Attila is brought home to guard the house from thieves and burglars. He is named after the Scourge of Europe. He was supposed to be a fierce God that would keep thieves away from their house.
However, Attila turns out to be the softest dog with warm behaviour. Attila used to get attached to people very quickly and the family had no hope whatsoever that it would protect their house.
One day, Ranga, a thief barges into the family's house and steals away jewels. However, when Ranga begins to leave, Attila stops Ranga.
The thief expected Attila to bark but instead, it is affectionate to him. The dog always wanted to roam freely on the roads. It saw the opportunity as Ranga left. Attila left along with Ranga. It wouldn't leave him and this got on the nerves of Ranga.
On realising that Attila wasn't at home, the youngest member of the family, Attila's defender blamed the family. The mother was however happy that Attila was gone. According to her Attila has the food equal to two guards but never guarded the house properly.
From postman to salesman everyone walked right into the family's home despite Attila's presence. She said that the jewels were a reward to the thief for taking away Attila.
One day, the eldest son of the family spotted Attila on the road with Ranga. Ranga took the chance and started running and Attila ran even faster as it assumed that Ranga was leaving. Attila stopped right in front of Ranga which made him trip and fall. A jewel fell off from his clothes.
The eldest son caught hold of ranga and the jewels of his sister. The mother was also happy by the act of Attila.
Attila is a short and sweet story written by R.K. Narayan in Malgudi Days. The story explores the themes of family, loyalty, and love. The story is a mixture of both happy and sad moments.
Attila is innocent and melts the reader's heart. At the end of the story, Attila unknowingly helps the family and regains their trust. The family thinking that Attila will be similar to the Scourge of Europe is both interesting and fun.
The story is set in Malgudi and gives the reader a glimpse into another life in Malgudi. Attila has no idea about what it has done.
Everything happens in the exact opposite of its plan but it still lands up in a good place. It is up to the reader how they interpret this story.
Happy Reading!