The Narayanan family had one special talent.
Turning small problems into full-length cinema.
It began with grandfather holding his stomach slightly after dinner.
“Hmmm,” he said softly.
That single “hmmm” created national emergency conditions inside the house.
“What happened?”
“Chest pain?”
“Gas trouble?”
“Heart attack?”
“Should we call ambulance?”
Within three minutes Ravi had already opened Google and diagnosed seventeen diseases.
Grandfather looked irritated.
“I only ate too many bajjis.”
But nobody listened.
Fifteen minutes later the entire family reached the hospital like a VIP convoy.
Meera carried water bottles.
Lakshmi carried snacks.
Anu carried Bruno’s leash because apparently even the dog came for emotional support.
At the reception desk Ravi spoke with unnecessary urgency.
“My father is serious.”
Grandfather stood behind him eating groundnuts peacefully.
The nurse looked confused.
“Sir… patient seems okay.”
“He is hiding pain,” Ravi whispered dramatically.
Inside the waiting hall, chaos slowly unfolded.
Karthik searched symptoms online and became pale.
“Stomach pain can mean many things.”
“What things?” asked Meera nervously.
“I don’t want to say.”
“Say.”
“One article mentioned alien parasites.”
Lakshmi slapped the back of his head immediately.
Nearby one old man watched their family silently for ten minutes and finally asked:
“Are you all actors?”
Meanwhile Bruno escaped again.
Hospitals apparently could not stop him either.
He entered the children’s ward and became instant celebrity.
Kids laughed.
Nurses smiled.
One tiny boy recovering from surgery hugged Bruno happily.
Even doctors paused to pet him.
Only Ravi still looked tense.
Then came the misunderstanding.
A nurse shouted:
“Family of Narayanan!”
The entire family jumped up together.
The nurse checked the file.
“Who is Narayanan?”
All six people pointed at grandfather.
The nurse blinked slowly.
“Only one attender allowed.”
Impossible rule.
The family entered together anyway like a political delegation.
Inside, the doctor examined grandfather calmly.
“What exactly did you eat?”
Grandfather started counting proudly.
“Four bajjis, one plate sundal, half mysore pak, little mixture—”
“Little?” interrupted Lakshmi.
“Okay medium mixture.”
The doctor removed glasses slowly.
“You have acidity.”
Silence.
That was it.
ACIDITY.
Ravi nearly collapsed from emotional exhaustion.
Meera closed her eyes.
Karthik deleted “alien parasite symptoms” from his phone.
But destiny still had comedy left.
As they prepared to leave, another nurse rushed toward Ravi.
“Sir! Your report!”
“What report?”
“Blood test.”
“I never gave blood.”
Everyone froze.
Turns out during confusion, Ravi’s blood sample had accidentally been taken instead of grandfather’s.
The doctor checked the report and frowned.
“Your cholesterol is high.”
Now grandfather laughed louder than everyone.
“See? I am healthy. Your father is the problem.”
Back home that night, Lakshmi served light dinner.
No oily food.
No sweets.
Grandfather looked betrayed.
“This house has become prison.”
Then secretly Anu handed him one hidden laddu under the table.
Grandfather smiled proudly.
“True family support.”