The Goose Thieves

It was Bina who first got wind of what was
happening. She happened to be passing the school
kitchen where they cooked meals for the nuns
and boarders. George, the school-bus driver, was
lounging around talking to the cooks inside. Bina,
who was looking for some botanical specimens in
the backyard, stopped suddenly in her tracks.
Waddling sedately towards her was a bevy of
large, awkward looking geese.
"Oh hello, Christopher Columbus, hi Marco
Polo, hi Captain Cook, hello Amundsen," she
greeted them. The geese hurried towards her,
their heads bobbing back and forth. The boarders
had named the geese after famous explorers because
they were constantly exploring the school
grounds. Once they had wandered into Bina's
classroom, during a very boring civics class and
had scared the daylights out of Miss K. The class
had roared with laughter as Miss K. tried to
chase the intruders out by flapping a large, checked,
board duster.
As Bina patted them, she heard one of the
cooks giggle and threaten George. "If you keep

demanding more food, we'll really fatten you up
and have you for the Christmas feast like those
geese outside."
Bina's heart sank. These sweet, lovable geese
were actually being fattened for Christmas! It
couldn't be! The schoolgirls were much too fond
of them. But what could they do anyway? Bina
sought her friends Vinita, Valerie and Nishi and
told them what she had overheard.
Nishi exploded. "Nonsense! Not our Marco
Polo and Amundsen, our poor Captain Cook, and
Columbus — no, no we won't let them be killed
and eaten."
Valerie however was the thoughtful sort. "But
how can we stop them? They have every right to
do what they like with the geese. That's done
every Christmas. We have no right to make anybody
do anything. After all, they aren't even our
geese!"
Vinita was close to tears. "But we've seen them
around for weeks. School won't be the same
without those darlings waddling in and out of
the classrooms. We can't let them be killed!"
Bina had been quiet all this time, working out
a plan. "I think we can do something about it,"
she said finally. "In fact there is something we
can do to stop the geese from turning up on the
school dining table for Christmas."
Nishi muttered disbelievingly, "If you're going
to suggest to Mother Superior that we should
have a heart-to-heart talk about it, count me out.
I quake in my boots when I see her coming."
"Besides," said Valerie, "who are we for her to
listen to? "
"Listen to me," Bina interrupted. "I have a real
good idea. The more I think about it, the better
it appears."
"Out with it, Beans," Vinita was impatient.
"We'll kidnap them!" Bina exclaimed and sat
back to watch her friends' reaction.
"What!" burst out Nishi, "kidnap!"
"You mean it'll work?" Vinita sounded doubtful.
"Why not?"
Only Valerie said slowly, "It's a possibility! We
could keep them in my backyard. We have lots
of space."
The four sat together and thought. Gradually
it struck the other three that Bina's idea was
workable. If they could but grab the four geese
and smuggle them somewhere far away from
school there would be no geese for the cooks to
fatten and slaughter for the Christmas dinner.
The next few days, the four of them thought
over and discussed plans in secret, till the rest of
the class almost went crazy. They would huddle
in a comer of the lawn or in the assembly hall
or library. Whenever anybody wanted to find
out what they were discussing, they would
innocently say like Valerie once did to an inquisitive
girl — "Oh we are discussing the exploits of
Marco Polo the traveller."
"But we learnt all about him in geography last
year," said the stubborn girl and went off,
mumbling to herself.
D-day drew nearer. It was mid-December and
getting very cold. The girls came to school clad
in heavy blazers. The day before the plan was
put into action the four friends met on the lawn.
"All set?" Bina looked round and blew on her
hands for warmth. "Everybody sure about their
parts?"
"Hmmm."
"Of course."
"Everything's fine."
"Good."
The next morning Bina went to school, wearing
a large sized blue overcoat. Mother Superior
noticed her at once, even before morning
assembly.
"What is this?" she asked Bina. "You know very
well that you're not supposed to wear any coat
except your blazer to school."
"Yes Mother," Bina said innocently, "but on my
way here the upstairs lady threw out some water
which fell on me. I couldn't come to school wearing
a wet blazer."
Mother Superior nodded. "That's all right," she
said.
She was however dumbfounded when three
other girls of the same class turned up wearing
oversized coats.
She shook her head in disbelief as they in turn
made some excuse for turning up in their mothers
coats.
"This is too much,'' she shouted. "Four of you!
Is this some kind of a practical joke?"
Nishi looked nervous. Bina patted her arm and
said aloud, "What a coincidence. Four of us turning
up like this! It's funny, isn't it?"
There was a pause and then Mother Superior
smiled, "Go on, go to your class. But I hope coincidences
like this do not happen too often."
The girls fled to their classroom. The others
stared at them in surprise. The moment classes
were over for that day, the four friends charged
out. Their natural science teacher already tottering
rather unsteadily on stilettos was thrown offbalance
and fell heavily against the tall human
skeleton in the corner of the room, as the four
ran past her. Their classmates squealed in sympathy.
Bina, Valerie, Nishi and Vinita had already
disappeared down the corridor, past the library
and assembly hall, across the courtyard and towards
the kitchen. The kitchen was deserted and
there was nobody in sight either.
Just then, as if on cue, the four explorers walked
out from behind a bush.
"Grab," yelled Nishi forgetting to whisper and
lunged at Christopher Columbus.
"Eee-yowa," howled Bina as she reached for
Marco Polo and was left with a feather from his
tail as he slipped away.
Valerie ran after Amundsen, and Vinita after
Captain Cook who was scurrying across the cabbage-
patch.
Bina caught her prey and tossed him inside her
overcoat. But he was larger than she had thought
and he stuck out conspicuously on her left side
as he straggled to free himself. Bina ignored him,
and shouted instructions to the others, "Get him
from over there, right there.... Oh no! he's gone
behind the bench.... you go from this side....
got him. . . .no? Oh there he i s . . . . quick
get him... .great!'' Nishi gripped Amundsen
tightly, Christopher Columbus having fled towards
Valerie who was chasing him round and
round a cactus bush.
"That's enough!" a sharp authoritarian voice
lashed out. The girls looked up with instinctive
dread. Mother Superior stood on top of the kitchen
steps, tall and unapproachable. The cook,
Mary, peeped out from behind her.
There was pin-drop silence for a few seconds.
Then, as Valerie and Vinita whirled round, their
prey fled cackling loudly to safer pastures.
Mother Superior looked sternly at them. "Now
what's all this in aid of?" she asked in a quiet icy
voice. "Is this your idea of fun?" There was a
deathly silence. From inside Bina's coat Marco
Polo gave an indignant squawk. Bina retrieved
him and dumped him unceremoniously on the
ground where he shook back his ruffled feathers
and trundled off. Nishi put Amundsen down and
he too waddled off.
v Mother Superior was tight lipped. "Can I ex

pect an explanation?"
The four of them exchanged glances. "We did
not really mean it, Mother Superior.... We just
thought it was very cruel. . . .And we're so fond
of them!"
"It's not fair to eat them... we love them so
much."
"After all there are so many other animals in
the whole world. Why eat these?"
Mother Superior raised one hand to silence
them, "One of you explain. Not all of you together.
. . . "
Bina explained. She had a soothing voice. By
the time she finished, Mother Superior was quite
relaxed and trying to hide a smile.
"Kidnap them!" she exclaimed. "Kidnap?"
Mary, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly
roared with laughter.
"Oh! Its so funny," she burst out. They all had
an uproarious laugh. Finally Mother Superior
said, patting the girls on their shoulders, "Whatever
gave you girls the idea we were going to eat
these fellow's? Certainly not. We're too fond of
them. We won't kill them for the sake of one
meal. They're yours girls! Yours to play with and
look after."
"Thank you, Mother Superior," four voices
sang in chorus. "Its wonderful to know you never
intended killing them in the first place."