Please take note—it’s "freak," not "freaks." As I was writing, a flood of memories about freak incidents and accidents suddenly crashed into my otherwise empty mind. Fearing I might forget them, I thought I’d jot them down immediately.

You might recall from my last post the friend whose family hosted the Swamiji. He had an elder brother. One early morning, this brother came rushing to our house, waking us all up. The issue? A cockroach had regally entered his ear and, deciding it was a suitable place to end its life, lodged itself deep in the darkness. He was suffering from severe ear and head pain. Knowing that one of our family friends was an ENT specialist, he came to us for help. My dad took him to the doctor, who had to remove the unfortunate intruder bit by bit.

On another occasion, a neighbor of ours—a Bengali boy who had once gifted me a collection of newspaper cuttings featuring famous cricketers in action—was fiddling around with a sewing machine. He accidentally drove the needle into one of his fingers, right through the nail. No, this time my dad didn’t take him to the doctor, but he did go to a known physician, and luckily, the needle was removed without causing permanent damage. It was a tough lesson in not meddling with unfamiliar equipment.

One day, my parents were out on some errand, and my brother wasn’t home. My two sisters were left in my care. While we were playing, my youngest sister fell and sustained a deep gash on her forehead. Scared and unsure of what to do, I sought help from a few bachelors who lived in the community. The problem? There was a doctor nearby, but I didn’t have any money, and the bachelors were even more broke than I was. However, being grown-ups, they had more confidence and quickly took us to the doctor. They assured the doctor that the payment for his efforts would be made later. The gash was stitched, and fortunately, I didn’t get any scolding from my parents—after all, it wasn’t my fault. The doctor’s fees were paid in due course.

Continued in 189. Speak About Freak - Part 2