The Turn Of The Night

Chapter 13

'Yo Aanya..' Aanya's phone beeped. It was Ishyaa texting her.

'Yeah?'

'You don't know anything about them two rit..'

'Me? Nah… they must be sulking'

'Well...umm .. I like got some news..'

'News?about them?'

'Ya, i just called Aarush's grandpa and he… well seems like Aarush has disappeared...he isn't home... police have found a thing so far…'

'Ya nice joke Ishyaa..'

'Nah girl I ain't joking...it's real stuff..I am gonna come over to your house right now…'

'What the absolute heck?!? How can he not be in his house? I mean just like that ...I don't know how to react … I mean seriously..'

'Ya same here.. bye Aanya ...I am gonna reach your house within the next half an hour or so..'

'K'

It was Saturday and the clock had just struck 2'O clock. The school was closed as it remains closed on the second Saturday of the month. The sun has soaked up the weather and heat waves were pouring in..

Aanya was astounded. Just the day before she had scolded the two idiots...and now they were nowhere to be found… She didn't even know what to say or how to react. She earnestly wished that the boys didn't do some idiotic things as they usually did to the wrong person at the wrong time...like those crime movies..

Grrrr… the door alarm beeped. Ishyaa was standing outside with her violet cycle.

*********

'What the hell …!!' Aanya demanded as Ishyaa came into her room. She was wearing a red polka dotted dress and her face seemed more surprised than sad or grieving.

'I don't know Aanya..just the day before we saw them and now..' Ishyaa said as she flopped down on the bed. ' Okay.. so how many people know this?' asked Aanya. She was looking out of the window at the vast expanse of the city. 'Didn't ask.. his grandpa seemed too stricken to say anymore so I apologized and cut the call..' Ishyaa replied.

'What about Darsh then ?' Aanya asked. 'Well apparently, his cycle isn't at home so he had gone with his cycle…'stuttered Ishyaa. ' And where do you think they would have gone?' Aanya wandered. 'God knows where.' Ishyaa

replied.

'Heck.. them and their freaking stupid theories...ghosts and all...bet they went to take a look at the night sky maybe to see aliens and they were in the wrong place at the wrong time ...idiots..' Aanya said.

'Dunno…' Ishyaa said.

'Food girls? ' asked Aanya's mother to the two girls peeping through the door. 'No mum..'Aanya said. Ishyaa nodded her head in Aanya's approval. 'Okay then.. gotta go have a lot of work in the kitchen...have a good time girls.' Aanya's mother said as she waved them and went her way.

'So what do we do know…' asked lshyaa. 'I dunno…' Aanya said ...both the girls were flabbergasted...not knowing how to react to the situation...they never thought even in their wildest dreams that Aarush and Darsh would just disappear …

'Hey wait a bit' Aanya said, suddenly brimming with anticipation. 'What now?' Ishyaa asked. 'Remember Aarush.. he had seen a ghost a week before.. at least he said he did' Aanya said. 'Yeah..so?' Ishyaa said, confused.

'So well he listened to Mrs.Chatterjee's lectures quite attentively didn't he ? And that's very unlikely of him..' continued Aanya. 'Yeah, he must have been bugged' smirked Ishyaa.'No see ..I am not joking… just the day before he and Darsh were going to day something about this ghost business and we scolded the heck out of them? I think they were onto something..' Aanya said. 'What?' Ishyaa asked still not able to grasp.

'This…' Aanya said as she went over to the chair and picked out an old diary from her school bag. 'And what's that now..?' asked Ishyaa. 'Aarush threw it down on my bench before going to the field that day...and this seems antique..' Aanya replied.

**************

'Good morning… you might know Darsh… he was Aarush's friend.' The local inspector said to Aarush's grandpa. They were sitting in the drawing room, the inspector on the chair facing the east window and Aarush's grandpa on the sofa.

'Oh yes I do… he is Aarush's best friend.. Have been together since kindergarten, the two of them. ' said Aarush's grandpa. His eyes were shrunk from the sleepless night and tension. His wife was listening to the conversation from the open kitchen…

'What about him? 'He continued.

'He too hasn't been found since yesterday… He's disappeared. ' said the inspector. 'Suits him.. Both have been inseparable since childhood.. ' Aarush's grandpa said. 'And Darsh's cycle was missing too.. ' the inspector reported. 'Heaven knows what the heck they are up-to.. ' said Aarush's grandpa as he buried his face in his hands. His child's demise, upbringing Aarush at an old age and now Aarush's disappearance… It was too much for the old man.

'And inspector have you found anything… any clues..' he asked as Aarush's grandma brought cups of tea for them.

'Oh yes we have.. ' the inspector spoke as he took a sip of the hot tea. 'Good news… a lady had seen two boys riding a cycle...and their description matched the boys. ' he said. 'Really? Where? ' asked Aarush's grandpa as his eyes lit up.

' One of the boys was whistling in a high pitch and they were headed towards the graveyard..'

**************

Bright lights enamoured the dark atmosphere. The dilapidated mansion looked broken and gloomy from outside. But the inside resembled a posh scientific lab with men scattering around in white lab coats and masks on their faces. Various medical instruments lay on the tables. Bright lights illuminated the dark and long passage with rooms on either side. Each room had a Plexiglas container...some of which were stenched with green and viridescent phlegms. The inside of those rooms cast misty but indecipherable shadows… men with complex gadgets worn on the eye looked into the Plexiglas, making various calculations.

'How many more days? ' a voice boomed from the Dark passageway as a large and bulky figure entered room No 12. The man looked at the scientists with dagger eyes. 'Sir… we expect another week… more and less..' said two of the men in white coats simultaneously.