Midnight Masquerade

Due to the big age difference, her older siblings took care of her.   They had to watch what they said when she was around, as she picked up things very fast and invariably blurted it out it in front of the elders, causing them great embarrassment.

Naina wanted to ape her fifteen year old sister, Tara, with whom she shared a room.  Tara was learning to speak English from her cousin Kush who had just finished his higher studies in England.  They spoke only Gujarati at home.  She wanted to surprise her parents and was keeping it a secret.  Late at night, they burnt the midnight oil and conversed in English.  Tara would say, "I want water" and Kush would correct her saying, "Please may I have some water".

Unknown to them, Naina would pretend to be asleep and overhear their exchanges.  One day, the attention-grabber awoke at midnight and ordered loudly, "Gimme wata".  Tara told her to hush, but she persisted, "No! Gimme Watah".  Tara hurried and got her a glass of water hoping that would silence her; but Naina was like a broken record repeating itself, "Gimme Watah. No! Please may I have some watah." Ultimately, Tara had to buy her silence with a chocolate.

Tara hated bananas.  As a child she had been attacked by a bat while eating bananas on the verandah.  Drawn by the scent, it had swooped down, circling about her, flapping its wings near her face. 

Terrified, Tara had given up eating Bananas altogether.  Naina declared that she too hated bananas.  No matter how hard ma tried coaxing her, she stubbornly refused to eat them.

One day, her cousins decided to call her bluff!  They bought ice-cream and shared it with everyone except Naina.  When she demanded her share they said, "You won't like it", whilst smacking their lips and calling it delicious.  Naina grabbed some.  She loved it. Wolfing it down greedily, she asked for more.  "Are you sure you want more?" they asked laughing and informed her that she had just eaten Banana ice-cream. 

Kush decided to teach Naina a lesson so that she wouldn't get up at night and deliberately pester them, asking for water and chocolates.  He enlisted his brother Krish's help.  They covered a 'matka' with a white bed-sheet and drew eyes and a face on it.  The next night, when Naina awoke demanding, "Watah", Krish raised the matka, covered in the ghostly sheet, on a long pole outside Naina's bedroom window. 

Kindhearted Tara had not been let in on the plan as she might have told Naina the truth and spoilt their fun.

 Tara rushed into the room, as usual, to cater to Naina's demands.  When she saw the 'ghost' outside the window, her face became deathly pale and she fainted.  Little Naina boldly grabbed her "dandia-raas" stick, opened the window and dealt the mud-pot ghost a mighty blow.  The pot cracked and shards rained onto Krish standing below, making him jump out of his skin.  Kush came to the bedroom door hoping to catch a glimpse of Naina's scared face.  You should have seen the shock on his face!  He raised the alarm that Tara had fainted creating pandemonium in the huge house!

Kush and Krish's plan had back-fired and they were in a lot of trouble.  Naina was praised for being brave and timid Tara felt sheepish.  All Naina wanted was to feel like a big girl - like one of them - and Kush and Krish's midnight masquerade had certainly made her feel quite grown up.

A few days later, Naina displayed her proficiency in English, at the dining table, by proclaiming, "Please gimme wata".  The family members asked her where she had learnt that phrase and the cat was out of the bag - Tara's carefully hidden secret was revealed to the world.