With the final exams over, Gary a.k.a. Gourik and Titli were getting bored at home.

So, this Sunday when their father, Kamal, asked the two to go for a drive to Diamond Harbour, they both instantly got ready, though they were pretty amazed, as it was only six-forty in the morning.

Sulekha, their mother, however only asked, 'Why take them?'

'They need to see that for themselves...' Kamal said, as he started talking with his boss over phone.

'Can you go with us too?' Titli asked.

Sulekha looked at Kamal.

'No...I will have to make arrangements for lunch here...besides got too much of laundry pending...'

Saying this she started putting things into a small folio bag for Kamal.

A torch, some medicines, water bottles, knife, phone charger and so on.

'But for how long? Dupurey ki baritey khabey na?' (Will not have lunch at home?) Sulekha asked, knowing Kamal must be going out for some work.

'Not for more than six hours...' Kamal replied.

It was only seven in the morning when they got out.

Sulekha was insisting on them having breakfast at home before leaving.

'We would have something on the way...otherwise we would be late...'

Kamal brought out the car. He seemed to be a bit grim and in a hurry.

Knowing their dad's habit of going out for emergency work like helping people or rescuing animals, especially marine creatures like turtles and tortoise, the children did not say anything then.

'What's the work dad?' Titli asked finally when they had crossed Amtala. She could no longer hold back her curiosity.

Gary was as usual playing chess on a tablet, sitting at the backseat. He had no other passion.

Chess was his only passion and all that he did in his spare time. He had already got enlisted with a chess club of repute in the locality.

He being engaged with his game of chess was actually not very much curious.

For him it was like an unexpected Sunday outing.

Kamal had already bought some snacks for them.

Titli was munching a cookie.

'On reaching we would have our lunch there...' Kamal said.

It was a fine winter morning. Clear sky. A nip in the air. Overall temperate.

'Yes...what work?' Gary finally opened his mouth to say something.

His eyes were on the digital chessboard though.

'You will see for yourself...if we could reach there on time...'

When they arrived at the spot a huge crowd had gathered. Kamal pushed through the crowd, holding Titli and Gary firmly.

'What the...' Titli was about to say.

But what she saw once they arrived pushing through the crowd was unbelievable.

A fairly large river dolphin! Was it alive?

It was.

For it was slowly moving its tail.

Kamal asked Titli and Gary to stay there as he started making a phone call.

'Yes... I am Kamal Dasgupta, yes...from the department of Marine Biology ... Send forces... And make arrangements so that the dolphin could be taken to the river and released...quick!'

Kamal was speaking with great reserve though Titli and Gary noticed how much anxious their father had become.

Then he went up to the dolphin.

He sat beside its head and gently started moving his hand over it.

Sort of caressing it.

The creature made a strange sound.

A very curious one.

Suddenly there was a lull.

The people who had gathered there and were shouting and yelling and thinking of killing the creature, suddenly stopped talking.

They never heard such a pain-ridden yet beautiful cry of a dolphin.

The dolphin again did that.

Titli and Gary had by then come near it too. They also started caressing the creature.

A local man, probably a fisherman, came forward.

'Babu, amra otakey jodi kachi diye bendhey nodi te niye cherey di akhon...cholbey...apni bolen?' (Sir if we can make arrangements to take this creature to the river by tying it with strong ropes, will it do? Tell us.) The man said.

A group of local fishermen had come forward too.

'Amra eta dekhtey parchi na...kharap lagchey khub...proshashon kokhon ashbey ke janey...deri hoye jabey...' ('We can't see this any more...feeling real bad...when will the authorities turn up nobody knows...it could be late...’) said a young man from the group.

Kamal looked at the crowd.

Not far away.

He looked at the creature.

It was still alive.

Chances are very much there.

'OK...do that...'

He said, as he started opening his shoe laces.

'Going to the river with them?'

'Yes! We'll release it to the river...you two would be with me too!' Kamal said, as he got rid of his shoes and socks.

'Bring a plastic carry bag from the car and put your shoes into it...'

He asked Titli giving her the car key.

'But Dad, how come you know that the dolphin was there?'

'Heard it on the radio in the early morning programme of local people reporting as amateur reporters of incidents happening in their locality...I never miss this programme...specially if I hear anything related to marine ecology...you know that, don't you?' Kamal said, patting Gary's shoulder.

The fishermen and local youths had already arranged bamboos and ropes and boats. They were working at great speed.

Many people had joined hands. The crowd had grown.

But they were not yelling or shouting any more.

Instead a great sense of anticipation prevailed there.

As if all they wanted now was the dolphin to get into the river.

The dolphin let out another cry. But this time it did not sound morbid anymore.

It sounded more like a shout of joy.

Just then a group of officials and local policemen arrived.

They started cordoning off the area.