A Mystery To Be Solved

The Missing Girl

After a good night's sleep at Rohit's house, the next day the four friends went with Pooja's aunt to the river to have a bath and swim. The water was clean and cool, and so a lot refreshing. Then, they went to Pooja's ancestral home in the village, and after having a nutritious breakfast consisting of freshly plucked fruits and farm-fresh veggies with chapattis, they departed for the tree house, with another member who'd joined the group just that morning—Aisha.

Only when they reached the tree house did they realize how enchanting it was.

A structure made entirely of wood, with a small door at a corner and two similar glass-paned windows that stretched from the floor of the structure to its low ceiling, it wasn't even painted—which gave it an adventurous look. A rope ladder hung down from the gate, and even a strong, spiral wooden staircase was present; although the tree itself was shaped in such a way that it would be easy to climb if needed, because the house had an emergency exit too, leading onto the branches beneath that formed a natural ladder. A white flag was hoisted on the top, on which was printed:

WELCOME TO THE DOORWAY OF ADVENTURE!

It was clear from the first look itself that it was made for adventurous and camping purposes! It was in a picturesque spot—with short trees and shrubs surrounding the big tree, and a lot of green grass, well-trimmed. A pile of wood logs was kept aside near the bottom of the tree for lighting bonfires, and a place was already marked for it. A stream of the Narmada was flowing near the place, forming a small pond suitable for fishing. The whole flora and fauna were straight out of a fairy-tale! The children were absolutely thrilled!

Excited by the mere sight of it, the kids ran up to the tree and climbed the rope ladder—-except the slightly-overweight Kartike, who was scared to climb the rope in case it tore under his weight! So, he climbed up the spiraling wood staircase, huffing and panting even as he did so.

Once they all reached the top, Pooja opened the door and the others followed behind her. Although they had to duck down their heads a little to come in, they gasped when they saw how spacious it was!

There was only one room, but it was designed and kept beautifully. It was as big as their own bedrooms at home! Mattresses were laid on the wooden floor, with fluffy pillows, and a big but low central table was placed in between these five beds to dine if they felt like, and to play games on. A wide rack with doors (evidently a small cupboard) was fitted on the wall in front of them, and a couple of chairs were kept along the wall on its right. Below the central table was the emergency exit, in the form of a trap door.

Pooja fell onto a mattress—-the one nearest to the door—exhausted. "Oh, how I missed you my dear tree house! But now I'm back for at least a week. You've changed a lot, haven't you?" then, turning to her friends, she said, "Know what? The last time I came here was about two years ago. There were no beds that time, because it's only recently that it has begun to be used as a lodging for small camping groups. But isn't it nice? It's my own little adventure spot." She sighed and lay down on the comfortable bed.

"What do those cupboards contain?" asked inquisitive Rohit.

"They're for storing board games and food items." Pooja answered. "Oh, I just forgot to tell you, Avantika, the small window on that wall offers a breathtaking view of the village and its surroundings. Maybe you can take the bed over there...." But hardly had she spoken that Aisha, already making her way to the place Pooja indicated, interrupted her, "Well, this place is perfect for me. Its location is surely excellent! Isn't it, Rohit?" she said, already keeping her bag on it and looking out the window.

Rohit, rolling his eyes, mumbled to Kartike, "And off she goes again!" to which, Kartike whispered back, "And with her goes our peace as well!". With that, they burst out laughing, leaving a puzzled expression on Aisha's face.

"Pooja, I think I'll take the bed near the middle. That way, I'll not have to walk around much." said Avantika, trying to cheer her friend who now seemed angry with Aisha's rude behaviour. After all, she didn't want to start a fight with Aisha here. If she did, it would surely spoil the vacation. Isn't this supposed to be a fun-filled holiday? Avantika thought.

Kartike was to sleep on the bed beside Pooja, near the cupboard so that he could reach for some snacks whenever he wanted. The bed which was left—beside Avantika—was assigned to Rohit. And for that he was glad too, because he couldn't have slept near Aisha at all!

The children chatted for a few minutes while unpacking and arranging their belongings in the cupboard, and then went down to play hide and seek.

It was afternoon now—time for lunch. Rohit brought some eatables down from the tree house, and a mat was laid on the soft grass beside the pond. Five stomachs were growling by then! They had lunch as a sort of a small picnic, and were now ready for a short siesta before they went in the evening on a tour of the village's temples, with Rohit's uncle, who had his office nearby.

The five were already tired after the swim, and so they slept soundly. But their peace didn't last long—they were in for a big shock.

***

Avantika's eyes flew open at a loud tap sound coming from the roof. As she gathered her senses, the taps increased in frequency and she realized it was raining outside. That made sense. She remembered Pooja telling them about the tin covering on the roof that wasn't visible from below.

Wide awake now, she raised her head to see if anyone else was up, too. When her eyes landed on the bed under the window, she stared.

 It was empty!

Where was Aisha? The tree house had only one room, so had she gone out?  That too in the rain?

Alarmed, Avantika got out of her bed and walked to Aisha's place. Looking down the window, she saw that the ground was damp, but the rain had reduced to a drizzle. In the wet mud just below the tree, there were footprints. Fresh footprints. She frantically looked all around the ground for more of them, but there was only grass and puddles of water. She could see no one around, either.

She again checked the tree house, half expecting to find someone hidden behind the curtains on the long windows or in the cupboard. All in vain. She slipped on her shoes and quietly went down, but she saw no one except the setting sun amidst the grey, fading clouds.