Mijbil the Otter 


The story, Mijbil the Otter begins with the writer, Gavin Maxwell who was travelling to Basra with his friend to the Consulate-General to collect and answer their mail from Europe. During their journey, Maxwell expressed his desire to keep an otter as a pet instead of a dog as he felt very lonely after losing his pet dog earlier. His friend suggested he get an otter from the Tigris marshes in Iraq. When they reached the destination his friend received the mail immediately, while Maxwell had to wait for a few more days to receive his mail. Once he received the mail, he took the sack that was brought by two Arabs carrying a message from his friend and discovered an otter inside it. He christened the otter ‘Mijbil’ and would often refer to it as Mij.

It took a little while for the little creature to adapt to its surroundings. In due course, Maxwell observed that Mij enjoyed playing with water and how it learned to open the bathroom faucet on its own. The writer was thoroughly amazed with the games played by Mij with its own touch of creativity. Soon it was time for Maxwell to return to England with his pet otter. However, the British Airlines had a few restrictions that barred animals from travelling with human beings, so he booked another flight that allowed Mij to travel with him. The new airlines insisted that Mij should be packed in a box so that it didn’t disturb other co-passengers onboard. Henceforth, Maxwell arranged for a box one hour before the flight, put Mijbil inside and left to grab a quick meal.

When he returned, he found there were holes in the box and the edges were stained in blood. He understood that Mij must have injured himself inside the box. He cleaned the box properly and reached the airport a few minutes before the flight took off. When he boarded the flight, he explained the entire incident to an air hostess who advised him to keep his pet on his lap, rather than locking his pet inside the container. Maxwell was filled with gratitude for her kind words. But the moment he opened the box, Mij leapt out and vanished in thin air that caused a lot of chaos in the flight. Many co-passengers were astonished seeing the little creature moving around. But the kind-hearted air hostess took Mij and handed it to Maxwell in no time. Soon, they reached London and Maxwell thanked the crew for their support onboard.

In London, Mij got used to its surroundings gradually. It started playing with marbles and ping-pong balls. The writer was also amazed by the game that Mij had developed with his broken suitcase. Maxwell often took Mij for a walk and the people of London would make wild guesses about his pet. Some called Mij to be a baby seal, beaver, squirrel and there were still a few more who would refer to the otter as a hippo. The most shocking response that Maxwell received from a labourer who was digging a hole when he asked him, “Here, Mister — what is that supposed to be?”