The Case of the Fifth Word
nickname: pet
name
Encyclopedia Brown is a young boy who lives in Idaville, USA.
His father is the Chief of Police. In spite of being so young he
often helps his father solve mysteries that even the police find
difÏcult to solve. Their discussions are generally held at the
dining table. Read this story to find out how the boy wonder
solves a case that has been troubling his father…
Encyclopedia’s father was Chief of Police. Everyone thought
that he must be the smartest police chief in the country. Chief
Brown was smart and quick. He didn’t sit around and worry.
When he came up against a case he couldn’t solve, he acted
at once. He cleared his desk, put on his hat, and went home
to dinner. Encyclopedia solved the case for him before dinner
was over.
Chief Brown would have liked to tell everyone about his only
child. But who would believe him? Who would believe that the
best detective alive was an eighth grader? So, he said nothing.
Encyclopedia never spoke of the help he gave his father. He
didn’t want to seem different from other boys. But there was
nothing he could do about his nickname. He was stuck with it.
Only his parents and teachers called him by his real name,
Leroy. Everyone else called him Encyclopedia.
An encyclopedia is a book or set of books filled with facts from
A to Z. So was Encyclopedia’s head. He read more books than
in a matter-of-
fact manner:
without
showing much
emotion
anyone in Idaville, and he never forgot a fact. His pals said
he was like a library and computer rolled into one, and more
user-friendly.
At the dinner table on Tuesday night, Chief Brown stared at
his cream-of-mushroom soup. Encyclopedia and his mother
knew what that meant. He had a mystery he could not solve.
“Tim Nolan died yesterday,” he announced in a matter-of-fact
manner.
“That name is familiar,” Mrs. Brown said. “Wasn’t he mixed
up in a jewellery robbery a few years ago?”
“Five years ago,” Chief Brown replied. “Two masked men held
up the Diamond Mart on Sixth Avenue. They got away with a
million dollars worth of jewellery.”
“I thought Tim Nolan was arrested,” Mrs. Brown said.
“He was questioned, not arrested,” Chief Brown corrected.
“I always believed that Nolan and a friend, a man named
Daniel Davenport, pulled the hold-ups. There wasn’t any
proof, though.”
Encyclopedia sat quietly. He knew his mother and father were
discussing the case for his benefit.
His father filled in the facts.
“Nolan and Davenport had met,” Chief Brown said, “while
both were in prison in South Carolina. They became friendly
because of shared interests.
Nolan was let out first.
He settled in Idaville
and started a small
palm-tree nursery. It
barely yielded him a
living.”
“Davenport came
to live with Nolan
a week before the
jewellery store
hold-up. During
the hold-up, one
hold-ups:
robberies
conducted with
the use of threat
or violence
nursery: a place
where young
plants and trees
are grown for
sale
gunman’s mask slipped. A clerk thought she recognised
Nolan. But she wasn’t absolutely sure.”
“I remember now,” Mrs. Brown said. “The clerk refused to
testify against him, and no trace of the stolen jewellery ever
turned up.”
“Davenport hasn’t been seen since the hold-up,” Chief Brown
said. “My hunch is that he and Nolan decided to hide the loot
until things cooled down.”
“Didn’t you search Nolan’s house, dear?”
“I got a court order this morning,” Chief Brown said. “Officers
Lewis and Maloney just about took Nolan’s house apart. They
didn’t find one piece of the stolen jewellery.”
“Is there some mystery about Nolan’s death yesterday?”
Mrs. Brown inquired.
“Yes and no,” Chief Brown answered. “Nolan suffered from
a bad heart for many years. Yesterday morning he had a
stroke. He must have realised he was dying. With his last
strength, he managed to put his will on the kitchen table.
It leaves everything he owns, including his palm-tree nursery
to Davenport.”
testify: make
a statement in
court to prove
that something
is true
hunch: a strong
feeling about
something
loot: stolen
goods
stroke: a
sudden serious
illness causing
inability to
move
The Magic Brush of Dreams
But on a stone there sits a man,
A brush is in his hand.
He looks around. He calls to Gopi.
“Come here!” he whispers. “Hush!
We mustn’t let the village know
About this magic brush.”
He slips the brush into her hand
And tells her to be sure,
“Paint not for the wealthy ones,
But only for the poor.”
“Go and gather wild beans, Gopi,
Go and fetch some rice.
Go and pluck the mangoes
And bring home something nice.”
Gopi sits beneath the banyan,
A twig is in her hand.
She sits there drawing pictures,
Pictures in the sand.
The winds blow by and sweeps away
The pictures in the sand.
“Did you gather wild beans, Gopi?
Did you fetch some rice?
Did you pluck the mangoes
And bring home something nice?”
“No beans, no rice, no mangoes!”
Gopi grins and runs inside.
She paints a bowl of khichdi
and waits,
Until the paint has dried.
“The bowl is full of khichdi, Gopi!”
Into the house the villagers streamed
The young and old all wish to see
The magic brush of dreams.
She paints a muffler for a farmer,
A plough for another man,
A shawl for a grandmother,
And for a girl, a fan.
And soon the news spreads far and wide,
Through forests, fields, and plains,
Until the Zamindar himself
Hears of these magic gains.
“I order you to paint for me,
A fortress tall and grand.
Paint treasures, jewels, and riches rare,
Enough to rule this land.”
Gopi bows and shakes her head.
“My lord, I can’t comply.
I swore to use this magic brush
To help the needy by.”
The Zamindar roars and stamps his foot.
He bellows to his men,
“Seize this brush and seize the girl.
Throw her in the pen!”
Now Gopi waits inside the cell,
Upon a cold mud floor.
Until the Zamindar returns
And shouts through the door.
He holds the brush. He thunders loud,
“Paint my fortress tall!
Paint gold and rubies, emeralds bright,
And you shall leave this hall!”
That night the Zamindar lies in bed,
Dreaming of his gold,
While Gopi paints a winding road,
A horse both strong and bold.
The road leads out of prison gates.
The horse, she swiftly urges
Gopi leaps on and gallops fast,
Through fields and many villages.
“It’s Gopi! It’s Gopi! She’s back again!”
Say the villagers, merry and kind.
But Gopi keeps on painting still,
With the Zamindar’s men following
behind.
She paints a mighty river wide,
Its currents fast and deep.
The Zamindar and all his men
Stop short and cannot leap.
“Now should I paint a beast
To leap and chase you through?
Stop this chase or it will feast
On you, and you and you!”
The Zamindar cries, “No, no, no more!
I’ll leave, I’ll go away!”
He turns and flees; his men behind
Dare not choose to stay.
Now Gopi paints for the village folk,
A feast of sweets and tea.
A courtyard bright, a band to play,
And songs of victory.
Adapted from a Folk Tale
Spectacular Wonders
India is home to some of the most mystifying natural
phenomena that surprise and spark our imagination.
1. The Valley of Flowers, Uttarakhand
The Valley of Flowers is an eye-
catching spectacle with around
600 species of exotic flowers,
including
orchids,
poppies,
primulas, marigold, daisies, and
anemones. It is a place where
nature blooms in its full glory
offering an attractive view.
The trek to the valley offers spectacular views of beautiful
waterfalls and wild streams. The valley is also home to rare
wildlife species like the grey langur, flying squirrel, red fox,
lime butterfly, and snow leopard, to name a few.
With a stunning backdrop of the mighty Himalayan ranges,
the Valley of Flowers National Park presents an unforgettable
experience for visitors. Spread over a huge area in the Chamoli
district, the Valley of Flowers National Park is a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. Between the months of May and October, this
area turns into a botanical wonderland!
2. The Living Root Bridges, Meghalaya
Imagine
building
a
bridge
without the use of cement,
stones, concrete, etc. Is it
possible?
The
living
root
bridges are incredible feats
of
engineering
built
by
the
indigenous
people
of
Meghalaya. The living root
bridges are one of Meghalaya’s most beautiful tangible
UNESCO world heritage sites.
Crossing the many waterways without bridges was difÏcult
for people in the past, during monsoons.
mystifying:
strange or
impossible to
explain
spectacle: an
unusual sight
that attracts
interest
exotic:
uncommon
botanical:
relating to
plants
feats: tasks
difÏcult to
achieve,
especially those
involving a lot
of skill
indigenous:
native
tangible:
noticeable
futile: useless
intertwined:
twisted together
persist:
continue to
exist
whopping:
huge
nestled:
situated in a
half-hidden
or sheltered
position
colossal:
extremely large
cradles: holds
rugged: rough
terrestrial: on
or related to
earth
allure:
attraction
Attempts to use bamboo or wooden bridges across these
waterways proved futile as these bridges could not last long
in the heavy rains and strong waters. Living root bridges
are an innovative and indigenous solution to solve this
age-old problem.
They are made of intertwined roots which are a sort of magic,
but they aren’t imaginary. These bridges have been built for
centuries by the indigenous people of the land. It is a naturally
built ecosystem of local flora. It also symbolises the relationship
and knowledge that the local people have over their region
and the cultural significance that it holds for them. Under
ideal conditions, a root bridge is thought to be able to persist
for hundreds of years. These bridges frequently rise 50 to 100
feet in the air. The state’s longest living root bridge is said to
be a whopping 175 feet in length. There are approximately
100 or so known living root bridges across different villages.
3. The Lonar Crater Lake, Maharashtra
The Lonar Crater Lake is a
geological wonder, nestled in
the town of Lonar in Buldhana
district,
Maharashtra.
It
is
believed to have been formed
thousands of years ago. This
ancient landform, consisting
of a giant hole, came into
existence when a colossal meteorite, blazing at an extremely
high speed, crashed into the Earth, leaving behind a stunning
mark. It is the only crater in India formed in basaltic rock by
a meteorite impact and ranks as the third largest in the world,
placing it among the top five largest craters globally.
The crater’s perfectly circular depression cradles a unique
saline lake at its core, creating a striking visual contrast
against the surrounding rugged terrain. This site is a rare and
extraordinary blend of celestial impact and terrestrial beauty.
The rim of the meteor crater offers a breath-taking spectacle
of nature’s power and the enduring allure of our planet’s
ancient past.
4. Magnetic Hills in Leh district, Ladakh
In
the
travels
around
Leh-Ladakh, is a fascinating
sight which arouses curiosity
to no end—the Magnetic Hill,
a place where gravity takes a
backseat!
Lying at a distance of around
30 km from Leh, the Magnetic
Hill is marked by a yellow signboard which reads ‘The
Phenomenon That Defies Gravity’. It also instructs visitors to
park vehicles in the box marked with a white point on the road,
which is known as the Magnetic Road. When the vehicles are
parked at the indicated spot, they begin moving forward at a
speed of almost 20km/h. This unusual place creates an optical
illusion where vehicles appear to roll uphill, a sight that has
left tourists in disbelief for years, caused by the peculiar
alignment of surrounding slopes and the horizon line.
5. Glowing Waters of Kerala
Situated 15 kms from Kerala’s
Kochi
town,
Kumbalangi
is a beautiful village with
vast
green
vegetation.
In the serene backwaters of
Kumbalangi village, one can
see magically glowing waters
in the night.
This phenomenon is called bioluminescence, and is caused
by a high concentration of micro-planktons in the sea, which
are small organisms found in marine and freshwater. This
beautiful sight has captured the attention of locals as well
as tourists, making Kumbalangi an eco-tourism village in
India. One can experience the village life in all its beauty and
simplicity, and acquaint oneself to their cuisine and culture.
optical
illusion:
something that
tricks your eyes
and makes you
see it differently
from how it
really is
serene: calm
backwaters: a
part of a river
where the water
does not flow
biolumine-
scence: light
produced inside
the body of a
living organism
by a chemical
reaction
eco-tourism:
tourism that
is responsible
towards
preserving the
environment
acquaint: to
become familiar
with something
6. The Sundarbans
Can a forest exist in a coastal
zone? Yes, they are called
mangrove
forests,
where
trees take root under water in
the low-oxygen soil. The roots
slow down the movement
of tidal waters, stabilising
the coastline and reducing
erosion. The Sundarbans is one such mangrove forest spread
over 1,400 kms in West Bengal, lying in the delta of rivers, such
as the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, and the Meghna. The name is
derived from sundari trees that are plentiful in the area.
The area is also populated by an extensive range of flora and
fauna, including many bird species, the majestic Bengal tiger,
and other threatened species, such as the estuarine crocodile
and the Indian python.
7. The Invisible Chandipur Beach, Odisha
Have
you
seen
things
disappearing
in
front
of
your eyes? Well, such things
happen at times, when we
keep things at some place,
and just forget where we
have kept them. But, what if
there’s a sea that disappears?
This happens in Odisha. It is a beach in the Balasore
district where one can witness the sea disappearing
mysteriously—the Chandipur Beach which is known for its
unique feature of playing hide-and-seek with its visitors.
The sea can actually be witnessed disappearing and
reappearing. This is because the sea water moves. It retreats
by 2–5 km during ebb tide, the duration between the high tide
and low tide, and comes back to the shore at the time of high
tide. This unusual natural phenomenon keeps on happening
estuarine:
living in an
estuary (an
area where
a freshwater
river meets the
ocean)
retreats: goes
backwards
ebb tide: period
of time when
water flows
away from the
shore
daily, where one can actually see the sea, and then watch it
disappear in front of their eyes!
These awe-inspiring natural wonders of India highlight the
mystique of the country’s landscapes, each phenomenon
telling its own story of nature’s artistic flair and enigmatic
charm. They challenge our understanding of the natural world
and captivate our senses. They serve as a reminder of the
extraordinary forces that shape our environment, blending
scientific intrigue with the magic of folklore.
mystique:
mystery
enigmatic:
puzzling
intrigue:
interest