The Golden Walker

Hyderabad

"KUUUUTTUUUUUU!" said Mama one fine Monday afternoon. Her daughter had still not washed her face with the Cetaphil cream she had given her. "Mamaaaa, I'll wash my face later." Kuttu said, bored. "Do you not care? You do not listen to me!" her mother yelled. "Kuttu. Listen to your mother!" Said Baba on the nearby sofa, not looking up from his phone. "Finee." she said. She went to her messy bathroom and washed her face. Soon she settled down and started writing her novel. "Kuttu! Are you here?" said a little voice. In entered her sister Mittu, hazel eyes and fringy hair. "Jiti said she'll come at around 3:30, like always. We need to work on our song." Mittu said. Kuttu instantly brightened. Jiti was the girls' best friend. A lean thirteen-year-old who acted like a five-year-old kid.  After a while, Kuttu still stayed immersed in her work until she heard, "Hello aliens!" Her mouth shaped into a happy smile. She got up and hugged her friend. Jiti shifted uncomfortably. Wow, what a hugger this girl was. "Hi. By the way, I think I got a new beat for our song." she said excitedly. Mittu, however, wasn't listening. She was reading a book with a mysterious drawing on it. 

Before Kuttu could ask what her sister was reading, the door banged open. In barged in her friends Anshu, Gagana, Gayatri, and Nandini, and Chakrika. Gayatri stayed firmly 10 feet away from Chewie, their dog. "Hi Stawberry!" "I guess this place has become the official meeting spot." "Nandini, be careful of the dog." "Gayatri, he's very sweet!" five voices said. Anshu was a tall girl with long black hair. Gagana was a tiny four-year old with mid-length brown hair usually in a ponytail. Gayatri and Nandini were two girls with short cropped hair and brown skin. Chakrika had long hair and beige skin. Kuttu got up and hugged them one by one. They all sat down and started chattering. Jiti, Vidushi, and Nandini were trying to figure out how to play Soup Macaroni, Anshu, Kuttu, Chakrika and Gayatri were chatting, and only Mittu was reading the book. She suddenly squealed, making them all jump. "G-guys, there's a page with US in it!" she said, terrified. Kuttu took the book from her, and they found themselves looking at a page with them in it. "Wow, is my hair really that short?" said Kuttu, fluffing her dark curly hair. "Never mind that! Who are these three other girls?" said Jiti, scratching her head. They didn't recognise them, but Kuttu and Mittu did. "Why, it's Mahi, Aria, and Arika! What're they doing in THERE?" Kuttu said, confused. After all their friends left, Kuttu and Mittu settled down for bed. Soon, something woke them up. A pale 22-year-old American girl with blue eyes and blond hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a yellow raincoat and a red backpack reached her hand out to Kuttu.

 Kuttu tried to wake her mom up, but she only grunted. "Only you and your sister can see me. I need you to come with me, I need your friends too." the girl said. Terrified, Kuttu woke her sister up. Suddenly, Kuttu heard somebody get up. She turned around, and saw her Baba wink at her. "Go, babu. You have a great adventure waiting." He whispered. The walker shook his hand, smiled, and they went away in a little bubble. Kuttu didn't even question how her own FATHER could see the walker, but then, all dads have a way of knowing things, I guess. "Wait, I know you! You're the Golden Walker, a star sister of our sun! I was reading about you, just today!" said Mittu, astonished. The walker merely nodded. They soon got Anshu, Chakrika, Gayatri, Nandini Gagana, and Jiti, and it was now time to go to Bangalore to get Mahi, Aria, and Arika. As they waited in Kuttu and Mittu's old house, Mittu was pacing around. "What do I say to her? It's been a long time since I saw Mahi. Why am I worrying so much? She's my best friend after all." said Mittu. "Exactly!" said her friends. The Veracossa sisters were too busy saying, 'Wee!" on the old play equipment in their house. "Kuttu, you have a lot of books, I must say!" Anshu exclaimed. Right at that moment the walker walked in with three girls. The first was a little six-year-old with long black hair whipped into a long ponytail.

The second was a tall ten-year-old skinny girl with hair till her shoulders and a skeptical look on her face that immediately changed when she saw Mittu. The third was a sweet-looking eight-year-old with an adorable smile. Aria immediately went and hugged Kuttu; Mahi shook her hand, and Arika said, "Kuttu! Mittu! HELLO!" happily. The five friends hugged one another.  "Did you know I cut myself when I was swinging from the swing? Mahi tried to save me and I cut myself on my knee, see?" said Aria, showing her cut to Kuttu. A warm smile rose on Kuttu's face. Her friends from Hyderabad blinked in surprise. KUTTU was the oldest here? Goofy, weird, embarrassing Kuttu? She was the leader? She's never leaded anything! "Kuttu, you never told us about..all this. The whole gang thing." Chakrika said awkwardly. Kuttu looked up. "Oh yeah! Um, I've known these girls ever since they were babies. You have no idea how silent Aria was back then." she said, cracking a joke. The walker watched the happy reunion with a sad smile. When Kuttu noticed, she immediately changed her look. "We are ready to go. I have sent letters to all your parents, they have read them." she said softly. The girls nodded. The walker carefully lifted up Aria and took her to the bubble. Aria giggled as she floated away, her sister following her. Kuttu was the last to go. They soon journeyed to a place neither of them had ever heard of before- Mermaid Valley. Anshu reached for her phone to post on her Instagram, but the walker slapped her hand. She winced. "Why did you do that?" "Miss, it must be kept secret!" The walker said furiously.