
Yes, its all green and healthy-looking, but I would have
preferred a sea view or a mountain range to look at, replied
the Doctor.
Well, thats good taste. I would have liked that too,
however, the back of my house is just like yours a forest of
beautiful tall trees, said Jason.
So, where do you live? the Doctor curiously asked.
Jason pointed in a direction somewhat north-east from
where they were standing saying, Straight across the woods
in that direction, in fact, all those trees and bushes stretched
all the way to the back of my house.
Oh, suggested the Doctor, we might be neighbors
then.
I think we may be, because if we should walk through
the bushes in that direction, the next house we come across
may be mine, indicated Jason.
Dr Anand looked at the tree tops, then moved his head
from one end to the other as if to survey the entire area,
This is a beautiful area of waste land with plenty of trees
and bushes good for adventures, dont you think so?
Absolutely, agreed Jason, I must admit that I had a fair
share of adventure on it only about an hour or so ago.
The Doctor turned around to face the house. He put his
hand on Jasons shoulder saying,
Tell me about the adventures you had while having a cup
of tea. Are you comfortable with those clothes you have on, or
do you want to change them?
These clothes have dried with the lovely sunshine we are
having. They are quite comfortable, replied Jason.
Jason sensed that Dr Vijay Anand was a friendly,
considerate, sport-minded and deep thinking person, and he
could foresee that there was a natural friendship developing
between the both of them. After all, as a doctor, he must have
known plenty of people in the surrounding areas of
Pleasantville and, probably, it was part of his character to
make friends naturally. Whatever it was, Jason was beginning
18

to feel more and more comfortable in the company of Dr

Vijay Anand.
The Doctor led the way up two flights of stairs to a gallery
where a table was set with four chairs around it. The whole
area looked exquisite. Everything seemed to be in place and
the surroundings were clean and tidy. There were decorations
on the walls and on the ledges, and there was a bunch of
flowers well laid out in a vase in the middle of the table.
Doctor Anand quietly pulled a chair out and made an
indication for Jason to sit down, while he went and sat down
on the chair directly opposite. Jason, feeling a bit obligated
towards the kindness and hospitality offered by the Doctor
and his family, softly commented,
Dr Anand, I am a complete stranger to you. I do
appreciate the trust you have on me. I promise that you and
your family would never regret it.
Well, Mr. Barrington, said the Doctor, it is my gut
feeling that you are genuine. We have been through that
before, so lets forget all the rigmarole and tell me of some of
the adventures you had today.
Jason was made to feel even more relaxed as the Doctor
spoke. He adjusted himself on the chair and looked up to the
ceiling as if to take time to think. He slowly straightened his
head again and focused his eyes back on the Doctor,
You see, Doc is it alright if I call you Doc?
The Doctor smiled and replied,
Well, why not?
I was way up on the hills on a dead end road, continued
Jason, I saw a pack of fierce-looking wolves coming towards
me and I knew I was in danger. They would have torn me to
pieces, so I ran down the steep valley and landed in a river
where I got drenched from head to toe. I came out of there and
started walking and reached the back of your garden and I am
here.
The Doctor shook his head and commented,
Well, I can see that you were in grave danger. I am
pleased you got over it and you are here. He then asked,

19

But, what the devil were you doing on top of a hill at the
end of a dead end road?
Jason bent his head and shook it from side to side. On
lifting his head again he quietly said,
Doc, this whole thing is a long story.
Dr Anand straightened his back, lifted his head and firmly
looked at Jason,
Mr. Barrington, he said, I dont want to know your
personal business, but if you think you can put me in light of
your long story, do so. You certainly looked sad with the
thought of it.
Jason smiled, maybe for the first time,
Doc, he said, I would certainly share my long story
with you. In fact, maybe, the whole nation knows about it
already.
At that moment Priya approached the table with a large
rounded container with some cups and saucers. While she was
distributing those, Sanjay came with a pot of tea and put it in
the middle of the table. Priya moved to where her dad was
sitting and, as she attempted to pull the chair to sit down,
Jason got up saying,
Let me help you, Miss.
Jason got up, moved around and gently pulled her chair
out, then indicated to Priya to sit down. As Priya sat down,
she quietly muttered,
Thank you.
Dr Anand stood up and poured himself a cup of tea then
passed the pot to Jason. As Jason finished pouring his tea Mrs.
Anand arrived with a large plate of savories, biscuits and other
eatables that go with a cup of tea.
You was about to tell me your story, Jason, the Doctor
observed, as he sipped his tea.
Jason took a deep breath, stretched his hands and
continued from where he left off,
I was standing at the school gate looking at the road
leading to the school. When I looked towards the hills, I saw a
limping dog and I walked towards the hill to help the injured
animal. However, it turned out to be a fierce-looking wolf.
20