Well then, so long!? she said. Then she said to my sister, ?I hope you?ll remember all I?ve been telling you??

My sister replied, ?Oh yes, Baro didi. I?ll remember everything and I?ll definitely see you when you come to Delhi again.?

The moment we got into our car I asked my sister who the old lady was. She merely said, ?My elder sister.?

The very next moment she asked me, ?By the way, Nilu, have you any idea where one can buy cobras??

I was startled! Had I heard her right? ?What did you say?? I asked her again. ?Buy what??

?Cobras!? said my sister simply, as if it was the most normal request in the world.

?What on earth do you want cobras for??

?I want to buy one. Buy it and tame it!?

?What! Tame a real, live snake??

My sister burst out laughing and said, ?Why not? They are pretty useful creatures!?

I was absolutely certain my sister had gone batty! Or perhaps there was something wrong with my ears! I put my fingers in both my ears and shook my head vigorously.

At home mother asked my sister, ?I hope you had a nice journey? Did you get any food on the way??

My sister replied, ?Yes mother, there was no problem. Our compartment was jampacked until Mughalsarai, but after that it was absolutely empty!?

?You don?t mean to tell me that everyone got down at Mughalsarai?? asked my mother incredulously.

My sister smiled and said, ?Well, they did! There were dacoits in our compartment, you see!?

Mother screamed! ?What! What did you say? Dacoits in your compartment! How utterly dreadful?and dangerous! What on earth did you do??

My sister said, ?Well, I had nothing to fear. I had Baro didi with me.?

?Who on earth is Baro didi? Surely, she didn?t tackle the dacoits single-handed??

?She did, and drove them all away!?

Well, I had seen my sister?s Boro didi. She was at least seventy, if not more! It was totally impossible for a feeble woman like her to drive away dacoits! I couldn?t stand it any longer and blurted out, ?Mother, she has been talking a lot of rubbish ever since she arrived! Absolute nonsense!?

My sister burst out laughing at my words and said, ?Oh well, I?ll explain it all in a little while, but you?d better give me something to eat first. I?m famished! I?ll just go and wash my hands.?

Everyone surrounded my sister at the dining table. Including her two next-door friends, Khuku didi and Mini didi. My sister-in-law, unable to bear the suspense any longer, said, ?Come on, Chotan! Out with it! Were there really dacoits??

To be continued

Sunil Gangopadhyay?s short story, My Sister?s Sister, translated from Bangla by Swapna Dutta, first appeared in the children?s magazine Target, edited by Rosalind Wilson. It was later published in the short story collection, The Carpenter?s Apprentice, by Katha, a Delhi-based non-profit organisation and publishing house.