A Heist to Remember
Behind closed doors they lay in wait. The heist would soon commence. The crew had infiltrated the upstairs floor of the house. They had to act swiftly once the targets arrived home. Lethargy had already settled into some members of the group. Withdrawal drew nigh. Lined up in position, they huddled together in the bedroom, awaiting further instructions from their leader, Kamala.
The mastermind addressed the room: ‘We’ve rehearsed this plan many times before: Nishad has already taken care of crowd control downstairs, I’ll aid with a distraction in the kitchen, Indra you’ll seize the package and Arjun, you’ll secure it out of there – we’ll be right behind you. Rakhi is keeping Nani distracted in the living room, so there shouldn’t be any disruptions. Everyone clear on the details?’
The other two nodded.
Arjun’s palms were sweaty, his breath hoarse, his feet aching. The anticipation was killing him.
‘Is this a good idea?’, he asked sheepishly to the group leader.
‘We’re sticking to the plan’, Kamala barked as she stood near the door, then, ‘If anything goes wrong, we'll meet back here.’
‘They’ll be home soon…’ his younger sister, Indra, muttered behind him.
Kamala synchronised her phone – setting the timer to precisely “1 hour” – enough time to carry out the plan and recuperate afterwards. She looked back at her younger siblings, urging reassurance with a playful attitude:
‘Remember, everyone, try to relax (she looked intently at Arjun). We’ve done smaller jobs before. Even though this is a big one, it’s a simple in-and-out routine so don’t fuss around.’
Arjun answered out of turn, ‘W-what if I get caught?...’ barely came out from him as an abashed wheeze from his throat.
Kamala shook her head. She glared at him, replying candidly:
‘Nobody pays attention to the middle child, Arjoo.’
Despite his eldest sister’s promise, distress grew on his countenance. He looked to Indra beside him. But there was no comfort he could garner from her either. He noticed her dainty fingers tremble. He held them in his own, nodding sympathetically to his little sister as if to say: It’ll be okay, don’t show weakness in front of the boss.
A thumping noise was overheard from outside.
The targets’ car pulled up to the driveway. They arrived later than expected.
A ravenous appetite had sprung forward within the group’s bellies - they desperately needed their fix.
Suddenly they heard the front door open - the couple had come back from their grocery shopping. Nishad’s voice resounded from downstairs as they brought the bags inside. The three of them remained silent upstairs, awaiting confirmation from their inside man: a message of approval to descend the stairs to claim their bounty.
Kamala’s phone buzzed in her pocket. A text message notification from Nishad. It read:
“The vipers have entered the nest.”
The operation commenced.
Kamala led the group, deftly turning the bedroom door knob to avoid a suspicious creak. Their shoulders relaxed a little as the door became ajar. The targets hadn’t been alerted to their presence. Yet. One by one, they moved quickly and quietly, tiptoeing across the carpeted flooring. They moved nimbly across like cats, narrowly avoiding the creaks in the underlying floorboards.
They bided their time, moving discreetly between the rooms. Until eventually they came close to the stairs. On Kamala’s command, Arjun peered between the bannisters: no sign of activity, except the sound of shuffling feet – three people – and the rummaging of groceries. Casual conversation ebbed and flowed. Nashid’s voice could still be heard among them. The targets were preoccupied, with not even the slightest suspicion.
A faint slam of the refrigerator door. The footsteps faded. Their claim would soon be in their grasp.
The trio began their descent.
However, on the winding staircase light-headedness greeted them. Arjun’s head pounded with pain. During the confusion while creeping down the staircase, Arjun took a misstep - lurching forward. He put his arms out to catch himself during the tumble, almost letting out a yell – when Indra quickly caught the back of his t-shirt. The tug of fabric suffocated his frame, but he remained safe. He glanced at Kamala a few paces ahead of them; scorn creased in her face. She wagged a finger at him, a warning: I’ll punish you later.
He quietly thanked Indra, the only one who cared for him. Yet she only nodded faintly. She wasn't herself either: he could sense the sluggishness permeating through his sister, as her limbs hung beside her sides and her head hung low. She was feeling run down. The craving in them was potent, the group yearned for the sweet ecstatic release.
Now the nausea had nestled itself in their throats and bellies. Unable to think clearly, Arjun and Indra accompanied Kamala down the final set of winding stairs.
*buzz*
Kamala checked her phone again. Nishad’s message read:
“The package has been deposited in the fridge...”
Kamala turned to her crew, with a firm nod she gave the signal for the next phase: securing the package.
She spoke in a whisper beside them.
‘Stick to the plan: Arjun, you wait here while Indra extracts the package. I’ll go help Nishad with the distraction.’
Down the hallway, in the kitchen, they could hear the targets toiling away: the quick movements of a sharp knife chop, chop, chopping against a board; the aroma of onions and garlic fragrant in the air; and the oil sizzling away in a pan under medium heat on the hob. They were busy preparing the meal – it was time for the extraction.
Cowering on the lower staircase, Arjun and Indra waited for the moment. Kamala strolled in, masquerading the tremble in her knees and her exasperation with an air of nonchalance. The younger siblings heard her voice echoing into the hallway: ‘Hey mama, can I help with dinner?’
‘You… Want to help? You never want to help…,’ they heard their mum reply, an accusation that hung tensely in the air.
‘Thought I’d be helpful tonight,’ Kamala chirped, and Arjun could picture clearly the fawning smile spread across her eldest sister’s face.
Amidst the din of the kitchen, Arjun and Indra could hear Nishad snickering to himself as he helped dad clean the chicken liver. The earthy, iron odour brought up nauseating memories of the dish currently being prepared.
Almost on cue, Kamala played desi music aloud on her phone, blaring it to cover her younger siblings’ movements.
While the grown-ups sang unrestrained and swayed their hips to the well-received sounds, Kamala and Nishad awaited Indra’s arrival. It was the safecracker’s turn to do her job. The younger sibling entered in a cordial manner, announcing to her parents that she was hungry and wanted “a little snack” before dinner was made. The targets obliged, inviting her to grab a fruit yoghurt pot from the top shelf of the refrigerator.
Arjun swooped into his position, awaiting the package near the doorway. He perched himself discreetly out of sight near the hallway table.
He peered across to the other end of the hallway, where their latest recruit, Rakhi, was keeping the “old guard” preoccupied. Arjun could hear the faint crooning of Nani’s croaky voice tending to the newborn infant.
He counted down the seconds in his head. His feet bobbing up and down on the laminate wood.
It happened quickly.
As the refrigerator door slammed shut, Indra hurriedly tossed the package into Arjun’s arms. She then moved away, pretending to grab a spoon for her yoghurt in the nearby drawer. In his arms he held the beloved assortment of mithai sweets; he already felt his mouth salivate as he gazed upon the gulab jamun in the left corner of the box.
It was finally in their hands. It was time for the swift getaway.
Now, THIS is the perfect dinner, he thought to himself and jovially turned around…
…To see Nani Sharma scowling at him from the other end of the hallway. She was there clutching Rakhi – who was sound asleep, murmuring as she dreamt. Nani lingered in the living room doorway to see what Arjun would do next.
His eyes widened in horror – they were about to get busted!
All of a sudden, she winked at Arjun and a coy smile played across her lips as if to tell him: I won’t tell a soul.
Then Nani Sharma gracefully turned her back to allow him to flee the scene of the robbery.
Without further delay, Arjun darted up the stairs, no longer concerned about making a noise. They had successfully pulled it off and now they could relish in their spoils. He waited in eager anticipation for the rest of his siblings to jostle upstairs to the bedroom.
How will we split it?, he thought, fidgeting with lively energy that now coursed through him.
Five minutes passed.
Elsewhere in the house, the rest of the siblings quickly scurried up the stairs, barely able to contain their glee. They were in the safe confines of Kamala’s bedroom once more.
The eldest two (Kamala and Nishad) squabble over how to distribute the selection of sweets (barfi, gajrela, and laddu being the top picks) amongst themselves, unaware of the boisterous noise they were stirring. Indra had already helped herself to some jalebi with a sleight-of-hand, while Arjun remained relentlessly patient. The Sharma siblings eventually shared the spoils of the heist. Indulging in every morsel the box had to offer; the sweet taste of sugar tantalising their taste buds.
Soon, the room was brimming with revelry and lively chaos. The siblings bounced off the walls with reanimated energy, yelling and hollering amongst each other. Victory required celebration, after all.
Less than half an hour passed before the sugar crash inevitably hit them.
Lying on the bedroom floor, moaning with writhing stomach aches, the crew of siblings felt the sickening regret of indulgence incapacitate them. They remained there among the evidence strewn across the bedroom: the tampered packaging ripped open and flung aside across the bed, while crumbs of mithai sweets caked the entire floor.
Without warning, they heard a foreboding faintly through the bedroom walls:
‘Kids, dinner is made!’
None of them dared to move. When neither of the siblings had answered their parents’ call, they soon heard footsteps ascending the stairs.
‘We’re gonna get caught!’, Arjun whispered.
‘Be quiet, they’ll hear us.’, Kamala rebuked.
‘Don’t move a muscle,’ Nishad chimed in as if he could muster any movement, holding his bulging belly as he sprawled out nearest towards the doorway.
Suddenly the timer beeped on Kamala’s phone. She fumbled to turn it off, but by then it was too late.
A knock rasped at the door.
‘Kids? Are you in there?’ their dad’s voice echoed through the wall.
Kamala reared her head to glance at each of them in turn. An unspoken word of oath echoed between them: denial is key.
Suddenly the door was ajar, as if someone was peeping in.
A startle came from outside the room.
Their treachery was uncovered by their dad. He called down to their mum for back-up.
Within minutes, both parents were securing the perimeter of Kamala’s bedroom.
They looked down upon their children, aghast at the awful sight. The siblings remained motionless. Arjun and Indra pretended to be asleep. Kamala fixed her gaze on the ceiling, playing it cool. Nishad suffered from a look of dejection as their parents finally studied him, their eyes stating irreparable betrayal: How could you? You were our golden child.
‘What is going on here? What have you done?!’ both parents exclaimed in unison.
Then a soft voice crooned, ‘Nothing…’ Indra tried to smile sheepishly to dissipate their boiling anger… to no effect.
A stern look of disapproval reprimanded each sibling. The game was over. The parents, chagrined by this rebellious act, stewed away for a suitable punishment. After all, they had just toiled away for an hour on a home-cooked meal.
A wicked grin etched upon their faces. It had been decided.
Pulled up to their feet, the arrested crew were taken into immediate custody.
That evening, the Sharma siblings sat around the kitchen table.
None of them received bail, nor did they get a phone call. They were all guilty as charged in the Sharma’s court of law, trialled by a jury of their peers (Nani, the bemused, and Rakhi – who was still asleep). Finally, they were condemned to a sentence of eating their entire plate of dinner: liver curry with naan.
Arjun chewed mindlessly on the liver – its metallic taste kindling vomit in his belly. Indra played with her food on her plate, refusing to eat. While the eldest two begrudgingly bit into the liver curry and washed it down quickly with water. The parent’s inspected each of their plates in turn, ensuring that each slither of the dinner would be finished tonight. Otherwise, none could leave the table for the rest of the evening.
Nani Sharma chuckled to herself, quietly chewing on her food in the corner.
Their victory was short-lived.
Suffering the seething lesson of a spoiled appetite, the Sharma siblings wallowed in despair that night. Their bellies whining in agony as they tried to sleep off the onslaught to their digestive tracts.
Would they ever attempt such a heist again? Whenever sugar withdrawal arises, they most certainly will.
Day 17 - This piece was posted as part of the 31 Days of Content Challenge that I undertook in March 2022.