Cricket diaries

Disclaimer: If you are a fan of the Cricket sport and have visited this post for satisfying sport buds, please don't proceed with these expectations.

About an year ago, we heard somewhat familiar sound in our house, but not so familiar that we could decipher exactly what sound it was and from where it was coming. What was more disturbing was that it wasn't once in a while noise, we could hear it on a daily basis that too at an almost particular time. 

To track its source, I would failingly go in the direction from where it came until one day night. I flung open the door of washroom and the buzzing sound went silent. After a few seconds, it started making noise again. I moved it again to see if made any impact. It went silent again. 

So, I closely inspected the door physically to see any presence of a bug. Nothing. I called my nephew to confirm if even he could hear the sound from same place or I was being mistaken. He affirmed the source. Now if it was something on the inner side of the door or the outer side, was still a mystery and it remained so I guess.

Then began the quest to find out the name of the creature. Because you can treat a disease, only if you diagnose it first. However, I couldn't just make its sound with my own vocal chords and ask google to find similar sounding voice. I had limited options as language was also a barrier.

We usually do not know the names of uncommon insects in English - The so-called mothertongue of Google (I know I made a controversial statement here, but let's admit English is the easiest way to find things on the web). I only had some names in my mind that too in my mothertongue. I tried spelling it out on the google as I remembered and of course nothing fruitful came out. 

Ultimately I searched the names of insects which make hard-to-ignore sound and heard each of them and zeroed down on 'Cricket'.

[When we told others that it is a Cricket,  my sibling and nephew said they had already seen a similar episode of 'Curious George' and knew its name. So for a visual treat you may refer to this episode.]

https://youtu.be/UH8NZDeiVEk?feature=shared

Now that test reports had confirmed the presence of specific disease, the war to expel it out of the system began. 

I sought methods to shoo Crickets away. Sugarcane juice, beer cans were the recommendations. Since it's a teetotallers house, sugarcane juice was brought in. Nothing happenned. Hit was sprayed in every corner and hole in the door. There was silence but only for a few moments as the Cricket just won't give up. Night after night became morning amidst the crickety lullabies.

Remedies weren't helping so this time I thought of recording its sound (memory sake), but unfortunately it wasn't there that day. Not that I was worried of its absence, but probable growth, I searched for its lifespan which was 3 to 4 months. If it stayed longer, it could have laid eggs also. Imagine endless beetling at night for all our lives. 

It was like that irritating infant who sleeps all day long, but wakes up at night only to disturb everyone trying to have some sleep. 

Another drawback of this night mania was that you could figure out if the measures taken during the day had any positive outcome only at night. 

Internet failing to solve the problem, Mom and Dad washed the whole door with detergent. So much that the door smelled exactly as detergent even after hours. Along with germs, I guess the Cricket also had to die an overdelayed death.

PS As I have seen in cartoons, when they wanted to show that it's a very hot day, they would use this sound similar to that of a Cricket. So, whenever I heard that sound outdoors in summers, I would believe it really is a hot day. Now I can easily acknowledge the presence of umpteen crickets on trees buzzing merrily.