The Kabali Mystery

Raghu ate the last of the tamarind rice from his bowl.

- Sarvamitra

For as long as Raghu remembered, his days ended with a meal from Mylapore Kabalishwar Temple. Raghu spent his mornings at school, while his evenings were always spent at the temple. His mother was a flower seller there, and he helped her. Raghu learned a lot by observing people. This evening he saw a man and woman buy all the flowers from his mother's stall and from other flower sellers as well. The lady bargained so much that Raghu's mother was left with no profit. Finally, the man paid for the flowers, but Raghu heard him whisper, “Don’t spoil our plan with your silly money-saving tactics. This is our big break.” Something about his words did not feel right to Raghu.

Soon, it was dark, and Raghu walked towards the cowshed where he liked to sleep on the haystacks before going home with his mother.

Clang! A sudden sound startled Raghu. He looked around and noticed the temple was empty. The main gate was closed, too. Amma must be searching for me, Raghu thought. But thankfully, he knew of a small opening on the side that he was small enough to squeeze through. Raghu made his way towards the opening when he heard hushed voices. Huh?! Who was at the temple at this hour? Then Raghu remembered the noise that woke him. He moved towards the voices.

“Can't you be careful? The noise could have alerted somebody.” A man was scolding his companion. In the moonlight, Raghu noticed they were carrying something heavy. On a closer look, Raghu realised it was the couple he had seen earlier at his mother’s flower shop.

“Have you arranged everything back like it was before?” the lady asked the man.

“Yes, yes, I have arranged the lamp and draped the old flowers on it. No one will notice it has been replaced.”