The Hidden Message

In the middle of the abandon train station, there was a flickering lantern that was casting

shadows on the rail tracks that was really creeping me out. Then suddenly the fluttering sound of a torn notebook page broke the deafening silence, sending chills down my spine, till it finally landed near my feet. I was looking for my best friend who had gone missing a few years ago and the clues had led me here. After her 16th birthday, she just vanished into thin air; and a few days ago, I got a message from her number asking me to meet at this train station.

I entered a room that had a number plate on the top saying ROOM 202. There was a sudden chill in the room with some whispers in the dark as if a ghost just went past me. My eyes then caught the attention of some red markings on the wall, which read as: YOU ARE NEXT, RUN!.

I don’t think that was red paint because it smelled like blood and it looked like someone wrote this in a lot of hurry. Then there was a big thud as if someone had just pushed a big drum down the stairs. I looked towards that direction and  the rustling of the curtains made me sure that there was indeed someone here. My best friend had asked me to meet and stay in this room only but my gut told me otherwise, so I ran straight out the room. At at the end of the rail track, I could see a shadowy figure. I thought that was Miya but the shadow was too tall for her, so I ran in the opposite direction. I could hear a ticking watch from far; I followed the sound and it led me to a hidden passage.

On the wall of that passage, I noticed a message scribbled in a different handwriting: 'Go to the tunnel!' When I entered the tunnel, I found a room with a wall with a clue board, filled with pictures and names. On the top, there was my name and picture. Suddenly, my eyes fell on something familiar --------- the way a few letters are underlined, it all started to make absolute sense. I remembered Miya and I had invented a secret language, in which we used to underline letters and connect the letters, and that would make a sentence. The letters made out: 'Meet me on the bridge at dawn'.

I looked at the time; it was about to be dawn and my final chance to meet her. As I went to the bridge, there was a black locked box but no Miya. As I looked at the box, all my memories started fading in, I knelt down and started crying because she went missing because of me and then I heard the police sirens. I have split personality, and secretly resented Miya and trapped her.

Bring Back the Little Gremlin

  Life was all normal until last Friday. My son was at home while I was at work. I came home from work, humming the “Mission: Impossible” theme, only to find a weird note on the fridge. It said:“We have your son. Pay us 20 lakhs or you’ll never see him again.

-The Kidnappers (™)”

: They even trademarked it. Very professional!

At first, I panicked. My precious boy! My little, math-hating gremlin! But then I realized something important: I’m not just any dad. I once got kicked out of an escape room for escaping too fast. These guys didn’t know who they were messing with.

So I got to work. First, I tracked their IP address using the Wi-Fi on my smart fridge. (Thank you, FridgeNet1000). Then I hacked into their security cameras using my old iPod from Why do I still have it? BECAUSE I’M A GENIUS, THAT’S WHY! Turns out they were holed up in a sketchy warehouse full of beanbags, empty Dorito bags, and—wait for it—a whiteboard that said “Evil Plan, Step 3: Buy yacht.”

 

 : I hopped into my Toyota that sounds like a lawn mower in distress, and drove straight there. When I burst in through the back door, they all froze mid-snack. My son was sitting there eating cookies like he was on a school picnic!

“Dad!” he cheered, “You found me! Also, they gave me soda. Can we get kidnapped again next weekend?”

I ignored him and faced the kidnappers. “Here’s the deal,” I said, cracking my knuckles (which hurt, but I pretended it didn’t). “Either you pay me 1 lakh for wasting my evening, or I leak your evil plan to the internet and your moms.”

One of them fainted.

: The other tried to threaten me, but I’d already printed out photos of their leader, dressed as a stupid slick back boy from a costume party in 2016. I uploaded it to all their phones. Then I showed them the bill for my son’s orthodontist appointments and said, “You sure you want to keep him?”

They panicked. They paid me 24,705 INR, a bag of marshmallows, and a PlayStation 5.

We drove home with the windows down, my son still sipping soda and asking if I could “let him get kidnapped just once a month.” Never again! 

I kind of feel bad for the kidnappers: first of all, they messed with the wrong dad; and secondly, because they picked up the dumbest kid !!

Moral of the story? Don’t mess with a dad who owns a label maker, an old iPod, and absolutely no shame .Also, I still kept the marshmallows.

Informal Letter

 Q. Write an informal letter to your friend inviting him or her over to your house for the vacations coming up and telling him about Delhi being Ramya/Rama 

ABC Complex

Janakpuri

Sec-88

Delhi-202302

13 August 2024

Dear Avisha,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I am delighted to invite you to my house during the upcoming vacations.

I have many things planned for us. I have just learned to ride in the metro by myself, so I will take you to the landmarks of Delhi that I absolutely love. I know you enjoy shopping and eating, so I’ve picked out some special places like Hauz Khas and Chandni Chowk. They are known for their wide range of clothes and different types of street food.

There are many more tourist spots that I would love to show you, such as The Red Fort and Qutub Minar. I’ll save the rest of our plans for the time when we meet in person. It would mean the world to me if you could come. I'll be waiting to know what you decide.  

Yours truly,

Ramya 

My First Visit to the Old Age Home

Today was truly special. My class and I visited an old age home, and although I felt nervous at first, it turned out to be a wonderful experience. The home was peaceful, with a big garden and benches where some of the elderly were sitting. We were welcomed by Mrs. Anjali, a kind caretaker who told us about the place and its residents. I first met Mrs. Sharma, a 71-year-old former teacher. She shared stories about how schools used to be, back when there were no devices or TV except on weekends. Then, I met Mr. Rakesh, who loves knitting and showed me a beautiful blue and green scarf he’s working on. What surprised me most was how happy they were to have us there. We played games, sang songs, and even danced a little. I started off shy but ended up having so much fun. Leaving was bittersweet, but I promised myself I’d visit again. Today wasn’t just about making them happy—it made me happy too. I learned a lot, not just about the past, but about cherishing every moment in life. Goodnight, Diary. I'm off to bed. I will catch up with you tomorrow.

The Worst Week of my Life

 This is the eight-night Mandy has not got a wink of sleep. She has tried everything to calm herself down, but the fake police charge on her kept her awake. Things weren't like this a few days ago. There is an evil twin of Mandy; she is criminal and also has escaped the jail many times.Mandy didn't really know about it at first but when the police made a blunder by arresting Mandy instead of Becky, Becky was roaming freely while Mandy had to spent an entire night in jail. In the morning when I found out, I rushed to the officer to tell him what had actually happened and he surprisingly believed me and let Mandy out. Then the officer asked her to help them in catching Becky and she agreed. After that her life was completely upside down because as soon as Becky found that Mandy is now helping the police she started threatening her. The threats were starting to really scare her. She asked me to stay at her home for a few days. And I am really glad that she did because I know karate and Becky broke in last night and tried to attack her. But luckily, I was there and I knocked her out. It turns out Becky is also a really good fighter but no need to worry now; she is behind the bars and Mandy is finally safe.

A Narrow Escape , A Life changing experience

One day there was a massive earthquake in Noida. Our building had started to shake. At that moment, I panicked a lot and hid under a wooden table. But my mum came and said we had to go downstairs. So we locked the door, put a collar and leash on my dog and left. Since my dog was very heavy, it took us some time to reach the ground floor but when we my mom realized that we had left my cousin who was in the washroom locked in the house, my father rushed upstairs but since we lived on the 17th floor it took some time again. Just as my dad came out of the building with my cousin, the building collapsed. I was petrified but also relived that my family made it out safely. But my happiness did not last long since I looked around to find that not everyone in my building was able to come out on time.

[ a fictions account ]

The Story of the Pen Stand

  During the Covid lockdown, my study table had become my haven as I would spend almost my entire day there, either attending online classes, chatting with my friends or watch online series. My mother often used to scold me because my table was very messy; she used to say, "Why don’t you put ducks in a row?“ Then it hit me that I needed a pen stand. I got to work. First thing I needed was some cardboard, glue and stickers for decoration. I started doing my work as fast as a jaguar. I was very exuberant for the outcome. I started to decorate my pen stand with stickers and many new colors. I even wrote my name on it. I put so many markers in the pen stand. Also, I added a drawer to put my things. Finally, it looked like a million-dollars worth an item, totally handcrafted by me.