Macbook by ritu

Winners for Classes 4,5 and 6

1. Me and Boiled Eggs Akshata Kapoor (11 yrs), The Cathedral and John Connon Middle School, Fort, Mumbai I woke up and stretched myself as the sun rose. I stood up groggily and stared at the mirror in front of my bed. I looked as I usually do, early in the morning: sleepy eyes, messy hair and a crumpled nightgown. As I was brushing my teeth, my mother called me, “Come down for breakfast, dear.” I shouted back, “What is there for breakfast?” Then came the most horrific answer imaginable, “Boiled Egg.” It couldn’t be! I won’t accept it! I hate boiled eggs. For all you know, they could be poisonous! They taste as disgusting as.... well, boiled eggs. With that thought in mind, I slowly walked down the stairs. I went down as slowly as I could, trying to delay breakfast. When I finally reached the dining table, I saw my mother staring at me crossly. “What took you so long? Anyways, hurry up and eat your boiled egg!”She said. I sat down and looked at my plate. Right in the middle was a plain disgusting egg. There was something wrong about the way it looked and smelled. I shut my eyes, cut a small piece out of it, popped it into my mouth and swallowed. Then came the most horrible sensation I have ever felt. It was like a hundred pins were pricking me at once. The colors of the rainbow swirled in front of my eyes. Then suddenly everything went black. When I came back to consciousness, I was in a meadow. Around me, were green trees and farm animals such as cows and hens. Hot sunbeams shone in my eye. The sky was blue as a precious sapphire stone. Shockingly, the floor was covered with extra-large eggs! I heard a mystic voice behind me whisper, “In order to get back home, you must crack all of these eggs. Every egg has a piece of paper in it. When you find a piece of paper which says, ‘I am not a bad egg’, you can go home.”

I turned around and saw that a hen my size was talking to me. I started to argue but the stern look in the hen’s eye, the look that a teacher gives to an impertinent child, told me that I better get to work. I started cracking the eggs from top to bottom. Many of the words on the slips of paper didn’t make sense. The first paper read, ‘Where’s your will to be weird?’ The second slip read, ‘Keep calm and carry on’. The tenth piece of paper had a poem, ‘You are as hard as a hard boiled egg, At least that is what Mrs. Hen said. We know you hate all of us boiled eggs, We just want to say that you have got wrong information in your head. We taste really delicious if If you just dip us in salt, And we taste amazing sandwiched between two breads. Just add some salt and we will have no fault, And you will love to eat us when you get up from bed!’ On and on I kept on cracking eggs and reading old poems and sayings. My hands and face became sweaty. The once beautiful sunrays began burning my skin. The animals surrounding me made strange noises as though they were trying to keep from laughing at me. The green grass pricked my knees as I knelt down. My hands and legs became dirty as I continued cracking eggs on the ground. When I reached halfway, I saw an egg, which looked swollen up. When I cracked it open, about a dozen boiled eggs and a slip of paper tumbled out. The piece of paper read,’ to continue cracking eggs you must eat these eggs’. I stared at the eggs with a bewildered look. How was I supposed to eat a dozen eggs when I couldn’t even eat a bite? Suddenly, a humungous olive-green crocodile walked towards me. It gave me a friendly smile and in one bite gobbled up all eggs but one. I presumed he expected me to eat it, and I quickly ate the egg. I continued cracking eggs.

Then tiny crystal clear drops started falling from the sky as some started welling up in my tired eyes. It slowly started pouring and all my clothes got soaked. The ground became muddy and so did my clothes. I was a mess. Finally, on egg number one thousand three hundred and seven (I was keeping track) I found the sentence that would set me free. As soon as I held up the piece of paper, all the eggs disappeared. In the blink of an eye, I was back sitting on the dining table. The boiled had vanished. I decided not to tell my mother about the incident as she did not seem to react to my disappearance and I was sure she wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe my story!

2. The crazy day Aman Shah (11 yrs), Campion School My eyes flutter open, it is a bright, cheerful morning on Fulham Road, in South-West London. The birds are producing a cacophony of sorts in their saccharin voices. The preparations are beginning for the big match in the Chelsea FC football stadium right across the street. I yawn and clamber out of bed and jump straight into the shower. I come out, feeling refreshed and sit down to have my usual breakfast of a bowl of low fat milk, frosted cornflakes and a whole wheat toast. Since it is a Sunday, I don’t have any official plan for the day except the big game in the evening, so I decide to head to my buddy’s place a couple of streets over. I reach his quaint, old-fashioned house and ring the doorbell. The door is answered by his cook and I find my friend, Jack, sitting in his gigantic backyard, eating a breakfast of beans and toast at the picnic table. Suddenly, he notices a blue colored bean and exclaims loudly, “Hey Aman, check out this bean, it’s blue in color!” He sits there contemplating whether or not to eat it. I tell him that he better not eat that strange bean as it might be rotten, but he doesn’t listen to me and pops it right into his mouth. Five seconds later there is a blinding flash of light and perched there on the table in place of my friend is a tiny, little sparrow. I hear a door slam indicating that the cook has left the house. For a few seconds, my mind is numb and I am not sure what to do. My first instinct is to call the local police station. I dart into the house and I stretch my hand out to grab the telephone. Quite out of the blue, a swirling movement of sand stops me and engulfs the whole house. I feel my feet being lifted off the ground and after that there is silence, complete silence.

I open my eyes and myself face to face with a tall man in the traditional Arabic costume. My mind is dazed and I ask him, “Where am I?” He calmly replies, “You are in Memphis in Egypt in the year 2000 BCE. That bean your friend ate was cursed. The only way you can turn him back into a human and go back to your time and your house is to enter the Great Pyramid, break into King Khufu’s tomb, take the antidote from there and make your friend drink every last drop. Your friend will be able to communicate very little with you along the way.” He promptly completed his statement and left us in the middle of the Sahara. The Great Pyramid could be seen in the distance in the fading twilight. It took us two hours of trudging through sand to get to the pyramid. Well at least for me, Jack could just fly above me. By the time we reached the pyramid it was dark in the middle of the desert. It only took a couple of minutes to find an entrance. There was a narrow gap between two rows of bricks. Jack easily glided through the gap but I had some difficulty squeezing through. We found ourselves in a narrow passage. We tiptoed along it for a while until we got our first sign of the booby traps to come. I stepped on a tile and a mace flew out of from nowhere and skimmed off the top of my hair. We took a five minute break to pull ourselves together after that incident. Then, we had a lucky stroke as I discovered a map of the pyramid in a crevasse in the wall. Then we came to a crossroads, the map said to go left, but the tunnel on the right seemed more promising, so we turned right and came to a dead end after about 10 metres. We went back to the crossroads and took the left pathway. After walking about 20 metres we came to a terrifying trap. In front of us ten huge axes were swinging from wall to wall. We had no choice but to run and hope for the best. I went first and made it through without a scratch. Jack came next and flew extremely low to dodge the dangerous axes. The map indicated that we were close to Khufu’s tomb, there was only one challenge left, that was a maze where one wrong step could cost you your life. We entered the maze and found it easy at the beginning. There was only one problem, the map did not show the full maze, but only a part of it. So after a few crossroads, we had to rely on our instincts. We wandered around until suddenly a net flew on me and I was trapped. Jack had to chew is way through the ropes to

free me. We walked a few steps and found ourselves facing a small hole, it was the entrance to Khufuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tomb but there was no way I could fit through it. Jack was going to have to fly through the hole and search for the antidote and retrieve it. He found the antidote and pulled it off the shelf with his claws and out from behind it flew a hundred bats, they started swarming into the room and Jack somehow got out of that mess and flew back. There was a swirling movement of stand and then everything was still, completely still. I found myself back in Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s backyard and find out that Jack is human once again. We find out that even though we almost spent a day in ancient Egypt, barely five minutes have passed in London. We both happily celebrate our safe return and make promises not to tell anyone what had happened. It is now time to go enjoy the football match.

3. The Day my Best Friend Turned into a Bird Anshay Saboo (11 yrs), The Shishukunj International School It was a fine day in Irvine, California. The summer sun shone down and a crisp breeze was blowing down Coriander Street. Summer vacation was going on, and I had plans for a totally freaking awesome summer! Today I was going to the new arcade in downtown with my best buddy, Anish Joshi. Holy cow, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Alex Friend. I study in the 6th grade at Alderwood Basics Plus School. I don’t have time for more info, because Anish is at the door! “Sup’ ‘Lex? You ready for the King of Game Arcade?” he asked. “Heck yeah!” we slapped five and started toward downtown. Once there, we bought tickets and two platinum gamer cards with 1000 points on each one. After that, we stepped into the world of neon lights, pizza and Pepsi, and lots of fun. “Let’s play ‘Time Crisis 5!” said Anish. “No way, man!’ Paranormal Activity 3’! That’s my style!” “What about the Claw?” That, we agreed on. I’d had my eye on this cool model fighter plane set for ages. We walked over and checked the price. 25 credits a pop. No problemo. Anish slid his card and grabbed the controls. He maneuvered the claw directly above a cool Nintendo 3DS. “Holy cow, man! You’re going for the big one!” He carefully plucked the DS out of the pile of goodies and dropped it in the basket. We rushed over to the prizes slot and yanked out the prize. In the DS’s place was a totally weird pair of sunglasses! “What the...” I said. I could’ve sworn I saw the Nintendo fall through the slot.

“What a rip-off! I want my money back!” “Relax, man. Just try again.” I slid my card through the scanner but it rejected it. I tried again, but it refused to take the money. “Stupid game! Dumb arcade! I’m suing this place.” With that, we stormed out of the arcade. The sun was blazing outside. It was impossible to see after all that dark. “Well, those sunglasses came in handy!” With that, Anish popped on his sunglasses. He looked weird in them, and I couldn’t help but laugh. After I’d stopped, Anish had disappeared, and in his place was a little sparrow. “Dude! Where are you?” I asked. The bird chirped. “Hello?” I asked again. The bird chirped like crazy and flew around my head. “Hey! Get out of here!” The bird kept on pecking me. It finally flew away to an area where some people were throwing crumbs to birds. The sparrow collected a bunch and arranged so they spelled out “I am Anish. I nearly had a heart attack. “You! You turned into a bird?” I said. The bird nodded. Then I remembered. The sunglasses! After he put them on, he disappeared! I inspected the sparrow’s eyes. Sure enough, there was a little black line connecting its eyes. “Mom’s going to have a heart attack. WE need to change you back. Now! Wait! The sunglasses! Putting them on turned you into a bird, so taking them off will turn you back. Try to take them off.” I suggested. Anish flapped his wings over his face trying to take them off, but nothing worked. “Wait here. I’ll try the Claw game again.” So I went into the arcade and slid my card in. It accepted the credits and I maneuvered the claw above the 3DS (which was surprisingly still there) and put it in the slot. This time, out came a pair of nerdy looking glasses. I rushed outside and gave them to Anish. “Try to put these on!” I said, giving Anish the glasses. After fumbling with them a while, he finally managed to put them on. Just like that, he turned back human. He was wearing the nerdy glasses. “Hooray! Yippee! Huzzah! I’m back! Now I can take these things off. “With that, he took the nerd glasses off, and he turned back into a bird. He chirped like crazy. I think he said some pretty bad

words in there, so I’m not going into details. “Wait! Put the glasses on again!” He did as I said, and he was a human again. “I get it! The glasses turn me into a bird and back human! Now I’m stuck looking like a nerd day and night.” “Forget it. C’mon, let’s get home.” At home, my mom had made dinner for the two of us. Sesame Seed buns and Birds Nest cake for dessert (thick pudding with coconut shavings and cinnamon sticks on top.) “So, how was your day?” My mom asked. “Let’s just say you have a day like this as scarce as sparrow’s teeth.” Anish and I had a good laugh after that one.

4. Oh ! Boiled eggs for Breakfast ! Arjandev Singh (9 yrs), Campio Guess what, I am nine and can you imagine none of my milk teeth have ever fallen out. So no tooth fairy has ever visited my home. Everyday my Mom and Dad try to shake my milk teeth but all they are doing is shaking my head. I have had many visits to the dentist but never one so exciting as the one last month. Four of my bottom teeth were to be extracted by the dentist. Though I knew that would be very painful I agreed as I knew that this will hasten the visit of the tooth fairy to my home. Finally she may pay me a visit I thought, and this is what made me happy. After my extractions I hurried home and prepared for her visit. I waited for night as tooth fairies always visit us children at night. But guess what, even after many many nights no tooth fairy appeared. Every morning I checked but I was shocked to find out my teeth were safely under my pillow. I was very disappointed. After so much of pain that I went through, why did I agree to the extractions after all ? I couldn’t believe my bad luck ! I had been making urgent phone calls to all my friends to find out how it happens. I gave up as they could not explain this to me convincingly. Disappointed, I shared my problem with my parents over breakfast last weekend. They suggested I eat boiled eggs ! What a strange sort of solution, something only parents could come up with. You know I read somewhere that’s easy for parents to have children but difficult for children to have parents, or something. Anyway, so I joined my parents at the breakfast table last weekend and ordered “boiled eggs” for breakfast. I really hate boiled eggs, but sometimes I try to amuse myself by easily agreeing to what they say, and then watch them get confused at my behavior. But this time it was my turn to be surprised at what I found in the horrible bland boiled egg. The tooth fairy emerged out of my egg and this made me very happy. She asked me my name and age. We talked a lot and she

told me that her name was Jane Whyte. Jane was dressed in a long white gown with real flowers stuck all over. She spoke to me softly and asked about all my friends and what I do in school. Jane Whyte then told me all about Fairyland. There were no more brave knights in Fairyland to save them from the evil Goblins that had invaded their homes. The Goblins lived underground were green and smelly and made a mess of Fairyland. Jane asked me if I would like to join their battle against the Goblins. I readily agreed and was made one of their Major Generals in this mission. I was very excited as this was an easy job for me. She took me to her city, which was a paradise. It had fountains with clear fish ponds and magical steams all over. The place had a variety of colourful flowers and many chirping birds, their chocolate factories and cake shops had tasty sweets which were all for free. Every night of ours is daytime in Fairyland. So every Indian night I would go to this land to fulfill my promise to the fight against the Goblins. Often I beat fairy world’s records, I was a very famous Major General there. I held the record for the most destroyed Goblins - 50 Goblins in one night alone, and oh ! I almost forgot to tell you about my dragon “Fang” who used to take me to Fairyland. Dragon Fang was red in colour and as long as two cars. He would wait by my window every night. His eyes were like Diwali lights and switched on and off depending on his mood. I would never understand what he said as he always spoke to me in Chinese. The second record I held was to defend the city from Goblins all by my self despite being injured in war. I was able to hide this from the real world only because Fairyland had a ‘heal portion’ that would heal my injuries. Now Fairyland is free from the Goblins. I still visit the angles every fortnight and they really love me. Of course my parents are really puzzled when I speak to my boiled egg and very curious as I have never talked of missing tooth fairies since that time.

5. The Magic Of Crazy Birds! Dhritvan Alva (10 yrs), Witty International School “Tring- Tring, Tring- Tring!” My intercom is ringing. “Come home quickly, I want to show you something!” said my friend Vishal. He was sounding so excited that I wanted to teleport myself there immediately. It was the 3rd day of our summer vacation. I was cleaning my cupboard with the help of my mom. I was trying to be helpful, so that mom does not ask me to study and give me some other boring stuff to do. Now I was wondering how to take permission to go to Vishal’s house. The intercom rang again and I acted busy, so that, mom picks the phone herself. I knew if Vishal spoke to her, she will not refuse, and that’s exactly what happened. I rushed towards his house and asked him what he wanted to show. He dragged me towards his computer (as if I did not know how to walk- but he was too excited to allow me to walk at my pace). We met his mom on the way to the bedroom. I greeted her and she said “Hello Dhritvan. So now Vishal has called you to see his game? He has been playing this game for last 2 days – does not even remember to take bath or have food. I do not know what’s happening with the kids of today. They do not want to get away from the computer screen. So what have you been doing?” I told her how I was helping mom with the cleaning. She now started telling Vishal how he should take lessons from me. I was feeling blessed that I was being praised, but did not want Vishal to get angry with me else he would not show me his new computer game. So I interrupted and told aunty that we will stop playing soon. As soon as we sat in front of the computer, he showed me his new game CD “Crazy Birds!!!” This was the best game of the century. I have been asking my dad for this and he has promised me that if my results were good he would get this for me. Lucky Vishal! We immediately started playing the game. The game was challenging

and also funny. We took turns to play and were competing against each other, but both were stuck at level 4. We were not able to fight this level. The birds here were very dangerous and full of magic. It was so interesting that we forgot our lunch and it was close to snack time. Vishal’s mom came to the room and was really angry with us. She had just finished her afternoon nap and was not fresh yet. One look at her face and we knew that we would soon get to hear the non-stop marathon about ‘Right and Wrong’. The same moment we just beat the Craziest King Bird called ‘Ra.1’ of level 4. Vishal in his excitement hi-fived me, and the computer screen. The King Bird ‘Ra.1’ - was frowning on the screen and while dying said some magical spell. I saw Vishal shiver for a moment. Vishal had felt a shock run through his body. He stopped playing, jumped from his seat and told his mom he was very hungry and wanted to eat something. Aunty brought some tasty cheese balls and banana chips. Now something funny was happening, Vishal could not hold his plate. He just could not grip the plate! Aunty started yelling again at him saying that his fingers had gone weak because of playing continuously. Vishal kept weirdly staring at her and me, moving his head from left to right very quickly. His eyes were also opening wider and color was turning yellow. Aunty kept the plate of snacks down and left the room. What I now saw really scared me. Vishal was eating directly from the plate. Actually he was not even eating but pecking the food. He was eating exactly like the crow that comes to our balcony to eat leftovers. I finished my plate and asked him to join me play. He made some weird sounds and did not look interested. Aunty came and asked us to go and play in the garden. Vishal jumped and spread his hands like the wings of airplane and zoomed out. We went to the slides and he was not climbing the stairs but he was ‘Flying’! He flew to the top of the slide and then flew down. He continued doing this and I was shocked to see this. Then he went ‘Flying’ towards the swing and ‘Squat’ on it. He did not sit- he squat. All the while he kept moving his head from left to right very quickly. I told him to behave properly and he got angry with me and pecked me! I also noticed that his face was getting thinner and his lips were looking like a newly formed small beak. I could not take this anymore and I went home to sleep.

Next day the intercom rang again. This time it was Vishal’s mom. She sounded scared and told me that Vishal was not at home. I ran to his place and saw that he was not on his bed. A book fell from the top of his cupboard; I looked in that direction and saw that there was a tiny bird flapping its wings. No, actually it was Vishal-HE HAD CHANGED INTO A BIRD!!! Both me and Aunty screamed looking at him. Aunty stared shaking me, asking “Dhritvan, what happened yesterday?” repeatedly. But why was she sounding like my mom? I turned and saw my mom not aunty in front of me. Oh! Thank God! It was actually my mom waking me up. It was all a dream. Now whenever I see Vishal I feel like laughing and he does not know why? Friends, I have trusted you, so please do not tell this to Vishal!

6. My friend turned into a bird!!! Dhrutvan Joshi (11 yrs), Bombay Scottish School My friend turned into a bird!!! Dhrutvan Joshi 6-E Yaay!!! My parents had finally managed to get tickets for my friend Vyomesh and me to the Wonka`s chocolate factory which had recently opened in Mumbai. This ticket allowed us to stay in his factory for a whole day. A guide would take us around the factory. Vyomesh and I reached punctually at the factory gates and were welcomed by Mr Wonka himself who was to be our guide for the day. Mr Wonka was a tall thin intelligent looking man. We entered a glass lift that took us lower and lower miles under Mumbai into the wonderful Wonka world. The factory was simply a land of surprises and magical experiences. We stopped at a golden door and Mr Wonka led us into a massive room. It was a blue colored room with a huge chocolate fountain in its center. Molten chocolate was flowing out of the fountain. There were freshly made candies, lollies and crispy wafer coated chocolates hanging on bushes around the fountain. We were awestruck! We were allowed to taste what we liked as much as we desired. The chocolates were yummy. Mr Wonka described the process of making these delicious chocolates. We learnt new techniques, enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and moved on to the next room. The next room was much larger with pink and white walls looking like candy-floss. In the corner was a hexagonal pool filled with dark chocolate with a diving board made of wafer biscuit. Around the pool were many tall trees with barks made of hard candy and leaves made of minty marshmallows. O what a sight it was! Vyomesh and I were super excited. “I wish I could eat a handful of marshmallows,” I exclaimed. “I wish I could fly like a bird atop

that tree,” said Vyomesh at the same time! We were so excited. Mr Wonka replied, “Anything you wish will come true children, because this is the grand wishing room!” Bright colourful lights flashed and suddenly my hands were full of minty marshmallows! I was delighted and looked in glee at Vyomesh. But hey! Where was Vyomesh? There was neither Vyomesh nor Mr Wonka around! They both seemed to have vanished in thin air. I looked here and there, up and down for them and suddenly I heard a birdlike screech vy-yoo-mee. I spotted a green tailed macaw on the tree. What’s happening? I wondered. Like a bolt of lightning it dawned upon me then that Vyomesh had turned into a bird! Just as he had wished for in the wishing room. O dear! I realized the importance of words we speak unknowingly. I was frightened, what to do now? The macaw flew and landed on my shoulder. I was flustered. I knew it was Vyomesh but then it was a macaw now. Ouch! Its claws hurt and its screech was deafening. I thought I loved `Angry Birds` but this one was Ugghh! I began to feel lonely and worried. How do we get out? What about Vyomesh? Will he now always remain a bird? Suddenly Vyomesh flew and landed on my head. God! This was irritating! Why did Vyomesh have to wish for something so ridiculous? Not surprisingly enough all the chocolate and delicious candy around did not excite me anymore. All I wanted was to get out of here. I ducked and shook my head dislodging Vyomesh from my hair. It flew around a little and safely nestled back on my shoulder as if it belonged there. I was uncomfortable but had no choice. What if the bird had to attend nature’s call on my shoulder? Yuk I didn’t even want to think about it! I tried to find my way out. I went through two doors that led me through dimly lit passages into different rooms with loads of machinery. Groan! I was alone in the middle of nowhere; miles under the ground in a factory where getting lost was very easy with just a bird for company. I was getting scared and Vyomesh too was screeching away to glory. I found another door with an exit sign. Delighted, I ran through this into a huge room with a rocket like machine that was loudly spitting out colored gumballs. Piles of red, yellow and blue gumballs were everywhere. It was a lovely

sight. Near this I noticed a crane which was being run by a dwarf like man I was delighted to have found some adult who could help me and my bird friend. I waved to this man and cried, “Hello Sir, can you help us please?” He could not hear me because the noise of the machine was quite loud. I frantically waved out and jumped and shouted but no response. Then I thought, as Vyomesh was a bird, he could fly up and catch the man’s attention. So I tried to shoo Vyomesh from my shoulder trying to tell him to fly up. But teaching a bird something is not easy I realized. I squirmed and shooed and whooshed but Vyomesh didn’t budge from the nest of my hair. Pointing towards the crane, I shouted- “Go up there! Go go go!” Suddenly something was shaking! And I could hear the lovely voice of my mother – “Dhrutvan! Dhrutvan wake up! What happened? Are you ok?” I opened my eyes, looked around and smiled. I was in my blue nightdress safely tucked in my bed in my own room with my mom next to me. As I moved out of the bed, a book fell off my pillow –‘Charlie and the chocolate factory’. I had been reading it last night whilst I must have slept off. That’s where I got this weird dream from. I was still grinning and little Charlie on the book’s cover seemed to be winking at me!!

7. Feathers in a Ruffle Keya Bajaj (10 yrs), Bombay International School, Mumbai FEATHERS IN A RUFFLE “Mom! Mom! MOO-OOOM!” “Yes, darling?” “I’m leaving for school!” “Aren’t you taking the bus with Kimi, Mahi?” “Yes, she’s coming to the bus-stop!” “OK, then, have a great day! I love you!” “Bye, mom!” I left home with a smile on my face, not knowing that I’d be leaving that smile behind at school today. I waited for Kimi at the bus-stop. Five minutes. No sign of her. Ten minutes. No sign of her yet. I waited because Kimi has four other siblings and often gets delayed. Finally the bus arrived. Still, no Kimi. I got on the bus to see my ULTIMATE ENEMY sitting in the third row. No! Trupti! What was she doing on this bus? She normally rides on Bus No. 1. Trupti made faces at me throughout the ride to school. I missed Kimi even more. I didn’t see Kimi at school all day. I made a mental note to stop at Kimi’s on the way home. When I stopped by at Kimi’s. Saloni and Kanchan opened the door. “Hi, Saloni! Hi, Kanchan! Can I see Kimi? Why weren’t any of you in school today?” Saloni looked uncomfortable. “Kimi is ill.”

Kanchan pitched in. “She has birdiculitis.” What in God’s name is birdiculitis? Suddenly Mrs. Mehta appeared. “Oh, Mahi, it’s you!” she said, looking worried. “You may go in and see Kimi, as long as you promise not to tell anyone about her illness and as long as you’re sure you won’t be too frightened.” “Yes, auntie,” I said, already running all the way to Kimi’s room. The door was shut, but from inside, I could hear loud noises. Flapping noises. I opened the door. There was a large bird inside the room, white with green wings and an orange beak. No sign of Kimi, though. “Kimi!” I called out, checking the toilet to see if that’s where Kimi was. No sign of her. The bird flapped its green wings furiously. Kanchan and Saloni were standing at the door, watching my confusion. “Where’s Kimi?” I asked them. “Don’t you see?” they said together. “She’s turned into a bird!” A bird? Oh, no! It can’t be! I gasped in disbelief. “Kimi! Kimi! Can you hear me?” Kimi flapped her wings. She could hear me, but could she understand me? I walked back home, deep in thought. No wonder none of the Mehta girls went to school! I got on to my personalized laptop as soon as I get home. It was orange and said Mahi Kelkar, the star! I got on Safari – click, click, click. What is Birdiculitis and how do you treat it? I found something on Wikipedia. Birdiculitis is an infection that turns you into a bird. It is often caused by being worried and over-pressured. But there was nothing on how birdiculitis could be treated. I read every page on Wikipedia, top to bottom -- nothing. Just as I was

about to close the page and give up, I saw a tiny golden arrow in the bottom right-hand corner, so tiny that I might have almost imagined it. It was flashing, on, off, on, off and said: “This way, if you really need the answer ...” I did. I took a deep breath and clicked on the arrow. Welcome to know-it-all.com -- it said. Bingo!! I had arrived! Right place, right time! Birdiculitis can be treated with a paste made of: A drop of your BFF’s tears. Paper of your mom’s favourite colour Your favourite liquid-food (one drop only) A strand of your pet’s hair. Step One: Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix them well. Step Two: Apply the medicine three times a day for a month. There was a lot more rubbish on the Internet about birdiculitis, but I didn’t want to waste any more time. I pasted all the information I had on Microsoft Word and printed it. I rushed back to school and picked up the About Me magazine from the library, quickly turning to Kimi’s page. It said: Name: Kimaya Mehta Pet Name: Kimi My BFF: Mahi Kelkar, of course! Favourite colour: Orange Age: 10 years Best food: Pizza Pets: Lulu, my golden retriever Mom’s favourite colour: Pink Best drink: Hibiscus Iced-Tea I noted this all down and rushed back home. I cried thinking of poor Kimi, and I squeezed out one large teardrop. Then I grabbed a sheet of pink paper (pink is Mom’s favourite colour because everything she wears is pink!). I took a

drop of Hibiscus Iced-Tea, and then I remembered that at Kimi’s house, Lulu had jumped on me. I must have some of Lulu’s hair on my clothes. I was right! I mixed everything together. Then off I ran to Kimi’s house to give her mother the medicine. There was one last thing: Why was Kimi over-pressured? If I didn’t get to the bottom of it, she would get birdiculitis again. And then I hit upon it -- I was her best friend, so only I would know! “She hates the clarinet, Mrs. Mehta,” I told her mom. “When she plays it, she feels miserable!” “Why didn’t she tell me, silly girl!” said Mrs. Mehta. “She didn’t want to disappoint you, I guess,” I said. Mrs. Mehta was a very accomplished clarinet player herself. It all worked out in the end. The medicine worked wonders. One month of missing Kimi, and she was back at school, no bird, all girl. “No more clarinet!” she cried, giving me a tight hug. I tried to find know-it-all.com but it had mysteriously disappeared. In my prayers that night, I thanked that golden arrow -- I don’t know what I would have done if my BFF had remained a bird forever!

8. My “birdest” friend KHUSHI MIHIR VORA (10 yrs), BOMBAY SCOTTISH, MAHIM (MUMBAI) My best friend Harmony and I were in the middle of Central Park, New York. I was chatting with her when suddenly a kite swooped out of nowhere. It was a graceful bird gliding at a high speed with light grey feathers etched with black designs. Its sharp eyes seemed to notice everything, like Harmony stopping and gasping while I tugged her along. Harmony whispered, “I wish I were that bird”. Then, as if the kite heard her, it made an expression which clearly meant “You want it, you get it”. It cawed loudly as if it was laughing and took flight. I heard a yell and I turned around and made a sound like an engine was stuck in my throat. Harmony’s glossy black curls were straightening and growing longer. Her clothes were turning grey and melting into her body. Her nose was becoming harder, sharper and longer and her hands became wings and she was shrinking! At the end of this transformation, voila! - She became a kite! She started flapping her wings with dismay and making sounds like “Hee! haw! hee! hee!”. I tried to hide my shock and spoke to her in a soothing voice, “Look, just calm down, okay? We will find a way out.” “Hee!” “What?” “Haw!” “I can’t understand you.” Suddenly, out of nowhere, a high shrill voice spoke. “I am Serapia. Your friend has been turned into a kite for a sin committed in a life before this. Her name used to be Harmonica. If you want her to turn back to a human being, you must do so by sundown. I will

give you a hint. Go to the Empire State Building.” The shrill voice disappeared leaving me alone with a squawking, flapping bird. I picked up a T-shaped twig and motioned for Harmony to sit on it. I glanced at my watch and figured it was noon. Approximately seven hours to figure how to save my birdie friend. I sighed and said half-heartedly “Well, let’s go the Empire State Building.” I hailed a cab and got in with Harmony. “Where to, miss?” “Empire State Please.” “The bird coming?” “Yeah.” The cab coughed smoke and zoomed off. He broke five signals, crossed the speed limit and nearly killed a cat because of Harmony. She kept flapping her wings and squawking at the top of her voice. We reached the Empire State in ten minutes flat. “Thanks, here’s the ca...” I had no chance to complete the sentence. The cabbie zoomed off. I walked into the lobby. I got a couple of strange looks from a few people but everything was normal. Well, this was New York. I looked around hoping to see a silver light or a map. Sadly, nothing was there except a few businessmen and a lady mopping the lobby. I blinked. Was I seeing things or was the area of the lobby sparkling silver? I ran towards the cleaning lady. “Excuse me.” I asked timidly. “Yes?” She was wearing a uniform but I noticed her distinct silver hair band with silvery designs. Her nails were alternately painted black blue and silver. She had a black velvet pouch in her hand. She was wearing blue ballet shoes with satin bows on them. “What is in that pouch?” I asked carefully, trying to act casual. “Just some facial powder”, she replied. “Er...” I squinted to see the name on her nametag. “My name is Titania.” she said laughing at my difficulty in reading her name. “So Titania, can I borrow some of your facial powder?” I put emphasis on ‘facial powder.’ “Take it. I don’t need it.” I took the bag and saw that it was filled with glitter powder.

“Thanks, Titania.....” I looked up but Titania was gone. All that was left of her was her bucket and mop. “Hee! Hee! Haw!” Harmony cawed. An idea clicked in my brain. I dipped the mop into the water and swept the filthy area near the dustbin. In an instant, all the garbage disappeared. “It cleans anything,” I muttered. Then I had another great idea. I told Harmony to drink up the silvery water from the bucket. She shook her head in disgust. “If you don’t, then you will end up a cuckoo-head forever.” Finally, after fifteen minutes of pleading she consented. She flew down from her perch and drank the water. She glided back and said “Ew! that was gross!” I looked at her, and exclaimed, “You’re talking!” “Maybe that powder cleaned up my voice!” Then I had a third great idea. “Take a bath in the water,” I said. “Are you sure?” she asked uncertainly. “Yes!” She ducked into the water. At that moment a smoky, misty form of a woman appeared directly above the bucket. She was dressed in a white, misty and smoky gown. Her hair was snow white. She had a demented expression. Worst of all, she was pushing Harmony into the bucket. The businessmen froze, literally. “I am Serapia, enemy of Titania.” I gasped. “But you told me to come here!” “Stupid girl!” she hissed. “That was because Titania is the weakest here. I am the controller of chaos and she is of order. Harmonica was her lieutenant and I knew that Titania would come here to help her.” Suddenly, Titania appeared, shooting a blast of silverblue light at Serapia. She flailed around and burst into a cloud of poison-red smoke. “She will not be gone for long.” said Titania and turned towards me. “Serapia lured me here by whispering in my thoughts, making me worry about my favourite lieutenant. She told me Harmonica would be here in a different form.” With that, she disappeared with a burst of silver sparks.

In the meantime, the magic water had done its job. The squawking kite transformed back into my best friend Harmony. “I am so glad to see you!” I said. “Nothing compares to how glad I am to be a human being again!” said a relieved Harmony. One thing was for sure…we were never going back to Central Park ever again!

9. Oh! Boiled eggs for Breakfast! Krish Daswani (11 yrs), Campion School I know it’s going to be a bad day when it starts with eggs. Mummy plunked the egg in front of me on Thursday morning. I don’t like eggs. Particularly boiled eggs. They’re the yuckiest, ugliest most tasteless type of eggs that ever saw the inside of a kitchen. They’re insipid, and boring and horrible. They’re an eyesore and a tongue sore. They’re also Mummy’s favorite dish, which is why I had to eat them twice a week. This particular egg was even worse than the average hardboiled egg. It was bigger, it was harder, it was eggier. It sat in a blue cup with green spots that danced before my eyes. Steam gathered at its crown and spiraled upwards, like a sorcerer casting evil spells over the cornflakes. I didn’t like it, it made me queasy. Such a lot of bad taste in one tiny sphere. My stomach tied up in knots. Mummy told me to hurry up and eat it. I shook my head and declared that I would not. She declared that I would, if I wanted to watch cartoons that evening. So I armed myself with a spoon and turned to that evil egg. It was quite heinous, this egg. It had absolutely no features, just plain and white. But a dirty white, like paper that had been stepped on. I wondered how something with no eyes could look quite so angry. This egg looked like an angry pedestrian who had narrowly missed being splattered with mud by a passing taxi. I was slightly afraid of an egg that looked so grouchy. If it had a mouth, I’m sure it would be grumbling. My palms were sweaty, the spoon slipped a bit. I reached out for it gingerly, half expecting it to start complaining about the weather. But it did no such thing. It just stared at me quietly as I pulled it towards the edge of the table. Then I took a good long look at it. It was so secretive, not so much as a hint of what was under its shell. I looked for a good place to attack. The shell was absolutely perfect, no hint of a crack or any

sign of weakness. This is why I preferred omelets. Omelets didn’t have shells; they didn’t stop you from eating them. But right now I had this shell to tackle, so I steeled my nerves and raised my spoon. The egg sat unflinching, not the least bit scared. I wondered if this is how the Greeks felt when they arrived at the beaches of Troy. I swung my spoon in one swift blow and struck the shell. I felt the lightest whisper of a crunch. The shell split. A long, ragged crack blossomed across its wide belly. I struck it again. Little flakes of white shell chipped off and floated down onto the table like fallen ramparts. I scraped away any ravaged remains. Then I turned to the inside. The white of the egg was soft and easily gave way, filling my spoon and parting before it. Then the yellow. It sat defiantly against the white background, as though daring me to move it. Challenge accepted. I plunged my spoon through the tunnel it had left behind in the white, sending it deeper and deeper till it reached the core of the egg. The yolk was powdery and dry. But despite its bright color and bold shape, it gave way at the slightest prodding, meekly filling up my spoon. I smiled quietly and brought the yolk up. Then I shut my eyes tight. Before I could think too much and scare myself, I stuffed it in my mouth. The egg tasted like cardboard and glue. It filled my mouth but left not taste. I mashed it with my teeth till, reducing it to a tasteless mass and then forced it down my throat. It left a horrible feeling in my mouth and I stuck my tongue out to make it go away. I waited for it to subside, it wasn’t so bad, really. I’m sure this is what it feels like to win a war. Not exactly happy, but sort of proud. I looked at the conquered egg, half the conquered egg that was left behind. I had managed one bite, I was pretty sure I could do it again. Fueled by this newfound self confidence, I reached my spoon into the cup and mined out another heap of the egg and shoved it into my mouth. It didn’t taste any better, but I felt stronger. Because the egg had been vanquished. “Oh. Very good.” said Mummy approvingly as she passed by the table and saw the empty eggcup rolling slowly across the table. “Very good.” she repeated, “do you want some cornflakes now” I looked at the box of cornflakes, and considered it for a moment. “Can I have another boiled egg for breakfast?” I asked.

10. Adventure in the Jungle (Phantoms of Gir) Mihiran Chakraborty (9 yrs), Campion School, Cooperage Road, Mumbai Darkness... Absolute darkness. “Where am I? I could be anywhere.” I looked around and saw tall, straight figures all around me. Trees, they were trees!! I realised that I was lying on the jungle floor. Panic welled up inside me. “Where are my parents? Why am I alone?” It soon came to my mind that I must have fallen out of the jeep while my parents and I were on a safari in the Gir jungle. I must have bumped my head against a big rock. Now I was in a fix, where would I find food? What would I do for shelter? I would just have to wait till morning and flag down a tour jeep. But that would be too long. I would have to find a way out myself. I found some dead wood and made a wee fire. Soon my eyes started to get used to the darkness. I then heard some moaning in the distance. I snatched a lit piece of wood and tiptoed towards a big heap on the ground and found myself staring with awe at an injured male nilgai. I quickly and quietly grabbed some leaves from medicinal plants that I noticed close by. I crushed and pressed them against its cuts and stopped the bleeding. I watched it slowly get to its feet and follow me to the fire. So I fed it some lush green leaves. I kept wondering what my parents would be doing. I started to feel very hungry, so I took some vines and made a lasso. All of a sudden a wild boar came sprinting across the road. I threw the lasso onto one of its tusks and tied the vines to a huge boulder. I roasted the meat over the fire and consumed it. Then I thought, “Hmmmm, my parents are not here to boss me around. So, I can go on a private safari!” An idea came to me. I mounted the nilgai. It

set off at full speed into the mysterious jungle. I saw chital retiring for the night, nightjars taking to the moonlit sky. I heard mating calls, alarm calls and all sorts of animal sounds. All of a sudden, a red mist appeared, which startled my ride, making the nilgai throw me off. The mist became a red-eyed phantom. “Don’t enter this portion of the forest if you want to live,” it crackled. Then it disappeared without a trace. I quickly made some wooden spears just incase I was attacked. After an hour or so I started to feel extremely thirsty. So my nilgai and I went to the watering hole. I was fascinated by the menagerie of colourful little fishes glittering in the moonight. While we were drinking peacefully, a marsh crocodile leapt out of the water and attacked us. My nilgai started fighting the crocodile. I wanted to leave but how could I leave my companion behind? I speared the crocodile right through its tail, holding it in one place. We fled the spot. On the way back to my fire, I felt the hair on my neck standing up. We were being followed. Then I noticed a pair of golden eyes. I realised that it was a leopard. Then I remembered the phantom’s area and rode towards it. Once we reached the tree, which marked the boundary of that area, I took a steep turn and went the other way. But the leopard ran right past the tree and disappeared. I went back to the fire and made a tent out of leaves. In the middle of the night I was awakened by a loud roar. Grabbing my spears, I mounted my nilgai and set off. Now I felt like a real warrior. The sound led me to the phantom’s tree where I heard a voice say, “Friends, we are running short of food. Only the dead leopard remains.” Then a familiar voice crackled, “A little boy is alone near the lion’s hunting grounds. We could eat him.” As luck would have it, I stepped on a twig! The phantoms turned as one and leapt after me. I rode like lightening to the watering hole. I saw chausinghas running on the forest floor and lions in the distance. I kept on thinking about my parents and my home. Then I said to myself, “Come on Mihiran, you are the founder of a weapons club, surely you can fool a few phantoms.” So we quickly trekked up a hill and came to a clearing where I saw an injured owl, the size of me, lying on the ground. I had already

helped a nilgai, this would be easy. And I had time. I stopped the bleeding and also removed a bullet I found. Suddenly a man appeared. We jumped into a bush. “Hey, where is my kill?” he growled. I came into the scene like Tarzan swinging from a tree and said, “I believe that your kill is better off free.” I knocked that rotten poacher out, and got on with fleeing the phantoms who had caught up with me. And quite a merry chase it was. I feel my nilgai was magical, flying through the forest, in and out of the trees, making it impossible for us to be surrounded. After, what felt like hours, we spotted the exit gate and looked back to find the mist dissipating. The sun was just coming up. Maybe that was the reason. I saw my parents talking to the forest guard. I ran into their arms, and told them everything. I asked if I could keep my friends, the nilgai and the owl. Everyone said I could! We learnt that the jungle was haunted by the phantoms of dead tour guides and foresters. I was one of the lucky few that had escaped them. Imagine that. The forest guard took off his sun-glasses. He smiled at me. Through blood-red eyes.

11. An Egg-citing Morning (Phantoms of Gir) Oishee Banerjee (11 yrs), Smt. Ramdevi Sobhraj Bajaj Arya Vidya Mandir Juhu ‘I will never be able to see boiled eggs for breakfast again with the same eyes because of an extraordinary adventure… It was just another peaceful Saturday morning. I was sitting in my room with a cup of hot chocolate and reading one of my favorite books - the perfect way to spend a Saturday. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I was not expecting anybody to come home and my parents had also gone out. Just then, my younger sister knocked on my door and told me that someone very special had arrived to join us for breakfast! I was very curious to know who had come & stepped out into the living room. When I saw the person (or was it a thing!), my mouth fell open! I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself very hard. “Ouch, that hurt”, which meant that I wasn’t dreaming. It was HumptyDumpty… Yes, the very same from the rhyme. But what in the name of Harry Potter was he doing here? I looked at my sister… what? I’d never in my life seen her look like this; it was like she was in a trance, an enchantment of some kind… what was wrong with her? It was as though she was in another world, she looked really happy! Then I understood! She loves Humpty- Dumpty more than any other character. Since she was not moving, I decided to talk to him first. ‘Err… Humpty-Dumpty, you are the character from my sister’s nursery rhyme, aren’t you?’ I asked politely. Before answering, he made himself comfortable on the dining table and helped himself to sausages and baked beans. What

manners! Shocking! While Humpty-Dumpty was still eating I hissed to my sister ‘why has he come?’ ‘I wished for him to come’, she whispered in a singsong manner cheekily. As I sat down beside him, he answered, ‘Yes, I am, Hola, Amigos! And I have quite a taste for fame, don’t oui, and I have a huge problemo and you need to help me solve it’. Now, personally, I felt that Humpty-Dumpty was very boastful, silly and obnoxious, but what about his problem? Before I could say anything, my sister piped in awe, ‘Yes, you are my favorite and the best Humpty.‘ ‘Danke Sehali, I have come to see you, good friend,’ he said laughing. ‘Me, but why me, I am just one of your biggest fans.’ ‘Non, Amigo, you are as good as anybody else and you are the only person who likes me from your heart, others just pretend to like me (he dropped his head slightly), anyways, the real reason that I came here was because I wanted to tell you my whole history - who I am, where I came from, everything… because I feel that I can trust you, and remember, there’s also the problem,’ he said again, turning to me. What was going on? ‘Now, I am Sir Humpty-Dumpty, son of Sir Lumpy-Dumpty, who happens to be the king of Eggland.’ I was glad that my sister was, for once, listening to proper English, now that Humpty-Dumpty had stopped his mish-mash of languages. ‘I always wanted to follow my father’s footsteps and wanted to be king ever since I was 3 years old. Every egg in Eggland wanted me to get married, ascend the throne, yes sir, yes I wanted to help people and make sure every egg was safe and secure. But my nasty, evil mean younger brother ruined it all. He wanted the throne since he was born, but you know the rule - the elder egg inherits the throne. My brother tortured me, threatened me and chased me out of Eggland. He was a Rotten Egg who had lived in the stinky fridge too long. I loved my father (the king) a lot and the last ever sentence I heard from him was “never sit on a wall, my son… there have been too many fatal family incidents there…” So that’s my problem, you see, I live my life in mortal fear of walls. Help me!’ So, I thought and thought... and then, EUREKA! ‘HumptyDumpty’, I said, ‘the only egg that does not break very easily is a hard boiled egg… you must boil yourself!’ Though Humpty-

Dumpty was not too enthusiastic, he knew it was the only option. I put a huge saucepan on the stove and filled it with water. Then, I switched the gas on. Humpty-Dumpty went in. Ten minutes later, I switched off the gas and out came Humpty-Dumpty, all hard-boiled. His description of this experience ‘I felt all hot and gooey while I was getting boiled. I felt like I was going to burst and explode till there was nothing left of me. That water went inside me and made my body shake like never before, I hated that.’ Just in time too. I heard a loud trumpeting, loud clatter of hooves and a shout ‘there he is, get him!’ Humpty-Dumpty turned pale (though he was already white). ‘It’s my brother... it’s that Rotten Egg, I need to run!’ He ran around like a headless chicken. My sister too ran after him, and I had to chase after her. He ran to our backyard and… there it was - the wall separating my neighbor’s house from mine. Humpty-Dumpty jumped right on top, sat and… and… (Here’s the excitement) nothing happened! He just sat there. By then, the rotten brother caught up and we were doomed! Apparently, he too noticed that his brother was not falling. ‘I’ll jump and push him off, then he will fall,’ he thought with an evil grin. He leapt and tried to push Humpty-Dumpty, but Humpty Dumpty ducked and Rotten Egg fell and… like all eggs… cracked apart! Humpty then jumped (not fell) from the wall, singing: ‘Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall, And never again did he have a great fall!’

12. Oh Boiled Egg for Breakfast! (Phantoms of Gir) Risha Sharma (10 yrs), Bombay Scottish School, Mahim OH! BOILED EGGS FOR BREAKFAST! “Oh God” I told my mother staring anxiously at the oval, yellow and white kind of spongy mass kept on my breakfast plate. “What is this mom? I’m not eating this thing. Looks like a golf ball, golf balls are not edible mom”. Mom looked at me irritated, Varun, just eat it and it’s not a golf ball, its boiled egg!” I still was not convinced, “But mom, I’ve had egg curry, egg omelette, egg sandwich but I have never ever heard of a boiled egg!!” Mom now furious, asked me to eat the egg or go to school hungry. I knew it was risky but I decided to give it a try. I crossed my fingers, prayed to God and shoved the whole thing down my throat at once. Oh, what a horrible thing it was, and the taste just refused to leave my mouth. I gulped it down with water, hoping that would help, but all in vain. Anyways, I was late for school and so I tried hard to forget about boiled eggs and left. You won’t believe it, as soon as I got up from the dining table, I stepped on Bruno, my dog’s leg and his teeth gripped my leg. “Ouch!” I screamed. “Mom I told you” I said to mom, “See? It is all because of the egg!” Mom just shook her head with helplessness. I walked out of my house and saw the school bus leaving without me!. I ran and ran and ran! Alas, I had missed my bus and my mother had to leave all her work and drive me to school …. All through the ride she kept mumbling and scolding me … “All you do is waste your time, can’t you get ready on time? Now all my work is delayed” and all I was doing was cursing the boiled eggs

In school, when the teacher asked me for my homework, I discovered that I had left my book at home. I had to spend the entire English period outside the class. My best friend had a fight with me and on top of it, in the break, Amit ran into me and I dropped my food all on the floor. I had to stay hungry the entire day…. Remembering the boiled egg of course! In the Physical Training class, while doing stretching exercise, you won’t believe! … Everyone started laughing at me … I was so confused – till my teacher came up to me and told me that my pants were torn. Oh God! How embarrassed I was! My day was just getting worse and I knew, I jet knew, it was because of those unlucky, horrible tasting boiled eggs I had for breakfast. I just wished I had not eaten them. Once school was over, while going home, I stepped on dog poo. I sat there cleaning my shoes. You must be knowing why, because if I hadn’t, my mom would say “What is this foul smell, why are your shoes so dirty? You are grounded!!” I took a long time cleaning them and when I reached home, guess what my mom said “No TV till you finish your homework. I had left my homework book by the window and guess what; it had crow-poop on it. But it wasn’t my fault; it was all about the boiled eggs. Somehow I finished my homework and went down to see my favourite cartoon channel on TV when the door bell rang “Ding Dong” My dad entered the house and shouts “I got a complaint from your school today, what a naughty boy you are. You are grounded for a week”. And then for the next hour or so, I had to listen to Dad’s scolding, and when it was finally over, I said sort and left the room. I went up to my bed hoping that this was the end of the “curse of the boiled eggs” but they had some more in store for me. My room is on the first floor and as I reached almost at the top of the stairs … CRASH! Everything went blank. I had been careless and stepped on the toys left on the floor. I had to listen to one more lecture from dad about keeping things in their proper places. Finally I went to sleep…. Cursing that golf ball I had for breakfast for destroying my day and praying to god for a better day tomorrow.

The next morning, I got up fresh to a bright and sunny day. I got ready and walked down the steps as mom called out “Good Morning Varun, your breakfast is ready”. “Coming down Mom, Good Morning” I replied. As I walked closer to the table, my eyes widened, I almost fainted at what I saw, I screamed “Ahhhhh…..” OH! BOILED EGGS FOR BREAKFAST, AGAIN!!

13. A Fairyland Trip Rohan Ashish Potdar (11 yrs), Witty international School A FAIRYLAND TRIP!!! “Yawn!” was the first thing that escaped my mouth on Sunday morning. I slithered out of bed, tidied myself up, ate a hearty breakfast and remembered I had planned a trip with my friends to the adventure course named “Adrenaline Rush”, a jungle and mountain course nearby, known for its scenic beauty but also the dangerous terrain. I met my friends Rajiv, Suresh and Sid at the beginning of the trail. We crossed a few simple rope bridges that gave us some confidence. However, we soon reached the hardest part of the course - the rock-climbing cliffs. Soon we were tackling the steep cliffs. Rajiv and Suresh were experienced and reached the top quickly and started jeering at us. Sid, climbing in a hurry, went ahead of me. His foot slipped and dislodged a rock, which hit me in the face. “Ouch! Can’t you see...”My words drowned as I realized that there was no Sid ahead of me. Scrambling up quickly, I only saw a black, deep tunnel in the side of the mountain where Sid had last been. I shouted for him, but to no avail, and realized that no one could see us. I had to find him on my own! Finally, gathering all my courage, I put my foot into the dark, scary tunnel and slipped on the damp floor. I slid endlessly through a maze of tunnels and finally landed hard on my back, in a beautiful garden, miles below the surface. There were flowing streams and wonderful trees laden with golden fruits. The melodious chirping of birds was interrupted by a very harsh squawking from a crying parrot. Now, which parrot shakes its head, bangs it on a tree trunk and sheds tears?

When the parrot saw me, it started squawking with joy and flying in a haphazard manner, trying to hug me with its wings. I ignored the over-friendly parrot as I was very thirsty. I saw a beautiful fountain with crystal clear water, which was strangely mesmerizing. I was about to take a gulp, when the parrot made a huge noise, pecking me with its beak. “Ouch … Ouch… Bad Parrot! Let me drink the water.” “No, don’t drink it, that’s what I did”, said the parrot. Now I screamed shrilly, “Who are you? Or rather what are you?” “Come on, don’t you recognize me, I am your friend.” Me (trying to run away): “I have no talking parrots as friends.” The parrot said, “But it’s me, Sid. I drank from the cursed fountain and look what’s happened to me. Now what will I tell my mother? Will they let a bird attend school? What should I do now?” Shocked, I sat down to think. My best friend Sid had become a….. BIRD! He came and perched on my shoulder. I joked “Sid, you always wanted to be a pilot, but now you can fly without a plane”, but that upset him even more. As it became dark, we did not realize that small shapes were moving in the bushes. Suddenly, a magical spell trapped us in a shimmering net that lifted us in the air. We came to a palace where a fairy queen sat on a high throne, looking at us with interest. “So child, what brings you and your parrot to this kingdom?” Sid squawked in protest, but I answered, “Your highness, we are from the world above. And this is my friend Sid, who became a parrot by drinking from a magic fountain”. The queen exclaimed, “Oh no! If he has tasted from the Fountain of Doom, there is only one way that he can become human again.” Me and Sid jumped at this, “What way, your highness?” The queen replied, “The Nectar of Healing can turn your friend back into a human. But this should be done in the next 24 hours; else he will remain a bird forever”. Sid started crying while I asked the queen, “So where can I buy this Nectar of Healing thing. Do I need a prescription for it?” The queen and her courtiers could not stop laughing and said finally, “The Nectar of Healing is guarded by the Herb-Master and is rarely given to humans. You have to prove you are worthy of it by answering his Three Riddles. Rest today and tomorrow morning he will meet you.”

I spent a frightful night tossing and turning, while Sid squawked and fluttered about. The Herb-Master stayed in a small stone cottage covered with multi-colored herbs and plants, some of them moving around! The Herb-Master, an old man with a sly grin, asked, “So, if you seek the Nectar of Healing, are you willing to be tested?” Gulping down my fear, I said, “Yes sir.” The Herb-Master began, “Two twin brothers, do what the other does, but have never met?” I had heard this from my grandmother and answered, “Eyes – Next to each other but never meet” He made the next one more difficult, “As light as a feather, but even the world’s strongest man cannot hold it for more than a minute”. We were wondering, “Cannot hold for more than a minute… what can that be – Fire, Weights, Dumb-bells…..No...” And then I realized, “Breath. No one can hold their breath for more than a minute” The Last Riddle was, “In the day, flies around town. In the night, sleeps upside down”. Sid cracked it and started saying “Bat” but I shushed him saying this is not cricket. Then it hit me too, as we started dancing and chanting “Bats…. Bats….Bats” The Herb-Master, impressed with our answers, gave us a small bottle of the Nectar. While the Fairy Queen chanted, I poured few drops of the nectar down Sid’s beak. Soon, Sid transformed from a parrot, into the Sid I knew. The Fairy Queen opened a magic portal for us, through which we jumped and found ourselves on top of the cliff, behind Rajiv and Suresh. They were still jeering at us for being slow and not adventurous! We shocked them from behind and asked “What is all this shouting. Don’t you want to finish the trail?” After we reached home, I and Sid promised to keep this a secret. But even today, when Sid is really angry, his voice becomes a bit of a squawk and he waves around his hands like imaginary wings. Also, he has started liking guavas, which he tries to eat with his mouth, forgetting he no longer has a beak. And when he really irritates me, I tell him to stop being bird-brained!

14. Oh! Boiled Egg for breakfast Soumya Sandip Shetye (9 yrs), Sharada Mandir School, Miramar, Goa Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Went my alarm clock. I was fed up. I lazily lifted my hand and turned it off. Uh! Can’t a girl get some sleep? Suddenly my mom came into the room. “Get up!” she shouted. My only reply was a grunt. She shouted again. This time I had to get up. “Mom! You’re the only alarm I can’t turn off!” I muttered under my breath. Unfortunately she couldn’t hear it. “Go and get yourself some breakfast!” she continued. “Like a boiled egg. I don’t want you to eat any junk for breakfast. It’s the main meal of the day for your information” saying so she walked off. I slowly lifted my blanket and wore my bedroom slippers and walked off to the kitchen. I took a bowl, filled it with cold water, put an egg inside it and boiled it. I waited as patiently as I could. I soon lost my patience and removed the egg. Then I filled another bowl with cold water. I touched the water it was as cold as ice ! I quickly removed my fingers out of the bowl and dropped the egg into it .I glanced at the watch hoping that some imaginary force would pull the hands of the clock back! But unfortunately it wasn’t my lucky day! The hands of the clock were ticking very fast as if they had taken part in a 100 metre dash and were breaking some world record! I quickly fished the egg out and placed it on a plate. I looked at the egg suspiciously just like Sherlock Holmes would look at his suspects while solving a mystery. I wondered whether it would be a golden delight with a white halo that a master chef would be proud of or a sludgy mess, which would make even a dog puke! Well I couldn’t choose what to do, throw it out or continue? My glance fell on the watch. It was quarter past seven! “Got to hurry“ I said to myself. I broke the shell of the egg. The egg white seemed fine. What about the yolk? I picked up my knife and

slowly but carefully cut a slice. It was PERFECT !!! But it was just the egg white! I wondered how the yolk would turn out. I quickly and efficiently cut three more slices. To my delight perfectly well done egg yolk lay snuggled in its cradle of egg white. Now I had to think how to make my plate look like a piece of art that a masterchef would appreciate. I better garnish it, I thought. What would I need? Some coriander, little salt a pinch of spicy chilli and last but not the least the king of spices...the pepper. Three of the items on the list I could see on the shelf but where is the coriander? I checked the refrigerator, it wasn’t there, I checked my mother’s kitchen bag it wasn’t there either. Would there be some in the kitchen garden? I just love the kitchen garden. Ours has tomatoes, ladyfingers cucumber & coriander of course! Our kitchen garden I am proud to say is completely organic, not a single pesticide is sprayed on our plants. I plucked some coriander leaves and placed them in my basket and returned to the kitchen. Now I had all the ingredients to make my boiled egg look beautiful. I thoroughly washed my coriander and chopped it into fine pieces with the help of my shiny, sharp new knife. like a seasoned chef I sprinkled some pepper, little salt and a pinch of chilli powder on my boiled egg. My coriander looked like a dark green tutu around a beautiful ballerina. Finally I carried my plate to the dinning table .I placed a tablemat edged with lace on the table. I put my plate on the mat and placed a knife and fork on either side .my plate was ready to be viewed !! I was as happy as a lark! I clapped, I cheered, I hooted! It was enough to wake my Mother! “Aren’t you late for school?” she asked me. I was shocked! I had almost forgotten about school. I looked at the watch. It was half past seven! I hadn’t even started eating. “Oh no!” I exclaimed “I better hurry up before I miss the bus! Bye ,bye my boiled egg I’ll eat you later. I ‘m off to school.” “Nothing doing, Young Girl!” My mother said. Breakfast is the main meal of the day and you cannot afford to skip it, you must have breakfast like a king.” I was sure my mother was warming up to give me a lecture so I quickly gobbled up the egg and polished off my plate. “And you should chew your food” my mother continued. I quickly waved a goodbye to my mother and ran to catch my bus.

15. The Metamorphosis Sriman Goel (10 yrs), Bombay Scottish School, Mahim Ding – Dong! That must be my friend George. He was coming home for a sleepover tonight. Both my parents and his were out of town for a week. I rushed to open the door. There he was, beaming. He handed me a grey-brown egg. I asked him where he got it from. “I stole it from the oak tree outside Mrs. Lewis’ house,’’ he said. I gave it back to him. He dropped it. “Now see what you have done,” I said. “Created a mess in the garden. Never mind, now come inside.” We sat and talked for a while. As the sky darkened, we settled down to sleep. I woke up, in the early hours of the morning. I looked to where George was sleeping. I couldn’t believe my eyes! George was not in bed! Instead, a small lump of yellow was lying there! I shook the little lump. I discovered that it was a small, yellow canary! I didn’t have any idea how it came in. And where was George? Just then the bird stirred. It opened its eyes and looked at me in surprise. To my surprise and bewilderment, it spoke. “Where am I?” it asked me. “Is that you, John? Why are you looking so enormous?” It looked down and yelped. “How have I become so small? Help me John!” “You know me?” I asked. “Of course I know you,” it said. “I’m your friend, George! I fainted. I was woken up by the loud chirping and shouting of a bird – George. I had to do something about George. I thought about it. What could be the reason for this extraordinary metamorphosis? For what reason would somebody change George into a bird? Fun? Nobody would be that cruel. By accident? What strange accident could have caused that? Punishment? Maybe somebody was angry with George? Nah……..wait, maybe he broke something. But what had he broken in the few days? Nothing….but yes, he broke that

egg yesterday! I have to appease the mother of that poor broken egg, I thought. I calmed George down and we set off for Mrs Lewis’ house. When we reached the house I told George to fly up to the branch of the oak tree from where he had stolen the egg. He spiralled up onto the lowest branch. I climbed up and saw the nest hidden cleverly among the leaves. The nest was empty! I told George to communicate with the other birds living in the tree. He made a warbling sound in the throat. Another canary popped out of a hole and warbled back at him. He came and whispered in my ear. “The canary said the bird flew off when it discovered its’ egg was stolen. It flew off to the Queen of birds to punish the thief.” “So, that’s one problem solved,” I said. “We know who turned George into a bird.” Now we had to put my plan into action. We had to find another greyish-brown egg. George communicated with the birds again. One of them gave vital information. The bird told us that in a wood not very far away, a bird had been eaten by a vicious snake, who, in turn, had been eaten by a hungry hawk, had laid an egg that hadn’t hatched yet. We set off for the wood and reached there in ten minutes. George looked for the tree since the bird had told him where it was located. After several minutes of searching, George finally reached the spot the bird had described to him. He called me. I went running and started climbing up. When I reached I saw that there were two eggs in the nest. I took both of them and kept them in my pocket. “Now our next aim is to find the queen of birds. Hopefully, we’ll find the canary whose egg you stole there,” I said to George. Just then, I heard a fluttering sound. A canary descended and alighted on the nest. It warbled at George. George warbled back. When they finished their conversation, George told me what it had said. “He said he’ll lead us to the queen’s palace when I asked him where it was.” The canary flew away. George flew after it. I walked out of the wood and followed the canary’s path. It led us to the wood to the north of our village. The canary descended slightly and flew a bit lower. It plummeted trough the trees and stopped at a tree with a big crown. It tapped on the bark and amazingly, the bark slid away sideways! Inside was a narrow lift, with a crane as a liftman! I stepped inside and looked around

in wonder. The lift was obviously made by woodpeckers. I glanced at the buttons as we zoomed down. It was all written in a language not known to me. I didn’t know that birds had their own language. We stopped moving. The wooden doors slid open. We stepped into the queen’s court. The queen sat at the end of the room. She was a cuckoo. George explained the situation to her. I gave the egg to her. She refused to do as we said. George started sobbing. Finally after, the floor flooded, she agreed. She called her messenger pigeon and gave it the egg and told her to send it to the canary. Then said a magic word and George became my beaming friend again! She warned George not to steal again. George had learned a lesson. I woke up. How come? I remembered that there was supposed to be the second egg from the canary’s nest. I felt my pocket. Nothing. I looked to where George was sleeping. I could see the shape of his head. And . . . there was a small yellow feather of a canary in his hair.

16. A Rather Puzzling Affair Tarini Emily D’Souza (11 yrs), Sharada Mandir School, Goa Deep in the heart of the Cra Akeden jungle, a voice rang out, ‘Henry! Where are you?’ A thin figure appeared, descending from one of the bigger trees. April P. Azoud brushed a stray strand of hair away from her eyes. ‘HENRY!’ she said. ‘Not another bone?’ Her dog, who had been digging furiously all this time, looked up and wagged his tail. She dug the object out of the mud and examined it intently. April and her dog had gone on a walk, wandered into the jungle around half an hour before and had gotten utterly lost. She had climbed a tree in the hope of seeing a path through the jungle. It was then that Henry had begun digging. April studied the object carefully. It was a pink crystal, about the size of her palm and in the shape of a four-leafed clover. Suddenly a flash of silver from between the trees caught her eye. ‘C’mon, Henry!’ Though they ran for quite a while, they never seemed to find whoever had been watching them. However, they did find a note. Michael, Meet me 6:00 our tree. Bring the I will know if you plan to meet me or not. REM BER, 6: … D. April frowned. Who wrote this note? It doesn’t really concern me, does it? There was another flash of silver, and this time it flickered playfully before disappearing between the trees. Soon April had jumped up

and was running towards the place where she had seen it. There was another sparkle a few feet away, but as she reached it, it moved further away. And so it continued… April had nearly collapsed when the light finally stood still for a little while longer. She reached out for it. All of a sudden, she stumbled and fell, face first, expecting to hit the ground, but instead she kept falling, falling... The next thing she remembered was someone saying, ‘Just a minute, she’s awake, I’ll get back to you later!’ Whatever she had expected, she had not prepared herself for the creature that entered the room. Henry growled. It had pointed ears, high cheekbones, eyes the color of the sea, and… wings! It spoke with a clear, cold voice, ‘I suppose you know who I am?’ When April shook her head, it looked shocked. ‘I am Seylst, the Chief of Phaerie Security. It has come to my notice that you have taken a valuable Phaerie treasure. My loyal subordinate is standing by with proof. NOINIM!’ A small pixie came fluttering into the room, lugging what looked like a large capsule. It set this onto a table, tapped it once, and scurried away. Watching the antics of this ‘Noinim’, April failed to notice that the capsule was vibrating and expanding. When she did turn around, she was startled to see a giant picture of Henry, sniffing at the crystal clover. The scene changed to one of her looking around suspiciously and gingerly putting it in her bag. ‘You did steal it! ADMIT IT!!!’ Seylst suddenly roared, taking April by surprise. ‘I-I-I’m sorry,’ she stammered. ‘I d-don’t know w-what you’re talking about.’ ‘NOINIM!’ Seylst bellowed again, making the pixie jump. ‘Search her bag!’ Noinim looked apologetically at April and zoomed into her backpack. There was a thump, a squeak and Noinim came streaking out, holding the clover jubilantly. April jumped at it, trying to grab the crystal, but the pixie only giggled and darted away to Seylst. The Chief of Security smiled and took it from Noinim. ‘SO, THIEF! YOU DARE LIE TO ME??? TELL ME NOW, HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO STEAL THIS PRICELESS TREASURE?’ he yelled.

‘W-w-well, I w-was out walking an-and my d-dog found someththing he th-thought was interesting.’ Here, Henry wagged his tail. She laughed nervously. ‘S-so I picked it up, and then I saw th-this flash of silver and I followed it and I found this…’ She reached into her pocket and drew out the note. For once, Seylst did not start screaming. ‘Hmmmm,’ he said. ‘I think I know that writing…. Then again, I might be wrong. No, I believe I’m right! YES! IT IS!!’ So much for him not shouting, April thought with a smile. ‘So whose writing is it?’ she asked. ‘Why, it’s Queen Delia’s handwriting, if I’m not mistaken.’ ‘Who’s it written to?’ ‘M-C-H-A-L. It could be the King, he’s called Michael… The note’s really old, this could have been before she became Queen. Just a minute…’ He drifted out of the room A few minutes later he entered, this time with someone behind him. ‘My Liege, I’d like you to meet Ms. Azoud.’ The lady who just happened to be stunningly beautiful, smiled at April. After a few moments of silence, Seylst cleared his throat. ‘Your Majesty, what would you say to this?’ He showed her the note. She took it from him, read it once, and raised her eyebrows. ‘I suppose you are of the opinion that I have written this? Well, that assumption is somewhat correct, though I think I wrote it quite some time before I was crowned. Michael had found one of my mother’s most prized possessions, her crystal clover-shaped brooch. I had to wear it to a ball the next night, I think.’ Her eyes widened. ‘Where is it?’ ‘Here, Your Majesty.’ Seylst stepped forward. ‘Thank you, Seylst. I insist you both- sorry, Noinim- you three join me for tea,’ said the Queen.

Sitting in the Queen’s parlour some time later, April could hardly believe everything that had happened during the past few hours. She rested her head on the high back of her chair and closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt something wet on her cheek. She lifted her head and looked about. Gone was the gold and white inside of the Queen’s room. Instead April saw sunlight streaming through the trees, and Henry’s large tongue licking her face. She jumped up, realizing she had dreamt up the whole affair. With a sigh, she started towards home.

17. The egg that made me go ughh! Trisha Dayani (10 yrs), Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, Mumbai I woke up on one lazy Saturday morning. It was ten O’clock and the sun was shining nice and bright. I could hear some birds chirping on my window and I woke up with a smile. I was very excited, because it was my Bharatanatyam convocation day and I was due to receive a gold medal that I had worked so hard for. I jumped out of bed, not wanting to be late and went hopping and skipping to my mother and asked her “What’s for breakfast mom?” She looked at me ominously and said “We are having boiled eggs.” My face fell and all the excitement and joy that I felt a while ago, went down the drain. I raised my voice to protest “No! No boiled egg for me. We have boiled eggs every other day. I hate boiled eggs! Its the worst thing I’ve ever tasted.” My mother being my mother though, glared at me and instructed me to sit down without a fuss. Sullenly, I sat down on the breakfast table, staring at the egg. It looked like a wicked, ugly old man’s head, sleeping on my plate. It smelled like my shoe cabinet does in the monsoons, and I knew, it tasted worse. When I cut it in half, it stuck out its dirty yellow tongue at me. Right then my mom admonished “Trisha! Stop your antics and eat your egg. Its good for health” and I replied “No mom, I just cant eat an ugly, smelly old man’s face.” Then mother then started singing hosannas about the humble egg. She went on and on about the benefits of egg. I spent the next fifteen minutes listening to how the egg would help my hair grow, make it shinier, make me strong, ward off diseases, make me taller and make my skin clearer and she just continued with her eulogy. It was about and hour since my mother had put the egg on my table and I couldn’t muster the courage to take a single bite. When my

mother was listing the benefits of eggs, all my rumbling stomach and I could think of were Masala Dosa, Pasta and Maggie and all my other favorite food. When all else failed, mother tried to stuff the egg into my mouth and reflexively, I just spat it out. Now I was in deep trouble because this really upset her and she looked at me menacingly. This frightened me, so to placate her I said “ Alright mom, I’ll have another egg.” While mother was boiling my egg, I ran into my room, displeased with myself for giving in so easily, locked the door and started listening to music. I turned the volume up so loud that I could not hear mom knocking my door. I heard some muffled sounds a bit later and took out my earplugs and ran to the door. It was my mom, holding a plate of eggs for me. I made a grumpy face and said under my breath “Not again!” But this time I knew I had to have the egg, or in other words, swallow the bitter pill because I had promised my mother so. I took the eggs and sat down on the table. As soon as I took the first bite, I felt as though earthworms were squirming in my mouth and ants biting my tongue. I knew I had to bear this culinary menace simply because I did not have a choice. My mother was constantly coaxing me to hurry up and finish up. Despite her constant pushing and cajoling, it took me an hour to swallow the last bit of the egg. By this time, both mother and I were exhausted. And then she said “I have to expend so much energy to just make you eat one serving of boiled egg. I think I’d rather not serve it to you next time and use my energy for something productive.” I almost jumped out of joy, but managed to contain my reaction to just a sigh of relief so as to not offend my mother. My mind on the other hand was secretly doing cartwheels. I was elated. Just then the doorbell rang. I ran to answer it and welcomed my aunt who was accompanying us to the convocation. I was seeing her after long and was very happy to meet her. She was a little early though, so I told her I’ll take a few minutes to get ready and was on my way to run up the bath when she called out to me to stop. She regarded me for a minute and then exclaimed “Wow! You have become so tall since I saw you last, Trisha. You look so pretty and your skin is glowing.” She also said how grown up I looked and

gave me a big hug. I was basking in the attention I was receiving. Just then I caught my mother looking at me from the corner of the eye and I looked back at her, but we didn’t say anything to each other. When we settled in the car, I thought to myself, “Maybe eggs aren’t that bad after all. Maybe mother’s right. After all, my aunt did say that I was looking lovely and healthy, and I know I’ve been eating boiled eggs five days a week. I guess they are worth giving a try. I turned and looked at mother. She was looking out of the window. I knew she would be very happy to hear this. I thought about my convocation and put off having this conversation with mother for later when we got back home. I looked ahead and my heart started skipping again, now only thinking of that gold medal.”

18. Oh! Boiled Egg for Breakfast! Vritika Sharma (12 yrs), Cathedral And John Connon School, Middle School, Mumbai “Oh! Boiled eggs for Breakfast!” I shrank in my chair and wrinkled my nose in disgust. The mere sight of the boiled eggs repulsed all my senses and transported me to a horrible moment in the past. I was only eleven, when my father had taken me on an expedition to the famous “Krakatoa Volcano”. It was early morning when we set off to climb the volcano. It was an arduous journey. We made a mistake by packing all the food supplies in one bag which my father entrusted me to carry safely. When we reached the base, I saw the dormant volcano was a steep and enormous structure. At the foothill of the volcano, there were vibrant wildflowers growing and butterflies were fluttering around them. A soft breeze was blowing when my father and I started the climb. Half-way through the climb, I saw violet coloured wildflowers that attracted me to them, like bees to honey. I decided to pluck a few for my mother. While I was doing this, I did not realize that my foot had got entangled in a root. Seeing this, I screamed loudly. My father quickly turned back and started to untangle my foot. During this time, I lost my balance. Though my father was able to help me, he could not retrieve my bag, which went plummeting downwards. Even though I felt bad, there was nothing I could do to get the bag back, so we continued on. After some time I got tired and we decided to rest, when suddenly the earth started shaking. We got up quickly. When I looked up, I saw black clouds of smoke coming from the

mouth of the volcano. The dormant volcano had finally awakened like a bear after hibernating for months in winter. Now and then, I could see balls of fire erupting. We could not rush back, as a big boulder had fallen down and was blocking our path. Slowly and steadily, sweat started trickling down my forehead. We knew that the volcano was about to erupt with force and the lava would eventually engulf us. As predicted, the lava soon started approaching us at an alarming rate. I was petrified so I grabbed my fathers’ hand. We were ready to give up hope when all of a sudden it started raining. As the water fell on the lava, the volcano became a giant sizzler. It poured for hours and we took shelter in a small cave nearby. By now, we were hungry and thirsty. My father instructed me to go outside and look for food while he collected water. Under a huge tree, I found an empty nest, which had fallen down. I was so angry and disappointed at the situation that I sat near the nest, dejected. I felt helpless and I could not think of what to do. Then, I felt a smile coming on my lips, for I had found a solution, which would solve our problems and satisfy our hunger. The sizzling heat of the volcano eruption had probably turned the birds’ eggs into soft-boiled ones. On reaching a partially scorched tree, I saw a nest and when I touched its eggs, they were soft-boiled. I could not contain my happiness. I carefully picked up the nest and ran back to my father. On hearing my discovery, he said I was truly resourceful, as I had found an innovative solution. In the nest, there were a few eggs, so we ate to our hearts’ content. The only disadvantage was that we had to have soft-boiled eggs for three days continuously, from other nests, which I also found nearby. On the third day, a television channel and its news reporter came to telecast the eruption of the volcano. They spotted us waving frantically. They lowered a rope-ladder from the helicopter and air-lifted us to safety. I noticed our rescuers had wrinkled their noses. Possibly, it was because we were stinking of boiled eggs.

When we reached back home, my mother hugged us and we were happy for we were safe. After a few days, my mother served me boiled eggs for breakfast and I shouted, â&#x20AC;&#x153; Oh ! Boiled eggs for breakfast ! â&#x20AC;&#x153; My Father and I laughed and we went out for doughnuts. Vritika Sharma - 6th Grade

19. Eggergy Yuvraj Jeenendra Bhandari (10 yrs), Bombay Scottish School I had it! This was enough! I was sick of eating vegetables every single day at the science observatory centre. I pushed the plate aside and walked out of the canteen. I wrenched the knob and shot in my room. I sat over a pile of books, leaning against the bookshelf that stood in the corner of my room and pondered about my mother’s shop. It was very famous all over the Kingdom of Nautilus. All it made was eggs like Spanish style fried eggs, Chinese style boiled egg, etc. This eatery was managed, all alone, by my mother. Though small, there would be a huge crowd of people at the shop eager to try the variety of eggs. My big phobia for eggs just flashed before my eyes as I fell asleep. Some choking, hazardous sounds outside my room woke me up with a jolt. Surprisingly, I saw nothing but black smoke. On my first instance, I understood that the scientists had put a wrong formula for testing the empowerment of the new invention code named “C-74”. Basically the “C-74” teleported a person to a distant place but it took the power of about nine atom bombs. So lately we scientists had been searching for a formula to start the “C74” using less power. The wrong formula had caused the “C-74’s” engine to crash down. I ran to open the window in the corridor outside my room for the smoke to escape. With a sigh of relief, I lay down gasping for breath all covered in sweat. The scientist resumed their work. Later that day, I was summoned to the head assistant’s office. He said, “Doctor, I know that you are the most intelligent and famous scientist of all. Would you like to go to Mars, even if it’s risky? But, sure it’s worth a try! We’ll provide you with the best available equipment. But beware! The launch is a top secret.” I blindly

trusted him because of my previous encounters with him. So I hurriedly said “Yes, of course I will go. But I’m in charge of the....” He interrupted me, saying, “I know, that’s all taken care of. You’ll be going three days later.” Hastily he left the room. The next two days passed quickly. As the third day faded away, I got an idea. “Eureka!” I exclaimed. To improve my survival chances in space I thought of carrying the “C-74” on the journey so that in case of emergency, it would teleport me back home. But just then the formula hit my mind and I wondered how to substitute the power of nine atom bombs to energise the “C-74” in space? On the D-Day, as I went to the secret laboratory with the Head assistant and as I seated myself in the space pod, I imagined the headlines flash before me, ’ DOCTOR EAREL HARDESTI DIES WHILE COMPLETING A SPACE MISSION!’ Just then, the countdown began, “10...9...8...” Hey! I completely forgot of the zero gravity tests, airlock test, suit trials, etc. I wanted to stop the rocket before take-off, but alas! It was too late. “3...2...1....” and the auxiliary motor started. A crushing sensation overtook me and I fainted. When I came to senses, a 3D hologram projection stared at me. A picture of the Head assistant appeared and he made a revelation, “I’m the fake Head assistant and I kidnapped the real one and threw him in the dungeon.” An evil laugh escaped his throat. “I’m the famous, evil genius known as Mosier Schole! And you’re close to dying because I have filled insufficient oxygen in the reserve tanks that would lasts for only two days and also the food in store is nothing but your favourite eggs. More so, the “C-74” kept in the storage tank would open only when the rocket lands! But you’re lucky to travel in my Super Jet Rocket as it will reach Mars in one day as compared to six months taken by other ordinary jets!” He then unmasked himself and revealed his monstrous face saying, “I finally draw the curtain behind my mission, which is to kill you and become the most famous scientist in the world and get more fame, fortune and money than you.” An evil cackle released from his mouth, as he said, “I hope you die in peace on Mars! Happy Dying! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !!!!!” With these last words, he started the nuclear motor before the hologram blacked out. The speed

doubled with a sudden jolt. The beeper kept beeping every hour. Time was slipping by just as sand from the fist! Finally, “One hour to go.” said the radio control. After an hour, the rocket halted with a sudden jerk. The control said,” Landing successful!” Now I had to think fast to last. And since I dreaded eggs, I had starved myself and had become weak. I could only think of eggs and eggs alone. Amusingly, my mind lit up and an idea burst forth! My spirits rose up and I ran towards the storage room. I grabbed the oxygen cylinder, the egg basket and the “C-74”. Then putting on the space suit, I quickly rushed to the Martian soil. I cracked some eggs and mixed some Martian soil in it. I believed the soil contained humongous amount of energy and egg would lubricate the “C-74”, so I dumped it into the charge up tank of the “C-74”. I took position and pressed the trigger. The “C-74” zapped me and I landed with a thud in my room. I immediately reported the matter to the police and got Schole arrested and then together, we rescued the real Head assistant. Finally, the ordeal was over and I sensed my stomach growling. I rushed to my mother’s eatery in the morning and snatched a plate of egg omelette and greedily ate it. Eggs had never tasted so yummy before!

20. Adventure in the Jungles Zihaan Shah, 9 yrs, Campion School, Mumbai I have had many experiences in my life, which have changed me for the better. One of the most recent and thrilling one was when I unknowingly ventured into the deep woods. Two years ago my parents and a 6 year old me went for a pleasant walk down the scenic countryside, into the woods. The morning sky was clear as crystal, a flock of geese flew overhead us, branches swayed in the light breeze and the pleasant chirping of birds could be heard. The leaves and blades of grass seem to gleam under the soft sunrays falling on the morning due. It was a calm and serene morning. My parents stopped to look at a humongous purple flower and I was more distracted by a grey sneaky stealth squirrel which ran amidst the trees. As, destined I followed the squirrel like it was a prize to be won. With childlike glee I kept following it in a random movement, not knowing that I had left my parents far behind. After quite sometime when my legs started to ache and I started to pant hard I stopped. Suddenly a thought hit me like a bolt of lightning. Where was I ? I looked around dazed and nervous but my heartbeats grew stronger. Drops of perspiration trickled down my face and I called out for my parents but all in vain.My little voice got lost under the canopy of the trees. I busted out crying and stood still like a rock, all frightened and angry with myself to foolishly run after a meager squirrel. All that wandering created hunger and thirst in me and I started to look around for a morsel to eat. My eyes caught sight of some luscious berries which grew on a nearby small tree. Since I was as hungry as bear I decided to eat it. Thereafter I started to look for a way out, suddenly, I felt dizzy and I plopped down. The forest life shut down on me as I collapsed and found myself helplessly rolling down a ditch, probably set to entrap

an animal. While lying down half unconscious I saw the stars twinkling and heard hoots of an owl in the vicinity. I shivered. I decided that it would be in my best interest to spend the night on top of a tree. scrambling uphill the ditch was a difficult task but the rock climbing summer camp training came in great use. Soon I reached the top of the ditch all bruised, exhausted and severely parched with thirst. I could feel thick vegetation under my feet and the moonlight beamed through the canopy of the tree leaves. It gave a silvery appearance. The air was damp and had a peculiar smell to it. I could hear sounds of insects, animals and birds all around. Thought they were not visible, their sounds brought an eerily strange feeling in me. Immediately, I started scrambling up a tree and tried to make myself as comfortable as possible. The first rays of the sun were being waited impatiently. I did not sleep nor even winked in fear of an animal or a reptile making me his midnight meal! All the while I prayed constantly and kept myself busy as possible. This seemed to be the longest night of my life!! Time stood still for long but finally the wait was over. Light rays of the sun started to penetrate their way through the leaves and touched the damp forest bed. I came down the tree and stopped for a few seconds, puzzled as to which direction should I move onto. Faint sounds of water could be heard at a distance away and my sixth sense made me move in that direction. After trudging for sometime the sound grew louder and clearer and at last to my astonishment I saw a small stream of water. I had a mile long smile on me and this time I yelped with glee. I looked around and few hundred meters to the west I saw two tents erected. Suddenly I felt a spirit in my legs all tiredness and thirst seemed to vanish and as if my legs had developed wings. I started running in the direction of the tent. On reaching the opposite bank of the tents I shouted out for help to the sleepy campers. A few seconds later out came a husky man with a large mustache dressed in a forest rangerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outfit. I frantically waved out to him. He swam across and took me back to his tent. I narrated out the entire experience to him, he looked amazed and patted my back for bravely spending a solitary night in the forest. He called another ranger officer and through his radio called for a jeep to pick them up.In not more then an hour I found myself sitting across the table of few officers and

my parents on both sides. They had lodged a missing complaint for me and were waiting for the search party to comeback.I ran into the arms of my mother. It was the longest hug ever! I realized that the safest place on earth is my mothers arms!

Winners for Classes 7,8 and 9

1. SuperTeen Summer Ana Rath (14 yrs), Cathedral and John Connon Senior School SuperTeen Summer Ah, it’s that time of the year again. I cannot tell if I’m excited or nervous. Once again I’m spending my summer vacation at my grandfather’s lighthouse on the Sugarloaf Key, Florida Keys. I perform this very same routine every year in an undulating fashion. However after last year’s horrific and hair-raising incidents, I look to this vacation with a considerable amount of trepidation. In May 2012, my family and I arrived at the lighthouse at 6am. With my school term coming to a glorious end the previous day and the beautiful ocean and azure blue sky were refreshing changes from the cold biting ocean winds lashing the Florida Gulf Coast. Little did I know that this exotic and pristine atmosphere was only short lived. Grandfather was overjoyed to see me. Given our innumerable trips to the lighthouse, I knew the blueprint of the lighthouse well and I quickly settled into my bedroom. The sun shone on the clear paned windows, which opened invitingly onto the blue expanse of the Daytona Beach Sea. The seagulls flitted gracefully over the white-capped waves. Unfortunately, the Florida weather is unpredictable and oppressive during the summer months. The day passed quickly amidst a cheery atmosphere with my grandfather regaling me with stories from my mother’s childhood. Soon darkness fell. I will never forget that stormy night….. The wind roared outside my window. My sleep was disturbed by the angry crests of waves crashing against the rocks only a few stories beneath my room. The imperceptible whiff of the

sea was all- encompassing. The cacophony of the seagulls was almost a deafening protest. They continued to shriek, accustomed to the muggy Florida weather. There seemed to be some sort of disconcertment between Heaven and Earth. Never before had I experienced such a spine-chilling night that gave me the heebiejeebies. I can only quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth when I say “ T’was a rough night.” As I tried to lull myself to sleep by singing an old sea chantey that my grandfather had taught me years ago, I couldn’t help but notice the unmistakable light of a ship coming towards the rocks. Being an old-timer of this lighthouse I found this quite suspicious as no ship usually came towards the lighthouse due to the perilous rocks surrounding it. I knew my grandfather would be up in the light-operating room and I hurried there. The lighthouse was recently renovated and LED panels replaced original oil beacons. This has considerably reduced my grandfather’s manual work. He has radar and computerized navigational aids with GPS. Being mentally and physically agile, he had kept abreast of technical advances in the field and adapted very well to the new way of working. His favourite mantra is “ Change is the only constant.” Grand-dad must have been involved in listening to the radio dialogues of ships in the nearby area, guiding them and warning them. He did not respond to my frantic knocks. I tried my best to open the wooden door but it seemed to be jammed because of the humidity earlier in the day. The silence was deafening. I was in a quandary. I hurried down to my room, grabbed my raincoat and gumboots and sped down the stairs. I was still vacillating and paused at the door of the lighthouse wondering for the umpteenth time if I was doing the right thing. I was only thirteen years old and was disobeying strict instructions from my parents by stepping out of the lighthouse onto the storm-cussed shore. The moment I shut the front door behind me, I realized how nobody would be able to hear my knocks when I desired to get back in. I was virtually trapped outside till at least 5 am when my grandfather would go for his early morning stroll amidst the

seagulls and flotsam left behind due to wrath of the storm and the miraculously transformed azure blue sky. “No turning back now”, I thought to myself. I zipped up my raincoat and made toward the slight opening in the rocks where the ship seemed to be headed. The first peculiar thing I noticed was the fact that as the ship approached it seemed to be methodically turning off some of its deck lights. Was it signaling to someone on the rocks? ? As it came nearer to me I noticed its ebony flag fluttering against the roaring wind. The torrential downpour blocked my vision slightly but I could faintly discern the skull and bones sign. A sense of foreboding overcame me. This idea of venturing out onto the shore had gone against my better instincts. I felt defeated and scared. I felt like a defenseless thirteen year old. Pragmatically, I reminded myself that I was no match for a group of marauding pirates who were probably armed. I crouched behind a rock and decided to passively observe until a better idea presented itself to me. I hid in a little alcove and watched these pirates unload large crates painstakingly in the midst of this storm. One of the crates was thrown a little roughly and it landed near me. Despite the subsequent cussing and swearing none of the pirates motioned to pick up any of the goods that had scattered on the rocks. I managed to get a good look at the cargo and it was unmistakably drugs. “What am I supposed to do? I cannot just let these pirates get away scot free.” I was scared, terrified and cold. I was panicking alone in SugarKey afraid of pirates and separated from my family temporarily. It did occur to me to run back to the door of the lighthouse and wait for a couple of hours till dawn when my grandfather would open the door for his customary walk. “Is life a measureable commodity? What would my parents do if God forbid something happened to me? Life is tested against the ideas of loyalty, friendship, making responsible decisions, being brave, standing up for your rights.” The line, “ Let us not wallow in the valley of despair” from ‘I have a dream’ by Martin Luther King raced through my mind. There are two types of bad people in this world: People who do bad things and people who watch bad things being done. I did not want to abet crime. I decided to take a stand.

I hurried over the rocks, with my head bent against the incessant rain. I peered into each little cave as I passed while trying to remain inconspicuous, lest the pirates notice me. I finally found what I was looking for. Tucked away in such a manner that it was shielded from the view of any common bystander on the beach, I found my little cave. I used to play here every year. I found my sack of pyrotechnics nestling in the corner, untouched from last summer. The sack was complete with a pack of matchsticks as well. I knew a large flare from the coast would most definitely grab my grandfatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention while he stood watching the coast from the highest room in the lighthouse. A few moments after setting light to the wick, the near sky was ablaze with a myriad of colour. Within the next ten minutes I saw a group of 3 coast guard speedboats heading my way the sirens deafening in the stormy night. The sailors were armed with guns. The pirates suddenly realized that they had company and I saw them working more zealously. The pirate vessel in a bid to escape suddenly hit the rudder and started speeding away leaving some of the pirates marooned on the shore. They have no sense of camaraderie at all. The officers quickly disembarked and were engaged in handcuffing the pirates who were caught smuggling. I sprung out from behind a large rock and alerted them to notice the activities of the pirate boat. They were slightly taken aback to see a child wandering about this part of the coast at 3am but nevertheless they signaled their back-up teams to capture the vessel as it tried to speed away. The two officers who boarded the pirate ship were in possession of a megaphone, grenades and guns. The captain was soon overpowered and the pirate ship was brought near the other coast guard boats. The whole posse then made its was to the jetty where police officials awaited them. My granddad came down from the tower and congratulated me for alerting him. At first he was flabbergasted that it was me, his grand daughter that had averted smuggling! His chest swelled with pride at my actions. The chief of coast guard came to pump my hand and also invited me to a function where my granddad and I were felicitated. Though I still shudder at the thought of the whole episode, I am

very firm in my resolve to do the right thing and help the nation. Mahatma Gandhi’s words ring true in my mind, “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”

2. Athiya Anoushka Agrawal (14 yrs), Bombay Scottish School I sat there, alone, on the rusted red swing in the park, swinging slowly. All around me, children were playing with each other, but I was alone. I never was a very friendly person. I preferred to be by myself most of the times anyway. I always believed, even at that mere age of five, that I was destined to be a loner forever, but as I sat there on that dirty park swing, I saw an unforgettable sight. Two sisters were holding hands and climbing the big blue plastic castle that stood right in the middle of the park, beaming. They seemed so happy just in the presence of one another. They felt protected, knowing that if one of them fell off the castle, the other would instantly pull her back up. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what sisters are for. They were always there for each other, no matter what. It was at that particular moment that I decided I wanted a little sister. Someone who would hold my hand while we climbed up that blue castle together. Someone who trusted me more than anyone else in this world. Someone who would always look up to me as an inspiration. Someone who would love me as much as I would love her. Eight years have past since that day, but the clarity of that picture is still embedded in my mind. It seems clearer today, in fact, because everything that I have wished for for seven years is finally coming true. 7th July 2013. My parents and I were driving in the pouring rain, the crackling radio shouting that a storm was about to hit Mumbai that night. There was no point turning back home, because we were already halfway there, and the traffic behind us was intolerable. Unfortunately, the traffic in front of us was worse. The rain seemed to be getting heavier each second, the sound of raindrops banging against the roof of the car. The honking of the surrounding cars was deafening, the sight of the traffic frustrating. No one said a word, because we realized that whining would just make everything

worse. So we sat in complete silence, waiting desperately for the traffic to move. I gazed out of the window and listened to the barely audible radio. ‘Weatherman predicts that the storm tonight is going to be more massive than any other storm that has hit Mumbai. Try to stay inside the house at all times. Meanwhile, back in Hollywood, Justin-‘ and the radio turned off. I sighed. Today was supposed to be the best day of my life, but it didn’t seem to be going too well. The wind picked up speed. The trees started to sway wildly, the people who were walking on the street began to run to the nearest places of shelter. Even with the wipers dancing on the windshield, we couldn’t see anything in front of us. By the time we finally reached, it was already nine thirty. The storm was so harsh, we found it hard to open the car door. We didn’t have an umbrella, so our only option was to run across in the rain. We parked the car as close to our destination as we could, and ran inside. We were soaked from head to toe just by running in the rain for a few seconds, but we didn’t care. If you entered that Adoption Home that day, you wouldn’t have cared either. All around us, little children were laughing, and gleefully playing with each other. One little boy would close his eyes and begin counting to ten, while the others excitedly ran in different directions to hide. One by one, the little boy would find them, some under the sofa, some inside the closet, some behind the curtain and some just standing, sure of themselves camouflaging with the wall and looking just like pillars. I could see my mothers face melting at the sight of them, and my fathers face breaking into a huge smile. These children were unaware of everything around them, unaware that they had no parents. They were happier than ever. The teacher who was supervising them also didn’t realize that we had entered, and was playing with the rest of the children. She seemed happy too. After all, it is hard not to be happy in a place where there is so much joy. I pointed to the corner of the room, where a group of children were gathered around the window, whispering excitedly about what was going on outside. We walked over to them, thinking they were just amused because of the sight of a storm, but they weren’t. Only when we looked in the direction the other children

were looking at did we realize why they were so surprised. A little girl, who looked much tinier than the rest of the children, was walking alone on the road, in the storm. Water dripped from her curly black hair, and her pink floral dress had turned a wet, muddy brown. She didn’t seem the least bit scared. I looked in the direction in which she was walking, and saw a small puppy sitting under a parked car. At first I didn’t understand, but when I looked closer, I saw that its tail was stuck under the car wheel. It was obviously in pain, and was whimpering in desperation. The little girl broke into a run when she saw the puppy struggling, and when she reached she quickly ducked under the car to help it. She tried pushing the wheel behind, but her frail arms were not able to. She looked around to see if the driver was around, but, after being unable to find a single soul on that deserted street, sat down and buried her face in her hands, trying to think of a solution. The dog seemed calmer seeing her trying to help. The storm kept getting harsher, thunder roaring from the black skies. Most of the children immediately ran to their teacher, but the little girl didn’t seem affected by the storm at all. All she needed to do at that point was figure out a way to help the puppy. She didn’t care if she had to spend the entire night outside in the storm. She was going to help this puppy, no matter what. She stood up and walked to a pile of wooden planks lying outside a closed carpenter’s shop. With great difficulty, she hauled one of the planks on her tiny shoulder and carried it to the car. She put the plank down and slid it below the car wheel under which the puppy was stuck. She picked up one more plank the same way, and managed to slide it below the first plank. By this time, her hands were scraped and bruised, but she didn’t care. In this manner, she managed to lift the wheel just enough for the dog to struggle free. She put the planks back, one by one, and then collapsed on the floor, the puppy pouncing on her with joy, content with herself. Seeing her succeed, the children began to cheer, and so did the teacher, who seemed so proud of her student. I looked over at my mother, who had tears in her eyes. We watched the little girl gingerly carry the puppy back to the home, a huge grin spread across her face. She came in and the children cheered louder, and the teacher ran to her to see if she was hurt, and reprimanded her for disobeying her orders, but

not before telling her how proud she was of her. She set the puppy down, indicating that the rest of the children were free to play with it. Each and every action of hers was selfless. Her hands were scarred and covered with the puppy’s blood, and her knees were completely bruised, but never before had any child looked as happy as the little girl did at that time. It was a spectacular thing to see. The teacher, having finally acknowledged our presence, greeted us whole-heartedly. She told us a little about their Adoption Home and then began introducing the children. When she finally reached the little girl, she said, “And this,” she turned towards the little girl, “is Athiya.” The little girl smiled at us shyly. I looked at my parents, and immediately sensed that they had already made up their mind, just like I had. We could see the teacher sensing it too. She gently knelt down next to Athiya, and whispered, “Athiya, looks like we have found your new family.” Athiya looked at her teacher, taking a moment to digest what her teacher had said to her, and then grinned and ran to me, hugging me tight. I realized that I had never felt so happy in the twelve years of my life than I did then. I played with Athiya and the rest of the children for a while, while my parents went with the teacher to sign the required documents. She had already begun treating me as family. She was loved by each and every child in that adoption home, and everyone was devastated to see her go, even though I promised that I would bring her back to see them another time. Athiya held my hand as we walked to the car in the stormiest night Mumbai has ever seen before. As I lifted her into the car, I knew that this night was never going to be forgotten, because this was the night on which something new had begun. And that something was beautiful.

3. Caught in the Sea Asavari Singh (12 yrs), Wisdom World School, Wakad, Pune The ocean had been my finest comrade. The way the water glinted under the beams of the sun, shining like a million aquamarines, always left me in rapture! Standing on the beach gazing at the horizon and watching the waves’ soft, gentle hands slowly curving towards the sand and washing away the footprints embedded in the sand. The ocean meant this to me until….. My parents and I went on a long vacation to Australia. After our sojourn, in the basins of Murray-Darling, a visit to the Taronga Zoo in Sydney along with many more exciting places we visited, we came to Sydney Harbour. At Sydney Harbour there were rows of ships, boats and yachts docked at the harbour. It was a very hot and humid day, so when the cool breeze would blow through the lavish green leaves of the trees it would feel very pleasant. A kiwi flew by anxiously. The jovial sun shone optimistically in the bright, brilliant, blue sky. The harbour was buzzing with activity. The ships were being loaded and unloaded; some fishermen were coming back from their early morning catch while others were taking stock of their hearty catch. We walked over to one of the assistants and asked her about the yacht we booked last week. She took us to the ‘Tourism Australia’ office. There, after taking the necessary information, she typed in something into her computer. After that she took us outside again and directed us to our yacht. She instructed us about how to control the yacht helped us set the course of the ship and in addition she informed us about the safety procedure. After some more briefing about the yacht (I was too excited to listen) we finally set sail!

I had been anxiously waiting to get on the yacht since the time my father told me that we would be going to sea. I was extremely excited and thrilled about this journey. Although, I do have to admit that I was a slightly scared and worried about the ship sinking. I had lately seen an episode of ‘I wish I was dead’ in which they showed a ship sinking and how the passengers had to suffer many casualties. This bothered me. Nonetheless I decided to put away these thoughts and enjoy the trip. Our course of journey included to circle the Great Barrier Reef and afterwards take a stopover at Brisbane, continue our journey to the Great Barrier Reef and then again a stopover at Brisbane then finally arrive our final destination at Sydney. Every day as the sun would disappear in the night sky I would enjoy standing on the hull and letting the cool breeze flow through my hair. It was always an extremely refreshing and energising. We did not have a television set; as a consequence I would sometimes end up reading for hours at a stretch. From time to time a pod of dolphins would pass by. The friendly dolphins greeted us with their clicks and clacks. This was always a moment of merriment. The days went on. Each day I grew fonder of the sea. How diverse the creatures are, every shape and every size. On one of the days I penned these words as they floated through my thoughts, just before the night the sea deceived me! ‘So wild and rich the sea is Although the biggest quiz is How does it come to life, Every day and every night So many creatures of all colours and hues So many creatures of all shapes and sizes How do they manage to stay with each other, So calm and quietly?’ It was a day nothing out of the ordinary with a mundane, monotonous and predictable side to it. I planned to finish one of the books I was reading, mother would finish her work she had got from her school and father would also do some of his work.

As the sun melted into the horizon, the sky gave the impression that it had turned into a bowl of tomato soup. It had been a while since I had stood in the fresh air, therefore I decided to step out and take a whiff of the soothing sea breeze. When I stepped out I discerned a change in the weather. Gusts of strong winds flew across the deck. Thankfully they were not strong enough to knock down or bring down the ship. The cordial and cheerful sun that had gleamed for the past few days was now made elusive by the murky dark grey clouds, which sagged from the sky like a blanket of soot and ash. There were no birds in the sky. No exuberant dolphins. The waves had become larger and vaster compared to what they were a few hours ago. I did not like the way the events were unfolding. I definitely did not like what I saw. As it was too blustery to stay outside I went inside. To ease my discomfort I tried reading. However, this did not do any good. As my last resort I tried sleeping. This worked wonderfully well! I was glad to take my mind of the sea for a while. I do not know for how long I had been sleeping for when I woke up , I had fallen out of the bed. I bellowed more out of shock than pain and agony. I had no knowledge of what was going on. I had just stood up when again a massive jolt shook the yacht and I fell on the floor again. I went to the deck above. There I saw, that the sky had become inky black, the clouds curtailed the moon from letting its silvery shining light through. The sea’s waves were as tall as a three storey building. The sea had gone wild. It was raging in anger for reasons unknown. A wave struck the deck; I was drenched to the skin. I made my way to the cabin. There my parents were trying to get the yacht under control. They knew what I wanted to ask from the look of my face. They told me that there is nothing to worry about it is just a mild storm. We sat there for another two or two and a half hour. It was one O’ clock at night and the storm was still raging on. My eyes were sore and red although my phobia, dread and anxiety prohibited me to close my eyes. My head tilted towards my shoulder as if my shoulder wanted to whisper to my ear saying, “Could you please tell this girl to go to sleep, I am tired!” My eyes closed for a minute however I shook myself out of sleep.

The sea, I believe, was having a tremendous fit. The storm began to get wilder and wilder. The sea tossed the yacht around like an old toy while playing ‘Passing the Parcel’. We were coming towards the end of our journey. This was both dismaying and fortuitous. The threatening storm was now at its peak! The incessant colossal waves attacked their prey, the deck, like a famished and ravenous pack of aggressive hyenas. While thinking about the marvelous works of nature, the storm in particular, appreciating how nature manages to so, I thought of this, ‘The fierce wind blew Circling the ocean as it flew The sky above so dark and grey Not a single streak of moonlight glow The sky shivered The sky quivered A storm was brewing I knew it too But I watched in silence I watched in oblivion A loud thud was heard by all And then down came the rain on all Thunder and lightning deafening my ears Although, I stood there in a trance Wondering how nature brews this wild storm’ I was amazed by this miracle of how nature could brew something so violent and fierce and then also produce a dainty daisy? This thought about nature did not last long. It had started with a drizzle although now it was raining cats and dogs! The winds blew at unimaginable speeds! Every few minutes thunder and lightning would shake the night sky, along with that the cacophony was ear-splitting. The deck was sodden with water. The sails were dancing about in a catastrophic manner. The waves were getting fiercer. This was not a very pleasant signal. Suddenly the yacht took a plunge into the deep, ominous waters of the ocean. The yacht had started to fall apart. The water was filling up the lower compartments. The engine stopped running.

I quickly uttered a silent prayer for our safety and not to send our souls to Hades. My whole life flashed in front of my eyes. I assumed that God was punishing me for all my sins. I had not realized that I had been trembling and shaking for the past few minutes (while I had my flash back). In the meantime my parents had sent out a distress signal. We were in desperate need of help. After many efforts by our yacht, it finally gave way to the sea. It collapsed into two pieces. When it rived into two, there was a massive jolt, as if the yacht had just been hit by a hundred thousand volt bolt. Everything in the room we were sitting in was now out of place or fallen on the floor. The room resembled our minds, chaos everywhere, our minds were in disarray. The side of the yacht which we were on was sinking gradually into the water. Every time it would go an inch deeper my heart would sink with it. We had no hopes of survival. I thought my life would end here. I was frightened, terrified, distressed, troubled and despondent. I wanted to cry although I held my tears back. Later, the wrath of the sea subdued. It was much calmer now. I assume it had been two hours since our yacht started its gradual descent. All of a sudden I heard the blades of a helicopter. I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me. I asked if my mother if she could hear the roller blades. She nodded. My father said that he could hear them too. A ray of hope appeared from the dark. There was a single streak of a dwindling possibility that the helicopter was there and it would help us. We went outside where we could be seen. Then we started waving our hands and yelling at the top of our lungs to try to attract their attention. It seemed as if the helicopter was sent by God especially for us. The helicopter came towards us. A man came out from the helicopter. With the aid of a rope, he helped us climb the rope and reach the safety of the helicopter.

Once we were inside I felt as if I was on the top of the world! When I looked back at the submerging yacht; I realised how fortunate I was. That day I had experienced a day which could take a turn in any direction; one towards the end of life, while the other more fortunate one of surviving. I survived and I am grateful to God that I did. May God always keep his eye upon us and bless us.

4. That stormy night Atik Agarwal (15 yrs), Radiant Way School THE STORMY NIGHT “Everything was destroyed”, these three words described the whole scenario when I asked him that what had happened last night. This was the reply of the man who had witnessed the storm in Uttarakhand. Last week I visited Uttarakhand to see the plight there after the massive storm and continuous rain that took place between 14-20 June. There was heavy rain which caused flood and destruction in almost whole of Uttarakhand. People who went for Amarnath and Kedarnath Yatra either were lost or killed. When I went there I saw the condition of the people: some were crying, shouting, beating their chests whereas some were maintaining silence like the type if which is experienced during and after midnight. Some people were trying to find their family-members whereas many people made a crowd around the government officers asking about their relatives and close ones. The man’s name about whom I mentioned in the beginning was Raman. When I saw him, he was looking very melancholy, depressed and his terrible experience of the last few days was highlighted in his eyes itself. I could clearly see in his eyes still the fear of the last day’s storm and his eyes was the evidence of the dangerous storm. All the story of the night was very much narrated by the eyes of this person, Raman. He was looking still very afraid. I am a news-reporter by profession and I was sent by my channel to collect as much information as I can about the flood, about the damage done to affected areas and take interviews of different persons and collect information about them.

The moment I saw this man, Raman I knew that if I am able to get his interview, I will be able to make my boss happy by giving him a recording of this interview. First of all, I asked him, “What happened last night?”It seemed he was lost somewhere else and I think he didn’t even listen to my question. I again repeated the same question to him and he answered in a low, sad voice, “Sir, everything is destroyed” and he fell in tears. I tried to make him comfortable. Then he said, “My daughter’s wedding was actually today but now there is no wedding. I was a poor farmer and collected funds from so many years for my daughter’s wedding but now all in vain. I was not feeling well from two days earlier of the flood and it seemed to me that something or the other was going wrong. My feelings were very negative. I shared this to my family as well but they did not give worth to my fear. They just ignored it. Then came the dark night: strong winds started to blow, loud sounds of thunder could be heard which seemed to shake the land. I knew that something wrong was happening.” Narrating about the night till this junction, he stopped. I asked him,” Yeah, what happened next? Please continue.” He said continued and said that then the current was cut-off and he and his family were left in the darkness of the dark night. It started raining heavily and they closed the doors and all windows of the house. Then Raman lit a candle and he and his family, his wife, son, daughter and mother collected in one room. There was absolute silence among them and the surroundings of their house, but there was noise of just one thing: the hard rain and the terrible thunder and lightning. They were all very scared and Raman was the most. His family-members seemed to cling to him. Even though he was too afraid and thought that something bad will occur, he tried to make his family believe that everything would be fine and there was nothing to fear. The thunder was breaking out every now and then which made us more and more frightened. The rain became harder and harder during the course of the night and it seemed impossible that it would stop before the morning. Suddenly, he heard the flowing of water as the sound of river water flowing. He asked his wife to open the window and see outside, but she could not see anything. So he went to see and some sound could be heard, as of flowing water and then, suddenly the voice

of crying and shouting could be heard. Then he felt that he was in trouble but it was too late. Now the noise of water flowing towards them could be clearly heard. He shouted and said to his wife that they were in great trouble and there was a flood in the village. All of them became scared and asked me that what would happen then. No other than had they finished these sentences, the water entered their house and they started crying. Every second, the amount of water entering their house doubled and they had no place to escape. Neither they could go outside nor could they stay inside. Then he said to his family, “Collect your necessary things, pack your bags and come outside. We have no other choice. We have to go outside.” The shout of people increased and they were shouting,”Please help us. Please save us.” The noise of houses falling due to landslides and floods came and that made him more scared. Saying till this, Raman stopped and he had a very strange expression on his face which could even make a child cry. I said to him, “Please try to control yourself and continue, maybe I can help you. He then continued that with much fear, he came outside of the house. He saw people running for their lives, looking for their family-members and shouting the names of their family-members to find them, but in vain. There was no place to escape for anybody. His legs were shaking and there was no idea coming to his mind. He saw buildings falling like toys when the water hit them. So is the power of nature when it takes its dangerous form. The whole village was destroyed in minutes. They were standing beside a peepal tree. They saw their own house being destroyed .They started crying seeing their house destroyed but they could do nothing. Everything was in the hands of God. Every now and then, they were taking the name of God and praying that everything becomes alright. But the rain poured more and more. Suddenly, there came a huge wave of water and they all four were flown away by it. When his eyes opened, he found himself somewhere else and none of his family-members could be seen. He shouted the names of his family-members, but there was no response. He was in tears, he was crying madly. Those people who saw him thought that he was mad. It was raining, but now it was not so hard. He was injured but he tried to find his family-members. Then the rescue team came soon to save as many people as they could. When they

came, everybody made a crowd around them and asked about their relatives. He too asked about my family-members but they had no idea of where my family could be. The rescue team brought him here two days ago. Since then, he asked the officers numerous times about his family, but they told that they had no information. He didn’t know how much he had cried for his family and taken the name of God but then his belief on God was finished; He told that he didn’t think God was listening. He didn’t know what had he done in his last birth that his family was suffering for it. I then said him, “Please do not lose hope. Believe God. And what has to happen will happen, we cannot control it.” Raman then told me, “I got information that the government was informed by the meteorological department that there are chances of heavy rain and cloud burst. But it was not taken seriously by the government due to which we are suffering. I want to kill the ministers. Sir can you make a report about the carelessness shown by the government on this matter? I said to him, “I will surely make a report on this and it will telecast in the whole of India. It is not only your family or you who is suffering, but there are many more innocent people who have suffered due to the carelessness shown by the government.” He hold my hands and started crying and told, “Please help me to find my family. You are a news reporter and if you ask the officers, they may provide some information about my family.” I said, “Okay I am going to ask about your family. I am just coming in some time. Please wait here I am coming.” When I asked about Raman’s family from the officer, he told that his family was not yet found and most probably they have died. Hearing this, I became very sad and thought that how would I face Raman and tell him about his family. I went to him and said, “Raman I am very sorry, your family is no more.” No sooner had I said this that he burst in tears. He told, “Sir please don’t tell like this”. I told him, “This is the truth and you cannot do anything. You have to move on. You cannot sit like this”. Saying this, I gave him Two Thousand Rupees and said him to seek for a job somewhere. In reply, he told me “Thank you”. Then I bid him farewell. After that I made a conclusion that nature and God can be sometimes very cruel. And as much as nature can be

beautiful, it can also be very- very dangerous.If the government would have taken the warning given by the meteorological department, the story of Uttarakhand could have been different. Almost 10000 people died in the cloud burst.I made a report on this matter and gave the recording of my interview with Raman to my boss and named this interview â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Stormy Nightâ&#x20AC;?.

5. That stormy night Ayan Dixit, (14 yrs) The Bishops School Pune, Camp, Pune That stormy night. The purpose of the raincoat was defeatedwater seeped through, making the formal attire underneath, wet. Tanveer raised his collar against the ruthless wind. Cars zoomed past, headlights blaring, windshield wipers on; periodically transforming a near opaque windshield to a transparent one, only to watch another fresh downpour undo their work. He liked the rains. It reminded him that nature was not dead. He liked to believe in an unalterable destiny. He hated it when things were under control. When stuff went wrong, he needed a thing like ‘fate’, which he could blame for it. That’s why he liked the rains. Ignoring temporarily the wet shirt which clung to his skin and the drop, which was a mixture of rainwater and perspiration which was rolling down slowly the ventral side of his body and which would continue to roll down his groin and finally down his calf, making the whole journey of the raindrop, an intolerable eleven seconds of agony, his mind wandered to another world, a classroom where his former teacher was concluding another brilliant lesson of Psychology. “Are you all familiar with the concept of Lucid Dreaming?” The term appeared in wavy handwriting across the blackboard, underlined. Countless hands went up. The teacher looked amazed, as if he was expecting none. He turned around to darken the underlining. He was very excited. “So boys, just for the record, lucid dreaming is basically to realize that one is dreaming while dreaming, thereby taking full control of the dream and remembering it in vivid detail.” The plump fingers had got rid of the chalk which had split into two due to the severe underlining and then, the fingers swiftly removed the spectacles, which received a

warm and moist exhalation. A thin and softcloth appeared from nowhere and wiped the glass clean and shiny. A giggle was heard. The teacher was quite popular among the students especially for his habit of throwing in random facts and information to make his class interesting. His lessons were replete with trivia. Young Tanveer leaned forward with anticipation. “So …..as many of you are active lucid dreamers, let us share our experiences with each other.” He listened to every student, patiently with a pitiful attempt at an expression of interest. “Yes Tanveer?” Tanveer got up from his seat like a jack-in-a-box. “Sir,” he said,” I like flying, building skyscrapers, driving sports cars and bikes, and –“ “Chasing girls, eh?” Laughter echoed. The teacher himself managed a short laugh that sounded more like hiccups. Tanveer started to say something but chose instead to scratch the back of his head and sit. After the class had quieted down, he spoke again, “In a dream, especially when you are in the lucid state, you must avoid one thing- mirrors.” The spectacles. The exhale. The cloth. The wipe. “A mirror may show you what you don’t want to see, a thing least expected. A horrible form of yourself, for example. It may show you a good thing or maybe not. It can show you what you actually think of yourself, what you really are, deep down in your subconscious mind. This advice comes from a personal experience.” The old, grey eyes turned grave and the bushy eyebrows moved downward an inch. “There was this food stall in my hometown that sold ‘chaat’. It probably isn’t even there now, the whole area has been rebuilt and renovated, but it continues to exist, here,” he tapped his temple, “I used to frequent that spot in my lucid dreams because I couldn’t go there in person and apart from that I could eat as much of those delicious treats as I wanted without worrying about an unexpected attack of diarrhea.A faint smile played on his lips before the expression of seriousness returned. ” It was another day while I was enjoying those delicacies, I caught my reflection on a steel billboard,” he paused, “It is inexplicable. The shock was so strong that I woke up, bathed in sweat.” His eyes were shut as if he was hesitating to revisit an old memory. Beads of perspiration were already forming on his brow. He shut the open books on his desk, “Anyway, meet you guys next week. Remember, the body is………” “A SLAVE TO THE MIND!!” the students completed in

unison, puzzled by the abrupt conclusion of the afternoon. The memory of the distant past faded.The leisurely walk had quickened itself to a steady jog. Lucid Dreaming had always been his fascination. An interesting hobby and a place to escape into after a hard day. He could create an incredibly similar clone of the rude salesman that he had encountered at the supermarket and vent all his accumulated anger on him. It could, by all means, be considered a healthy practice. Tanveer turned away from the blaring traffic lights, ran carefully through his wet lawn and into his house. His living room was a mess and his dirty gum boots were providing it with final touches. He had hit a major setback that came with living independently; keeping the house clean. The words of his teacher were ringing in his ears, faint and hazy, somewhere in the background of the more prominent sounds. He was a little out of practice as far as lucid dreaming was concerned, but even when he wasan active lucid dreamer, he had never come across a mirror. A mirror? The term seemed almost alien to him, even in real life. It was so utterly irrelevant.Tanveer removed his rain-soaked clothes and slipped into more comfortable ones. His bedroom, a cozy chamber, fortunately safe from the annoying cacophony of the surrounding streets, darkened at the push of a button. He swallowed a few tablets for his headache and crashed into his bed. After a few minutes, he was sitting up in his bed. A sound. His brain was looking for something to associate the sound with. Thief. He jumped up and grabbed his hockey stick from under his bed, his mind guiding him. Get the flashlight! It said. He fetched the flashlight from his drawer, the metallic object feeling cold in his hands. The sound. It came from upstairs. Exiting his bedroom, he switched on the torch. The torch emitted a brilliant beam of light, illuminating the stairs, leading to the guest room and the store room. Another sound. A heavy footfall. He hesitated, his flashlight pointing downwards. The tablets. He glanced around. His house looked so, strange. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Overdose may, in some cases, cause hallucinations. Please consult a physician with regard to the proper dosage,â&#x20AC;? he remembered. How many did he take? One? Four? Ahundred? He did not know. He did not care. He thought, I am hallucinating.No, his mind broke in, The Intruder! Catch him quickly! He rubbed his tired eyes furiously. I am a foolish

consumer, it’s the drug talking and it’s taking control, Tanveer, keep your head straight!He told himself. His mind was almost shouting, GET THE INTRUDER! He slowly ascended the short flight of stairs. He entered a dark room, the circle of yellow light bobbing up and down, obliterating the darkness. The sound. He whirled around. A figure, not much taller than himself was standing in the dark. Was it missing an arm? He thought. He aimed his flashlight at it. A mirror. A huge, seven-foot mirror. Tanveer stared into his own mutilated face. Everything faded to black. White. A terrible, piercing whiteness clawed at his eyes when he opened them. With eyes half-shut, Tanveer moved his arms as if expecting to touch an alarm clock. Then, he realized that he couldn’t feel one of his hands. He looked at it. There was nothing below the elbow, just bandages and blood-stained cotton wads. It hurt slightly. A sudden, desperate surge of panic attacked him, “Where am I?” he said, his voice sounding like gibberish to him. A lady was standing at the end of the chamber, dressed in spotless white. She said, “Doctor, the patient is now conscious.” Suddenly, an old, chubby and friendly face blocked his line of sight, “Mr. Tanveer! Awake at last! Just try to relax while I bring you a glass of water.” He exited Tanveer’s field of vision and Tanveer was afraid to move his head. “What is this place?” The doctor spoke with an unchanging expression, “Unfortunately, sir, you had met with an accident. A pedestrian saw you walking in the middle of the road. Sleep walking, perhaps, considering that you were walking with your eyes closed. A car ran you over and you were rushed here. Don’t worry, ‘cause everything is under control and we’ll fix you up good!” He flashed a smile. A memory struck Tanveer like lightening: a reflection. The wrinkled hand moved towards his mouth with a glass of water. He only stared at the ceiling, bewildered. Something made him touch his face. He remembered something ….that stormy night……. He screamed, “MY FACE!”

6. The Farla Pheonix Kaavya Rajesh (12 yrs), The Shri Ram School, Aravali I love visiting my uncle in Kolkata. He owns a small zoo which is very close to his house. I had been coming here since I was very young because I simply love animals! Sometimes I even feel that they can understand me when I talk. Every morning here my uncle takes me to the zoo. He lets me roam around on my own as I am twelve and old enough to do so. I just walk from enclosure to enclosure and admire the animals. My favourite bird is the Pilawa Parinda. It looks majestic with its turquoise beak and golden feathers. I also love Tufan the Eagle, Shetan the Monkey and Rina and Mina the pythons. I admire the big black bear Karadi but am a little scared of him. I get the feeling that the people passing by think that I am mad because I actually have one sided conversations with the animals. But I feel that the animals understand me because whenever I ask them a question they nod in response. Sadly as not many people visited the zoo, money was low. My uncle feared that he would have to sell the land and close down the zoo. One night there was a terrible storm. I just wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to sleep. The thunder roared and lightning flashed. The rain thrashed on the ground making such a racket. I had never experienced a storm like this. I got out of bed and looked out of the window. I saw two rain drenched figures walking towards the zoo. That was very unusual. I checked the time it was almost 12:30! Why would anyone go near the zoo at this time, especially as it was raining cats and dogs outside? Unless they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be seen. After all, no one in their right mind would be out at a time like this. Should I wake my uncle? No he will probably think that I am being silly. I enjoy reading mystery novels and had always hoped to solve one. Now a real mystery was unfolding at my doorstep! I knew that the right thing to do would be to stay at home and call the police. But

what fun was that? Besides I didn’t know that they were up to no good, I just had a hunch. A good detective follows hunches and doesn’t say anything without proof. I was going to do just that. I quickly got dressed and slipped on a large raincoat and boots. I had to run to catch up with them. Luckily, the loud thunder blocked whatever sound I made. It was good that I had taken my uncle’s big raincoat or I would have been drenched from head to toe. I could see their silhouettes in the moonlight. They had stopped walking and were standing and talking. I turned off my torch and tiptoed towards them. I ducked behind a bush and listened intently. “John, are you sure it’s here? It is such a small zoo.” I heard a female voice ask. “Yes June, otherwise we wouldn’t have flown over a million miles to get her. The locals call her the Pilwer Parinder or something but she is really the rare Farla Pheonix.” John replied. “Oh! So that’s why there’s no one here to guard her. We are going to make millions.” June said gleefully. “We need to make a plan.” “I have; break in, blast open the cage, grab the bird and run out. Simple!” So they ran in and June pulled out a small device from her pocket, she put in front of the gate and ran back. BOOM! All that was left of the padlocked gate were tiny pieces of metal. “Thank god for that thunder! Otherwise, the loud noise would have woken up anyone who was fast asleep” John remarked as they ran into the zoo. The Pilawa Parinda was a rare bird? That’s a surprise. Anyway what was I to do now? They were probably expert criminals and I was a scared twelve year old girl, all alone. It was too late to wake my uncle. Fear must have woken my brain because just then I had the most brilliant idea ever. I realized that I wasn’t alone. I had the animals. I ran to the pythons’ cage. Thankfully Rina and Mina were awake. But then I saw the flaw in my plan. The cages were locked! I groaned. Inspiration struck me again. I remembered reading about a detective who opens a door with a clip. I was glad that I had remembered to clip my hair. I took out the black slide, put it in the lock and jiggled with it until POP, the lock sprang open. “Yes!” I screamed overjoyed. “Mina,” I crooned. ”Here girl, come to Sheetal.” The serpent slithered forward. Trying not to get excited and to keep my voice steady I called to Rina,” Follow Sheetal, come on.” I opened the door wide and gestured for them to follow me. They did! I smiled and walked to Karadi’s cage.

I was still very scared of him as he had never responded to me like the other animals. But times were desperate. I opened the lock with ease. “Karadi , come to Sheetal!” my voice was shrill and high pitched with fear. The bear growled and stared at me with his big black eyes. I gulped down my fear and said soothingly,” Come Karadi, I won’t hurt you.” He stopped growling and waited for me to continue. “Bad people are going to steal from the zoo. We must stop them. Help me, please.” He stood up and walked towards me, I backed away slowly. He came and nuzzled my hand. I patted him awkwardly and gestured for him to follow me. I rounded up Tufan and Shetan. We all headed towards the Pilawa’s cage. We were halfway there when I spotted June with a bulging sack in her hand heading towards the exit. I didn’t like to get into fights so I tried to negotiate with them. “Wait!” I shouted and blocked their path. They looked surprised to see us, but recovered quickly. “We don’t have time to talk to a pest like you ,so move kid.” June said. My knees shook. But I stood by what I had planned. “No, return the Parinda or I will ask my friends, the animals, to attack you. They will show no mercy.” I said bravely. Now they looked scared. John whispered something to June and she nodded. “Alright! You win.” She said as she walked towards me with a bag. “This is your precious phoenix.” I felt very pleased. I was able to defeat two fully grown criminals. She stretched out her hand and punched my stomach! I fell to the ground, unhurt but gasping. She pulled out a rope from her pocket and began to tie my arms and legs. I struggled and tried to stop her when she slapped me. Then Karadi let out a low growl. Everything happened at once. Tufan swooped down and grabbed the bag containing the Farla. Shetan jumped on top of John and pulled his hair. He fell to the ground and Mina coiled around him, not letting him move. Rina attempted to strangle June, but she was carrying a knife. As she drew it out of her pocket Rina escaped, scared. June raised the knife over my head. Then Karadi came out of nowhere and pounced on her. He raised his big black paw and with one swipe knocked her out. Rina trapped her as well. Shetan came and untied me with his monkey hands. I stood up and laughed out of relief and happiness. “Wait right here.” I said.

I ran home and woke my uncle. I dragged him towards the zoo, rapidly explaining the nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s events to him. He was quick to take action and called the police. They arrived and took June and John to prison. Apparently they were illegal bird sellers wanted by Interpol. The police gave my uncle a hefty reward for this. In addition to this this incident appeared in the newspaper. Now people are coming from everywhere to see the Pilawa Parinda, or should I say, Farla Pheonix. I am glad that I got out of bed on that stormy night , otherwise I would have never had this adventure of a life time.

7. That Stormy Night... Khushali Jain, (13 yrs), CATHEDRAL AND JOHN CONNON SCHOOL., MIDDLE SCHOOL MUMBAI

It is July 2013 and as I stand sipping my hot cup of milk, watching the rain Gods unleash their fury from my tightly closed windows, my thoughts seem to float back. I cannot help but recall the vivid details of the eventful stormy night that I experienced, two years back. It was a day long trek that we four friends had ventured out for. Our guide was very efficient and we were having the most wonderful time. We enjoyed nature in all its glory and the greenery and surroundings was mesmerizing. We were tired when we returned back from the trek and got into our car. It had drizzled almost the whole day, but that had only added to our excitement. We bade farewell to our guide and started our homeward journey. It suddenly started to rain heavily. The sudden, swift storm caught us totally unaware. It started getting dark and the clouds began to gather all around us. The sky turned into shades of purple and ebony. The infuriated sky was not going to spare anyone. It started to thunder loudly. The wind blew violently, the branches of the trees made a nasty, cracking sound and my friend was finding it very difficult to drive. It was a much stronger storm than we expected and the headlights of the car barely cut through the pouring rain. We must have hit some pointed stones on the road and it dawned upon us that two of the back car tyres had got punctured. We were stranded in the middle of nowhere! To our despair, we realized that our phones had no network and we could not get in touch with anyone. We looked all around and finally decided to walk for a bit and try to see if we could get some help. The pouring rain splashed on our faces and we could hardly

see anything in the distance. We were petrified, but we pushed ourselves. We didn’t have a choice anyways. We then divided ourselves into groups of two each and wandered ahead. We had barely crossed a few meters when suddenly my friend called out for help. I discovered that her foot had got stuck in some hole in the ground. We turned around to call our friends, but all was in vain. We tried shouting out to them but our voice drowned in the roaring, thundering sound. We panicked and held each other even more tightly. Somehow I managed to pull her leg out of the hole. Her leg was was bleeding profusely. I tore off the sleeve of my shirt and tied it as a bandage around her wound. She was limping and held onto my shoulder for support. The storm didn’t seem to abate. It was getting tougher to walk in the rain. We decided to go back to the car. We tried to retrace our steps but we had lost our way. Trees had fallen and had barricaded the route that we had just taken. We tried to look for an alternate route but couldn’t figure out any other way. I looked around as we took shelter under a large, dead oak tree. A flash of lightning briefly illuminated a house in the distance. It was a dingy and thatched house. We somehow gathered the courage to walk up to this house. The windows were broken, but the actual house seemed fine. We were speculating whether we should go inside. Then the storm decided for us. Lightning hit the roof, filling the air with sparks. We dashed onto the porch and slammed on the door. We heard a noise. I thought to myself, what was that? A chill ran down my spine. I slowly turned around. I didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t anyone around. My friend shivered with fear and I kept reminding myself to stay calm. We walked inside and realized that there was no electricity. It was pitch black. I instantly used the flashlight of my mobile phone and it revealed a big empty room. We realized that there was a rocking chair that was making the noise. We went towards it and were shocked to see an aged man in the chair. He lay absolutely still in the chair with his eyes closed. We assumed he was dead. We tried to touch him and to our shock we then confronted with a deep and husky voice asking “Who is that?” This time I panicked. I wanted to run away as fast as my feet could take me, when we saw

the old bearded man in white attire walking towards us. Our heads spun, sweat started to trickle down our brows inspite of the cold. The first thought in both our minds was â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ghost !â&#x20AC;? But the very next second our fears were allayed as he asked us to come in and take a seat. We realized that he was a poor old man who was living in this house all alone, since his family had left him there for good. We were still not too comfortable and were weary of him. He read our thoughts and asked us to relax. He went out of his way and got us fresh clothes and towels and even made us some hot tea. We could not believe our luck. We were worried about our other friends and were wondering what had happened to them. We had no means of contacting them since our phones were still not getting connected. Meanwhile, our friends also met some good Samaritan who gave them a ride in his car. They searched everywhere for us and happened to spot the house too. They came there looking for us. We were ecstatic to see them. All of us spent the remaining half of the night in the old man s house. We realized that God had been extremely kind to us. This could have turned out to be the most unfortunate night also. By morning the sun had come out casting its rays on the beautiful countryside freshly bathed and smelling so good .An earthy scent filled the atmosphere. We saw a beautiful rainbow arched outside the house. We began to wonder at the contrast nature had to offer. We also concluded that there are many good people in the world who are more than willing to help strangers in need. It felt so nice. Now as I am still lost in my flashback, I suddenly hear a loud rap on my door. The milk in my cup almost spills out. Everyone is at home and is fast asleep. Who could this be? I get a bit nervous as I walk towards the door. A thought occurs to me, maybe now it is my turn to help someone in need this Stormy Night.

8. Struck by Lightning Komal Wani (13 yrs), Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, Mumbai

I stood alone in the rain. The stormy grey clouds had burst, their resistance broken. The drops fall on my face, gently at first then pouring down, incessant, with a mighty brilliance. People around me ran for cover, any kind of shelter. Yet, there I stood as the forces of nature were unleashed. The tiny droplets hung on the lime green fence on the field where I was standing, making the fence glisten with innumerable colours. As the small drops came together, they caught the light, and they appeared to me as diamonds, iridescent, and I watched with infinite awe as the diamond fell with a gentle splash, unheard in the mighty downpour. A light breeze played along, making the puddles on the floor break into graceful ripples. Then, without warning, a powerful gust of air blew, and the puddles, by then a miniature river, splashed my feet. Out of the blue, or should I say, out of the stormy grey, came a flash- blinding light, cutting the near invisible silhouettes of objects with an eerie white, just for a few seconds, before darkness reigned again. A few moments later the deafening roar of thunder cut through the silence of the pitch-black night. Why was I still standing here? What is my purpose? Drenched in rain I’d become quite philosophical. I had realized the world is a tree- A tree on which every living being is a leaf. And, no matter how small the leaf, together we make this tree what it is. Life’s problems may toss and blow us about and when Nature deigns it fit, we are taken from our tree. However each one of us that dies, each leaf that falls, makes the tree stronger. Another flash and I felt a current pass through me. I was fallingfalling through darkness. I didn’t know where I was. I just remember the drops, healing me of sorrow, my condemnation. A man in white is looming above me- white like the lightning.

The lightning!! Was that the reason I was here? “She’s lucky to be alive! Thank God she was wearing rubber slippers! I thought she was dead for sure!!”I heard a young female voice say. “Just standing there- she was struck by lightning” said another. “Yes, she’s a tough cookie, we’ve been able to revive here,” said the man in white (who was, I inferred the doctor). “She should survive.” My eyelids flickered. Seeing movement the doctor looked at a monitor, checking my heart-rate. My heart seemed to be pacing at a hundred miles an hour but he didn’t seem to notice anything unusual. He stood over me again. That white was too bright for me to handle, I close my eyes and darkness consumed me once again. I thrashed around a bit, the doctor and nurses tried to restrain me. The nurses! White again!! I suddenly remembered that infinite calm, and stopped my movement. The doctor didn’t seem to realize that his newly washed coat was causing me extreme pain, and I couldn’t speak due to the oxygen mask over my mouth. Seeming to think I would survive without it, the nurses gently took it off. Then the doctor began the protocol. My eyes had somehow adjusted to that awful coat. He took a purple clipboard and a pen and began to fill in a form “Name?” he asked, in a formal tone, yet sweet and extremely gentle. “Komal,” I mumbled. “Contact?” he enquired in the same, kind tone. “M-my sister,” I stammered. “What is her contact number?” “Nine sev-seven six n-nine four one f-four f-four three s-six” A phone call was made to my anxious elder sister, telling her of what had befallen her younger sibling, now her only relative. Let me elaborate. My father left us when my sister Aradhnya was six and me only three. Our small family, my mother, my sister and me, lived in a small apartment in the corners of the city. Aradhnya was quite the genius, she topped her school every single year. Mother worked tables at a shabby restaurant downtown, and saved her yearly earnings so that Aradhnya and I could be educated. She went by for days without food so that our stomachs could be full. The lunch that was provided to her at the restaurant was brought

home for us: half was eaten at dinner time and the other afterschool as our lunch. She ate only, and I mean only after she was sure we were well-fed. Soon Aradhnya grew older, more mature and she began to feel my mother’s pain. We used to play this game where our father would be king of the biggest kingdom in the world. He would come for us one day and we would live in a castle with eleven course meals each day and young maidens who would attend to our every needs. We would both play multiple roles, and naive, we thought some day in the not so distant future he would actually come. When I was eight and she eleven, I tried to engage her into this very game. She snapped at me-which is not something Aradhnya did- and said, “Oh grow up, Komal! He’s never going to return. He’s GONE!! Do you understand me? Gone!” There was another night whose memory is clearly embedded in my mind. Aradhnya and I were huddled together on the bed waiting for Mother to get home. It was a chilly night, and it was raining cats and dogs outside. We tried to tune the radio and we caught snatches of voices talking about extensive floods all over the city. Thunder growled and lightning flashed relentlessly, and it seemed to me, in a mocking manner. We jumped at every sound audible sound apart from the storm outside and imagined Mother’s keys jingling every other second. Suddenly the door banged open. It was mother!! She came in her wavy brown hair drenched, her chocolate coloured eyes alive with worry and dripping from head to toe. We pounced on her and we just held that pose, all three of us locked in embrace, and then, for that moment: we were the perfect family. My mother then began suffer from Alzheimer’s dementia. She began to forget everything we told her and slowly, but steadily she began to forget us. At first, we thought age was catching up to her, but Aradhnya, realizing it was more serious, took her for a health check-up. Funds were not sufficient to take care of medical bills so we began to take care of her at home. Aradhnya at the age of fifteen, took over my mother’s job. My mother kept asking for Chirag: my father – they had a love marriage. She didn’t know who my sister or I were. On yet another stormy night my mother was wailing like a baby, asking for Chirag repeatedly. Somehow it was Aradhnya comforting her, instead of the way it happens in normal families, mother comforting daughter. I had long since realized that the losses our family had suffered made us far from normal. Aradhnya had become head of our family. She had insisted

I carry on with my education. Not a soul knew about my mother, and we wanted to keep it that way. I wouldn’t have been able to bear it if I was sent away to another family, away from my sister. The other children didn’t understand. I was the weird kid who sat alone in the breaks, never said a word. Slowly but steadily, Mother began to lose herself. She became a teen again in her mind. It drove my sister to near madness and I? I couldn’t bear that my caring mother, who caressed me when I had my nightmares taken care of me always, cleaned my wounds- ever pretty, ever strongnow didn’t know who I was. Three weeks before this incident, my mother simply walked out on us in the middle of the night and some drunken driver hit her. It was a hit-and-run and now, years later, I still don’t know the devil who robbed me of my mother. My sister came, as fast she could possibly come. I managed a small smile when I saw her. Such emotions ran across her face!! Gladness at first, that I was alive, horror at my burns, and then worry as she realized how much money this was going to cost us. Slowly, the crowd began to decrease. All were gone except one. The old man. He was the one who had brought me here, the doctor told me. He had carried me into his Mercedes-Benz and taken me to the hospital. He was dressed in an expensive looking suit and was clean shaven, with a neatly trimmed moustache. Those frail looking arms were actually pretty strong. Well, looks can be deceiving. He was about fifty years of age. I managed to sit up and gave another small smile. Aradhnya went up to him and began to thank him profusely. He was a caring man, a fatherly figure. Soon Aradhnya was pouring out all her troubles to him. None of us knew how but soon, we were talking, talking like we hadn’t since the storm came into our lives, since the lightning struck our lives. He was, for that night, the father we never had. He told us he was a bachelor business man, no family. Though Aradhnya tried to refuse, he paid my hospital bills. He even decided to pay for my education. The sky was beginning to clear... Now thirty years later, here I am sitting in my cabin, a doctor, specializing in curing Alzheimer’s. A young nurse comes in and says “Ma’am, a young girl has been struck by lightning, please make haste!!” “I’m coming,” I say, but first I take off my white lab coat.

9. The Boy Who Tried Lalita Gadam (14 yrs), The PSBB Millennium School

The Nebraska sun blinded me as I raced down the sidewalk hoping Ms. Angie wasn’t at the academy yet. The Astaire Dance School has zero tolerance for being tardy. Punishments include being put out of class for the whole hour and having a note sent to your parents. And that’s considered as a warning. As I said; zero tolerance. I hurried down the corridor with my fingers crossed and my blonde hair wildly swinging out behind me. But today luck seemed to be on my side. Ms. Angie seemed to be the one late today. “Hello Bella”, a few of my fellow dancers greeted me as I took my place in class. I strode to the mirror to adjust my hair so it wouldn’t look like I ran for my life. Ms. Angie has eyes sharper than a hawk and notices every single detail. That may or may not be good for me. A few moments later of giggling, adjusting, and stretching Ms. Angie walked through the door with a curious looking boy behind her. Whispering immediately spread throughout the whole room wondering what a boy was doing in a ballet school. Disturbed by the sudden commotion Ms. Angie cleared her throat for silence. “Thank you”, she said in her soft angelic voice after the whispers died down. “Now we all know that for the Crystal Show this winter we’re performing a routine made entirely by ourselves because we had no boy for the male role in Swan Lake.” A few heads nodded up and down in agreement and Ms. Angie continued. “But now I have good news!” She said excitedly clapping her hands and bouncing a bit so that her hazel curls danced on her shoulders. “Please meet Alex! He showed up today just in time for our class wondering if he could take classes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She said to him lightly patting his black hoodie beaming with happiness. I frowned. Something was wrong. The only kind of boys I know are specimens that only care about what they do in

sports and making sure they barely scrape a passing grade because any mark higher than that will ruin their reputation as a bad boy. I stared at him intently wondering what he was actually doing here. “And that lucky girl will be Bella!” Ms. Angie suddenly exclaimed interrupting my thoughts. “I’m sorry Ms. Angie?” I asked in confusion to why my name was being said. “You’re going to dance with Alex for the show! You’ll be our main dancer!” I stared at her back in horror. “Me?” I replied back meekly. “Yes, you!” she replied bubbling with excitement. I nodded back to her like I was hypnotized and snuck a glance at Alex. He was sitting down like the rest of us. His black shaggy hair seemed to be uncontrollable and he shifted uneasily on the teakwood. In a black and gray hoodie and dark wash skinny jeans, it made me wonder what he was here for. All he looked like to me was trouble. No way was I dancing with him. He probably wasn’t dangerous as I thought but looked just along the lines of it. His piercing green eyes turned to my direction and I quickly adverted my blue ones back to Ms. Angie hoping he didn’t notice. I heard a small chuckle coming from his side and I sighed. This was going to be a long month. I stood up with my bag smoothing down my leotard ready to get away from Alex and his creepy aura as soon as possible when Ms. Angie stopped me. “Alex and Bella can you two stay back for a while so we can discuss the matter a bit?” She asked. I mentally sighed and stood in my place near the door. “Bella, I chose you because you are the best dancer here. You dance beautifully and can coordinate with anyone I give you. Frankly I believe you are the best here and that’s why I picked you as our main dancer. Think about this before you start scoffing at the idea, okay? I think you and Alex will match perfectly together! You both are even the same height!” She reasoned making me rethink the idea. I had to admit. Ms. Angie had a way with words and the way she looks at you is enough to make you agree with her. I nodded at her wondering how she knew I wasn’t exactly in love with the idea and left out the door. He followed me all the way to the reception afraid of being lost and as soon as we went out into the evening I turned and walked back home as fast as possible. Something about him made me feel scared and I didn’t like it one bit. I walked into my house and plopped right down on the high chairs in front of the kitchen

where my mom was making macaroni and cheese. The smell made my mouth water and as I let myself breathe in the wafting scent of the cheese my mom asked how my class went. “It went horrible mom. Do you remember the reason why we were not going to do Swan Lake? Because no one could play Prince Siegfried, right? But now Ms. Angie found this weird looking boy to play him and she made me play Odette!” I ranted. She just stared back at me with an amused expression on her face. “Don’t you think you’re over exaggerating a bit, dear?” She asked me continuing with her work. I just mumbled something incomprehensible to both my mom and myself and went to my room with my head swirling with thoughts about Alex. The next ballet class on Tuesday I came early before Ms. Angie or Alex and my friend Hayden there stretching as well. “So Bella? Not so excited are we? About dancing with Alex.” She asked smirking at me a bit. “No not at all. He seems so creepy. Honestly, Hayden. Which boy do you know in this world would join a ballet class? All the boys I know are skateboardobsessed creatures that really couldn’t care less about ballet. There’s something fishy here and I’m going to get to the bottom of it even if it’s the last thing I do.” I said reasoned. “Okay then” she said rolling her eyes at my idea. “Really! There is something wrong here!” I argued and I suddenly heard another voice from behind me. “Something wrong with what?” Alex said coming up from behind me. “Uh….nothing” I said stammering wondering how much he heard. He shrugged and Ms. Angie came strolling in bouncing on her heels. “Okay class we’ve got a lot of things to practice this week so we must hurry!” she exclaimed coming towards Alex and I. “So I want the both of you to learn the steps of your main part while I teach the other dances to the rest of our class, alright?” She asked and we both nodded gloomily looking at the long piece of paper she handed us with our dance moves on it. “So I guess we have to do this” I said timidly and we started our routine. “I’m sorry. I can’t”, he said almost in a whisper. “What?” I asked in disbelief. “Why’d you join the class if you can’t dance?” He shuffled his feet a bit and stared at the ground. I cleared my throat waiting for a response. “I can’t tell you that Bella”, he murmured not even meeting my eyes. “Okay then. Can I at least teach you how to do the steps then?” I questioned. He shrugged and stood

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up a bit straighter and with that I set out to teach him. In the weeks that followed I found out that Alex knew absolutely nothing about ballet. He wasn’t as bad as I thought and he got pretty good grades. The reason why he joined class still remained a mystery to me. I knew he was hiding something and I was going to find out what. But I did get to know him better though. We had some things in common and our interests were the same as well. I was looking forward to ballet class now a lot after I became a friend of Alex. I was able to talk with him and teach him ballet at the same time. Alex, as I thought, had a great sense of humour. He was pretty motivated to get every plié, twist, turn, and pirouette right and for a beginner he had extraordinary talent. “You can give up, give in, or give it your all Bella” he always said and I nod in agreement with a smile on my face hearing another one of his quotes. When the recital was only a week and a half away I was talking a stroll in the park when I bumped into Alex. “Alex! What are you doing here?” I asked with surprise and I noticed his eyes were puffy and red like he had been crying. “Nothing. Just enjoying the fresh air, you know?” he lied. “Okay. Would you like to walk with me?” I asked a bit softly. I started talking about casual things and then when I really couldn’t help but be nosy and so I asked him why he was crying. At first he denied answering but when I kept pestering him he finally gave in. “Okay, okay. I’ll tell you. But you can’t tell anyone alright?” He made me promise. I nodded eagerly waiting to know what his secret was. He led me to a bench and we sat down. “The reason I joined ballet class was because of my mom. She died recently and when I went looking through her stuff I found out that she had always wanted her child to become a dancer. I guess since I was a boy she never forced me to do it but when I found out how much ballet meant to her I wanted Swan Lake to be a sort of a tribute to her. So I joined myself in the class and when I met you I was relieved you didn’t overreact on me not knowing ballet and actually took the trouble teaching a klutz like me.” He finished with a light laugh at the end. I stared at him with my eyes misty. “I really didn’t know” I whispered softly in amazement on how thoughtful and different this boy was. “But you really are a great dancer for a beginner” I admitted with a smile. “Why thank you Miss. You are a very nice dancer as well” he said with a fake British

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accent and kissing my hand like a prince would do. “Oh I’m flattered” I said in the same accent batting my eyelashes vigorously like a buttered up princess would. We both laughed and continued talking about more silly stuff having the time of my life with Alex. At last it was the night of the recital my parents and Alex’s dad were talking to each other happily in their seats about boring politics as our cast got ready into our costumes with Ms. Angie running around exhausted from last minute preparations. The show went wonderfully and every leap, turn, twist, jump, and plié I saw from my group was flawless. In the end Alex and I got a standing ovation as the rest of our group came out on the stage. As I bowed and got up again I heard a quote being whispered in my ear. “Every accomplishment begins with the decision to try”, he said grinning like a maniac at the crowd. I giggled back enjoying this moment waving at my parents. What a wonderful experience that I can never forget.

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10. Batman’s Best Friend Manas Vishwanath Prabhutendolkar (12 yrs), Gundecha Education Academy

“Welcome to the first match of the year 4050. This match is of great historic value as it is the ten thousandth match between Indiostrata and Inglance, known as India and England before ‘the great guerre’. Oh! See the teams are entering the stadium with pride and vigor on their faces. The Indiostrata are clad in navy blue cricket uniform and the Inglance have adorned a vermillion uniform. Look how the captains with their head held high march towards the dais for the toss. The umpires from ‘Excellence’ have tossed the coin. The Indiostrata captain, Mst Rahun Tendulkar calls for heads and lo he has won the toss and elected to bat. Let’s enjoy the match.” Said the commentators. Mst Rahun Tendulkar, the descendant of the batting maestro, ‘Sachin Tendulkar from the 21 st century’ had cricket running through his veins. As he walked out, the crowds tore their throats out by chanting,’ Rahun! Rahun!’ such was his aura that even the opponents were scared to bowl to him. The match started. The bowler took his stance with fear on his face. He was thinking where to bowl. Rahun was a batsman of such standards that he could hit any bowl for a six or boundary. Just for the heck of bowling he took his run-up and bowled a swift bouncer. Rahun carefully analysed the ball and hit a pull shot over cover for six. The next five balls also went for sixes .at this pace Rahun reached his hundred in the first five overs. The stadium roared with his name and Rahun took off his helmet and celebrated. When suddenly.. A black metal bat (the mammal) swooped down and captured Rahun by the claw. This monstrosity was made of dark black alloy and filled with so many weapons that it would have made Adolf Hitler shy. The hovering machine had a black bat inside a yellow

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oval embossed at the rear. This symbol belonged to the dark knight. Yes, the protector of Gotham city, Batman. Soon the jet took off at a lightning speed and sped through the meteor belt. In the ship Rahun was struggling to be a free man once again. The doors blocking him suddenly burst open and he lay face to face with the Gotham knight. He had his entire outfit on with the armour, glider, belt etc. He marched towards Rahun with honor and said,” I am extremely sorry for my behavior but I had to perform this act due to unavoidable circumstances. The members of the Justice League have challenged our prisoners for an intergalactic cricket match and if they win they will be free and we won’t have the power to arrest them ever again. “”So what! You guys are super heroes.” Replied Rahun.” Yes but there is one more rule and that is we can’t use abilities or tech for playing. And our spies have reported that their bowling attack is too good for us .So all the members voted for you to join us. Please do. We will be highly obliged if you join us.” Batman replied.”I would be honored but I am no super hero. Won’t that be a foul?” Was his answer.” No problem. We have covered that part up, for this match you will be known as the ‘Batsman’. Ok, did you understand what I wanted to tell you? So let’s go for the match.” Said batman.” One last question, when is the match and who is our captain?” Enquired Rahun.” The match is starting in five minutes and you are our captain. Don’t be worried you shall have no trouble in leading us. So let’s go get the prisoners back.” Encouraged Batman. “Good day, everybody. Welcome to the first ever intergalactic cricket match. I am your commentator and my name is Gordian Mentor. Today’s match is between the Justice League and the Universal Nemesis. Here! You can see the players of the Justice League enter with their sky blue jersey with a symbol of peace on it. Boo! Their foes have no sense of style. I say this because you can see their blood red jersey with skeletons all over it. It’s gross. Today is no ordinary match. This has two reasons. One is the emergence of a new savior, ‘Batsman’ and the second is, if the U. Nemesis win they will wreak havoc over all universe. The toss is taking place on the dais and Batsman has won and chosen to bat. I hope that he knows the speed of their bowlers. By the way today’s toss coin was made of will and fear .Yes, will and fear! Everybody who knows about Green Lantern will understand what I am talking about.

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And out come the two batsmen. They are the beloved Batsman and Batman. People are expecting a lot from this duo. Let us hope that our hopes are fulfilled. It is me Gordian Mentor passing my duty to Cleoro Rio de Janeiro my friend and colleague.” Said the commentator. The first ball was bowled by Joker, Batman’s arch rival. He took a long run up and bowled a lightning fast bouncer. Rahun tried to send it over cover but as soon as the ball came in contact with that the bat broke into two .The ball was declared as a no ball but Joker was successful in what he wanted to do, scare Rahun. But Rahun overcame his fear and dispatched the next 5 balls for sixes. Both Batman and Batsman destroyed the opposition by scoring a thousand runs. Rahun top scored with five hundred and ninety seven with Batman behind him at four hundred and three runs. The Nemesis had a mammoth task in front of them but still they were great cricketers. In the second innings the opponents were playing exceptionally well. They reduced this task to twenty runs in one over. This over was bowled by Rahun. The first two balls were flawless but suddenly 3 rd and 4 th bowl went for sixes and the second last delivery went for a boundary. This meant that the opponents needed four runs of the last delivery. The whole stadium was tensed. This time the ball pitched a little higher and the ball raced towards the six but suddenly Batman took a magnificent dive and caught the ball. This meant that they had won. Batman called for the hovering prison. As it arrived all prisoners were arrested except for one, Joker who tried to escape so Rahun quickly took a bat and a ball and shot it towards him. The ball hit him square on the leg and he tumbled into the prison. Rahun was the hero of the day. Later the Justice League offered him their membership but he declined because he wanted to return and play cricket for his country. After that Rahun asked Batman to escort him to his planet. Back on his soil, Rahun called for a press conference. He said, ”I had been kidnapped yesterday and I am pretty sure it provoked a huge problem in the nation. My kidnappers were the Justice League. Don’t feel sad, they did so in order to save your life. Their enemies, the tyrants who were a threat to us, had escaped and

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challenged the Justice League for an indeclinable match. And if they would have won they would be free to mistreat us and the Justice League would lose the ability to capture them. That is the reason they kidnapped me. They needed help to defeat them and they thought that I was the best card for it. I was again the opening batsman for them and my partner was the Gotham knight, Batman. We scored a thousand runs in fifty overs. Later in the bowling attack, we were not able to hold fort as they needed just twenty runs in the last over. That particular over was given to me and had Batman not taken his magnificent dived catch we would have lost. As the prisoners were being rearrested, the tyrant, Joker tried to escape but I stopped him. This was the summary of the time from when I was abducted. I would also like to request the king to please continue the match from where I had left it.â&#x20AC;? The king had agreed to his plea. And the match was set to continue in five minutes. Rahun entered the ground. The ear-piercing cheers were still there. Rahun, like usual batted like a dream. He scored one thousand and fifty runs. And took his team to five thousand two hundred and ninety two runs in fifty overs. The opponents stood no chance and were bowled out in the first ten deliveries. Rahun also got the man of the match award. He was no doubt the best player of this century. Nowadays you might even see him zooming through the galaxy with his friends, the Justice League for an intergalactic match or just for fun. But of all his friends of Justice League his best pal is Batman. And they share many adventures together. Who says super heroes canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be your best friends?

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11. That Stormy Night - The Storm That Changed My Life Mimi Ralph (13 yrs), Sharada Mandir HIgh School, Miramar, Panjim, Goa

That Stormy Night â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Storm That Changed My Life I still remember every single thing that happened that night even though several years have passed since. It will always be remembered as the most exciting and memorable day of my life. It was well past midnight and I was returning home from a late night movie with my friends. I had planned on asking my friend to drop me home, but since she looked so tired I asked her to drop me off at the main road because my apartment was only about a kilometre away from there. I started towards my flat but after five minutes the sky started rumbling and it began to rain cats and dogs. As I had forgotten my umbrella and my raincoat at home I had nothing to cover myself with. I stood under a large tree and waited till the rain turned into a little drizzle and rushed out and started running home. But two minutes later the rain was at it again! This time there was no big tree for shelter, just an old house. Wondering if there was anyone hospitable there, I knocked on the gigantic door. When no one answered I got desperate. I was standing in the rain, drenched to the skin and there was nowhere else I could take shelter. I made a quick decision to enter. Anyway, from the outside it seemed like no one lived there. What harm could it be? With a little effort, the door swung open. I carefully made my way inside and tried to switch on a few lights so that I could explore. But to my surprise none of the lights worked even though I could see in the faint light that the house was being used on a fairly regular basis. It felt guilty to just enter someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house without permission but I reassured myself by saying that if

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anyone would have been there they would have gladly welcomed me in. Meanwhile, outside there was a storm brewing and it showed no signs of stopping. There was a strong wind gushing all over the place. Branches, trees and even electrical lines were at its feet. I have to admit a very embarrassing fact; I was and still am afraid of, out of many things, the dark, thunder, storms and of being alone in an unknown place. This was the first time I had had to endure all of these together, so you can just imagine the state I was in. I walked around the room, searching for a comfortable couch or chair I could sit on. After a long search, I found a fairly comfortable chair that was just slightly moth eaten, unlike the rest of the chairs that were lying around. I waited in the little corner, where my chair was situated wondering what sort of situation I had gotten myself into. I wondered who or what lived here. Thinking about that made me scared because there was no one in the house, I was all alone, and who knew what sort of things were around me? I felt my way towards the door and sat down on the ground. I waited for a while to see if the storm would subside but luck wasn’t on my side. The rain continued to pour as if it would never stop. I knew my parents wouldn’t worry about me because I had told them that I may stay at my friend’s house if the movie ended too late. But now I wanted to eat my words. Behind the door, the storm was wrecking everything. I could hear all sorts of noises branches breaking, wind howling, trees falling and what not. I just hoped that the old house was strong enough to hold its roof up. I was thinking about how I would explain the wet clothes and the little leaves in my hair to my mother when I heard something coming from the other end of the room. I couldn’t even begin to think of what it was. The noise grew louder and I more scared by each passing minute. When I finally got fed up of sitting in the little corner, I slowly made my way to other end of the room. The sound was coming from somewhere under the window. It took me a little time to find the source of the sound but when I did, boy, oh was I surprised! It was a box of empty beer bottles placed near the window and the wind was moving over the mouths of the bottles making a noise that sounded like ‘whoosh’.

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I was wondering how they got there when suddenly the door swung open and some people walked in through the door! They were carrying some big flashlights and had rucksacks perched on their backs. There were 3 men and 4 women, 7 in all. They didn’t notice me because I, after seeing them, immediately curled up in the nearest chair, hidden in the darkness. At first I wondered if they were looking for shelter from the storm, like me, when I heard one of the men say,” good job everybody. Today’s job was a success. Everyone did their jobs well. Harold, you timed the distraction perfectly, which is a skill I have yet to master. Sonny, you picked open the lock in 3 seconds flat, which shows how much your practice helped. Ramona, you helped us slip past the guard dogs by hypnotising them into thinking you were a friend very cunningly. Ciara and Ashley, both of you slipped into the house and packed up the loot without anyone noticing. Samantha, you broke into the alarm system without anyone noticing, which is something you have to teach me! Sierra, you drove at about 160 miles per hour delivering us to safety in our other secret hideout in the forest ages before the police could even be informed. I am truly the luckiest burglar in the world to have a team like this! But don’t forget, the master plan was all made by me, your leader.” After nodding their heads in approval to ‘the leader’s’ last remark they let their rucksacks fall to the ground and sat down on two long couches that were facing each other. After talking for a while they all started upstairs to what I think were bedrooms. Meanwhile I was sitting in the corner shocked at what I had just heard! These people were thieves! And what bad luck I had to think of choosing shelter in this particular house, their secret hideout! I was too stunned to think of what I should do next. Should I venture into the rain and go call the police? Should I go home? Should I just stay put and move out when the storm died down? I decided that the last option was stupid because it would be only a matter of time before those thieves discovered me and god only knew what they would do to me. I slowly ventured out, closing the door behind me. The police station was to the right and my apartment was to the left. I had to take a quick decision. After thinking for what seemed like a long time, I realized that by going home I was going to let these criminals go on

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robbing innocent people but if I went to the police these truly horrible people would be behind bars. I starting running towards the police station and I reached there in less than three minutes, which was record time for a slow runner like me. Scared stiff, I entered the police station. I looked around for a kind looking policeman and to the far end of the room I saw a kind-looking young woman constable. I went up to her and asked her if she could help me. She was very nice and asked me what I wanted. I recited my entire story to her and with each passing minute she sat there, looking more and more dumbfounded. Even after I had finished, she gaped at me. When another constable noticed her expression and asked her what had happened she recovered and asked me to tell them my story. At first, many of them didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe me but then suddenly a person ran into the police station and announced that a house in the neighbouring district had been looted and money and jewellery worth more than 5 lakhs was missing. About 15 cops and I went to the house in 5 police cars. They told me that they would have sent me home but they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know where the house was. I advised them to put off the blaring siren because that would alert the robbers and they would pack up their equipment and escape even before we reached. When we reached the house they told me to wait in the car with the kind woman constable in one of the cars. They first surrounded the house and then started entering, two at a time. I could hear a lot of noises coming from the bedrooms. First there were cries of surprise, then there was a lot of swearing, then there were many cries of protest. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make head or tails of what was going on up there. After what seemed like ages, they finally came downstairs. All the seven criminals looked furious and glared at me. I guess the policemen must have told them that I had tipped off the police. If looks could kill, I would have dropped dead on the floor the instant they looked at me. Even though each of them had two policemen on either side I still kept a safe distance away from them because they looked angry enough to strangle me. They went back to the police station in four cars and the fifth one took me back home. When I reached back home, safe and sound, my parents were waiting for me as they were

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worried. They had called up my friends to ask them whether I was staying with them and they had told them that one of them had dropped me off at the main road over an hour ago. After reciting my action-packed tale to my parents, the constable who had bought me home told them that I was a very brave girl and I had done the right thing tonight by calling the police instead of running home and letting criminals like them on the loose. The constable also said that what the country needed these days were citizens like me and that they could use someone like me on the police force. After hearing everyone’s compliments about me, I was overwhelmed. I thanked the constable for all the nice things he said about me and settled down to have a good night’s sleep while my parents talked to him a little while longer. The next day I was all over the papers! The headlines read – “Young school girl helps police nab much wanted criminals”. I guessed that this was what the constable had talked to my parents about when I had gone to my room to sleep, whether or not it would be okay if there were articles about the incident on the papers. At my school, I was the new big thing. Everyone was asking me how I managed to pull it off, or whether or not I was scared, or congratulating me. I had the time of my life. This incident changed my life because me - a once shy, quiet child became the most popular kid in the school. This truly was the best day (or rather, night) of my life and to think it all happened because of a storm.

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12. The Boy Who Couldn’t Dance BIMAL (13 yrs), The PSBB Millennium School, Girungambakkam, Chennai

David Walker, the 12 year old New York boy who won the Guinness world record for dropping more than 12,999 household items on the floor, could not dance. You may be itching all over to ask me, “Young lady, what do you mean by that?” Well, that’s what this story is all about, how David the boy who couldn’t dance, danced! When David Walker walked into his 8.30, Monday morning dance class, he knew things were going to be bad. And it wasn’t because he had walked under a ladder, stepped on a dozen cracks on the pavement and crossed path with his neighbor’s black cat Miss Bessie. The moment he walked into the class, he bumped into a shelf with stacks of dance CDs which tumbled down. To avoid getting hit by the hip-hop hustle music, he stumbled into a line of neatly arranged girls who started to fall like dominoes. Then he tripped on someone’s long legs and found himself on Big Martin’s lap, who now looked like a very hungry carnivore! The CDs? They fell on top of Taylor Mercy, who is not known to keep calm in any situation. The hysterical girl whose famous tag line was “I’m dying I say, I’m dying!” was lead out by a clearly worried teacher. After all that screaming, shouting and scoldings from his “friendly” classmates and ever so kind teachers, David was sent to the Principal’s for a hand to cheek talk. And the funny thing was, it never ever stopped! At the end of it all, he ended up with bruises and bumps and even a nearly fractured leg (caused by Big Martin, who simply said that he and David were practicing the latest dance hit ‘break a leg) And all this because of trying to dance! He had no idea why this was happening. His legs were jinxed was the first thought. The part of the brain which controlled dancing had a permanent malfunction. Or it was his parent’s fault, why didn’t

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they ship him off to dance school the moment he was born? But he knew one thing for sure. He had to avoid dance classes at any cost to avoid getting killed alive! The list on ways to avoid dance class was never ending. And finally one evening, when he was slumped in the kitchen chair, head buried in his hands, he decided enough was enough. His parents would find out sooner or later, see his report card with all Fs for dance and there was definitely no point in going,” But Mom, ‘F’ means Fantastic, don’t you know?” His life was officially over. That’s when Lady Constance, his grandmother walked in. Now, his grandma was a sweet lady though a bit batty, and carried a stuffed skunk in her right hand and an eagle carved walking stick which she claimed to have belonged to a prince, in her left. She also declared that her husband was a Lord and owned two castles in England, but everyone knew Grandpa Mathew was a normal man who made sure his wife got everything she wanted. She even made her name Lady Constance legal and she’d karate-chop anyone who dared to call her otherwise. “Hello Lady Constance, how was your day?” David said looking up at her. “David darling, I haven’t seen you for hours! My, haven’t you grown? Now why that frowny face, child?” , she cried waving the skunk around. David didn’t need anymore prompting and blurted out the entire story to her. Grandma may be a barmy talker but she was a wonderful listener. “Well”, she said when he was done, I quite agree with you. Its time you got your act together and found yourself the best dance teacher money can buy.” David’s mouth dropped open. The Walkers were not what you would call, people with money flowing out of their pockets. “You must e kidding Lady Constance, but who on earth is this tutor and who’s going to pay?” he asked puzzled. “Why, ME of course!” she cried doing a little jig with her feet.” I used to be quite a dancer when I was your age, David. I danced my way out of everything!” David was shocked, amazed and speechless. Lady Constance must have seen his disbelieving face because before David could stop her, she had tossed aside her darling stuffed skunk and her walking stick and started to pull out a few disco moves, her entire body bouncing off the walls. At that precise moment, David’s

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poor unsuspecting mother walked into the kitchen with a stack of dishes. Imagine the scene- your 80 year old grandma starts dancing around your kitchen like a 5year old and your mother walks in and sees her aged mom trying to do cartwheels. You can’t blame her for dropping the dishes, can you? “Never underestimate your honorable Lady Constance”, she chuckled. The next few days passed by in a whirl of disco lights and dancing shoes. It seemed that every free time that David had was spent pulling out Michael Jackson moves in front of the mirror. Lady Constance’s dance tutoring was becoming even more strenuous and exciting than ever before as the lil’ old grandma pulled some signature Elvis Presley moves which impressed David’s Mom and Dad who were finally getting used to her singing and dancing. David wondered when on earth he would get to showcase his newly acquired dancing skills. The moment he had been waiting for came in the form of pink fluorescent posters placed all over town. The school was organizing a charity talent show and it was open to the students and their family. David knew this was his best chance to prove himself. Head held high, he walked all the way to Mighty Marley’s dance class to register, ignoring even the snidest comments like, “Oh look over there, klutzy David is going to sign up! I wonder what he is going to perform, definitely not dancing!” Even Miss Marley could not believe her eyes. The Gods must be dancing she thought. The moment he got home, he ran into his grandmother’s arms, took a long shuddering breath and blurted out the day’s events. “David my darling boy” she said, “I love you very much and from the bottom of my heart, I beg you not to give up. We will fight those scoundrels like the bravest of soldiers!”, she cried brandishing her walking stick like an imaginary sword. “I love you too sweetheart and I believe you have it in you to show those people that you can be the best if you really try. Me and your father will support you forever and always, no matter what, remember that”, his mother whispered appearing at David’s side. And as they watched and laughed at Lady Constance’s antics, David knew that with his grandma’s advice and tutoring, his mother’s ever-loving smile and his father’s supporting hand, things were going to be much better than planned!

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Backstage, David was on tenterhooks. Will he remember all the steps? Was he supposed to shake his leg? It was all too confusing. The thought of Lady Constance performing with him didn’t help at all, in fact it made him even more nervous. As more and more acts went on stage, David felt his watch of fate ticking. “Last but not the least, our final act for the night, give it up for David Walker and Lady Constance!” There was an immediate chorus of booing and laughter and the judges exchanged worried looks. David the town klutz and his little old grandma were going to dance!? What a riot! David felt his heart sinking, all his hard work for nothing? “Why?” Grandma yelled. “You don’t think an old lady like me and this little boy can dance? HIT IT!” And the next thing you know, they were pulling out zombies-ona-Friday-night moves, bursting with energy and professionalism. Stunning an audience of 500, there was no doubt who the winner was and win they did, both the trophy and along with it, the hearts of all the people gathered there. Now I am going to let you all into a little secret that Lady Constance told me…the dear old lady had no idea how to dance! She just made it all up to help her poor grandson and now she was getting a shiny award for knowing how to. The moral? Make up your mind and you can conquer anything!

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13. The Shadow of The Storm Nilanjana Chakrabarty (14 yrs), Cathedral and John Connon Senior School

~~~~~December 22nd 1987 ~~~~ “I think it’s going to rain tonight.” Rachel said excitedly from across the room, from her spot near the window. I looked at her with a surprised expression. Rachel had never been an outdoor person; she had always hated the rain as far back as I can remember. She was always one of those little fragile ten year olds who loved sun and the color pink. “You seem awfully excited about the rain all of a sudden.” I remarked as I flipped through some books. I looked up and almost jumped back to see Rachel standing in front of me. How did she get here so fast? I thought. My younger sister looked at me curiously as if she had never seen me before. Her green eyes were startlingly green and combined with her pale blond hair and her distant expression, she actually looked scary. “Ok, that’s it Jamie, no more horror movies for you for a week,” I said to myself. I mean I was being ridiculous. I was a sixteen year old girl and if I was getting spooked out by a little bad weather and my sister’s weird behavior then I seriously needed to reconsider my age. “But your parents aren’t here either and it’s not Rachel who is creeping you out it’s that doll with her,” a voice said. It was true, my parents had gone to stay with my grandmother who was very sick. They had trusted me with the responsibility of looking after Rachel for one night. My eyes traveled slowly to the doll that was in my little sister’s hand. The doll stared back at me with those same uncannily bright green eyes that my sister was looking at me with. The doll had that same pale blonde hair reaching till her shoulders exactly as my sister’s. I took a shaky breath and reminded myself that I was the grown up in the house and the doll was simply an inanimate object which bore an uncanny resemblance to my sister.

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My sister hopped back to her position near the window while I continued flipping through my books, trying my best to ignore the doll whose lifeless eyes were looking right at me. I woke up, startled, in the middle of the night. I looked at my clock which said that it was little past midnight. I got up to drink some water and check on Rachel. The storm had come on with full force now and I knew Rachel would be hiding under her blanket, scared of the storm. I was pretty surprised that she hadn’t come to my room already and cuddled up with me. I walked down the dark hallway aware that the only noise coming was from outside where the rain came down with vengeance hoping to destroy everything in its path. I turned the lights on as I entered the kitchen sleepily trying to reach for some water. But I jumped back and spilt the water as I saw my sister standing on the door in her thin white night dress with her hair blowing in the wind. “Rachel you scared me,” I said giving a nervous laugh. She simply kept staring, as if she saw right through me. I turned around to see where she was staring at and my eyes fell on an antique mirror in our living room. Our living room was probably worse than an antique shop. My parents who are antique collectors bought anything dated before the 1900s that they could get their hands on. In fact our house was also very old and we had found Rachel’s doll sitting nicely on her bed as if it was meant for Rachel when we had first moved in. I step closer to the mirror and saw nothing unusual except the reflection of a thin sixteen year whose brown hair was all over her face and hid her hazel eyes from view. It was the same thing I saw every time I looked into the mirror. I was about to turn around when a reflection in the mirror caught my attention. My sister stood there staring straight at the mirror but that’s not what caught my attention. What caught my attention was her shadow that was cast due to the faint moonlight streaks coming from outside. It showed an exact outline of who she was but instead of one shadow like normal people had, she had two! I stood frozen, my hands shaking. My suspicions about the doll had been right. I stood staring at the mirror for a long time and finally got the courage to turn back. Rachel still stood there not saying a word; the doll was clutched in her fingers and was staring

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right at me its eyes not seeming lifeless anymore. As for the doll’s shadow, instead of a miniature shadow was a full grown shadow identical to my sister’s. Thunder rumbled and I looked up staring at my sister whose eyes were strangely lifeless exactly like how the dolls had been a few hours ago. “Jamie Patrick,” she said, her voice cold and high which was completely opposite to my sister’s warm and sweet voice. “Rachel what happened to you?” I asked, terrified. “I’m not Rachel,” She said. “Rachel’s gone.” I froze as my heart beat faster, keeping pace with the rain pattering on the roof. No, that couldn’t be my sister. “What have you done to her?” I screamed, but the howling of the storm drowned my voice. The girl in front of me gave a sick and twisted smile and pointed to the family picture above the mantel. Rachel’s face had been scratched out and there was a big circle on my face. “She’s part of a greater cause.” I whip my head around to see the girl only a few inches away from me. I whimpered and fell back as the girl said, “And you’re next.” The last thing I remembered was the howling of the wind as the storm blew in full speed drowning out my screams. ~~~~~May 4th, 2013~~~~ “Hayley wake up.” A dignified old lady said as she tried to nudge the twelve year old on her couch awake. Looking at the surroundings you could make out that it was a therapist’s office, with the old lady scribbling on a clipboard. A neat certificate hung above the couch in which the girl sat up, disoriented. It confirmed that the lady was a psychologist who specialized in therapy and hypnosis. “Will she be better now?” a woman of about forty asked who could only be identified as the girl’s mother with her blond hair and blue eyes that they both shared. The therapist gave a nod, “Yes she should be better now, past life regression should help in these matters.” The lady stared at her. “She will be a little disoriented for a while but I doubt she will remember much,” added the therapist. “But do you think that her absurd fear of stormy nights will go away?” her mother asked. “Hayley?” the therapist said completely ignoring the mother, “What do you remember?”

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Hayley looked up and shook her head and said, “Nothing much Doctor Walter, I just remember a storm.” “And are you scared of them now?” she asked. “No,” Hayley replied. The doctor smiled and her grey eyes that were as sharp as a knife became softer. “Good girl Hayley, now here is my gift for being such a brave girl.” She said handing Hayley a rectangular box. Hayley shrieked with joy and opened the box to find a tiny doll in it. Hayley gave a big smile and muttered, “Thank you.” Doctor Watson smiled thinking about how she had been gifted the doll long back and had never been particularly fond of it. Its green eyes and blond hair looked unnaturally real and the eyes seemed to follow you. The Doctor could have sworn that when Hayley spared the doctor one last smile and opened the door the faint light casting her shadow on the wall showed two instead of one, just as the wind outside began pick up speed marking the start of a storm.

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14. Time Warpm Ojas Tripathi (12 yrs), Bombay Scottish School

It was the finals of the India vs South Africa series. Virat Kohli was just 3 runs away from his century. Virat was poised and determined to complete his maiden century with a mighty six. As soon as the bowler bowled the next ball he lifted his bat to hit the ball over the boundary. Suddenly, however, the ball started slowing down at an unusually fast rate. In fact it stopped in the air after one bounce, the bowler froze in an awkward pose and the sound of the audience in the stadium stopped. The only thing moving in the stadium was Virat. Even the fielders were frozen. Then a shadow cast over the stadium and a large black bat shaped jet landed vertically in the stadium next to the boundary. A small ramp descended from the ship and a black figure slowly walked out of it. Virat could make out that the figure was a man and that he was limping. He rushed to help him and then took him to the stands and put him on a chair. He saw the man clearly now and knew it was Batman as he was wearing a black costume, a black mask and a black cape with the bat symbol on his chest. Virat noticed a large and deep cut on his leg which was probably made by a knife. He got a first aid kit and cleaned the wound before bandaging it. Now the Batman spoke for the first time. He asked Virat “Whats your name”. Virat replied “Virat. Virat Kohli”. Then Batman said “I know all this must be very strange for you. But it has an explanation. My biggest enemy the “Joker” asked Lex Luthor to build him a machine that could freeze time. When Lex Luthor built it for him the Joker used it to freeze time but since I was in my jet it couldn’t freeze me in time. It couldn’t even freeze you in time as when you swung your bat you warded of its waves. When I was trying to catch the Joker he threw his knife at my leg and injured me and I had no choice but to retreat.”. Suddenly there was a loud humming sound

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and another jet landed in the stadium. This jet looked more like a joker’s face. A ramp lowered from the back of the jet and the Joker came out. He was wearing a purple coat and had a pale white face and two scars on either side of his lips which made it look like he was smiling. He had a dynamite stick in one hand and a knife in the other. He was slowly walking towards Batman. Batman told Virat to hide. Virat went to hide behind the stands. The Joker threw the dynamite stick towards Batman but he dove out of harms way carefully. Then as he slowly got up with the bandage on his leg he threw a batarang towards the Joker but the Joker fend it of with his knife. Then Batman threw an explosive batarang towards the Joker which threw him backwards onto his jet. Then Virat got an idea and hit a ball so precisely that it hit the switch in the Joker’s ship and broke it. Now the ramp started closing and there was nothing the Joker could do about it. Batman threw another explosive batarang towards the jet and broke the time freezing mechanism. This activated a self-destruct mechanism which would blast the machine in 10 minutes. Then the Joker took off and flew away. Even Batman thanked Virat for his hospitality and went away quickly after the Joker. Virat grabbed his bat and got ready to hit the ball frozen in the air. when everything unfroze. The ball came slowly and Virat hit it out of the stadium for a six and completed his century. Later on team India won the match and Virat Kohli was declared man of the match. The whole fight with the Joker had happened in the blink of an eye and nobody except Batman and Virat knew about it. When he went home Virat found an oddly shaped, black coloured package on his doorstep. He opened it and found a batarang, a letter and a small remote with only one button. Virat understood that the package was from Batman. He started reading the letter. It said “Hey Virat thanks for the help with the Joker. As a token of my appreciation I have sent you a batarang but if you don’t get it then it’s the postal company’s fault. Ihave also sent you a distress helper remote. Whenever you need help, just press the button. Again if you don’t get the remote it’s the postal company’s fault. Yours sincerely, The Dark Knight.” This made Virat the first Batsman to meet the Batman. If you pardon the pun.

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15. Two Disparate Worlds Sauravjyoti Nath, Shrimanta Shankar Academy, Class 9, Guwahati

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I live in a world far from you.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The citation had a complex allusion and formed an enigmatic conception inside my mind. I looked around my capacious room filled with some absurd stuff. The walls were painted lime green and the room had a structural beauty of itself. Moments ago, I had an appreciative compassion for this room of mine. But an event, a rather complacent event, took me to a world I never knew existed. The world of darkness. I was never allowed by my partial parents to know about my nation. The nation which divided itself into two nations. But, when an emigrant tried to overcome from his nation of darkness to our nation of illumination, the truth destroyed the land of obscurity to answer my lifelong interrogative thoughts. It all started from a subsequent knock on our door. *** The night was filled with a disruptive aura of stillness. A slight drizzle was in advance, answering the call of a devastating storm. I sat on my bed, with illogical reasoning filing my mind. The nebulous thinking created a sharp headache, the kind of headache which strains every muscle of your mind. The storm was unfurling its impact, as I noticed trees swaying vigorously through the window pane. The night was a typical night in our country, with the monsoon winds bringing back its mortifying state. I was going through my splitting head when I heard a subsequent knock on the door. I went to answer the knock with swift footsteps. A visitor during that untimely moment of the night was certainly uncanny. I walked through the common room to find my mom

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with her back facing me. Her hair bum was puffed up and her left hand was pushing against the opened frame of the door. She looked like talking to someone in a low tone, with her puffed hair bum moving animatedly. After some arid moments which looked like hours to me, she backed away from the door to clear the path of a human animal. The creature looked like a human being with the same age group as mine, but his torn apart vest and his black toned skin transferred upon me a feel to retch. He had large eyes and his face was cut with a sharpened object. He was wet from head to toe due to the storm. He gave a precipitant look at the whole dimension of the house and then, his eyes met mine. I gave one scanty glance at him and turned to my mother. She gesticulated me to get out of the room. She didn’t want me to stay with a poor wanderer. But I knew the actual reason of her urgency. She didn’t want me to walk into the dark truth. The genuine truth. I took a U turn from the living room and banged the door shut. I wanted to travel out of the light and into the dark. I gave a false illusion of my exit and pushed my ear against the door hard enough to pay attention to every significant word which parted out from their lips. A heavy tone broke the ice and started my voyage through the rough tides enunciating abstract torment. “Madam, May I have a glass of water?” I made out the voice of the creature. His appalling face suggested his distorting voice. I heard the rattling of a glass and a noisy gurgle of water poured on the glass during the time interval. After an ephemeral silence, the conversation broke out again. “Thank you Madam. It was very kind of you.” The creature said. “Son, what happened?” My mom started her interrogations. “Madam, I can’t understand.” He said. The fluorescent tube flickered above my head as some moths flew recklessly around it. A repairing needed to be done, I thought. “Where did you come from son? You don’t look like from our locality.” My mother asked the creature while I was busy noticing a moth resting above my head.

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“I live in the slums.” He said. “It is quite far away from here. Isn’t it, son?” My mom said. I could feel the intensity in her voice. My father was not at home, so she had the contingency to adopt every detail of the creature. I never understood the absolute sense of her sympathetic behavior to that creature, but it helped me to understand the life of a boy, a boy who longed to live a life. “Yes madam.” The creature said. The creature spoke out his ray less life to my mom as I tried to merge myself with him. I caught out his struggle to form his life. I misconstrued his physical attire. I accepted that a creature was always horrid in his appearance, but the appearance was like a shield for the pearl it accommodated inside its soul. I imagined myself being at the slum, picking up the crushed bottles all day long. The day ended with a putrid odor from my body, creating a feel to regurgitate. The evenings were spent by the river side, with the boys splashing the filthy Ganga water on each other. The dusk meant that the picked up bottles needed to be transported to the recycling factory, where the crisp notes awaited for their clients. It is amazing how people are much more passionate about some cryptic notes than their fellow buddies. According to the creature’s narrative, his father was a patient of tuberculosis, a disease meant for the people from the darkness. He depicted the day his father spitted out blood. He rushed out of the thatched hut to call the doctor. His mother was scampering all around the house, searching for an aid. He rushed out from the dark country and went to the nearby hospital. The weather was creating a nebulous belief in his mind. The weather was enunciating a stormy appearance which in his belief was enough to wipe out their undivided colony. He walked in the hospital to find a doctor, but all he could find was an ephemeral yet redundant glance from the staffs and nurses. He walked out of the hospital, his vest dripping wet due to the drops of water which accompanied the mighty storm. He walked through the destruction, the detrimental destruction to find their roof of the house blown

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away by the baleful wind. He walked inside to find his mother sleeping with an eternal feel of peace. He saw his father lying on the floor, with drops of blood discharged on the muddy floor. He walked around his parents before realizing that he turned into an orphan. *** His eyes created tear beads which came down his face. I looked through the keyhole to find my mom pressing his hand to create a feel of affection. He sat on the raised chair while his tear beads grew bigger as time went on. “What’s your name son?” My mom asked, fighting back her tears. “Rahim.” He said, wiping his tears off from his face. “Rahim, what have you been doing now?” My mom asked. “Madam, I have been working in a tea shop these days. I earn quite a lot Madam.” He said with a smile. “How much do you earn son?” My mom asked. “Rs 200 a month.” He said with a smile quivering on his lips. My lips too produced a smile. I thought there still were a lot of inhabitants in our country who know nothing about money. My mom gave a wry smile and said, “Son, would you mind to have a brother and a mother in the form of my son and me?” He looked down for a brief moment and said, “Madam, I thank you whole heartedly for your kindness. I never thought you would give me shelter from this striking storm. But, I cannot help myself by being your so called son.” My mom looked at him in surprise and asked, “Why son? What is the matter?” He stood up from his offered chair and shared his epilogue, “I live in a world far from you madam. I can’t walk out from the darkness. I am destined to live there.” He said and walked out from the common room to open the door. My mom stood up, looking startled. He opened the door to find out that the storm was gone, causing an exalted destruction which came around his path. He looked back to my mom and said,”Madam, the people of darkness is compelled to live through the storm

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while people like you can skip the storm. We are prejudiced even by the Almighty.” He gave one scanty look and shut the door. My mom stood there, without any noticeable movement. I looked away from the keyhole and walked into my room. *** I looked through the window as the night grew denser with the rain growing stronger. I stood up from my bed and looked through my window. The storm was growing more intense. I looked through the deafening storm and thought, ’This night is not the same for everyone.’ ***

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16. That Stormy Night Simran Shankardass (13 yrs), Cathedral and John Connon School, Middle School, Mumbai

I struggled to open my eyes, blinking to adjust to the dark. I had no idea how long I had been lying there. I raised my hand weakly to shield my eyes from the flashes of lightning and the relentless, pounding rain, and found that my fingers were still shaking. When I lifted my other hand, I saw that the metal key - the most important element of my experiment - was no longer in my grasp. I forced myself to sit up, trembling, and looked around for the key in dismay. The small rowing boat I was in lurched to the side and I grew dizzy again. I fell onto my back. What I had done was dangerous, it was risky, and it was deadly. However, it had been necessary. I wanted to prove to the world that electricity was connected to lightning, and that metal could absorb the lightning strikes and conduct the electricity. Could I have been successful? I tried to gather myself, replaying the events of the last few hours in my head. I had been trying desperately to find a way to prove what I had long suspected â&#x20AC;&#x201C; lightning was a source of electricity and metal could tame it. Some colleagues and I had toyed with this theory before, trying to find different ways to determine it, but after two of them had nearly died from electrocution, they had given up. They no longer wanted to help. How could I blame them? I took it upon myself to do it. I had finally come up with a way to prove it; an experiment that I knew would be dangerous and could easily result in my own death. I had racked my brains, and finally come up with a plan. I wanted to see what would happen to a piece of metal when it was struck by lightning in the middle of a thunderstorm. At first, I did not know how to suspend the piece of metal in the air. Finally, I settled on tying it to a kite string and letting the wind carry the kite up, taking the metal with it.

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This was no small task. It meant that I would have to venture out in the middle of a thunderstorm. However, my excitement was too great for me to give up on it, and so I waited, preparing myself for a day when a thunderstorm was expected. Soon, the perfect day arrived. The likely shower was predicted for the evening. I scurried out of the tiny laboratory in my office, helping myself to a very old, very heavy metal key from one of the cupboard doors. I had a kite with me, made of thick paper. I tied the rusty key to the kite string, and when I was satisfied that it would hold, I hurried out of the office and headed out. The rain hadn’t started when I arrived at the lake. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the sun was still in the sky, sending dusty streams of light everywhere. I waited impatiently next to the rickety boat I had anchored by the lake earlier. Where was the thunderstorm? If it didn’t arrive, I would be very disappointed. I had been waiting to do the experiment for so long! Tonight had to be the night. I checked my watch impatiently, hopping from one foot to the other. The sun was low now. Then I felt a stream of cold air rush over me. If the wind was starting up, it meant the storm wasn’t far. Sure enough, when I looked at the sky, a massive cluster of black clouds was looming, like a swarm of mosquitoes. It moved incredibly fast, and soon it was hovering above me. There was tension in the air; it felt as though the rain was straining against the clouds, threatening to break free. Then it started. The rain fell, transforming the calm sky into a mass of black and gray and turning the dirt on the ground into sticky mud. The earth was suddenly spongy and wet, giving way beneath my feet. I didn’t wait another moment, leaping into the boat, tossing the kite, key, and my bag under a shining blue tarpaulin. I picked up the wooden oars and started rowing quickly. I needed to reach the centre of the lake before a full-fledged downpour swung into action. By the time I got to a suitable spot in the lake, no sign of the peaceful landscape remained. Gusts of wind tore angrily at the scrubby bushes and trees. The clouds were as dark as the sky, swirling furiously and letting loose unforgiving sheets of heavy rain. It was a matter of seconds before I was soaked to the skin. The sky was an inky, forbidding veil over the sun. The wind was strong

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now, whipping the lake into a frenzy of spray and water. Before, there had been no ripples in the water. Now, there was nothing but a mess of swirling waves, lashing against the side of the boat and crashing against the shores. There was no light at all; the world was suddenly dark and cold. Freezing currents of air ripped at me, tossing my boat about in the lake, making it impossible for me to hold still. The storm roared around me. The raindrops that insisted on obscuring my vision made me wish I had tiny umbrellas for my eyes. I tried to look into the distance. There was still no sign of lightning. I began to despair. Without lightning, there could be no experiment, and then my plan would have been a failure. Suddenly, my boat reeled forward. Before I knew it, I was flung over the side like a sack of flour. In an instant, I found myself plummeting into the icy depths of the lake. The water was so cold that it seemed hot, like it could scald someone if they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t careful. My eyes burned painfully, as though they were on fire. I was supposed to be an intelligent scientist! Why had I made such an unwise decision and rowed out into the middle of a lake in a raging thunderstorm? There was only one clear thought in my head. I could not die. There was a lot I needed to achieve in the field of science, and I would not let it end like this. With my strength ebbing, I kicked up, but to no avail. I kicked up again, fueled on by the thought of proving my theory and harnessing a new source of power for the world. I felt myself rising. My lungs seemed full to bursting. I had no air left, and I needed to break to the surface or I had no chance of survival. Finally, my head crashed through the water. I gasped and let the oxygen revive me. Before the water had a chance to wrench me down again, I lunged out, catching hold of something â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the edge of the boat. I tugged myself over the side and rolled onto my back, shuddering and catching my breath. By some stroke of luck, the tarpaulin was still secure, and the essential pieces of my experiment were safe and sound. All I needed now was a flash of lightning. It was as if the sky had read my mind. A blinding glare of light lit up the sky for a moment, and about two seconds later, the loudest clap of thunder I had ever heard filled my ears. It seemed like the

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sky itself was shouting. I stumbled to my feet, wary of the way the boat heaved around. In my hands were the kite and the key, both already drenched in the merciless rain. I threw the kite into the air, unprepared for the sudden, fierce tug as the wind caught it. It was nearly snatched from my grip, but I managed to hold onto the string. This was the most crucial part of the experiment. It was also highly dangerous. However, there was no going back now. A few more sparks of lightning flared across the sky, silent but deadly. When the sky died down after a flicker of light, impressions of the clouds danced across my eyes. Loud, resounding thunderclaps stayed in my ears. I waited patiently for lightning to strike the kite, which was flitting around raggedly, first on one side of me - the heavy key not affecting its movement in the slightest - and then suddenly slashing across the sky to the other. Suddenly, I felt a tingling in the air. The sharp smell of electricity was present. The last thing I remembered seeing was a cluster of sparks staggering along the length of the string, and then reaching the key. Then I felt a burning, scalding pain like I had never felt before. I was thrown backwards, the kite string flying out of my hands. My spine screamed from the agony of the electric shock, and my head hit the bottom of the boat. My sides were shaking, and I was helpless as the pain took over. Then my eyes slammed shut and the world went dark. Now, after coming to, I lay in the boat, my arms and legs quaking from the intensity of the shock. I managed to prop myself up against the side of the boat, the cold water around me now welcome. I was sore, and my entire body was aching. I could barely move. I was almost too scared to be elated. I knew that I would have to wait for the shower to abate before attempting to reach the shore. I decided, instead, to search for the key. I moved the tarpaulin to the side, letting it hang over the edge of the boat; it was of little use to me now. Strangely, the key was still in the boat. It must have fallen there when I had blacked out. I reached out and touched it, and cried out when a small shock ran through my hand. However, it was nothing like the one I had received earlier. Looking at the kite string, which was still tied to the key, I noticed that it was smoking slightly. I did not dare to touch the key, for fear of getting shocked

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a third time. I retired to one end of the boat, waiting for the rain to stop falling and for the waters of the lake to subside. Another hour passed before the storm abated. I was very excited that my experiment had worked. I rowed back to the shore, thinking of the new possibilities thrown up by the night’s events that could help the world tremendously. Since I now knew that metal could absorb and conduct the electricity from lightning, I could build a long, hardy metal rod that could be attached to the outside of a house. Then, if lightning struck the house, the rod would absorb the strike, conducting the electric charge into a cable connected to the lower end, which would be buried at least ten feet under the ground. This invention would decrease the amount of lightning-caused fires enormously. I could change the world with this invention. I decided to call it the lightning rod. As I neared the shore, I saw the silhouettes of many people in the dark. I could hear shouting voices. My friends and family must have been looking for me. They had clearly gone into my office and discovered my plans. I had forgotten about how my absence would worry them. They would be angry, but they would forgive me once I told them what I had proved! I braced myself for the accusations. I heard someone shout out, probably having spotted me. “Benjamin! Benjamin Franklin! Is that you? What on earth were you thinking? Do you know what you have put us through? We thought a clever man like you would know better than to go out in the middle of a storm!”

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17. The Exchange Tanish Botadkar (12 yrs), G.D. Somani Memorial School, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai

It’s the last ball of the Indian innings! They need 6 run to win to qualify for the finals. Dhoni, the man on strike is at 94 runs. India needs 6 to win and six for a century for Dhoni. Mitchell Johnson, the Australian bowler is also all fired up. Having already taken 2 wickets in this over and a total of 4 wickets in this match he is ready for a 5 wicket haul. The whole crowd has gone silent. Here goes, Johnson has started taking his run up, the stadium is so silent, that you can hear Mitchell’s footsteps. He reaches the crease, throws the ball at a zooming speed of 148 kmpl. Dhoni gets out of his crease, make contact with the ball. He smacks the ball with a helicopter shot, out of the stadium! It’s a six! Dhoni’s six has made India win and qualify for the finals against Pakistan. The man of the match award goes to Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MSD) for his astonishing 100 in just 48 balls and still not out!!! He gets 5 lakh rupees and a week’s holiday in Hawaii. The ICC finals are a month away, so time for a holiday and rejuvenation. On the other side of the world, in North America, Batman, the legendary superhero is having a massive battle with the Joker. They fought for hours together. Each one of them was too difficult to defeat. When one of them was on the verge of being defeated some or the other twist would happen and they would be saved. But the biggest twist came when Batman removed his secret weapon. It was the batmarang. Made of magnesium it could not be destroyed. He threw it like a boomerang, right into joker’s stomach. Joker fell down right over there. Batman took him and dropped him into the River Colorado. For saving USA, the president gave batman a sum of 1 million dollars and a trip of a week to Hawaii. Yes, it was the same trip that Dhoni was going to.

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Dhoni was super excited about his victory and trip. After they had taken their victory lap of the stadium, they decided to go out for dinner. The party continued, but Dhoni took leave early. The next day flew by and by 5pm, there was a surprise. The Indian cricket team had come to visit the cool captain. Time passed fast and Dhoni had to leave. At the airport he had so many fans congratulating him and taking his autograph. Soon enough he had finished his formalities and boarded his flight. On the opposite side, Bruce Wayne/Batman was disinterested about this trip though he needed a break from all the work he was doing. This smart and eligible rich bachelor was driven by his butler, Alfred to the airport. Dhoni and Bruce were in the same flight. The flight was already late by an hour and it had just been further delayed by four hours. Bruce and Dhoni were seated next to each other and chatted all the way. Once they reached Hawaii, they found out that a cab was already booked for all the people. It’s only then they both realised that they were going on the same holiday. So, they took one cab and went to the hotel, Hawaiian Winds. They reached their hotel and went to their respective rooms and decided to meet after freshening up. They spent time together seeing Hawaii and enjoying the beauty. Dhoni was taking a stopover in USA. Bruce asked him to stay at his place for a couple of days. Dhoni accepted the offer as he had found a new friend. Their conversations seemed never ending and they shared their work with each other and let their identities out. Dhoni dream always was to be a superhero and Bruce wanted to be the world’s best cricketer An idea struck to Bruce. If both of them loved what the opposite did, then they could exchange their place for three days couldn’t they? Bruce had a face-changing technology so they could easily use it. They even trained themselves in each other’s mastery. Dhoni taught Bruce grip, stance, shots, drives. Bruce on the other hand was training Dhoni for judo, taekwondo and karate. Then he taught him about the suit and usage of weapons. Bruce had made many moves of his own like: batmarang, side-kick, scatter bombs, counter, cape stun, bat claws, etc. then he taught him his most special move: the dark knight. They both were confident about their roles. The time had come to exchange.

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At one end the finals were playing and the other side the Joker had strike back again. The Indian bowlers bowled nicely but gave a lot of runs. It was the last over of the first innings and the score was 299/9. All the bowlers were exhausted and Bruce had to do something. That’s when he got an idea. He took off his pads, helmet and keeping gloves, went to the crease and told the umpire that he wants to bowl. Ambati Raydu was now the wicket-keeper. Bruce hadn’t learnt how to bowl from Dhoni. He took the run-up of a medium pacer. He ran and bowled a superb leg-cutter and blew the middle stump out of its stand! Dhoni was seeing all of this. There was a huge celebration on this wicket. The team went mad. India had got a target of 300 in 50 overs which was at a run-rate of 6.00. Back in North America, Dhoni had to go out to save the people. He went to the workroom, put on his suit and was going to leave when Alfred stopped him and reminded him to take his new vehicle “the bat”. Bruce had completely forgotten to tell Dhoni about the bat. It was a huge machine that looked a little like a bat, it could fly, emit ultrasonic sounds and also included the bat-mobile and bat bike. Dhoni got into the bat, looked at it for a few minutes and understood almost everything. He immediately flew it out and left to find joker. The Indian innings had almost commenced. Bruce had a feeling that Dhoni was watching him, but that was before now he is saving his people. This is the real exchange. Dhoni could not fly the bat properly and took some time to figure perfect flying skill. Once he figured out each control he began his search. Now the Indian innings had begun. The first ball went for a six, but the next ball was a wicket. As the wicket fell Dhoni’s banged the bat to a building but then after searching for a while he found Joker. The bat was huge so anyone could spot it just like Joker did. He sat on his bike a started fleeing away. Batman saw that, he took the bat’s control remote, set it on auto-pilot, sat on the bike, pressed the release button and started chasing Joker. Joker was going really fast and so was Batman. He soon caught up with him, but Joker shot on the tyre of his bike. Nothing happened, the bike just slowed down. To get Joker, MSD threw the batmarang at his tyre and punctured it. Now it was easy for Batman to catch Joker and beat him. At the stadium, the game was going slow, not many runs. It

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was 17/1 after five overs. But there seemed to be a confidence that has rose up in the batsman and he hit a superb six, and now a four, another one too! Looks the something’s happened to the batsman. Back to the U.S.A, Batman has caught up with the Joker and they have started fighting, they both are continuously punching each other in the stomach, face, kicking on the legs, face. But for India everything has gone wrong. After that little doze of smacking a lot has happened. Three wickets have fallen down out of which two have gone for a duck. The score was 100/4 in 25 overs. It was now Bruce’s chance for batting and he was the only one who the team, the whole of India hoped to make them win. Bruce was much tensed when he was walking towards the crease and thought that he was going to lose the match. He faced two balls just defending, but then he realised the effort that Dhoni had put in training him. Suddenly, a fire had risen in Bruce’s mind. He said to himself that he was going to make India win. Just as the ball came he went outside the crease and hit it for a six! Back to the other side of the world, Dhoni was still fighting with Joker. The Joker had beaten Dhoni badly and was surrounded by 5 of Joker’s men. Just as joker pulled his gun out, Dhoni, pulled all the five people holding him, in front of him and made the bullet pass through all of them. Then he remembered all the awesome weapons he had and used the grapple. He put the grapple on Joker’s head, lifted him in the sky and left the grapple. Joker fell down from a height but before touching the ground, he got a sidekick from Batman. He then used his bat claws to claw into joker’s body, but nothing happened. This was because he had a metal suit. He still kept on trying to claw joker. Back to the stadium, the match was going superb. In just 35 overs, the score was 214! Bruce played like a hero and scored 94 - 7 sixes and 4 fours was what helped him get to this score. Here comes one more ball, and it is a six! Bruce gets his first 100 in his life the first time he ever played! India now just needs 80 of 15 overs, which is easily possible with Bruce around. Again going back to the fight, Joker’s armor was already dented. But MSD was now exhausted and Joker was too. That’s when Dhoni took out his bat remote, put the target on joker and started firing flares at him. Soon enough the armour was destroyed. His body became light because of that and he managed

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to escape the flares. He then removed some kind of potion and drank it. Suddenly he became super active. It was an anti-exhaust elixir. He started running towards Dhoni. He used his bat-mobile, sat in it and started taking huge circular rounds. Joker continuously ran behind him. Dhoni’s idea was to exhaust Joker and then finish him off. Finally they were face to face. Everyone was going excited in the stadium. There were only 12 runs to win of 6 overs and Bruce was on strike. Just as the bowler took his run-up, Bruce went a little outside the crease, just as he threw the ball; Bruce came even further and smacked it into the crowd for a six! Around the same time, Dhoni threw scatter bombs at Joker’s feet in order to perform the dark knight. Finally, Dhoni stepped backwards and removed his batmarangs. That’s when the bowler took his run-up. Bruce only thought of winning for Dhoni while Dhoni thought of defeating Joker for Bruce. When the bowler left the ball and MSD the batmarangs, Bruce came out of the crease and smacked the ball away for a helicopter six far outside the stadium and Bruce got his 150, at the same moment the batmarangs went in and out of Joker’s body and made him fall dead. It was victory for both of them at the same time! Dhoni and Bruce were the happiest. The experience was outstanding. They met once again to get back to their original. The rest is silence!

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18. Almost Perfect Tanmay Chopra, The Cathedral And John Connon School

It was around 8 pm. We had just left Le Rivera after a dinner meeting. We were walking to my car. All of a sudden, a darkcomplexioned man came out of nowhere! He pulled out a gun and sho(sobbing).. he shot him! He shot my partner!” “Sir do you remember anything else? Any characteristics of this man?” “He..He ha..He had a snake tattoo on his neck!” “Are you sure ,sir?” “Yes..yes, I can never forget that tattoo.......” “Did he have any enemies?” “No! He was the most likable person you would have ever met!” “Wasn’t there anyone?” “There was this one guy, a dirty policeman whom he threw out of our building. By refusing to represent him, he pretty much destroyed the cops life!” “What was his name?” “David Mann.” This was the conversation recorded when detective Jay Harper interrogated Wilson Rogers, a name partner at Rogers&Natt. His partner,CharlieNatt,hadjustbeenshottwohoursago.Hewasnowwith a detective from the Homicide division of the Oklahoma PD, one of the best in the nation. Rogers&Natt was the best defense law firm in Oklahoma. Anyone who could afford their mind-boggling fees applied to their firm. They then underwent a selection process before the firm agreed to represent them. Any name partner could veto a client. Rogers was a 45 year old Yale graduate whose shockingly fast rise to the top had raised more than a few eyebrows. He then allied

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with Charlie Natt, an experienced veteran and they founded this firm. Detective Jay Harper was quite annoyed. He was at home, away from the storm outside,sipping a cup of hot cocoa when he had been ordered to rush back to the police station for a high-profile murder. Luckily for him, he thought, this was an open and shut case of a cop gone rouge.He would pick up David Mann in the morning. Apart from relieved at not having to conduct yet another high-profile investigation, he was also shocked. He had worked alongside David for almost 5 years and despite the fact that they were not very close, they had known each other. David didn’t seem like the type who would murder someone because he had refused to entertain him, but you never knew. He never thought David was capable of being corrupt either, but David had been suspended for precisely this reason, although mystery still engulfed the actual reason. Jay decided to talk to him once, before arresting him. The Next Morning Jay turns up at David’s door, without back-up. “Hi Jay!” “Hi David. I’m not here in my official capacity, so don’t worry..” “Why would I be worried?” Just then Jay sees a snake tattoo on David’s neck and decides to forego courtesies. He calls for backup while he reads a spellbound David his rights and cuffs him. In less than a minute, the whole dynamic has changed. David Mann is officially arrested and taken into interrogation. “WHERE WERE YOU LAST NIGHT AT AROUND 8pm?” “At home, watching TV.” “Can anyone vouch for that?” “No, I was alone.” “Oh My god! I’ve been framed!” David suddenly held his head in his hands and yelled. Jay is intrigued by this exclamation and the detective in him took over. “David, you had better tell me the true reason for your suspension.”

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what David tells him next throws his mind into turmoil. This might just be a real case, not the open-and-shut case that it seemed to be.He’s going to have to dig deeper and on a timer, because the DIstrict Attorney can’t wait to prosecute him and there’s nothing Jay can do about that. Jay begins to look into Wilson’s past and every aspect of his life, from his clients to his cases to his graduation. He also looks into Rogers’ quick ascent, something that everyone was suspicious about. He finds some very interesting things. Rogers’ regularly fought with Natt over a client, Mr Winston, suspected of illegal activities. Could there be a connection between the two? In a couple of days, he realizes that he’s just chasing red herrings. He is running out of time! Suddenly, one stormy day, realization strikes! He just realized his stupidity. He runs to the police station and takes out the interrogation transcript. It had been staring him in the eye and he had overlooked it. Meanwhile, David Mann is being prosecuted for the murder of Mr. Natt. His trial is nearing its end. David Mann needs a miracle, and lo and behold, a miracle arrives. The judge suddenly calls the lawyers to his chambers. Mr Mann comes out of these chambers a free man! “Mr Rogers, you are under arrest for the murder of Charlie Natt. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in the court of law!” Jay Harper screams, as his team cuffs him and shoves him into the car. Mr Rogers is ultimately convicted of the crime of murder. David Mann cannot stop thanking detective Harper, who is red with praise. “But how did you manage to discover his crime, Jay? Even I wasn’t sure and I knew him!” “well, it was quite simple actually.” Jay Harper then went on to explain how he had caught him. “That stormy day made me remember that it had been pouring outside. The storm outside had made me cancel my dinner plans. I hadn’t even been able to see the front of my car. It had taken me an hour to travel 6 miles. In such conditions, it was impossible to see a tattoo on a shooters neck. Also, No one in their right minds would take a walk in that storm. Mr Rogers wasn’t even wet when he was found! The valet at the Le Rivera remembered retrieving his car. Then, when you told me that

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you had been investigating Rogers for corruption, and forced out on suspension for ironically, corruption, I knew i was on the right track. I called the judge and told him all this. He was a sensible judge and kept it to himself. We simply couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t trust anyone, if you could be suspended, so could we. I then found out about Charlieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s angel, Mr Winston, who helped him rise, in exchange for defense. Natt had found out about their arrangement through you and had thrown you out to save that fact from becoming public knowledge. but apparently, your secret meetings were less secretive than you thought. So, Charlie decided to kill him and frame you, taking out two birds with one arrow. I have to admire his genius. If not for the stormy night, this was the perfect plan. Of course, when i told him all this, he confessed and made the best deal he could! Once again, Oklahoma, one of the stormiest cities on the world, proves that it has the best homicide division in the USA!

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19. An Entrapment In An Encampment Viana Pereira (13 yrs), Sharda Mandir School

The fire was bright and the stars sparkled in the night sky. While Melissa and Sam were dull around the bonfire, Nick groaned to himself. “Lets be honest,” Billy said, “This camping trip did not turn out the way we planned.” Suddenly, Nick’s face had an expression like that of a child in a toy store. “What did you brainstorm now.” Sam asked Nick. “Well,” Nick replied, “How about a tale?” “A tale?” Repeated Sam with a peculiar look on his face. Nick stood up and dusted his pants and went round the bonfire. “Yes, a tale. What should it be?” Melissa and Billy looked up with a brightened look. “Should it be of witches or dragons or knights in shining armour.” Nick tapped Sam’s shoulder and walked around again. “Or tales or princes and princesses. Maybe about bigfoot or yeti. Tell me what you want and I’ll tell you what I know.” Billy, Sam and Melissa looked at each other with a keen look on their face, they turned to Nick. Haunted, haunted! They said together. “Well then.” Nick said as he sat on the an old log. “Lets begin.” Suddenly, the wind started blowing furiously and the sky was no longer bright. The stars and moon disappeared, eluding in the clouds. There was once a family of good old friends. Four friends went out on a camping trip and never returned back. It is said that once its told, would pull four more in its gruesome events. It was a stormy night when the car broke down. Four teens came out with a grumpy look on their faces. Well this is nice, one said to another. I really thought this was going to be a fun trip, Kate muttered to the air, slamming the car door behind her. James tried to cheer her up while Tommy and Liz took out a map. Looking for a solution they told their friends that there was a shortcut through the forest. It was their only way and so that took their darling uncle with their torches and backpacks minding every step they took as the next could be their last. Uncle Jim told them that there

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might be holes they could fall in and so they ventured out into the forest to find a shortcut to the camp sight. The wind blew harsh and the leaves rustled and the dead leaves cracked under their feet. Suddenly, out of the blew a vociferous scream came behind them. All four turned and to their jolt, Uncle Jim was gone. The four friends looked all four sides, but uncle Jim was nowhere to be found. The children looked everywhere but could not find him and they looked at each other with terrified faces. Where has he gone? What is going on? Where are we? All these questions ran through their minds, but no answers were given out. Mom, dad please help cried Tommy. Liz explained to her brother that no ones going to come and so they continued on their path. After a few minutes on their paths, Kate screamed at Tommy and Liz, saying it was all their faults. If we did not take this path, none of this would have happened said Katie. But James explained to Katie that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change what has happened. But what really did happened? Did Jim really disappear or was he paying a prank? None of them knew. Finally, a sense of ease went through their bodies, for they saw the campsite at which they were going to stay a night. They agreed that they should go in search for help in the morning and so, they took out their scouting book and quickly made a fire as per the instructions on a page. They quietly sat around the flame. They drank some soup they made at home and tried to sing a song to get back in high spirits and hope but no one was successful. So they took out their sleeping bags and whispered themselves goodnight. Hours later they heard another fearful scream and they woke up, While Katie, James an Liz woke up, Tommyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sleeping bag did not move an inch. When the three friends went to see why. They were horrified to see an empty sleeping bag. Liz feel down in tears, screaming out. James and Katie helped her up but she felt so lifeless as if she was dead. To comfort her, they tried to talk to her but all she ever could say was that he meant everything to her. Who was doing this and why? What did it want? Why is it doing this to us? As more and more time passed, the number of questions grew. James suggested that it might be catching us when we are not expecting it and therefore we should take turns being on the lookout for strange things. The girls agreed and so James took the first shift. Minutes and hours flew by and nothing happened.

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But before James turned to the next person for the shift, his eyes closed and he fell asleep. And the next moment, another horrifying scream took place. The girls woke up, looking at each other they realised the next victim was taken away. They jumped out of their bags but all they saw was a shoe. A shoe that James was wearing before they went to sleep and the two girls held each other till their hands turned red. Katie asked herself, could this be our last night alive? Could this stormy night be our last? Maybe she believed it was and she apologised to Liz for all the times she was rude to her and Liz did the same. Katie kept Liz close to her chest and at once, the storm turned fierce. The bonfire blew out and they squeezed each other. But Katie felt something unlike Liz close to her. The bonfire, magically lit up again and what she saw made her scream. “What was it?” Melissa asked Nick, “What did Katie see?” “I don’t know,” Replied Nick. “What do you mean you don’t know? How can you not know a tale you said yourself?” But Nick replied in a dark voice “Don’t you remember what I said to you earlier?” “What did you say?” Asked Jimmy. “I said, once the tale is told, four more would fall in its gruesome events.” Jimmy, Melissa and Sam looked at Nick as if they didn’t recognise him anymore. Suddenly, the calm and quiet night turned into a fierce storm and the bonfire blew out. Jimmy, Sam and Melissa held each other close and like in the story, the bonfire lit up again. And to their petrified faces they saw not Nick but a man, A man in pale white clothing and he had not two, but three eyes. “I am the one,” he said, “The one who took five and now took one more.” He came to Sam and looking at his eyes, he said “Save your lives by never coming in this place again or else.” The man touched Sam’s forehead and when Sam opened his eyes wide open, he saw a clear sky. “Hey Sam, rise and shine.” Said Melissa “You slept all the way, look at the beautiful campsite!” Sam realised it was all just a dream, the story, the man every bit of it. He sighed with relief and whispered to himself, “It was just a dream.” “What’s that?” Melissa looked at Sam “Nothing,” Sam replied “Nothing at all.” Sam jumped out of the car and took a deep breath of fresh air. He looked around and when others ran towards the campsite, Sam turned around, his joyful face turned into a petrified face, for among the trees he saw the white clothed, three-eyed man. Sam almost felt as if he was inside his mind. And he heard the man say, “What did you think, was it just a dream?”

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20. Dancing on a Street Piano Zeb Khalid (13 yrs), Cathedral and John Connon School

“One! And two! And three! And four! Come on, stretch! Seven, and eight! And nine! Okay, relax!” Ryan watched the dancers relax from the stiff stretch they had gone into towards the end of the simple routine, hearing some sighs of relief from the fresher faces. Giving them a quick water break, he watched the dancers, both male and female; hurry off to the sides of the hall. For the past fourteen years, Ryan Connery had taught at the San Francisco Institute for Street Dance. He had seen good dancers, bad dancers, the occasional ugly duckling blossoming into a beautiful swan, and more than his fair share of dispirited ragtags who were forced to come, and usually quit after a month or two. If he had to, he’d cast Nathan into the third lot, even though he didn’t really belong there. Or anywhere, as a matter of fact. “Well, hurry up! Get back into position!” He yelled, clapping his hands briskly, trying to ignore the headache, which seemed to occur every time he thought about Nathan and walking over to the stereo system. “We’ll do another group routine, and then you can practice your individuals!” When everyone was assembled, he hit play on the system, feeling an involuntary smile creep onto his features as the familiar sounds of Eminem filled the hall. He was one of Ryan’s favorite artists to practice to. He called out counts, as he looked around at the rows of students performing the steps with varying degrees of grace. A frown spread over his face as he spotted Nathan in the far corner. His feet positioned themselves awkwardly, and he fumbled the simplest moves. There was no other way to describe it. That boy simply… couldn’t dance. Had he been anyone else, Ryan would have given up on him long ago, and probably written his family a polite letter saying that maybe

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their son’s talents lay somewhere else, and that trying to make him dance was a waste of time. But Nathan being Nathan, he had this strangely determined air about him that confused and frustrated his teachers and peers alike. He would make no secret of his distaste for the class, but he would be the one who stayed after hours to practice. He would drive Ryan up the wall with his impertinence and callousness, but he would also come up to him for help more than anyone else. There was something about that boy, and Ryan was at his wits’ end. He willed his steadily increasing headache away. He was brought back from his train of thought when the music faded away, signaling the end of the routine. As the routine ended, the dancers all sunk down into the splits. Ryan noted with surprise that Nathan’s splits were one of the few perfect ones. Strange… “Okay, then! Come on, to your individual routines!” said Ryan, watching as the class separated into groups or retreated individually to various corners of the hall. He walked around the hall, checking he synchronization, and making various changes and giving tips as he passed. Sometimes, he stopped to watch. Like everyday, Nathan was the last person he passed on his rounds. Like everyday, he stopped to make corrections. “Positioning, Nathan!” he said, righting the position of his arms. “You aren’t doing a glitter-and-fairy dance here, boy! This is street! Feet further apart! And have you heard of rhythm, ever?” he barked, clapping out a rhythm for him, and watching his lackluster attempts to perform some semblance of a dance routine. “I hate this.” Nathan muttered, running a hand through his unruly fair hair. “Well, if you hate it, get out!” Ryan snapped, thoroughly irritated. “No. I can do this. I’m going to.” He said, almost to himself. And there it was. That grit which prevented Ryan from kicking him out of class even after his repeated failures. The stubborn determination, which reminded Ryan of his own early days trying to make it big in the industry. “Well, get on with it, then! I want to see this a complete routine tomorrow!” Ryan said, walking away to another dancer, but surreptitiously keeping an eye on Nathan even as he went about correcting and advising.

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“Alright, that’s it for today, guys! Pack up now.” Ryan called, two hours later. The hall immediately filled with the murmuring of forty-eight voices all discussing the class and their routines. Gradually, the crowd dispersed as the students either headed for the changing rooms or home. Surprisingly, Nathan filed out with the lot. Ryan guessed he wasn’t the only one with the headache. Sighing, Ryan dumped his water bottle into his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder, deciding to make a night of it himself. Usually, he’d stay back and practice his own routines in one of the many individual dance rooms, but his headache was worsening. If he weren’t careful, he’d end up with a migraine. Walking into the staff washrooms, which were just adjacent to the students’, he splashed cool water over his face and felt it soothe his pounding head. He was distracted, though, by the muffled conversations sounding through the wall. He strained his ears, catching snatches of the conversation. “…. why do you even try…” “…. no room in the business for fairies….” “…. do us all a favor…” “…. quit already…” Suddenly, though, Nathan’s voice pierced the murmuring Ryan was having to strain to catch. “I can dance! I’ll show you, I’ll show every single one of you!” Ryan wanted to scream at Nathan. He had no idea about the rashness of his promise. Why had he gone and promised the one thing he couldn’t do? Ryan knew firsthand how rough street crowds got. Laughter could be heard on the other side of the wall. Cruel, jeering laughter. “Oh yeah?” said a voice, now equally loud. “And how exactly are you goin’ to do that?” “Oh, he’ll sprinkle glitter all over us!” More laughter. Ryan splashed more water over his face. Trying in vain to ignore them. The next day, Nathan seemed listless and distracted, barely even

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listening to what Ryan said. He would just look at Ryan with a glassy stare, and nod at his orders. He went about the routine mechanically, and absolutely dispassionately, to Ryan’s great annoyance. “Well, if he’s sworn to show them all he can dance, you’d think he would pay more attention in class!” he muttered to himself as he kept an eye on him all through class. After class, Nathan slipped out before anyone else, making for the direction of the individual dance rooms. Ryan watched him go in puzzlement. That boy was an absolute mystery to him, and he’d soon grace the mental ward in Rotherfield Hospital if he kept thinking about him. He threw his bottle and towel into his bag, and made for the practice rooms himself. He tried the first door, which happened to be his favorite, and found it locked. Feeling a twinge of annoyance, he made for another room, when the sound of music sounded out from the room. It was certainly something he’d never heard here in his fourteen years of teaching. Piano. Classical piano. It was a foreign sound. It was also one he hated most in the world. It didn’t belong here. He hated piano music. But most of all, he hated the people who had lauded classical music and humiliated and put him down. Because he was different. Because he wanted to do something different. Anger coursing through his veins, he all but slammed the door to his practice room, starting to stretch, feeling a vicious sense of satisfaction at the way his muscles burned. It was well past eight p.m. when Ryan finished plowing through the most vigorous routines he knew. Panting and drenched in sweat, he took a swig from his water bottle before wiping off the sweat with his towel. He shut his eyes for a moment, letting the peace, which always came after practice, wash over him, before he got up and shut off the lights and made his lonely way home. Behind him, the piano music rang into the night. Ryan found himself getting more and more worried about him as the days progressed. He did not even feel annoyed, just …worried. On the third day of this behavior, Ryan was seriously considering

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just going up to him and offering his help, or severely reprimanding the rest of the class. He had a feeling neither of these would work, though. Nathan was too proud to accept any help, and talking to the class would just make things worse for Nathan. He did not need the stigma of ‘teacher’s pet’ as well. Ryan’s mood had been getting progressively worse over the last few days. Not only did the worry for Nathan cast a cloud over his day, he continued to hear the piano everyday. He was this close to banging on the door of Practice Room 1 and telling whoever was inside to shut up. All this factors combined to put Ryan in a terrible mood the next morning. It was not helped by the fact that Nathan, for some reason, had decided to show up wearing normal clothes instead of the dancing gear. “I see we’ve forgotten that this is a dance class, and we are, therefore, supposed to wear our dance outfits.” Ryan said venomously upon spotting Nathan. “Get out and come back when you have your gear on.” He motioned towards the door. Nathan, however, completely ignored him, and seemed not to hear a word as he took off his shirt and jeans to reveal a leotard underneath. He took a CD case from his bag, and inserted the CD in the stereo system. Hitting play, he moved to the center of the room and launched into a series of pliés, pirouettes, and chaînés For once, he moved in perfect synchronization with the music. Ryan watched on, enthralled, as music and dancer seemed to blend into one. The other students had gather around in a circle to watch, and their open-mouthed stares only seemed to encourage him, for, as the music swept into a dramatic crescendo, he launched himself into an échappé, and that, right there, thought Ryan, had been the most graceful dance step he had ever seen. Despite his profound hatred for the piano and classical dance, he found himself hypnotized by Nathan’s fluid movements. To think this was he same boy who had floundered so ineffectually in street dance! But now, the question was, what was he doing in an academy for street dance, when he could easily win a scholarship to the most prestigious ballet schools in the country? The music eventually drew to a close, and Nathan finished up with one leg at a perfect ninety-degree angle to the other. He bowed to his audience. They were initially too amazed to applaud, but eventually, applause started ringing out, all around him.

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“I told you I can dance,” he said, looking pointedly at a big, beefy guy called Carl, and a petite redhead called Sam. “And I did.” Then, turning to Ryan, he spoke. “I thought I could do It.,” said he, “But I can’t. I really, really can’t.” With that, he gathered up his bag, and left. Somehow, Ryan knew he’d never come back. It wasn’t safe for him anymore. The people here would give him a harder time than ever. Then, there was someone saying, “I knew he was nothing but a fairy!” and everything was back to normal. His moment was shattered. It was just another day in the life, after all.

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