As the bell rang, all the children ran towards the main gate with
their bags packed. Shruti was the last to leave her class of 2B. She looked at
the wall clock, it was still 10 minutes before the higher sections' classes got
over. So, she went out in the open area, and sat near the basket ball court as
her classmates were received by their parents and went for their homes.
She had almost
lost count of the time when the second bell rang. A few minutes later, she felt
a tap on her shoulders. She looked around. "Nitesh bhaiya! I was waiting
for you here. When did you arrive?"
"You were
busy in your thoughts. Let’s go home. Driver and dad's car would be
waiting.", Nitesh replied.
"Let’s have
ice-cream, please.", she insisted. He smiled, "Would have loved to,
but you know, right? Dad doesn’t give me any money as he doesn’t like me."
"Ohh! Dont
worry, I have 20 Rs which Dad gave me this morning."
"No,
seriously! I wouldn’t like to. You can take a bigger cone.",
Few minutes later,
as they stepped out of the school gates, she searched for the car and found it
a few meters away.
"Hello baby!
Where were you? Very late! I have to get your dad for lunch too."
"I was having
ice-cream", she replied innocently.
"Baby Shruti.
Your father would be waiting...", he started
"Bhaiya insisted!",
she cut him and sat on the back seat of the car which the driver had opened for
him.
"Hmm”, the
driver smiled moved to sit on the driving seat. As her brother sat on next to
her, she giggled at him as he smiled back.
"Bhaiya! What
are you doing?", she asked as the clock struck 10:00 PM
"Nothing!",
Nitesh hurriedly kept away the pen and diary as Shruti reached out to his side
of bed. "You done with your homework?"
"Please
bhaiya! I want to know!"
"You will
tell dad. And you know he is always angry with me. He doesn’t love me!"
"Why wont dad
love you?", she asked with innocent eyes.
"You are too
young to understand it", he assured her.
"No! I want
to know! I am 8 years old now, she got off the bed and showed off her full
height." And only 3 years younger to you."
"You know it
already, Shruti. He hates me because I am his step-son. Our mother
married him after my father left us for some unknown place."
"So, how does
it matter. I like you. Why would dad not like you?"
"I told you,
you won’t get these things. Leave it. He loves you coz you are his real
daughter. You were born two years before mother died. He doesn’t like me."
"I will talk
to him. He always listens to me.", she said authoritatively. "Please
tell me na! What were you doing?"
"Promise you won’t
tell dad! You tell everything to him"
"OK! I
promise!"
"See mother's
photo in the room?", he asked
"Yes, along
with dad."
"I met a
person this evening. And he told me if I write down a particular verse and my
name on a piece of paper, and sign it, mother will talk to me from photo."
"Is that
possible? We can talk to her?", she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Not we! I will
talk to her."
"Bhaiya!
Please Bhaiya. I also want to talk to mother.", she was almost on verge of
crying.
"No! Only if
I am able to talk to her, will then you get an opportunity to talk to her. That’s
a promise"
"OK But can I
listen to your talks? I will stay quiet! I promise", she pleaded
"Alright! But
it’s a long process. Let me finish the paper and then we will start the
process.
Half an hour
later, Shruti turned to Nitesh as they both sat facing the photo of their
mother.
"When will
she talk with you? I am feeling sleepy."
"That’s fine.
I told you it’s a long process. You can sleep now. If I am successful in
talking to mother, you can talk to her tomorrow."
"Alright
bhaiya. Good night", she kissed him on his right cheek and lay on her
back.
Her sleep broke
when she heard some faint sounds in her room. She tried to open her eyes and
saw her brother talking to the photo as the photo also seemed to reply back.
She tried to get up and listen clearly, but as she tried, a heavy wave of sleep
engulfed her once again.
"I saw! I
saw! Mom talked back from the photo!", she giggled, as she got ready for
school.
"Ohh! Did
you? I thought you were asleep."
"I got up
during the night but went to sleep again. Bhaiya please let me talk to her
once."
"Alright!
But, dont tell Dad, or else he will get angry. If you tell Dad, our deal is
over."
"Cross my
heart and hope to die!"
As they sat on the
breakfast table, Shruti sat in front of her Dad, as Nitesh sat next to her.
"Dad! Could
take a half day today, please?", she asked as she ate her bread.
"Why? Whats
the problem?", he asked, looking at her.
"I am not
feeling too well. Please write an absent note."
"But you will
be all alone in the house then! If you are not well, then..."
"That’s
fine!", she interrupted, "Nitesh bhaiya can take a half day as well.
", she said and looked at Nitesh and winked. Nitesh looked at him and kept
on silently eating his corn flakes.
The father looked
at her with slight expressions of anger.
"Please dad!
Bhaiya will take care of me. Please write two absent notes.", she pleaded.
The father nodded his head in frustration and took out two papers from his bag.
He wrote two absent notes.
"Thank you
dad! I love you!", she kissed him on his cheek and then turned to Nitesh.
"I am so
excited. Will talk to mother today!"
"Mother! What
are you talking about? Who will talk to mother? What mother?", the father
snapped at her.
"Ohh! It’s
nothing! I was joking", she said, frightened.
"Shruti, you
better tell me the truth...", the bell rang before he could complete. He
went ahead to open the door.
"Are you
mad?", Nitesh whispered. "Dad would get so mad at me. You know he doesn’t
like me and talk to me"
"Sorry! I
will take care. Please dont get angry. I want to talk to mother!"
"Who is
talking to mother, beta?", she turned to the voice, as his father's
friend, Mr Narayan entered the room.
"Ohh! It’s
nothing. Me and Nitesh bhaiya are getting late for the school, uncle. Bye!"
"Ok Bye both
of you!", he waved and laughed a bit. He turned to the father who was
looking a bit frustrated.
"What
happened? Not in the right mood?"
Half an hour
later, Mr Narayan spoke, "Ravi, you should be very careful. As you know I
have Vastu knowledge and have read a lot of Tantric books. When you shifted
here, I told you the Vastu of the house is not proper. I also told you this
place was built over a lost town. Lately, I have heard a lot of stories where
some unknown and unidentified people are convincing children of small age and
making them perform tantrik tasks. The children go missing soon after. People
have to talk and play along with their children, no matter how much they dont
like it or hate it. You have got to set things right."
The father
nodded,"You are right. Let me also take half a day and spend time at home.
Maybe it will help us."
"Why isn’t
mother talking", she was getting impatient.
"Shruti, I
told you it’s a long process. We talked yesterday, and I am sure, we will talk
again. "
"Bhaiya what
if I again get sleepy?"
"Whats more
important to you? Sleep or talking to mother?"
"Of course,
talking to mother!"
"And you
almost let out the secret today. I thought he would throw me out of the house
after that."
"Sorry, na!
When will the mother talk?", she asked.
"She
will...hey look, she is moving in the photograph", he pointed out as she
saw her mother's image move slightly in the photograph.
"Yes, she is
moving. Can I touch her? Can I talk to her? Mummy, I missed you!", she was
almost crying.
"No, dont go
near the photo. The person I met strictly warned me against it."
"Can she
listen me?", she stopped as she heard the photo make some strange faint
noises.
"What is she
saying? Why is it not clear to me?"
"I dont
know!", he himself looked confused. "I must have done something
incorrectly."
"So, you can
correct it, right", she asked him.
"No, the
material is all gone. I will get more material from the person tomorrow.
Evening."
"Can I come
with you?"
"No! Dad will
get furious if he gets to know we met him. I would rather go alone."
She got back
disappointed, looking at her mother's moving photo.
"OK! You can
come with me! But, remember, I will do all the talking."
"OK! Promise!
Please ask mother to go back or she will get tired. We will talk to her
tomorrow.", she said as he nodded and both of them went to sleep.
"Dad! Can I
take a leave today?", she requested
"What has
happened to you? Why do you not want to go to school?"
"Me and
Nitesh Bhaiya, both won’t go to school today as we have lots of homework and we
will complete it today."
The father started
to say something out of irritation but stopped. "But, Shruti! This way you
and Nitesh will lag behind the rest of the class. You both should concentrate
on your studies!"
"Dad! Just
one more time, please. I won’t ask for a leave again. Please Dad!"
"Alright, in
that case, I will stay at home as well."
"Bhaiya!",
she whispered to Nitesh sitting next to her, “How will we meet that person if
Dad stays at home?"
"Which
person", the father overheard her. "Whom are you two going to meet?
Whats going on?"
"It’s
nothing! We will just go out to play in the evening!"
"Shruti, tell
me the truth! Whats going on behind my back?"
"Nothing Dad!
I meant me and Nitesh bhaiya will meet our other friends.
"I will also
come with both of you, in that case."
"No, dad.
Then how will we talk to mother?"
"Talking to
mother? Again? Who is talking to mother?"
"Nitesh
bhaiya! And I will also talk to her today."
"Nitesh
bhaiya talked to mother? How did he? How will you talk to her?"
"Through the
photo of hers in our room. Dad, why not you join us as well. It will be fun. That’s
why I and Nitesh bhaiya are going to meet the person who told us how..."
"Alright
Shruti! Enough is enough! I cannot let this go on forever. I dont know what
pleasures you get out of it, but I dont want to hear about your imaginary
brother one more time, coz if you do it again..."
Inspired by "The Mobius Trips" by Mukul Sharma
