ShE!

Gurukulam

Sam aimed at the empty plastic cup. He was aiming for about 5 minutes without throwing the stone into it.

“Will you throw it or not?” Shyam asked little agitated.

Everyone is sitting in the park near Radha’s house. This was the favourite place of Radha, not because it is good but because it is the only place which is fully accessible. Their favourite sport was aiming a stone at the empty plastic cup. The one who is putting the stone into it within 3 attempts can give task to any one of them. More or less like truth or dare. And that one will always be Shyam.

“Wait, I need to concentrate”. Sam aimed again with one eye closed.

“Remember, this is your last attempt,”

Sam throws it. The stone flew in the air, and smoothly landed in front of the cup. He missed it again.

“Why this is happening to me,” Sam said bitterly.

“So sad” Shyam mocked.

“I wish I studied in gurukulam,”

“For what?” Radha asked.

“I would’ve mastered in archery. So that this would’ve been a ready task for me,”

“Omg!! Am I the only one seeing smrithi?” Krithi said, staring somewhere.

“Gurukulam! Smrithi!. What a coincidence!” Sam said.

“Are you guys seeing her or not?”

“Yeah. Yeah. You are not imagining things, krithi,” Shyam said looking at her.

“Hey sm...” Radha shouted. Shyam closed her mouth.

“What?” Radha's voice fumbled.

“Let us see what she is doing” Shyam said in a low voice and hid behind the seat. Except radha, everyone joined him.

“Shyam, what about me?”. Radha asked without turning back.

“Wear this”. Shyam handed his hoodie.

“Are you kidding? It’s twice the size of mine,”

“Oh, Radha!”. He said with an exasperated sigh. “That’s why I want you to wear this. So that your face will not be visible,”

“Ohhh”

“You should’ve understood this in the first place, Radha,”

“Actually, I know, you know. I’m just testing you,” Radha shrugged.

“I know you don’t know. Remember that,”

“Is this conversation necessary now?” Krithi whispered.

“She is far from us. No point in hiding,” Sam said.

“She is just about twelve feet apart, idiot,”

Krithi helped Radha to wear the hoody. Shyam lifted the headdress and placed it on her head from behind. Shyam is right. Not only face, nothing is visible. Someone need to search for her hands as it was too large for her.

“Radha, all you need to do is to keep your head down. Don’t look up,” Shyam said from behind.

“Done”. Radha nodded.

Park is not the populated area. It is difficult to go unnoticed. Radha literally looked like an assassin. She could hear the footsteps getting closer. Three of them are watching through the small opening in the seat. When smrithi reached the place, she looked at the seat and Radha one at a time and clearly decided not to sit near her. But unfortunately she took the seat in front of her.