a crow in the house short story
Answers
In the story, "A crow in the house," Ruskin Bond tells us about a crow, which was lying almost dead on the road. The writer and his grandfather nursed him back to health. After he became healthy they allowed him to go wherever he wanted. But the crow made their house his home. Grandmother, Aunt Mabel and other pet's in the house did not like this.
He was named Caesar. Soon he became the master of the house. He would eat with them at the dining table, and was very fidgety, he would rip the newspaper to shreds, over turn the vase or tug at the tail of one of the dogs.
The writer tried to put him in a cage but he made so much noise that he felt it was better to allow him to run about in the house. He would not mix with other crows, maybe he had become snobbish after living with humans on equal terms. He even troubled Harold, the hornbill.
He learned to talk like ravens do. When the writer came home from school he would say hello, hello and sit on the writers' arm, place his head gently against his mouth and say kiss, kiss.
One day when he sat on Aunt Mabel's arm and said kiss, kiss she was flattered but Caesar got attracted towards her gleaming spectacles and knocked them off.
He started visiting neighbours' houses and stealing pens, pencils, hair ribbons, combs, toys, shuttle cocks, toothbrushes and false teeth. He was very fond of toothbrushes and there was a big collection on top of the writers' cupboard.
He would snatch sweets from the children. He removed the clothes pegs from the clothes line and the neighbour's would find their washed clothes lying in the mud when they came home.
One day as he was eating beans from a neighbour's garden someone threw a stick at him and his leg broke. Inspite of all the efforts made by the writer and his grandfather the leg did not become alright.
Caesar became sad and quiet. One day he passed away and the writer buried him along with the toothbrushes and clothes pegs he had collected. The writer felt sad that Caesar's anti social activities led to his early end.