We did not shift to any other house for at least the time my father was working there. I spoke my first words, first walked and all the first’s that I can remember, I did in that house. It had a veranda where once could wash clothes if one wishes to, park their two vehicle, a cycle and had an entrance gate. There was also a backyard strangely larger than the house itself. One could walk, play, do gardening and a perfect place to relax and rest in sunny afternoons in cold winters.
We had a mango tree in our backyard and for few years I was fondly in love with it as naturally a cave like space was formed between its branches and trunk where we friends used to sit and spend most of the afternoon time. There was this small orange tree which I remember was 5 feet tall when I was four years old and stood the same when I reached the same height. I used to water it regularly in hope that someday Ii will have fruits but I guess it stopped growing from the time, cement was on the backyard ground to make a passageway.
We lived near mountains with dense forest and occasional sighting of animals like deer, fox and many were common. However the strangest thing was there was a medium sized komodo dragon living in my backyard under a water drainage for rain water. It went just beneath the cement backyard floor where we used to play. The animal was shy and we never felt any fear of its presence. It used to come out when there was no one. During my last couple of years in that house, there was hardly any sighting, I wondered if it died the same way it lived.
I lived there for my first sixteen years and even after 10 years I am fond of that place and remembers it again and again.