The pitter-patter of the slowing rain, matched her footsteps. The world was an abstract hue, strange and beckoning.

“Way down south where bananas grow,”

Kaira was extremely excited for the sleepover. She had always had Sehej over for sleepovers,and she hardly went over to her place.The house was a peculiar one, with it being clearly demarcated with contrasting styles, perhaps fitting for its owners.It smelled familiar yet foreign, but it was warm.

After the necessary formalities, Kaira and Sehej started to converse.

“A grasshopper stepped on an elephant’s toe”

THUD!

They went eerily still. The rain had returned and even over its roar, they could hear a noise: nails being dragged over slate, unnoticeable yet unbearable.She asked Sehej, and her friend went pale and merely stared at her. “Can you hear it?” She inquired. As Sehej got the response, they went down the stairs to the kitchen. Suddenly, she felt as if coming here was a mistake.

Down in the kitchen, Sehej’s mother sat, savouring her cuppa.

“The elephant said, with tears in his eyes…”

Sehej explained everything to her mom, the room somber. She turned to Kaira and informed her that she would be telling her an old-family tale.

Here’s how it went:“Once upon a time, not so long ago, Sehej’s great grandfather was an avid bike enthusiast. He’d go on long solo trips on highway, obscure locations, scenic villages. Once, on a highway, his bike broke down. He was at loss. The night was falling soon.Soon, a monk from a nearby monastery spotted him and took him in, and to his great surprise,they even managed to repair his bike! Late at night, he was woken by a peculiar sound. When he asked the monks about the sound, they said “sorry, you aren’t a monk yet.” and wouldn’t disclose what it was. Since pushing the topic would be impolite to his kind hosts, he let it be. Later, he went his way But perhaps something was tugging at him, and a week later, he took the same route. His bike inexplicably, broke down again. The monks remembered him, and graciously offered him housing and food. Again, late at night, he heard that sound, the same one that you just heard. Hepestered the monks for the truth and they told him “sorry, you aren’t a monk yet”. This went on for months. He was fed up and asked them to make him a monk, for he really wanted to know the truth.They informed him that he’d have to do several tasks to be worthy of the truth. He had to find the exact number of pebbles in the nearest river, the exact number of leaves in the nearest forest and the exact number of particles in bread. Sehej’s ancestor braved through and completed these tasks within a decade. When he came back to the monastery, he was taken to a room.”

“Would you like to know what was in the room?” Eyes sparkling, her friend’s mother questioned her.

‘Yes”, Kaira affirmed.

The story continued. “In the corner of the room was an ornate door made of oak. The monks opened it with a special key. They went inside the new room. At the floor, was another door, this time a trapdoor made of teak. Into they went. Lightning the lamps in the room, they found a door made of onyx. Using the same key, the entered the room to find another door made of jade. Sehej’s ancestor stared ,yet the monks carried on, opening and entering the next room. The next room had a beautifully carved door, made of mother of pearl and studded with luminous pearls of every color imaginable. They went inside to find a door made of balsam, with designs set in marble, they entered the door at last to find a heavy box made up of an indescribable black metal. Inside, was the source of this peculiar sound.”

“Do you want to know what it was?”

“Yes, please tell me.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t tell you, you are not a monk yet”.

The rain outside was thunderous, yes, but Sehej and her mother’s gleeful laughter did drown it out.

“Pick on somebody your own size”

Kirtipriya, 10th E.

Kirtipriya has plans to take over the world, ban bittergourd cultivation and declare chocolate milk as a human right. She is trying her hardest to be as happy as a necromancer in a natural history museum. When she grows up, she’d like to become friends with the monster under her bed.