Hari was upset. He had been hoping for a trip to Singapore. All his friends were showing off about ‘foreign trips’. But his parents had planned a trip to Goa instead.

“The world does not need more high-rise buildings, Hari. We live in one. Don’t you feel like getting away from it all?”

Frankly, Hari liked the concrete jungle. He wasn’t sure why he had to share space with the animal, bird, and insect kingdoms. He liked artificial grass and playgrounds with synthetic floors. Now there was sand everywhere on the holiday, and creepy-crawlies like crabs!

Introducing Lalitha Maami

Mum always laughed and said, “The Earth is meant for everyone! I had a lizard in my room when I was growing up. It always looked at me disapprovingly and went click, click, click. Like a nosy, judgy aunty. But I liked its company when I was studying late at night. Sometimes it would catch a bug and chomp on it. Good entertainment. I had a name for it: Lalitha Maami.”

Hari rolled his eyes. “Thank God we have YouTube these days and don’t have to watch lizards for entertainment.”

“Look around you. It’s so beautiful. Maybe you will make a new friend.”

Hari pulled his cap over his head and tried to nap under a sun umbrella. Little did he know that his conversation was being intently listened to from under the sunbed. Someone very special and someone very orange.

The orange creature agreed with Amma. Was the Earth only meant for these ugly four-limbed creatures called humans? Or those furry creatures that seemed to like to sniff him, but could not decide if he was indeed a creature of the Earth. He was round, translucent, and, yes, very orange. He had to hide under the sun beds in case he got mistaken for a ball.

“Hello! Excuse me ... over here. Under the sunbed.”

He had picked up the language of the ugly creatures just by listening to them. It wasn’t that hard. Hari looked around. Who was talking to him?

“Under the sunbed ... if you please.”

The creature seemed to have also picked up the nuances of polite language. Hari looked down and spotted an orange blob.

“Hello,” he said hesitatingly. Surely this was a joke. His parents were known to be pranksters.

A stranger speaks

“Ah, hello!” continued the blob. “Lovely day for the beach, isn’t it? I have been watching you all week.”

“Watching me? Is this a kidnapping? I’d better go.”

“No, no! You dangly-limbed creatures scare easily. Frankly, I prefer octopuses to you. They have eight limbs and they look dashing, unlike humans.”

“Ewww ... octopuses are icky. They are not dashing.”

The blob was silent. Hari was now curious.

“How can you talk? Do you have a battery inside? Is this AI?”

“I lived in the ocean. There were many like me; some orange, but most were purple. We were a happy lot. One day, someone said blobs of orange have to leave. They started bombing our homes. We left. I lost my family. I keep going into the waters at night, but haven’t seen anyone like me. But many beautiful creatures like the octopuses.”

Hari was quiet. He wondered if the blob was a mutant jellyfish that had turned orange. Then how could it talk? He was confused.

“You have been hiding all along. Why speak up today?”

“The Earth IS meant for everyone. You didn’t seem to agree, so I spoke up.”

Hari was quiet again. He looked out at the ocean. The sun was crimson in the sky. People were playing in the sand. Someone was shooing a dog away. Someone was screeching because they saw a crab. A flock of storks flew above his head.

He had an idea.

“If you would like, you can live with me.”

“With you? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” he said firmly.

“That’s very kind of you but I need to go into sea water every 12 hours.

“Oh,” said Hari.

“What now?”

Stolen

Just then, a dog came, grabbed the blob in its mouth and ran away. Hari was horrified. He ran behind them. “Put that down, doggo! That creature is ... he... he is my friend.”

But the dog was in a playful mood. Hari tried to pull it out of his mouth and a big tug of war ensued. Then, suddenly, it happened.

Hari had an orange blob part in his hand. The dog had one part. Shrivelled and crumply but two parts.

“Oh no! He’s dead!”

The dog dropped his half and ran away. Crying, Hari picked up both the parts. The blobs were limp.

“Whoa! Salt water but different.”

It was the blob talking!

“Yes, tastes and smells different, right?”

Who was this? This was the other piece. A new whole blob! And alive!

Hari grinned.

“You split! Wow! What a relief. Looks like now you have company. What should I do with both of you now.”

“If you can put us into the ocean, maybe we can start a new life.”

The blob had no mouth. But Hari could swear it was smiling. Actually, both the blobs.

He placed them into the ocean gently. They regained their shape and bobbed about.

Hari called out, “Be careful both of you! Stay together!”

Just then, his parents came up from behind him.

“Whom were you talking to?”

“No one,” he said.

He looked back at the ocean. There was no one there.

“Ma, tell me about Lalitha Maami again.”