‘Where are we going this year?’ asked Lalmohan Babu, helping himself to a handful of savoury chana and washing it down with hot tea. ‘It’s now so infernally hot here in Calcutta that I think we’ve got to escape!’ ‘Where would you like to escape to?’ Feluda queried. ‘You’re the one who’s so interested in travelling. I could quite happily remain in Calcutta all year.’ ‘You’re not working on a case right now, are you?’ ‘No.’ ‘Well then, let’s get out of here.’ ‘Yes, but where to?’ ‘To the hills, naturally. I mean mountains . . . and that means the Himalayas. I don’t consider Vindhyachal or the Western Ghats as mountains. Where I want to go, Felu Babu, is where everyone wants to go. Some say your entire life is a waste of time if you haven’t seen this place.’ ‘Where is it?’ ‘Haven’t you guessed, even after so many hints?’ ‘Paradise on earth?’ ‘Exactly. Kashmir. Why don’t we go there, Felu Babu? We’ve both earned quite a lot of money, don’t you think? You haven’t got a family, nor have I. So why don’t we travel when we can, and enjoy ourselves? Do say yes. We could go from here to Delhi, then take a plane to Srinagar.’ ‘Srinagar isn’t the only place worth seeing. There’s Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Khilanmarg—’ ‘OK, OK, we’ll see everything worth seeing. Let’s spend a couple of weeks in Kashmir, shall we? I can’t think of a plot unless I travel. I have to write a new novel before Durga Puja, don’t forget.’ ‘That shouldn’t worry you. Do what everyone else is doing—pinch ideas and events from foreign thrillers.’ ‘Never. You would be the first one to make fun of me if I did. Don’t deny it, Felu Babu, you know you would. Your jibes are sharper than a knife.’ ‘Very well then, shall we stay in a houseboat?’ ‘In Srinagar?’ ‘You can’t stay in houseboats anywhere else. We could take one on Dal Lake. But it will be expensive, let me warn you.’ ‘Who cares? Let’s just have some fun.’ ‘All right, we’ll stay in a houseboat in Srinagar, a tent in Pahalgam and a log cabin in Gulmarg.’ ‘Splendid!’

The idea of going to Kashmir had clearly appealed to Feluda. He went to the tourist office after Lalmohan Babu left and brought back a number of leaflets. ‘Since we’ve made the decision to go there, let’s not waste any time,’ he said. ‘Today’s Monday, isn’t it? We could leave on Saturday.’ ‘It’ll be cold in Kashmir, won’t it?’ ‘Yes, so we must be adequately prepared for it. Lalmohan Babu ought to be warned—he’d feel the cold much more than either of us!’ Our warm clothes were duly fetched from the dry cleaners. We decided to spend the first week in Srinagar. The tourism department booked a houseboat for us. It was large enough for a whole family, so it would suit us perfectly. I tried to imagine what it might feel like