The Unusual Friendship

Mukul had a feeling his friend had started to forget the importance of the friendship they had built over the years. How could he? They had been friends since 3rd grade, now they were in seventh. After all this time and all of a sudden?


Mukul and Piyush had bonded over their love of playing games, especially over any game that involved racing. They even shared the hobby of collecting and reading comics.


They would sometimes go out to the playground like regular kids, that is when their parents pushed them out with the threat of formatting the computer and removing all its content.


But then something unusual happened. Piyush’s appearances reduced beyond normal. It usually happened when exams were near or ongoing, or when one of them had been grounded due to neglecting studies to a critical point.


Apparently Piyush had a new friend named Vidur.


“Who has such names? I don’t feel good about him,” said Mukul when he met Piyush the next time


“Now you have a problem with his name? You need to understand that I have to give time to him too. I have to be fair,” said Piyush trying to focus on having a brief look over the turning pages of a comic


“Why can’t I meet him? I find suspicious, what is he hiding?” asked Mukul


Piyush did not respond and stopped at a page of the comic. Mukul thought of asking again, but Piyush spoke.


“He doesn’t want to see anyone. He said he will leave if I call anyone else”


“What, is he obsessed with you or something?”


“He is fun to be with, maybe he is shy. He likes comics and games like us too. Let him open up a little more. Then you can meet him, maybe I will bring him over,” said Piyush


“Has he told you where he lives yet?” asked Mukul


“He will tell when opens up more,” replied Piyush


“But he comes to your house. You don’t even know where he lives. This does not feel right,” said Mukul


“You know what does not feel right? You with your thousand questions,” said Piyush visibly beginning to feel irritated


Mukul stayed quiet. Things had been a bit sour and was taking a turn towards a potential worse, so a couple of days later, Mukul decided to use his pocket money to get one of the more expensive and exclusive comics for Piyush.


As Mukul entered the book shop, his ears identified Piyush’s voice at once and then there was another voice.


‘It’s him,Vidur’ thought Mukul as his eyes widened.


“I left my wallet at home,” said Piyush, “I will come back in a minute”


Piyush rushed out and Mukul hid himself behind a shelf. He saw Piyush getting on his bicycle and leaving.


Mukul became tense thinking whether he should walk upto Vidur. What if it invites more trouble for his friendship with Piyush? Mukul mustered some courage and slowly walked to the next aisle where the gift section of the shop was. He tried to see between the shelves, he saw the shoulder and neck of a boy around their age, the boy was completely still. There were two more aisles between them.


Mukul quietly walked over to the next one while glancing in Vidur’s direction, he had still not moved, so Mukul skipped this aisle and directly went to the opposite side of the one behind Vidure. Mukul again adjusted his vision between the shelves at Vidur, who stood completely still, like the body seemed like not moving even to breathing. The head was slightly bent forward, looking at a comic, then it straightened.


“I know you are there… Mukul” said a voice, low, confident, disappointed. It was Vidur speaking


“He told you about me didn’t he…” said Vidur was he trailed off into some thought


Mukul struggled for words keeping his breath steady and steadily blinking his eyes and within one of the blinks, Vidur had vanished.


Mukul quickly rushed to the next aisle. There was a comic on the floor. But the boy wasn’t there, there was no sound of hurrying footsteps, no sound of the comic falling. He couldn’t have possibly kept the comic on the floor and rushed out within a blink of an eye.


Then Mukul felt it, a light but present breeze that carried a feeling of shiver as if exposed to biting cold at once. It was there for a second or two and then it was gone. Mukul fell on his knees and one of the attendants rushed to help him up and later helped him get home.


Mukul was down with fever for four days. He was speaking less, but now he had gotten back his usual time with his friend. Apparently Vidur had stopped coming to meet Piyush and he had stopped visiting the book shop as well. Things would return to normal except the shadows Mukul had started to notice passing by outside his room door, late at night.

Written by Anuran Chatterji

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