Story A Whistling Good Idea
Author: Rahul Raghavan
“Nivi! Turn the cooker off after three whistles,
okay?” Ma says.
Ma is going to the market to buy vegetables for dinner.
Nivi makes a face.
THUMP! She puts her book down.
PWFFT! She sticks her tongue out at the cooker.
Nivi taps her foot on the floor.
She waits and waits for the whistle to blow.
All of a sudden, she has an idea!
Nivi picks up the rolling pin and places it close to the gas knob.
She arranges a row of tomatoes and potatoes behind it.
The rasam-and-dal ladle is next.
Nivi keeps it carefully at the edge of the shelf above the cooker.
She then makes five of Nani’s spoons stand up. These are the ones Nani uses to sip her watery khichdi.
Finally, Nivi places her favourite plastic ball right above the spout of the pressure cooker.
WHOOSH! The ball moves a little.
WHOOSH! A little more.
WHOOSH! The ball rolls down the third time.
Nivi jumps, claps, and whistles herself!
The ball hits the spoons.
The spoons fall on the ladle.
The ladle swings off the shelf. BLOOONG!
The ladle hits the potatoes.
The potatoes roll into the tomatoes.
The tomatoes crash into the rolling pin.
The rolling pin hits the knob of the stove. THAAD!
The knob turns. The stove switches off. Nivi opens the pressure cooker carefully. Inside it is yummy, perfectly cooked rice.
Nivi goes back to reading her book happily.