Off The Cuff: A wry look at life

Great expectations. A younger sibling looking up to an older one. Take a pair of brothers just a year and a half apart. What a difference a year makes, particularly among children. The 18 months somehow mysteriously lending the older child an air of authority. Only in the eyes of the younger one.

Of course, the same children who insist on the superiority of a six-month or year's difference will soon grow into adults who will insist that they are years younger than their actual age. That's irony for you.

To come back to the pair of brothers. One hot summer afternoon, they happen to be at their grandparents' place. An unexpected treat for these rambunctious boys who aren't brought here too often by parents anxious to avoid the deleterious effects of over-indulgent grandparents. So they make hay while the sun shines.

The fierce heat has driven the grandparents to their room for a nap. The two savour the heady sense of freedom. For a brief moment. Until they remember the bottom line. "No noise."

They sprawl in the living room, deciding what to do. Wonder at the strangeness of grown-ups who can think of nothing better to do than sleep. The option of watching television quickly discarded as they remember the noise factor.

All the games they can think of too boisterous for that quiet afternoon. They ponder over the impossibility of playing a noiseless game. The playground nearby also forbidden without adult supervision.

Soon boredom is released in shoves and pushes. Stifled laughter as they jostle for the same space on that huge sofa. As the playful jostling slowly turns into a full fledged fight, there's a sudden hush as a grandparent's loud snores cease. The even rhythm of their sleep in danger of being disrupted.

The two figures stiffen. Stop the shoving. Putting fingers to lips, they hush each other. Realise that this calls for a change of venue. Acting in unison, they tiptoe upstairs. Where they suddenly remember their Superman and Robin costumes. A cupboard is opened ever so carefully and the colourful costumes dug out.

They quickly don the costumes. And for a brief spell in time are transported into a make believe world. The two heroes suddenly feel stifled in the close confines of the musty room. They emerge into sunlight. An unexpected taste of freedom in the guise of an unlocked balcony door.

Out they creep and peer down into the depths of the lush greenery below. Suddenly Robin says, I bet Superman could fly down from here. Superman looks down. Back to Robin. If this isn't a dare, then what is. With a nod of his little head and with as much aplomb as he can muster, he dives down. Watched by an awe-struck Robin.

Somehow this Superman has the devil's luck. Lands without a scratch on grandma's prized flower bed. Wide-eyed, Robin watches the perfect landing. Coming out of his stupor, he runs down to the landing site. Superman has just got up looking slightly dazed but grinning from ear to ear. He can't stop smiling. At the hero worship on Robin's face.

But the experience has been so awe-inspiring that Robin cannot contain himself. This needs to be shared. He rushes to the grandparents and wakes them up. Seeing the look on his face, their irritation at being so rudely roused dies at once. Never have they seen such a look of wonder on their little boy's face.

Then he babbles: "Guess what Ryan did? He flew down just like Superman!" With these ominous words, he rushes out again. While his audience has a silent nervous breakdown. Needless to say, the costumes were given away the very next day. To children with less vivid imaginations.