Before You Read — My Brother’s Great Invention

1One day, a thundering shout from the front doorstep shattered the morning quiet. Father had stepped out of the house and something had drenched him completely. He stood at the door, soaking wet and furious, demanding to know who was responsible for that noisy contraption. Mother hurried in to calm things down and explained that it appeared to be a burglar alarm of some sort.

2The narrator introduces herself at this point — she is Anita^🔑, fourteen years old, and her younger brother Anand^🔑, who is thirteen, is the brilliant — and frequently disruptive — inventor behind all the chaos. Anand fancies himself a scientist and is always tinkering^🔑 with electrical gadgets, dynamos, wires, and wooden planks. His inventions rarely turn out as planned.

3There had recently been a wave of robberies in their neighbourhood, and Anand had convinced himself that what was needed was a homemade burglar alarm. The moment Father left for the office and Mother for the market, Anand got to work. He showed Anita his blueprint^🔑 — an elaborate drawing of doors, wires, and bells — and explained the mechanism: when the door was gently pushed open (as a thief would do), it would trigger a clanging^🔑 alarm and send a water bag crashing down on the intruder's head.

4Anita was sceptical^🔑 — she couldn't understand how the alarm would distinguish between a thief and their own father. But Anand assured her he had "taken care of that," though his explanation left her unconvinced. She warned him not to drag her into trouble if things went wrong and reminded him to clean up the mess before anyone came home.

5The alarm worked exactly as planned — except it was Father, who always opens the door softly, who got thoroughly soaked. He was furious, and Anand vanished until Father's anger cooled down after dinner. Irony

6A week after the burglar alarm fiasco, the family watched the film Back to the Future. That was the end of peace and quiet in the house. Hyperbole Anand announced he would build a time machine. Father locked his toolbox and hid the key; Mother kept a watchful eye on her oven and blender, because whenever Anand was on an "inventing binge," he dismantled every gadget in sight to salvage parts. The house filled with the sounds of hammering, sawing, and clattering. Imagery

7Anand's room transformed into a tangle of wires, springs, levers, and light bulbs, with a large panel that was meant to serve as the control switchboard. After a fortnight of frantic^🔑 activity, Anand declared the time machine finished. He looked like he hadn't combed his hair in days and wore the expression of a triumphant, if slightly wild, scientist.

8At lunchtime, Anand announced to the whole family that they could try out the time machine that evening. Father said a firm "No." Mother noticed Anand's crestfallen^🔑 look and suggested they at least take a look at it. Father agreed, adding with dry humour that if the house collapsed, it would be Mother's fault. Irony

9The following day, their parents left by train for a wedding in Kharagpur. Anand had promised — reluctantly — not to try out the time machine until they returned. Anita breathed a sigh of relief, settled down with her novel, and hoped for a quiet evening.

10Late that night, Anita heard a scratching and rattling at the front door. She shook Anand awake and whispered that someone was trying to get in. As they debated what to do, the door swung open and a rough-looking man with a green scarf around his neck stepped inside. They recognised him as Boppa — the man who swept the compounds in their row of houses, and who clearly knew exactly when families were away.

11Boppa^🔑 brandished^🔑 his cudgel^🔑 and demanded to know which room was their father's. Anita was about to point upstairs when Anand quickly said, "The one next to this one" — pointing to his own room. Anita was furious, but Anand explained it would buy them time while the man fumbled around looking for the light switch. They started shouting for help.

12Suddenly there came a crash from Anand's room, followed by a loud scream, muffled thumps, an eerie^🔑 whine, and a low humming sound. "My time machine — he's started it!" Anand gasped. They shouted louder than ever, and within minutes they heard the voices of Mrs. Sharma, her husband, and Dr. Mohan, their neighbours, at the door.

13Once the neighbours unlocked the door and searched the house, Boppa was nowhere to be found. His green scarf lay near the panel of switches. Anand was convinced — his eyes shining — that the time machine had worked and Boppa had been transported to the past. The neighbours smiled indulgently^🔑, thinking it was a child's imagination. Boppa was never seen again.

14The time machine was later dismantled^🔑 by Father, who considered it unsafe — though Anita hints that perhaps he too had a tiny suspicion it might have actually worked. As for Anand, he was already planning his next invention: a telephone to contact beings in outer space. Irony