The Missing Girl

by Gita V.Reddy



  THE MISSING GIRL

  By

  Gita V.Reddy

  `

  Text and Front Cover Copyright ©2013 to 2017 Gita V.Reddy

  All Rights Reserved

  Second Edition

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  of this author.

  Books by Gita V.Reddy

  Novels

  Hunt for the Horseman (Adventure)

  King Neptune’s Delite (Adventure)

  Cheetaka, Queen of Giants (Fantasy)

  Chapter Books

  Cinderella’s Escape (Mystery)

  Dearie the Deer (Animal story)

  The Forbidden Forest (Adventure)

  Another Midsummer Night’s Dream (Fantasy)

  The Missing Girl (Fiction)

  Krishta, Daughter of Martev (Science Fiction)

  The Magician’s Turban (Fantasy)

  Daksha the Medicine Girl (Fiction)

  Make a Wish (Fairytale)

  Knife and Fork (Fable)

  Short Story Collections

  Theft at the Fair and Other Stories

  The Dinosaur Puzzle and Other Stories

  The Unicycle and Other Stories

  Rangeela Tales Book1, 2, 3

  For my nephews,

  Arjun and Aditya Reddy, with love

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1: Missing

  Chapter 2: Far from home

  Chapter 3: Fruitless search

  Chapter 4: Horror House

  Chapter 5: Explosion

  Chapter 6: Strange Stranger

  Chapter 7: Genius

  Chapter 8: Wonders

  Chapter 9: Not an end

  Bonus Story: Adi the Virus

  My Books

  CHAPTER 1: MISSING

  When the street lights came up, the children ended their game. It was time to go home.

  As soon as Sameer entered the house, his mother said, "Call Sneha. She has a math test tomorrow."

  "Hasn't she come in?" Sameer asked, a little surprised. "I didn't see her so I thought she had gone ahead of me."

  "She must have gone to Minnie’s house. Go and call her. She wants me to help her with algebra.”

  When Sameer went to Minnie's house, Minnie was surprised to know that Sneha was not home. "I didn't see her after we started playing hide and seek. I thought she'd gone home to study. She's trying to score the highest in tomorrow's test."

  Sameer ran back home, wondering where Sneha could have gone. It had grown quite dark. Ma began calling up Sneha's friends. None of them had seen Sneha since the beginning of the game.

  "I hope your father comes home soon," Ma told Sameer, "I'm not able to contact him on phone.”

  "Mummy, shall we ask Uncle Menon to come over?"

  Uncle Menon was their neighbor. He came immediately, so did his wife, Jaya. Minnie and her parents also arrived, along with two other neighbors. Everyone was worried and trying to decide what was to be done. Just then, Sameer’s father came in.

  "What's the matter? Sheila, Sameer, is something wrong?" he asked, surprised at finding his neighbors gathered around his wife.

  "Sneha is missing!”

  “What?”

  “She went out to play but didn’t return. The other children haven’t seen her anywhere. We’ve enquired with her friends. She isn’t with any of them,” Ma explained tearfully.

  "Sameer, didn't Sneha play with you?"

  "She did. We played hide and seek. We'd lost our cricket ball so there was nothing else to play."

  "Where did you all play?"

  "In the usual place, between the last two apartment blocks."

  "How's it you didn't see Sneha?"

  "We were all hiding. I didn’t think she was missing. Later, when I didn’t see her, I thought she'd already gone home."

  "What are the usual hiding places? Where do you hide?”

  "Anywhere - behind the apartment blocks, below the staircase, even on the terrace."

  "Sameer, bring me the big flashlight. We'll check out all the hiding places,” his father said.

  Sameer ran to bring the torch. Uncle Menon brought another. A few more neighbors joined in. They went to each complex and looked below the staircase, they searched the passages and the terrace. They even looked for Sneha in the trees though she was not fond of climbing them.

  They checked every nook and cranny suggested by Sameer, Minnie, and the other children but they did not find Sneha. They split up and visited all the flats in the apartment blocks, asking whether anyone had seen Sneha.

  Old Mrs. Mehta had. "I was sitting in the balcony and I saw Sneha. She was hiding behind a black car someone had parked by the side of the road. She saw me looking at her and put a finger to her lips. She wanted me to keep quiet about her hiding place."

  "What did you do?"

  "It was just that one moment. I went back to my book. I didn’t look at Sneha or the other children after that.”

  By now, many of the colony residents knew Sneha was missing. Some of them had also noticed the black car. They agreed with Mrs. Mehta that it looked different from the regular cars and resembled a vintage car.

  Sameer’s father looked grim. “I’m calling the police,” he said.

  Ma started crying softly.

  CHAPTER 2: FAR FROM HOME

  Sneha wished the car would stop soon. She was very uncomfortable. She had been sitting crouched in the car’s trunk for over two hours.

  During the game of hide and seek, she had first hidden behind the car. She had never seen that make of car before. The trunk had a round knob. She turned it, just like that, and was surprised when the cover sprang open.

  Inside was a coil of rope, two spare tires, and just enough space for her to squeeze in! Nobody would think of looking for her there. It was the perfect hiding place.

  She got in and lowered the cover. That very instant the car started. Sneha called out loudly for the car to stop. She banged her fists on the trunk cover but felt the car pick up speed. If she could find something, a metal piece or any heavy object that would make some noise, the driver might hear her. But there wasn’t enough room for her to move the tires and look under them.

  The trunk was so small she was having to bend forward and twist her body sideways so that she didn’t hit her head against the roof. It was also dark. The only light came in through a gap under the cover. Sneha squatted down until her eyes were level to it. All she could see was a narrow strip of road but it was something to look at.

  The car kept going at a fast speed. When the sound of traffic reduced, Sneha guessed they were out of the city and on the highway. Now the car went even faster!

  At last it came to a stop. Sneha realized the driver was leaving the vehicle. She heard the door shut and someone walk away. She ought to have called out immediately but did not. The truth was, she felt a little foolish.

  When she heard nothing but silence, she pushed open the cover. It was a struggle to hold it up but she managed to raise it long enough for her to stumble out. Her hands felt sore and there were cramps in her legs. One foot had gone numb. She leaned against the car and slowly began to feel better.

  She was in the driveway of a big rambling house. It was an old house, with lots of pillars and arches. The heavy stonework made it look like a fortress. Dry leaves covered the driveway. There were many tall trees and big bushes around the house and they had been allowed to
grow wild.

  A solitary yellow electric lamp glowed under the arch of the portico. Its light was dim, and that made the surroundings look more threatening, perhaps because it caused long shadows to fall.

  The house was all dark except for the lights in two windows on the first floor. It was so silent that Sneha did not venture to the door. She went back to the gate. She would look for help outside. If she could find a telephone, she would call her parents. They would come and get her.

  There was no latch or lock on the gate but it wouldn’t open. Sneha tried pushing it and pulling it, she even threw herself against it. It was of no use. The gate didn’t budge even an inch!

  The cold breeze and the silence made Sneha shiver. ‘I can't get out of here and I don't want to enter the strange house,’ she thought. ‘I can’t stay out in the garden either. It’s so wild that it may have snakes and scorpions. The porch is the safest place to spend the night.’

  Sneha sat in a corner of the porch, beside the entrance, at the spot which gave her the most shelter from the cold. But it wasn’t much protection and she continued to shiver. She pulled up her legs and wrapped her arms around them. Resting her chin on her knees, she thought about the strangeness of her surroundings and wondered what everyone was doing at home. They must all be so worried. She wished she could knock and ask for help but the dark, silent house scared her.

  She was tired and hungry. For some time she listened to the sound of rustling leaves and the night insects. Then she dozed off.

  CHAPTER 3: FRUITLESS SEARCH

  After the police arrived, they once again carried out a search for Sneha and made enquiries with people in the locality. They couldn’t get any new information.

  Inspector Singh suspected Sneha was kidnapped. "Mr. Roy," he said, "I think your daughter has been whisked away in that black car. We spoke to all the residents on the street. None of them had a visitor who came in a car like the one that was seen. The presence of a strange vehicle points to a kidnapping.”

  "That was my worst fear. When we didn't find Sneha anywhere, I was afraid something like this could have happened. What's our next step, Inspector Singh?"

  "We’ll set up roadblocks and send information to all the check posts. Give me Sneha’s description and her photograph.”

  “Sneha is eleven but she’s tall for her age. Her complexion is a very light brown. Her eyes are black. So is her hair. It’s black, long, and curly,” Mr. Roy said, and gave the inspector Sneha’s photograph. He also told him what clothes she was wearing.

  “Do you have any enemies? Is there anyone who would want to hurt you and your family?”

  Mr. Roy was shocked. “I don’t think so! I don’t think I have enemies.”

  “No offence meant, Mr. Roy. Sometimes children are kidnapped to get even with the parents. As you don’t suspect anyone, this kidnapping must be for ransom, in which case the kidnapper will call you. Please try to extend the conversation. Don't annoy the kidnapper or argue with him. Don't mention the police. Agree to all his demands. Then contact us. I'll arrange to have all your incoming calls recorded."

  The inspector and his men left. Mr. Roy told his neighbors they should also go home. “It’s getting late and the children must be hungry. I’ll call if I need help.”

  Only Uncle Menon and Aunt Jaya waited with the Roy family, sitting close to the telephone. What would it be? A call from the police or a call from the kidnappers?

  CHAPTER 4: HORROR HOUSE

  Sneha woke up and saw it was still dark. She was sure she hadn’t slept for long. The mosquitoes buzzing around her must have woken her up. Or the cold. A rectangle of light came from the open window next to the porch. Someone was in there. She tiptoed to the window and peeped in. And recoiled in horror.

  There was a skeleton hanging from a hook, grinning away. A light hung low, shining on white bones kept in glass cases. A big round glass bottle, quite near the window, contained what looked like a coiled green snake. On the table, in a cauldron, red liquid bubbled. Blood!

  Sneha was terrified. What was this place, so silent and frightening? A haunted house? She didn’t believe in ghosts but the strange house, so silent, and the room with all those horrible things, was scary. She had to get out fast!

  A telephone rang somewhere very close. Sneha jumped because the sound was totally unexpected. She took a deep breath. It’s just a telephone, she told herself and looked into the room. She saw it on a stand beside the window. A tiny red light glowed beside the digits. It went off when the ringing stopped. Someone had taken the call on an extension line.

  The telephone reassured Sneha. It was proof that whatever skeletons and bones lay around, this was no ghost house. But no sooner she got a little of her courage back, a woman’s scream shattered the silence. Sneha jerked away from the window and started running, and then stopped. The scream had come from the menacing darkness, not from the house. Another shriek came, and another. They were coming from different parts of the garden. Some sounded very close.

  Sneha went back to the corner of the porch because there was nowhere else to go. Once again she sat, knees against chest, back pressed to the wall. She didn’t dare move a muscle. Only her eyes darted this way and that, trying to follow the shrill sounds coming from all directions.

  Strangely, no one came out of the house to find out why there were women crying in the dark. Once again, Sneha wondered whether there were ghosts around. Were they up the trees? In the house? Was the telephone real or a trick by ghosts? Ghosts could do anything. They were supposed to be powerful. It would not be difficult for them to make a telephone appear, she thought.

  Another shriek, this time very close, brought Sneha to her feet. She screamed, except that with her throat gone dry and her vocal chords not working properly, it came out like a squeak.

  A small ball of feathers flew across the porch to a tree beside it. Sneha glimpsed large yellow eyes. It was an owl! Because of its mottled appearance, Sneha could barely make it out against the tree but when the next cry came, she knew it was the owl’s cry. Other owls answered it, and they all sounded like screams.

  Sneha had never seen or heard an owl before. But she recognized the bird from a lesson about night birds. It said owls were of different species and the screeching owl sounded like a woman screaming.

  Relief flooded Sneha. No screaming women meant no ghosts. And the telephone was real. She went back to the window and put her arm between its bars. By standing on her toes and stretching her arm, she managed to reach the telephone, and lifted it to the windowsill.

  Then, with trembling fingers, she dialed.

  CHAPTER 5: EXPLOSION

  It was past twelve when the telephone rang. Mr. Roy grabbed the receiver.

  "Hello, Daddy, it's me, Sneha."

  "Sneha! Where are you? Are you all right?"

  "I'm all right. I don't know where I am. It's a big old house. The garden is overgrown, like a forest."

  "How far is it?"

  "I think the car took about two hours to get here. I'm not sure."

  "Hello, Sneha, try to tell me more!"

  "Daddy, just a minute. I can see a nameplate, I'll read it."

  "Sneha..."

  Mr. Roy heard an explosion over the telephone, after which the line went dead.

  Mr. Roy looked at the anxious faces around him. "Yes, it was Sneha and she’s all right. But she doesn't know where she is. I'll call up the inspector."

  ***

  The deafening explosion occurred when Sneha was trying to read the nameplate. It so alarmed her that she screamed loudly and started running away from the house. She tripped and fell down but tried to get up again. She wanted to get away from the house. For that moment she forgot the gates were locked.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder. An old man loomed over her. She could see his face because the garden was bright with lights; someone had switched them on. The man looked friendly and kind.

  She tried again but her foot was caught in an expo
sed root. Suddenly everything was too much for her. Tired, hungry, frightened, and unable to get up, tears came into her eyes.

  The old man held out his hand. "Come, child.”

  When he saw she wasn’t able to move, he helped her up. Sneha quickly wiped away her tears. She disliked crying.

  "Are you all right? Does your foot hurt? Can you walk?”

  Sneha found that she could.

  “You have a cut on your forehead. I'll clean it and dress it. Come in and tell sahib* about yourself."

  *Sahib: Master / Boss.

  Sneha remembered the room with the skeleton. "No, I want to go home. Let me go home!"

  "Don't be afraid, child. It's the fall and the explosion. They must have scared you. Come, I'll take you sahib. He'll drive you home immediately."

  Reluctantly, with the old man's arm around her, Sneha entered the house.

  ***

  Inspector Singh came soon after Mr. Roy called. “This is a breakthrough,” he said. “We know Sneha is in a house in the outskirts, at a distance of about two hours from here. The house is old. It has a big, overgrown garden. An explosion has taken place there.”

  “Is this information enough to find my daughter?” Mr. Roy asked.

  “I’ll pass on the information to all the suburban police stations. They already have a description of Sneha and the car. I’ll alert the check posts again. The kidnappers might move from their hideout.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of the explosion. If they move out, we can nab them at one of the roadblocks.”

  "Will anyone else be looking for Sneha?"

  "There are two teams looking for her already. I’ll be joining the search with two constables.”

  "May I come along? I’d like to be there when you find Sneha. She might be frightened," Mr. Roy asked and was relieved when the inspector agreed.

 

  CHAPTER 6: STRANGE STRANGER

  Inside the room, Sneha found the results of the explosion everywhere. There was shattered glass on the floor, furniture was upturned and there were splatters of red on the wall and the floor. In the midst of all this stood a man.