On 28 February 2012, my daughter gifted us a one-month old Labrador. She named her Maggie. This name drew laughter from an eight-year-old in our colony. When I asked the girl why she was so amused, she asked me how a pet can be named after noodles.
Maggie, the cute brown Labrador, has grown since then. We found her to be very silent. She rarely barks and is friendly to one and all. She would bark only when she needed anything. Even for food, she would not make any sounds. From the manner in which she showered love to one and all, we were wondering if this friendly pet would ever safeguard us. She gets excited at the sight of a bird, a cat or even a butterfly.
Now she is seven years old, healthy and fit. But on March 30, she perhaps thought that the time had come to prove her mettle to her masters.
I live in a modest independent house with my wife in Hyderabad. Maggie is our 24x7 companion, always at our beck and call. That afternoon, I had left for Warangal. Just as I was entering the town, my wife called me. She was shrieking with unspeakable agony. For a while, I could not understand what was happening. Did she have any heart attack? Or was there any burglary?
It was Maggie’s unusual non-stop barks that prompted my wife to step out and see what was happening. Our pet was pointedly looking towards the floor and was barking. And when my wife looked in that direction, she froze. There was a three-foot long cobra just inches away from her—with its hood wide open.
The snake was still. And so was my wife. But Maggie kept barking non-stop. My wife took a minute to recover from the shock. She slowly retreated and slid into the house, locked the gate and then, panic set in. She made calls to people who were not close by.
Eventually, the snake rescuers arrived. But before they could reach our home, our new visitor, the cobra slid out as silently as it had arrived. The snake’s departure silenced Maggie—the hero, sorry heroine, of the day.
Many people in the neighbourhood praised Maggie for alerting my wife. Some said it was a good omen if a snake enters a house and leaves quietly.
D Nagarjuna
Email: nagarjuna56@yahoo.co.in