A Sew Through Time [Bandbudh And Budbak]

18: Search and seek

Running into the teacher's staffroom, Badri hurled a chair away and slid under the table. He bent his feet and hugged them, making sure that he was not observable from the door's view. Taking out his compass, he flicked it open and observed the red needle treading above the directions and slowing at east.

He turned his wrist. The needle stopped at north.

The shadow fell inside the staffroom, radiating with excitement as Yuvati peeped in,

"Yoohoooo! Anybody?"

Covering his mouth, Badri watched her shadow move back and forth while latching onto the doorframe. She stood there for a few seconds, as if contemplating whether to walk in or walk out.

He continued perspiring.

She pushed herself away and began screaming that he had won the third time. But Badri wanted to make sure; he stayed hidden a few more seconds to know none of her cheap tricks were involved.

"Come out Badriiiiii!" Yuvati yawned.

"And here I am!"

Witnessing him return to the playground, the little girl jumped and began running around him in tiny circles,

"You won you won!"

Her joyous, child-like behavior made Badri feel peculiar and doubtful: she resembled a human more than a robot. Chuckling to himself, he said,

"You're such a noob Yuvati!"

"Oopsies! Gotta practice more!" she awkwardly caressed her head and bit her tongue, "But Badri!" she tapped her cheeks and gasped, "You played so good!"

"I always do!" his words billowed with pride, "Infact, I can win all your kiddy games in seconds! you'll never get to win this lifetime, or should I say" he winked, "Battery time"

"Then let's hop into the second stage!" she clapped her hands, "Get reaaaddyyy!"

Badri smirked to himself, clutching the bat and swinging it as he waited for her counting to start.

It did not come.

Peering at the robot, he teased, "Kya huya? Dum fat gayi?"

A shadow came flying forward emitting a shrill, airy sound that made him look to his left with largening eyes. Before the wall touched him, he jumped back in the corridor and rolled away from impact.

The wall slid through like an invisible membrane, vanishing near the grandfather statue.

Crouching on the floor, Badri shouted with fury, "What the hell was that?!"

"Didn't you say you can win all my kiddy games?" a wide grin spread across Yuvati's face, "Let's see how you survive!"

"Chay! Ye toh mere liye bachho wali khel hai" he got up, huffing and bracing himself, "Bring it on!"

She began counting for stage two, twirling her frock and mumbling numbers.

Having planned ahead of her, Badri sprinted towards the field behind the building, finding the storeroom with the statue overlooking it. He smiled radiantly, and without thinking about the fact that Yuvati had already stopped counting, he ran inside the storeroom and secured the bolt, fiddling with the key lost inside its lock.

There was another door inside locked away for ages. He made his way through the heaps of things, not looking much, neither resisting himself to think about them. He found the handle in the dark under a thick layer of dust.

Keeping the bat down, Badri tugged it.

The handle loosened and got in his hand, the sharp end nibbling his fingers.