A Mystery To Be Solved

Planning a Holiday

The quintet was busy planning a holiday. It was the summer vacation, and the first-term tests were over—indeed, a long, lazy and exciting vacation was being looked forward to!

The basement of Pooja's house in Delhi was bursting with the ideas and enthusiasm of the four children present.

"So, where are we going?" asked Rohit, a twelve-year-old who could easily be mistaken for an adult due to his height, if not for his innocent, boyish face.

"Well, to decide that, we're here, silly." said Pooja, another twelve-year-old, who liked to keep her shoulder length hair loose.

"Shall we go to Manali and enjoy the snow, or Assam and its tea gardens?" Kartike, their friend and classmate, dreamily suggested.

"What boring places – not at all!" protested Rohit, who only had a taste for adventure and fun.

"What do you find so boring in it, Rohit?" Kartike was as usual annoyed, because his ideas never seemed good to the four.

"It's just that we're too old to play with snowballs, and we don't want an educational trip to a tea estate!" Rohit retorted.

"Now please, stop arguing like that," pausing, Pooja added, looking at the fourth and most shy member of their group, "Hey, Avantika, why are you so quiet? Have you thought of something?"

Avantika, shyly fidgeting with her long jet-black braid, said, "Yeah, I think so. Do you remember telling me about your big tree house in, if I remember correctly, some village in Madhya Pradesh?"

"Yes! You're right! That village is named Barwaha. My family does have a treehouse there, though I had forgotten about it. Your memory is awesome, Avi! Tell us about your plan, then." Pooja was excited. Avantika's ideas were always fantastic.

"Because it is near the river Narmada, and you have a tree house also, I guess the place will make quite an adventurous getaway." concluded Avantika with a nonchalant shrug.

Pooja's eyes lit up. She exclaimed, "Fantastic! So, let's vote now. I'm for it. Kartike?"

"It's a yes from me as long as there is ample food to go with it." All of them burst out laughing.

"And, you, Rohit?"

"Obviously, yes! No doubt it will be fun!"

"Well, it's decided, then--our holiday destination is Barwaha!" Pooja said, and they all chorused in approval.

Rohit said, "So what are we waiting for, guys? Let's get packing! We'll love this trip; after all, it is Avi's idea!"

"I know, Rohit. But first, we'll have to inform Aisha. You know she had to go to that family wedding she was rambling about? That's why she didn't attend this meeting."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot she's now one of us, but..." before he could complete his sentence, the telephone began to ring – 'trrr, trrr...trr, trr...'

Pooja picked it up, "Hello? Pooja here... Oh, hi Aisha! I was just going to call you. Know what? We've decided our picnic destination—it was Avi's idea... Yes, yes—so listen, we're going to Barwaha, my village, and guess what? There is a tree house there! So... Yeah, I knew you'd say that! ...Yes, sure. But...umm ...of course! That's alright ... Okay, bye!"

Rohit rolled his eyes and murmured, "Think of the devil and the devil is here—so what even if on the phone!"

Pooja put down the receiver and said, "Avantika, Aisha says she'll call you to take the details..."

"But isn't the tree house in your village, Pooja?" Rohit asked, frowning.

"Exactly! That's one of the reasons why I don't get Aisha...I mean, isn't she too crazy about Avantika?" Pooja said, looking exasperated. To Avantika, she added, "Be it any homework, test or simply a petty issue at her home, she's always pestering you, Avi! It's like she's totally glued to you, literally! Don't you all think so?"

Kartike, ever the diplomat, said, "What I'm thinking right now is that we should disperse the meeting. I'm feeling very hungry. And since your parents are also not here Pooja, I think I'll go to my house as fast as I can."

"Oh god, Kartike! You're always worried about your appetite." Avantika grinned, secretly thankful to him for changing the subject.

"Well, I have got to eat something to survive, if that's what you mean." Kartike replied with a twinkle in his eye. "So, shall we tell our parents then? Let them all put their heads together to decide the date and everything."

"That would be alright. Let's do a conference call tonight to finalize our travel modes and the rest of the stuff, okay?" Pooja suggested.

Rohit looked at his watch and started to rise. "Perfect. I think I'll have to leave now. It's really getting late and my little sis would throw a tantrum if she doesn't find me in my room when she gets back from the playground. Bye guys! See you later."

"Bye!" the remaining three called out together. It was no hidden fact that Rohit and his younger sister, only four years old, were inseparable, and his friends knew her well enough to not even engage Rohit in a conversation when she was around!

Meanwhile Rohit ran out into the garden, and mounted his bicycle. All the others also got up to leave. Pooja switched off the lights, and walked over to the porch to see off her friends.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was still thinking about Aisha. She wondered how she had even come to be in their group? Avantika, Rohit, Kartike, Pooja—that was their group till class 7, when in 8th standard this weird, new girl Aisha had arrived and insisted upon joining their group.

Weird, because the rumour mills were rife with stories of how wherever Aisha went, she only caused the destruction of old friendships and the growth of jealousy between the best of friends.

Of course, they hardly believed whatever they heard, but that didn't stop the group—except Avantika, who was always too innocent to realize the true nature of people she met for the first time—from suspecting her true motives.

'Why,' Pooja thought, 'she is almost always sticking to Avantika like she's her twin or something! Always keeps on intruding upon our secret conversations, our plans, activities, everything—even when she isn't invited. Apart from that, a big show-off and a really shrewd girl—that's what I think Aisha is, really.'

How could Aisha not understand that she was never welcome in their group in the first place?