The Pillais and the Maniams were neighbours..........They both loved Hanu and for the Pillais, the dog had become their hero!

The Pillais and the Maniams were neighbours. They were normally on good terms with each other but problems arose when the Maniams brought home a puppy. Somehow the puppy Hanu took a dislike to the gardener next door and would bark fiercely whenever it saw him. This irritated the Pillais no end and they began calling the puppy 'The Beast'. The Maniams loved their dog a lot and soon the relationship between the two families turned sour. They stopped speaking to each other completely and picked fights over the pettiest issues.

Each family tried to outdo the other. If Mr Maniam parked his car right in front of the Pillais house, blocking their entrance, then Mr Pillai would return the favour by parking his car in front of the Maniams house. Mrs Pillai and Mrs Maniam also vented their frustrations by hanging their laundry over each other's walls. Worse still, even the Pillai and Maniam children stopped playing with each other, affected by the feud between their parents.

One night, Mr Maniam was awakened by Hanu's barking. After five minutes of persistent noise, Mr Maniam went to the window to tell the puppy to be quiet. He received the shock of his life. He saw a red glow in the kitchen next door and thick smoke coming out of the air vents. The kitchen next door was on fire! Hanu would not stop barking. Another neighbour switched on his lights but still there was no sign of activity in the Pillai house. Automatically, Mr Maniam rushed to his phone to call his neighbour.

When Mr Pillai finally picked up the phone, Mr Maniam told him about the smoke and fire in the kitchen. At first, Mr Pillai did not believe him. But when he went downstairs and saw the extent of the damage, he called the local fire station, realizing there was no way he could douse the fire himself, even with his neighbour's help.

The fire was quickly put out but the kitchen was severely damaged. Luckily, nobody was hurt. The Pillais were most grateful to their neighbours and especially to Hanu, who had saved their lives with his non-stop barking. The two families began taking tentative steps towards mending their relationship. The Pillais started buying dog treats for Hanu and even offered to look after the animal when the Maniams went on holiday.

After that, the Pillais and the Maniams were the best of friends. They both loved Hanu and for the Pillais, the dog had become their hero!

Summary: The Pillais and the Maniams were neighbours. They used to get along very well with each other until the Maniams brought a puppy, Hanu. The puppy barked incessantly and irritated the Pillais. The neighbours' friendship turned sour and they stopped speaking completely. They became extremely petty, trying to outdo each other with their mean-spiritedness. One night, Mr Maniam was awoken by Hanu's barking. He got a shock when he saw the Pillais kitchen was on fire. He immediately telephoned his neighbour. Mr Pillai had to call the fire station. Firemen eventually doused the fire. The Pillais were very grateful to their neighbours and Hanu. Hanu became their hero.