Naxals

"Be silent. There might be thieves around here"
"Or possibly even Naxals and..... AAAAAAH"
"What happened?"
"You would nearly have had my shirt burning. Hold that fire-stick a little higher"
"But, you didn’t have to shout--"
"Papa, what are nacsals"
"Ask Amma"
"Amma, what are nacsals"
"Shhh"
"Snake!"
"Where?"
"No, that was only your amma shhhing"
"Amma shhhed, not ssssssed"
"SHH, keep quite and walk on."
"Ahu, I want to see the snake"
"There is no snake, nana"
"But, amma, you shouted 'snake' just now"
"Don’t shout."
"I said snail, not snake"
"Oh, okay. Papa what are nacsals"
"Naxals, not nacsals"
"Whatever. What are they?"
"They are forest ghosts"
"Really? I want to see them"
"You cant see ghosts"
"My teacher says you can. She saw one when she was 5 years old and I am five years old now"
"Okay"
"Forest ghost. Ey, Forest ghost. Where are you? Naskul, come out"
"Keep quite, little rascal"
"I want to see forest ghost"
"Shh"
"How far is it from here"
"About 5 minutes"

*******

WHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOO
"What was that?"
"That was the sound of the forest ghost"
"Are owls forest ghosts?"
"That was not an owl. It was the naxal"
"Only Owls can make sounds like that. Not rascals--- sorry nascals. My teacher says.."

*******

"Do nusmskulls live on trees?"
"Ask amma"
"Amma, Do numbskulls live on trees?"
"No, only in palaces"
"Why are they called forest ghosts if they live in palaces?"
"They live in palaces in the forest"
"The 'Phantom' lives in a forest palace"
"Very good, Now keep quite. I think your father doesn’t know the way home"
"Doesn’t know the way, hah"
"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
"Keep quiet, will you?"
"I am calling the nascel"
"Naxals will come whether you call them or not'

*******

"Do you know where we are going?"
"Yes I do"
"Is this the right way home?"
"This is a short-cut"
"I think we are lost"
"No, we are not"

*******

"AAAAAAAAAAH, drop the stick. drop it now"
"Papa, the grass is burning"
"MY shirt is too"
"Run, Babu, Run"
"Amma, why is papa rolling on the ground? I want to do it too"
"He is on fire, damnit"
"He is on fire. The grass is on fire. Amma, don’t hit him like that"
"Run babu, the fire is spreading"
"I want to do rolling like papa. ROLL, Roll..."

********

"There is the house"
"Lovely shortcut you found"
"I guess it cost us one shirt"
"How sad papa, we still didn’t find a single muscle--sorry nascle"