(Inspired by Mulk Raj Anand’s short story)
Tamanna Chhabra, Class IX C
The man moved about among the people in the fair looking for the child’s parents. Just then the ground started shaking. Everyone started to run helter-skelter. The severe earthquake left only death and destruction in its wake.
In the commotion, the child got injured and the man thought it better to take him home. He thought there was little chance of the parents surviving the earthquake.
The child’s parents, who had taken shelter near a sweet shop, kept searching for their child and eventually returned home having given up any hope of finding him.
When the child’s condition improved, the man explained everything to him and calmed him. He decided to bring that child up. Years went by and the child grew up to be a police officer.
One night some thievers broke into the old parents’ house and stole everything they had. They went to the police station to file a complaint. The young man, the newly appointed police officer, recognized his parents. The parents hugged their lost child and thanked the man for taking care of him. In the form of their son, they had got everything back.
Sneha Sanotia, Class IX C
The man moved about among the people in the fair looking for the child’s parents. Together, they spent three hours under the scorching sun but could not locate the child’s parents. It was evening and the man was exhausted. He decided to take the child to his house. He gave him milk and cookies and switched the radio on, hoping there would be some mention of the child’s parents.
The next morning, the man woke up with a start to hear loud sounds coming from the room next door. He was relieved to see the boy in a good mood and playing in front of the mirror. Suddenly, something struck him as very odd. He could not see the boy’s reflection in the mirror!
He shook the boy and asked him what was happening. The boy said nothing, there was just a grin on his face. Five years ago, in the same village fair, the child had died after being separated from his parents.
Sanjana Goyal, Class IX C
Rahul got ready quickly. He put on his black suit and cap and read the details of the mission once again. He came out of his apartment and got into his yellow car and looked at a photograph of his younger self. It brought painful memories of the past, getting lost in the fair, failing to find his parents… What he had become today, he owed completely to the man, who was also his boss now.
He reached the destination, parked his car and got out of it. He went to the back of the house. He waited till the lights inside the house went off.
Years of training had given him the skill to open doors and move about without making a sound. He entered the bedroom and saw his targets. He had never failed in any mission. This time was not going to be any different.
As he turned to leave with yet another success under his belt, a photo frame caught his eye. His legs gave away and he broke down, unable to hold back his tears, ‘What have I done! Mother, father, what have I done!”
