“What is the matter, Arnold?” Sarah asked placing her hand on his shoulders. Her heartbeat accelerated in anticipation. Each moment seemed to drag on like ages. She felt that her heart would burst if he didn’t reply soon. “Arnold…” She tried again but her voice broke at the end.He gripped her hand tightly and whispered more to himself than her, “Everything is ruined…………..”

Sia was standing with a bewildered expression, her back pressed firmly to the boat. She had never seen so many people at one time. They were all staring at her and chattering. She pressed her hands against her ears to drown the noise.Her eyes searched the crowd for Sarah and Arnold. Hadn’t dadu said, ‘ I will come with boats later.’ She didn’t want to be left out of the fun. So, she had sneaked into the boat before Roasty loaded them onto the haulster. Tears welled in her eyes and were about to trickle down her cheeks when she heard a

A strong pair of hands pulled her out of the way at the nick of the moment. The beam fell on the shelf with a crash behind her, shattering it. “What is wrong with you, Sia? When you saw the beam falling towards you why didn’t you move out of the way?” Sam yelled shaking her up furiously.But, she wasn’t listening to him. Her eyes were busy assessing the damage caused by the beam. The fantasy section of the library was a mess, torn pages, broken pieces of wood piled in a heap. “Seems like my fantasy is shattered.” She said w

“Aunt Winnie!” Sia exclaimed as she opened the door. Her lips stretched in a polite smile. “Thank God you are alright.” She said crushing her in an enormous hug. It was becoming difficult for Sia to not push her away as she was applying too much force. She heaved a sigh of relief when she finally released her. “Ummmm…” Aunt Winnie said licking her lips. “What is cooking? It smells heavenly.” Sh

The leaves sparkled in the morning sunlight. The sweet twittering of the birds was like honey to the ears. Colorful butterflies flitted from flower to flower. It was as if the creator had decided to paint the most joyful picture today. Sia looked at everything with admiration but she couldn’t feel joy. She tried, she really did, but everything seemed so meaningless. She trudged through the forest aimlessly. After a while, her path was obstructed by a ribbon. It was tied to cordon off the prohibited area. Her uncle had been kidnapped a few meters from here. Hence, people were not allowed to venture beyond that line.