Escaped finally

The little boy pedaled furiously. He did look back once, and he knew he had to just continue as fast as he could. It was one thing to read adventure stories, chewing one’s fingernails, with bated breath and unblinking eyes, but quite another thing to be caught quite in the middle of one in real life.

His breathing had become laboured and heavy, but he had to escape. No, not just escape, but nab the culprits. Oh! Why did he say he wanted adventure in his boring life, that morning to granny? She must have said ‘Tathatsu!’

It was another of those long sunny, summer holidays, filled with nothing much. He had already had his fill of sleeping till late, now he was up with the sun bright and fresh. He had joined and left the basketball camp, chess camp, cycling club and only the circulating library was still going strong.

As he was contemplating what to do that morning, he watched disinterestedly all the other children running after the basket ball, foot ball and even the cricket ball, in the various fields around. He was waiting for the library to open up and be able to get some more stuff to read.

That’s when he heard it! The breaking of glass… Crack! Tinkle! Tinkle! He turned to see what was going on and was surprised it was coming from Dr. Shantanu’s flat. The one the kids were certain was haunted. There were some strange goings on late at night, specially during the dark moonless nights. The grown ups always blamed their imagination.                                                                                                                                                                         “He is the person in charge of top missions at the BARC. We are lucky to have a reputed national scientist living amidst us.”

Glass breaking in broad daylight, kicked his inner Sherlock and he tiptoed in that direction. The car was ready to leave for office. Well, maybe he would just peep in… the scientist was not a mean sort, anyway.

He was about to ring the bell when he noticed the door was ajar. Gently he pushed it, and effortlessly it swung open. It was too much not to explore… so in trooped Mr. Adi Sherlock. He could hear some scuffling and a hoarse voice asking with controlled anger “Where is it? Give it to me right now. Anyway, you are a dead man.” By then Adi had reached the study room, the scene of action. There was a strange, short squat man, very muscular with a mask hiding half his face facing  Dr Shantanu. He also had a gun in his hand. The doctor looked hassled. “I will not let you have it. Its my entire life.” “OK then you can proceed to Heaven!” and he squeezed the trigger.

There was soft squeak, a blazing flash at the muzzle and Dr Shantanu shouted some explicit, as he lunged towards the man. Adi didn’t realise he had shouted too. Till the grappling men rolled towards him. The danger to his life, made him work like magic. He ran out and picked up his bike and started cycling madly. First instinct was to go home… ‘No, granny could be harmed. HE had to be responsible.’ He decided he would have to go to the police. They would catch this villain.

So, off he rode towards the Police station. That’s when the villain, ran out of the house and spotted him. He ran after him at such speed, he looked like Usain Bolt. By now he had started perspiring, but the legs went like crazy… up and down, pedal, pedal pedal! He was still chasing him when he rounded the bend. Oh! This was a road he hardly rode in. There was a short cut to the police station a little way ahead, with trees lining both sides. He would be able to hide behind the huge trunks of the ageless Banyans. They were sprouting new green, brown and soft leaves, having discarded the old ones, carpeting the way below. He hadn’t realized the crunching sound in that lonely path was a dead giveaway. ‘Oh God! Oh Ganeshji! Help me! Help’ he muttered again and again. Sweat dripped down his forehead, into his eyes. ‘Oh sweat stings,’ he realized. Before he realized it the villain had decreased the gap between them…

A strong arm lunged at him! He just pushed his legs harder. An image of his mother telling him to “Eat your eggs and finish your fruits, if you want to get strong” flashed in his mind. ‘Too late Adi!’ he admonished himself. Instinctively he crouched over his handlebar. He could hear the villain, crunching the leaves and breathing hard and this time his hand connected with his arm.

Clunk! Clank! Thack!

He fell! His cycle fell! And he was being pulled up by the scruff.

Meanwhile …

Granny was getting annoyed. Then worried, followed by despair. She called up Adi’s mom.

“Beta, Adi is not home yet. He said he was going to the library. But that was at around 9AM. Its 2PM now. He never does that.”

“ Yes, he has his phone…  It says out of coverage area. I am getting very worried. Please come home.” And she started crying… All the tears that she had held in check came bursting like a dam breached.

His parents rushed home. They were alarmed! They called his friends, they went from door to door and they kept calling his number. Finally, they had to go the Police station and lodge an FIR.

WhatsApp groups  buzzed with ‘missing child’ posts and the city buzzed with news of kidnappers, hardened criminals on the look out for new recruits and many more. The police station got at least a hundred calls from different parts of the city, some saying they had seen him, some enquiring about any reward. Finally on the CCTV footage of a Society, Adi was spotted pedalling furiously and looking back. The look of terror unmistakable.

****

In a dark room on the second floor of an unoccupied bungalow Adi found himself locked up. His head was still swimming with the adventure of the morning… rather the misadventure. He felt he was lucky to be alive. He put on his thinking cap and started wondering how he could escape. The phone had been confiscated right at the beginning. For some reason, Mr. Villain felt he had captured videos that morning. Soon after being nabbed, a dark emerged and whisked them away. He didn’t know where they were, though still in the city.

Soon he was being asked a hundred questions.

What’s your name? What were you doing in Dr Shantanu’s house? Who sent you there? What do you know about Project Moon Missile? And so on and so forth.

He answered what he knew. When he said “I don’t know” he received a sharp slap. After countless hours it stopped. He had just received some stale hard chappatis and watery dal. Nothing that he would even touch at home. His tears stained his face but steeled his resolve. He first ate what he received, he knew he would need energy and also had to be alert. He calmed his mind, thinking of all the asanas and pranayama they learnt at school, while making fun of it. Immediately he felt his mind calming down and feeling positive.

***

At the police station it was a hub of activity. The CCTV footage of their society and other neighbouring societies were scanned. It took a while but soon they spotted Mr. Villain chasing Adi. Inspector Shinde leapt like a tiger and asked for a full investigation.

And then came the news of Dr Shantanu shot at close range.

Inspector Shinde immediately knew both cases were linked, it was not mere coincidence. He got onto a call to CID, Head Quarters Delhi.  

***

Meanwhile, Adi’s parents were supported by their friends. Granny was crying softly, then decided to pray, then went back to crying in bed. They all hunted around where he was spotted on CCTV. Suddenly his father was heard shouting. He had found Adi’s cycle, in the beam of his powerful torch. Immediately Inspector Shinde was notified.  In the meanwhile, a grocery shop delivery boy had recognised Mr. Villain.

***

Adi was going through all his pockets and could find a packet of chewing gum, his Library card, the Famous Five book inside his jacket, a pencil stub, his Uno cards and the flyer for the new Pizza place outside his society. He looked around the room. No doors or windows. He looked up and saw a small sky light. He wouldn’t be able to squeeze through. 

Outside his room, a young man was on guard. He tried talking to him. “Please let me go… My granny doesn’t eat without me. She will die… Please let me go!” No response. “Do you like to play Uno? We could have a game… who ever wins can keep the deck.” No response.

He put some chewing gum in his mouth and his brain started whirring. Listening intently, he could make out the guard outside was tired and sleepy. He started creating a ruckus to go the bathroom. Finally, the guard came in. He allowed him to go the toilet, keeping a close watch. HE locked the door and continued investigating. At last, a window. He opened it and peered outside. There was a road some distance away. Not of much help. But he could…

***

In the meanwhile, information had come in about Mr. Villain. He was an agent of an infamous nation. He was wanted by Interpol. But the question was where was he in this big city?  A police constable came in just then holding a well-thumbed copy of Famous Five, children’s story book. “Sir there is an old schoolteacher who brought this in. She wants to know if the missing child has been found?”

 “Get her in, immediately.”  

“I think a child is in danger, and this is an SOS message for help.”

“Why do you think so, Madam?”

“You see this is a children’s book from a circulating library from this area. I found it in the road, next to a house which has some men coming and going, but no children. There’s something fishy going on.”

“Lets go!” shouted the inspector. “Madam please show us the place.”

***

“How many times will you flush, you rascal? Come out immediately, else I will break this door.” “Coming!” I think your stale food gave me loose motions,” shouted Adi. He came out holding his stomach. “Will you take some chewing gum?” he asked in his most polite voice.

As soon as he put his gun on his shoulder to take the chewing gum… Adi kneed him hard in the groin, while jumping at him with all his strength. He was completely startled and fell down. Adi ran for his life. Down the staircase jumping two at a time. He ran to the back and towards the road he had seen. Trying not to make any noise he reached the barbed wire fence. And continued to walk along it. Suddenly bright lights were turned on. Trapped!

As the burly guards came running towards him, his mind was racing.

He could see one coming towards him and two more in the background. He held his stomach and slowly dropped down. The man came close and shouted at him to get up. Adi meanwhile grabbed a big, sharp stone, surreptitiously. In the background, he saw one speaking into his mobile and turning his back to them, while the second one was trying to eavesdrop. Sudden squealing of wheels and screeching of brakes could be heard too. It was too good a moment, not to grab. Immediately Adi flung the stone with all his might at the head of the guard. While he ran towards the far end, he had just seen a stray dog come in.

Over a loudspeaker he heard the announcement, “Come out quietly and surrender. Police!”                           “Adi, we are here to save you.”

He stopped in his tracks, turned and then watched…. What if this was a trap to prevent him from escaping?

That’s when he saw his father standing next to the Police gypsy.

“Daddy! I am here!” he screamed and ran towards his father.

Escaped the ordeal finally!

***

Dr. Shantanu’s sacrifice was not in vain. It came to light that the international crooks wanted to acquire his project and use it to hold the world at ransom. The timely action of a small school boy helped to reveal the terrible plot as they were not geared up to handle nosy boys who were no less than Sherlock Holmes.