Pranked by a guinea fowl

Toktokkie was one of my favourite adventures. Growing up before the invention of palisade fencing, motorised gates, electrified fences, armed security guards, garden beams… it was my thing.

For those of you who don’t know, toktokkie is a game where we would go up to someone’s front door, knock or ring the bell, and run away.

From a safe point, we could then watch the perplexed resident stumble out, half dazed, cursing us little buggers for waking them from their Sunday afternoon nap. It was ridiculously funny. Nowadays, it’s taboo – or so I thought.

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Sunday afternoon and I’m joining the wife for a nap. Tok-tok-tok… Was that a knock or am I dreaming? No, must be my imagination. I don’t just have all the above-mentioned security measures, but also my Charles. And he isn’t barking. The wife continues snoring. I doze off again.

Tok-tok-tok… Slightly more alert, I rub my eyes, groping for my glasses, when it’s there again. Tok-tok-tok… I’m up. Charles barely opens an eye as I stumble out the door. No one. Am I losing my mind? I slouch back to bed.

Halfway down the passage: Tok-tok-tok… Now I know I heard it. No more doubt. But it’s not at the front door. The knocking is somewhere else. I zip to the back door. Again, nobody. Charles and the wife are now snoring in stereo while I’m seriously questioning my sanity.

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A pattern is established. The knocking is in perfect sync with my walking up and down the passage and the snoring. Is it my conscience? Can’t be. One’s conscience doesn’t knock. It breaks down the door and occupies your mind and soul. Still, the knocking persists. But the source remains a mystery.

I go to the bathroom. Just as I’m getting comfortable, tok-tok-tok… Now I know I’ve got the bugger. I peak out the window, and catch the culprit in action.

Standing in front of the glass sliding door, is a majestic guinea fowl. Turns out, he sees his own reflection in the glass, mistakes it for an adversary and has a full go at it, pecking at the glass.

And whenever he sees me, he runs away, only to return for another round when I’m gone. Pranked by a guinea fowl. Karma?

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