On The Way School

On The Way To School...

It was 5 in the morning, and I had just woke up. I still had a hangover, but I was pretty determined to go to school early. There was this work that was vital to do, but I left my book there. School starts at 9:30, and I typically take the train from 7:40 and reach school by 9. This time, however, I gotta use the bus. I ate my breakfast, Idlis and Chutney and set off. I drank masala tea on a tea stall nearby, and brought my 30INR and bought a ticket. Then, I waited for my bus to come. It was 5:35 when my bus came, and I entered it. I sat near the driver, as there were many empty seats left...strange. I looked around my surroundings. There were school kids, like me, an old lady, a woman with her baby... and some grown up men... they looked like Punjabis. The bus started off, and I packed my bags and put on my seatbelt. (Yes, a bus with seatbelts.) Fifteen minutes passed by, and we reached our first station... Azadpur. The school kids got off, and it seemed like they went to Dayanand public school. Another fifteen minutes passed by, and the woman with her baby and the old woman departed it. All who was left in the bus was me, the men and the driver. I took a quick glance behind me, and I saw the men staring at me... not in an amiable way. It was 6:30 when a boy, of my age, entered the bus at a bus stop. He sat next to me, and the bus started again. An hour later, the boy near me asked, "Do you know t-the uncles behind you?" "No... why are y-you asking?" "They keep eyeing on us..." I was alarmed, like the other boy. I usually call myself brave, but I panicked and made a blunder I will never neglect for my life. I got off the bus early, (five bus stops yet) and the other boy got off as well. "W-Why did you get off?!" "I don't know, those people were creepy!" I was busy clarifying the boy when a hand touched my shoulder. "Aren't you boys studying in Sardar Patel Vidyalaya?" I trembled with fear... "Y-Yes sir." "You got off early. Why?" I looked at the boy and thought of an answer that wasn't too suspicious... The boy then blurted out, "W-We are skipping school. M-My friend here is sick a-and we heard that there was a hospital h-here. My friend has cash for e-emergency use for the hospital." I looked at him furiously. "Your friend...? You weren't talking when you first entered the bus..." The boy gave him yet the stupidest reply, "B-Because we got into a discord earlier... and we reconciled b-because he looked sick..." The man then stared at us for some time, and took us to the nearest bus stop. "I will take care of your belongings. Go to the hospital." By some coincidence, there was indeed a hospital there. I started walking when the man said, "Give him company. He's sick, and is your friend right?" "There's no need for that s-sir. I can go by myself." "No, you can't. You are sick and you know it." Then I took my belongings, (backpack and his money) and hanged it on the other boy. I got to learn that his name was Raju. "Why are you giving him the belongings..." "I-It contains the money, sir." I went to the hospital and walked around for a few minutes, thinking of how to get out of this dilemma, and we went back. The man was still there, and he was waiting for us. "The next bus will come in half-an-hour. Maybe we can go drink tea?" It felt creepy, and I declined his offer. I had already drank tea this morning. "It's okay! We can also eat biscuits with it, let's go already." The other boy gave in to his hunger. He told me he had to go empty stomach this morning in a hurry. "Yes, I am coming with you." I had to give way, eventually. The man asked us to follow him, and we walked deep into the town, into the dark alleys, until... we made out a tea stall. It was an ominous and eerie one. We sat in the damaged chairs, and the man with us and the tea shopkeeper exchanged enigmatic glances. "3 teas and a pack of fan kharis." We waited for some time, and the tea and the puffy biscuits were ready. Something was fishy, I could sense it. The man asked us to eat it, but I hesitated. My friend, however, gulped down 6 of those fan kharis and asked for more! Meanwhile, I was sitting, wavering to take even a sip of the tea. The man got restless, and took one of the biscuits and said, "Eat it with the tea, boy." And... he dropped it in my tea. He apologized, and I had no other choice but to drink the tea. Then... the other boy who was with me started acting weird... like he was drunk. He started swaying around in random directions, and then... he fell to the ground. ...The man, and the tea shop people... they started searching for loot in the unconscious Raju. They were thieves. Then they looked at me, and probably wondered why I am not dizzy yet. "Come here." They said. I ran, ran as fast as I could. Then I collided with a pole and everything went black. I opened my eyes, and I was in a hospital. My family surrounded me, and noticed my awakening. Then they started asking me various questions, worrying, etcetera. Then the police barged in, and asked me for the thieves' identification. I told them everything I knew. I asked them, dreadfully, about the boy, and they said:-

"Oh, him... well, kid... I think you are lucky.
They did not rob everything off you..."

(Note: Not all parts of the story is true.[60%] Including Raju's death.) -Praveen Kumar

Glossary:- (Without the use of a dictionary. Cuz chad.)

Amiable: Friendly and pleasant.
Neglect: To not care about something.
Blurted: To say something carelessly.
Discord: Disagreement. (Not the app :/)
Reconciled: To make up and become friends again.
Dilemma: A bad situation where you have to make difficult choices.
Ominous: Feeling that something bad is going to happen.
Eerie: Strange and Frightening.
Enigmatic: Mysterious.
Wavering: Uncertain while picking choices.
Loot: Valuable things which are stolen.

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