Chapter-18

Chapter 18

I slowly closed the cupboard doors, letting out a little grin at my genius plan.

Now nobody would know where I was.

Once the cupboard doors were shut, my little space in the first rack started to seem eerie.

Nothing surrounded me on all four corners but uncut darkness, that gave a way to my fear.

I was getting extremely creeped out when suddenly, I heard a shout.

"Aneesha?!", "Where are you!?".

I immediately knew who the voice belonged to, it was my mother, probably calling me for dinner.

Completely dropping my plan to be the most awesome daughter in the world I shouted back,

"Amma, I'm up here, I'll be there in a jiffy."

I rapidly opened the cupboard doors and got down.

I ran down the stairs as fast as I could and went into the kitchen.

As I had thought, my mother had called me for dinner.

I usually had dinner early and went to bed before my father came home.

So forgetting all about what had happened I ate my dinner and went to bed straight away.

Interrupting my memories (now) I heard a voice.

"Aneesha! Did you find anything there?" shouted my mother.

"No amma, nothing here. Just my teddy bears and toys." I shouted back.

"Okay, we'll have plenty of time to pack tomorrow. Come downstairs, dinner is ready!"

Just then I remembered, this happened to me very often. 

I would just dive into my land of memories for god knows how long and forget completely about the world around me.

I had supper but didn't have dinner yet.

Still it seemed like not long ago I was sitting with my dad and talking about the chinese.

I ran downstairs and went into the kitchen, I saw all the plates and spoons put out already, so I decided to sit and just enjoy the meal.

"Nana (dad)?" I asked.

"Yes Aneesha.." he replied in a tired tone.

"When we go to India...can we go somewhere..like on a holiday?"

"Yeah sure. But first you will be going to your grandmothers house, in Chennai. Until the baby gets delivered. Then I will come a few days before the delivery, I have some work here in America." he said.

"So I'll be staying with Ammuma (my maternal grandmother)?" I asked.

"Yes.." he answered.

"So the baby will be born in.....Chennai?"

Chapter-17

Chapter 17

"Aneesha....calm down" he said calmly.

"We will not be going to India forever...it will only be for a few months.." he concluded.

"But amma said that I was joining a new school?" I asked.

"Yes Aneesha, its not like you will miss months of school!" He said surprised.

"So we'll be back?" I asked.

"Yes" he answered.

"Really?" I confirmed.

"Yes!" he restated.

As I had mentioned before, I didn't want to think about it too much. So I just decided to take my fathers sanction and move on.

"So when are we going to India, nana?" I asked my father.

"Day-after tomorrow, Aneesha." he replied.

"What! But we have to pack! How will I say goodbye to all my friends? Will we meet them? When are we meeting them?" I said, scared that I won't even get a chance to say adios to my amigos.

"Aneesha...let's start packing first...after we finish if we get time we'll meet them. Okay?" he said.

"Okay.." I replied pretty sure that now I wouldn't even get a chance to say goodbye.

As we started packing my mother and father grew tenser.

There were two groups to segregate; the things we would take with us on the plane and the ones my dad would bring on a ship, basically all the big stuff and the small stuff.

While my mother and father started doing all the 'big people packing' my job was to search in the tiny corners of the house for the things they would miss.

I started with my room, I knew lots of tiny places there, mostly because I used to hide in them.

Under my bed, in the cupboard, in the closet, behind the door, and the little tiny space in between the cupboard and the wall.

As I searched, I found more memories than articles.

All the places I used to hide in had a purpose.

Once my mother had scolded me because I didn't do my homework and I wasn't listening to her.

"You always do what you want, it's like I'm telling the walls to clean their room." she berated.

"Whenever I clean it, you make it filthy again.

Then what's the point of cleaning, Aneesha!"

"Go clean it yourself." she screamed.

This made me feel sad, bad and mad.

I got so angry that I decided to hide and never show up again, then when she misses me she would come searching for me, and eventually realise how awesome her daughter was.

I went to my room and scanned for places to hide, I immediately noticed the cupboard- and got an idea.

I could fit inside the cupboard, couldn't I?

So I climbed into the very first rack and made myself at home.

Chapter-16

Chapter 16

Until he came home, I had no choice but to wait.

I looked at my room and immediately got emotional.

All I could think of is how this wouldn't last for long.

Nothing would, not my room, not our garden, not even the apple tree my mother and I had planted in our backyard when I was four, I still couldn't believe it grew to be so big and gave us so many plump, scrumptious, red apples that still decorate the tree even today.

Slowly pushing myself, I managed to climb up the stairs all the way up to my room.

As I saw through my window I could see a few of my colony mates and friends playing tag, running around in the lush green grass, laughing and having a whale of time without me.

I suddenly realized that from the day I leave to India, I wouldn't be able to play with them ever again, in fact I may not even see them ever again.

I jumped on to my bed and immediately closed my eyes thinking of all the good things about life.
The moments of joy, happiness and laughter I had spent in my life filled my thoughts and slowly put me asleep.

I woke up startled, I had so many questions,
Where did my pony go? Am I not dreaming? How long was I asleep? Where was my mother? But most important of all, didn't my father come home yet?

I scurried downstairs to see my father who was all freshened up and ready on the dining table to have supper.

I rushed up to him agitated, confused and grief-stricken.
I had so many questions that tenanted my mind that I didn't know what I was going to ask him when I spoke.

"But what if they're chinese?" I blurted out all of a sudden.

"What?" my father asked fuddled by my question.

"When we go to India, amma said we were giving this house for rent and if we are giving it for rent to some people who don't know English like-chinese people then how will we talk to them and ask it back, does that mean that we're not gonna get our house back? But I love this house! What about our garden and the apple tree? And my friends? Nana I don't want to leave nana, please nana, I don't want to go!" 
I remember saying all of it so fast and apparently thinking that the chinese did not know English, completely forgetting that half of my friends were chinese. I must've thought they were considered to be more 'American'.

My father let out a grin.

Chapter-15

Chapter 15

"Calm down, Aneesha!" my mother said hushing me down.

"We're going to India for some time, you'll be attending school there too, it's going to be fine, you'll get used to it." she said in a satisfying tone.

"Some time?" I asked, wanting her to 
elaborate further.

"Look, your grandfather is not doing well.

He and your grandma are in that massive house alone, they need help and it is our duty to be with them when they need us." she explained further, without answering my question.

She probably assumed I was smart enough to know the answer, which I did.

But I just didn't, I couldn't think of even how leaving America would be, especially forever.

Here I didn't even want to question anything.

Questioning meant thinking, thinking about leaving everything, everyone, leaving my childhood as nothing, nothing but faded memories of a place.

So I decided not to think about it at all.

But I decided, not my marvelous, incredible, sensational and of course inquisitive brain.

It kept getting emotional and making me emotional too, with thoughts such as-

"But what about Amy, Eric and Ellen? And remember that tree in the backyard? And the rock near the lake you used to stroll? What about the flowers and the bushes? What about this house? What about him/her?"
Just then I remembered about him/her, what would he/she do?
Would the baby have the same childhood as me, in...India?
What is the plane trip going to cause harm to the little one?

How would my mom travel when she was...pregnant?

"Amma? But how will you come with 'it'?"
I asked my mother concerned with the health of my brother/sister (who irritates me A LOT today and is absolutely healthy).

"I don't know but I will have to come...I have no other choice." she said worried.

Right now there was only one person who could solve this, the person to whom my mom was talking to on the phone, the person who told me nothing about leaving, the person who I was going to irritate sooooooooooo much by asking soooooo many questions when he got home, that's right-my father.

Chapter-14

Chapter 14

As I called her, Amy turned towards me completely unknown of what had happened until now.

"Aneesha ?" She asked me in a questioning tone as

to why I was holding a two-foot gift card in my arms. I explained Amy what has happened until now.

She was shocked for sure.

She looked at Ellen and Eric with her mouth wide open and then turned to me immediately blurting out,

"So.......instead of researching about dinosaurs we should be probably researching about visions".

I let out a grin.

I was relieved that Amy coped up with the whole situation, because now, we could go to the gift store and buy as many things as possible, as fast as we could.

"Let's go to the gift store!" I said as I pointed towards a store that said 'The memories of The Memorial Museum of New Jersey'.

"Okay." she replied as we walked towards it.

We entered the gift shop and immediately bought everything we found amusing.

A bobble head of the first US president, A shirt that said 'I LOVE HISTORY' and many snow globes, one for my mom, one for Amy, one for my dad and one for Amy's dad.

As soon as we bought all the stuff we needed, we left the store, and luckily, caught the bus.

The bus ride was full of people touching and flittering the things that we bought at the store.

"Look at how his head wiggles!" said Eric, dangling it for the 23rd time.

"I know, its sooo cooool!" said Tim.

"I don't know how you like it that much, his head is clearly too big for his body." interrupted Ellen.

"Thats what makes him.....FUNNY!!!" screamed Eric.

"Oops gotta go!" I said, as my stop approached.

"Byeee!!!" I shouted out to everyone, and hurriedly went inside to tell my mom what happened today.

"Yes....but I don't think she will be able to take it in...I mean leaving her friends...going to...India."

said a voice as I opened the door.

"India?" I exclaimed while entering.

My mother, who was talking on the phone, turned back, and looked at me.

"Are we going to India? For how long? Why? What did nana say about this? Were you talking to him? When were you going to tell me?" I stuttered out.

Chapter-13

Chapter 13

Then, I pointed towards the put up.

Aditya's eyes widened, his mouth sprang open in awe, he couldn't believe what he was reading.

At the same time, I felt that they were a little wider than they should've been, he was a little more surprised.

I looked at the put up again, and this time I noticed something else, something more.

Written in letters smaller than the words in capitals and bold, was something else, waiting to be read.

"A surprise officer may come for this sole purpose only on a random day. The person- child or adult who reports him shall be honored a gift card of 100 dollars at the museum store and also a certificate to prove their alertness and courage. Along with that, a picture of them will also be hung up in the museum recognising their exceptional deed."

A hundred dollar gift card! A certificate! A picture to be viewed by every single person who visits here!

But all I did was shout...I shouldn't gain so much for this?

"Smile wide!" said a voice interrupting my thoughts for the 3rd time in one day.

I had a peculiar smile, still have it today, I show all my teeth and open my mouth as wide as I can.

So this time was no exception, I'm not photogenic, and never will be.

This made me look like a complete goof, wearing glasses, holding a certificate and showing off all my teeth.

That was definately not a picture of me that I would want thousands of people to see.

After the photo session was over, I was handed my gift card.

I was so excited to see it, I could already imagine all the things I could buy with 100 dollars.

The man, the photographer and all the other people who had come to see me, congratulated me and dispersed.

But that was not it, as soon as they left, another crowd formed soon.

"Cooooool" said Eric.
"Hey show me your certificate" said Stella.
Soon a bunch of people started asking me a lot of questions. 

There was only one person who just stood intact, open mouthed still in shock of what happened. 

You guessed it. It was Aditya.

After this crowd dispersed too, I realized that the trip was almost over. 
I scanned the crowd for Amy and as usual, she sat in a corner reading a book in which she was completely engrossed.
"Amy!", I called out.

Chapters and their names.

Hi guys! This is Aneesha.
I wanted to provide a list of all the chapters written until today with their names and dates.
This list will also include the name and date of the upcoming chapters which will be released 2-3 days after the release of the previous one.
Hope this helps answer the questions of those inquisitive minds who have questions like-
So when is the next one coming up? What are the chapters called? How many chapters are there till today? Why do I love pizza sooooo much? Etc.
This list will be updated regularly with every chapter.


Chapter                                Name                                                 Date of release
                                                                                                                               
Chapter-1                           'The dinosaur'                                         2/22/15
                                                                                                                       
Chapter-2                           'Questions'                                              2/24/15
                                                                                                                       
Chapter-3                           'The meaning the paintings'                   2/28/15
                                                                                                                      
Chapter-4                           'The enlightened one'                             3/23/15
                                                                                                                      
Chapter-5                           'Extraordinary Aditya'                           3/25/15
                                                                                                                      
Chapter-6                           'YES IT DOES!'                                    3/27/15
                                                                                                                      
Chapter-7                           'Oh..robots'                                            3/30/15
                                                                                                                     
Chapter-8                           'The ballet king.'                                   4/01/15
                                                                                                                     
Chapter-9                           'The vision twins'                                  4/04/15
                                                                                                                     
Chapter -10                        'Weird..man?'                                        4/06/15
                                                                                                                     
Chapter-11                         'The statue or..something?'                   4/09/15
                                                                                                                    
Chapter-12                         'Well done my child!'                           4/12/15
                                                                                                                    
Chapter-13                          'Smile wide'                                         4/15/15
                                                                                                                    
Chapter-14                             'India?'                                              4/18/15
                                                                                                                    
Chapter-15                             'him/her.'                                           4/22/15
                                                                                                                    
Chapter-16                             'But what if they're chinese?"           4/24/15
                                                                                                                     
Chapter-17                             'Bye America.'                                  4/27/15
                                                                                                                    
Chapter-18                             'Chennai?'                                         4/30/15
                                                                                                                   
Chapter-19                            'The step'                                           5/04/15
                                                                                                                   
Chapter-20                            'Hi grandma!'                                     5/07/15
                                                                                                                   
Chapter-21                            'Durgathaaaaa'                                   5/09/15
                                                                                                                  
Chapter-22                             'Pizaaaaaa'                                        5/11/15
                                                                                                                  
Chapter-23                             'Sleep'                                               5/13/15 
                                                                                                                   
Chapter-24                             'Answers'                                          5/15/15 
                                                                                                                    
Chapter-25                             'Names'                                             5/17/15
                                                                                                                    
Chapter-26                             'Heat'                                                5/19/15
                                                                                                                   

Chapter-12

Chapter 12

The man stopped, turned back and looked at me in an angry manner.
Then he started to run towards me, faster and faster as fast as he could, he looked like a marathoner, trying to reach the finish line, which in this case was-me!

 I just stood there looking at him, partially frightened and partially amused by the way he looked while he was running. 

As I had mentioned before he was a short, plump man who looked laughable already and as he started running, he looked hilarious.  
He was struggling to run couple of meters without getting worn out in the process. 

After minutes of struggle and countless whistles and shrieks of the cop asking the man to give over, he finally reached me and stared down at me with a raving expression on his face. 

I looked back at him with innocent eyes followed by an expression that I hoped would convince him that I did nothing. 

After about a second of constant staring the man showed a sudden change in his facial expression. He smiled and put his hand over my head and patted gently.

 I stood there looking at him, confused as to why he would be possibly happy with me, the person who turned him in and announced that he was a thief. 

"Well done, my child!" He said proudly.
"But what have I done sir" I asked him curiously.
"You followed the sign" He said and pointed towards a large
put up which I barely noticed due to all the commotion that Ellen and Eric created. 
"IN CASE OF THEFT, REPORT TO A NEARBY OFFICER ON DUTY AND HELP THE MUSEUM KEEP THE NATIONAL HERITAGE SAFE " It stated.

Now I understood what this was about, I immediately figured it all out in my head.
I looked at Aditya to see if he understood what was happening as well as I did.
Clearly he didn't, he had a startled and confused expression on his face.
He looked at me with an expression on his face that meant "Whats happening?"
I replied with a broad smile showing all my teeth and closed eyes

Chapter-11

Chapter 11

I turned to see the weird man with the bald head, popped out teeth and big belly. 

But this time something was different, he had something in his hand.
Oh no! It was the statue, or something? 

Ellen's description of the object was strangely accurate, it did 
look like a statue, but it could have been something else.

He had definitely stolen it, no doubt, I could tell because it 
was  written all over his face.

He had the expression that I had while I was chewing on Ellen and Eric's jelly bean.

But then I noticed something else while he was looking back and front, here and there, he barely noticed a long pillar about well, 4 meters ahead of him!

Oh god, how could I stop him now? Will he hit the pole? Will 
he slide down the floor? Will he hit the statue? Will he cut his arm? Will Ms.Thompson break her bones?

What can I do to stop him? 

So much tension.

I wouldn't have been in this situation if I would have learnt my lesson from the ballet king-DON'T GET CURIOUS! Because it leads to worrying about a bald man having the best slide of his life.

Just as I was preparing to see the man bump into the pole, I noticed something.
Where was Eric? 

I quickly scanned the hall looking for him, and then I saw him right in front of that pole standing there, just as a safety cushion would, to prevent an accident.

The man bumped into Eric and immediately recovered.

"Sorry." He said quickly and left the scene in a jiffy.

Ellen and I let out a sigh of relief, but wait, was that, no, A SIMILAR POLE IN FRONT OF HIM! And of course a wet floor sign that he would overlook.

Just then I saw a cop.

I decided to call him and tell him about stolen statue or whatever it was.

"Sir!" I shouted loudly.
The cop and the whole class (including Ms.Thompson) turned to look at me.
"Thief!" I shrieked and pointed towards the weird looking man.