Natural Encounters

These hills of Muscat belong to them.

They are the natives.

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A maid brings in the washing from the drying rack outside and lays it on the bed. Out pops a scorpion from a shirt cuff and glares at her. “Yikes!” she screams and grabs a broom.

Stijn spots a scorpion near his potted plants. He carefully places a bowl above it and slides a newspaper underneath. Then he carries it off to the valley and gently drops it there.

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The overgrown hedge needs a trim. The gardener expertly handles the shears as the leaves drop in green cascades. A deadly viper watches from arm’s length. Soon the snake catchers have smoked it out.

Seema sometimes sees snakes outside her French windows. She ignores them. They leave her alone. They have a mutual understanding.

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The baby of the family likes the black and white kitten from a wadi cat’s litter. They bring it home and name her “Luna”. Luna doesn’t like being indoors so she scratches everything. Soon the family has to move to another place. Nobody wants to adopt Luna. She is waiting to be put to sleep.

Wadi cats come to Anna and they adopt her. She feeds them every morning. They live in her garden and hunt at night. When Anna goes on a holiday, they still survive.

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Wadi dogs stalk the hills in packs. Sometimes they attack lonely walkers on the streets. If caught, they are stoned away.

Sensible walkers stay away from the places frequented by the wadi dogs. They also avoid odd hours for walking.

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The birds have a better deal. They feast on the blooms and enjoy showers under garden sprinklers. Amateur photographers follow them.