The Missing Girl Read online

  “I’ll go and tell ma’am it’s not my fault. She should call me Adi. Everyone does. I’ll go and tell her now. She said I should see her during recess.”

  “It won’t help. She’s not like Reena ma’am,” Sunny pointed out. Reena ma’am was their class teacher in the previous year.

  “Reena ma’am didn’t scold us or punish us. If we studied and didn’t make too much noise, she didn’t say anything,” Rohan said.

  “Banerjee ma’am is different. She doesn’t even smile,” Chitra grumbled. “She’s very strict and has so many rules. We are in the seventh standard but she treats us like little children!”

  Adi suddenly started laughing, “We understood the meaning of pin drop silence today!” Everyone burst out laughing.

  “Adi”, said Sunil, “better go and see ma’am now.”

  “Yeah, bye, I’ll go and get my scolding now but I’ll tell ma’am to call me Adi.”

  Ms Banerjee did not scold him; she did something worse. She spoke to him seriously about how his behavior was not what she expected from her students. When she permitted him to leave, Adi said, with a smile ( he knew he had a good smile) “Ma’am, please call me Adi. All the teachers call me Adi. Actually, today in class…”

  Ms Banerjee gave him THE LOOK. He swallowed the rest of the sentence and ran all the way up the stairs to his classroom on the second floor.

  Bhuvan was a new boy. He was the type of student ma’am wanted because he maintained ‘pin drop silence’.

  Adi tried to talk to him softly when the teachers faced the writing board but Bhuvan didn’t even look at him. Adi told his friends, “I’m sure he even eats crunchies and papad without making any sound.”

  Adi loved everything about school. He enjoyed his lessons, got good marks, played with his friends, chatted, laughed, ate, shared joked, solved riddles and puzzles but now when he was made to sit between a wall and Bhuvan, he found himself not liking school. He could not concentrate in class. His mind wandered. Very often he turned to look at his friends in the third, fourth, and fifth rows. He sometimes saw them whispering or passing chits and felt like weeping.

  A week passed like this. Adi kept trying to talk to Bhuvan. He repeated funny jokes, tried asking riddles, but Bhuvan ignored him.

  During one period, Adi just could not pay attention. He had already read the lesson at home and understood it. So he made a paper duck to amuse himself. It was a small duck. He wanted to color it and opened his color pencil box, taking care that ma’am didn’t see. The yellow pencil’s tip was broken. He closed the box and stared at the blackboard, waiting for the class to get over.

  He felt Bhuvan slip something into his hand. He was surprised to see it was a yellow crayon. He colored the duck and slipped it to Bhuvan. Bhuvan drew funny eyes on the duck’s face and slipped it back. The bell rang and both Adi and Bhuvan was smiling.

  The next week was not bad. Adi and Bhuvan became good friends. Soon Bhuvan was talking even more than Adi. One day Ms Banerjee, who was fond of proverbs and phrases said, “Practice makes a man perfect.”

  Adi murmured to Bhuvan, “No man is perfect.”

  Bhuvan burst out laughing. Adi kept a straight face and tried to look innocent but Ms Banerjee called out, “Aditya!”

  Adi stood up. Ms Banerjee looked very angry. “You’re a bad influence on Bhuvan. I think I should make you sit alone.” She looked around the class room. “You will sit next to Nikhil. Take this as a warning. If I find you talking or disturbing other children, I really will make you sit alone in a corner.”

  Adi was angry. Why had he been punished? Ma’am had not scolded Bhuvan though it was he who had laughed out loudly. She had scolded him. She always scolded him! He was made to sit at the bottom of the class though it was not his fault. He couldn’t even see the board properly from his new place. He was behind the tall boys.

  Adi was so angry he decided not to talk to anyone in future. And never to greet Ms Banerjee even if he came face to face with her.

  Nikhil was a weak student. He fared badly in all the class tests. For two days Adi didn’t speak to him or to anyone else. On the third day he noticed that instead of solving sums Nikhil was looking out of the window. He did the same during most of the periods. His workbooks were also filled with blanks and he never completed his homework. The teachers just struck off the page and gave a zero.

  In the next math class Adi solved the sum quickly and pushed his notebook in front of Nikhil and asked him to copy it. Nikhil hesitated but copied out the solved problem. Adi started helping Nikhil with his class work. He told his friends, “Nikhil’s not dull, he’s a little slow and can’t keep up with the class”.

  Soon Nikhil was drawn into Adi’s circle of friends and they all begun helping him. They found what Adi had said was true. When they explained lessons a little slowly to him, he understood very well. He had been reluctant to ask teachers to clear his doubts but with his new friends, he didn’t feel any hesitation.

  A few days later, Ms Banerjee gave some revision exercise to the class. Everyone was busy and Ms Banerjee had her pin drop silence. Suddenly Nikhil exclaimed, “Hey Adi, I know the answers.”

  Adi looked at Banerjee ma’am in alarm but she said nothing. He finished the exercise and handed it in. He was worried. Where would ma’am make him sit next? He was already in the last row. The recess bell rang.

  Ms Banerjee called, “Adi!”

  Adi’s mouth fell open. Ma’am always called him Aditya. Why was she calling him Adi and why was she smiling? She never smiled.

  Adi stood up. “Yes ma’am.”

  “Adi, you’re like a virus, a talking virus. Wherever I make you sit, you make people talk. But you’re a good virus. Nikhil’s doing very well since you’re sitting beside him. He’s doing very well indeed. You’ve been a good influence on him.”

  Adi just stood, nodding. Ma’am left but Adi and his friends could not believe what they had seen. Ma’am had been smiling and joking!

  Ashutosh turned to the class and announced, “Adi the Virus has infected ma’am’s brain. We saw her joking. I think there’s no antivirus or firewall for this virus!”

  Adi was happy. They had a free period and he quickly finished his homework. He wanted to watch TV from four to five after going home.

  Watching TV was difficult. His father was very strict. He gave Adi and his brother a timetable for studying after they came home. They had to do practice exercises after homework which gave them no free time.

  Sometimes his father came home early to check whether they were studying or not. It was not fair. His friends were able to watch some TV; their parents didn’t mind. But his father was too strict.

  Suddenly, a bright idea came to Adi. He was so happy with the idea that he started laughing.

  “Now what?” Nikhil asked.

  “I’m Adi the Virus. I infected ma’am. Now I’m going to infect someone else who is also very, very strict!”

  The Missing Girl is also available in paperback.

  Note from Gita V. Reddy

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading The Missing Girl. If you have enjoyed it, please spread the word and don’t forget to leave a review. The review need not be lengthy; just a sentence will do.

  I often offer my books as free downloads. You can check my author page on various e book stores, or join my mailing list by contacting me through my website www.gitavreddy.com.

  Best Wishes.

  My Books

  Chapter Books

  My Chapter Book Series is an attempt to inculcate the love of reading in all children, transitioning beginning readers to more advanced readers, and reluctant readers into beginning readers. The books are also read-alouds for younger readers who are able to follow a story but have not learnt to read fluently. 

  Early readers will delight in being able to read the whole book by themselves, and will move on to bigger books. For reluctant readers, the length of the book will make it easier to get them to
read, and introduce them to the magic of the written word. Younger readers may be encouraged to read a chapter or two, with the rest of the book being read aloud to them. 

  The books in this series have short chapters, and the average word count is 5000 words. The series also introduces children to different genres. Dearie is an animal story, The Real Magician is a fantasy, Krishta, Daughter of Martev is a science fiction book, The Forbidden Forest is an adventure tale, and so on.

  Titles

  Dearie: A Tale of Courage

  Daksha, the Medicine Girl

  The Forbidden Forest

  Krishta, Daughter of Martev

  The Magician’s Turban

  The Homeless Birds

  Knife and Fork

  Make a Wish

  Rangeela Tales

  Navjyot rescues a parrot and nurses him back to health. The parrot, Rangeela, is a talking parrot, who has escaped from his cruel master. He learns to trust Navjyot and chooses to live with him.

  Rangeela Tales is a series of short stories about the duo, along with Navjyot’s nosy cousin Nimi and her cat Robber, who is always looking for ways to make Rangeela his meal.

  Rangeela Tales: Book 1

  Rangeela Tales Book 2

  Rangeela Tales: Book 3

  Short Story Collections

  The Dinosaur Puzzle and Other Stories

  Meet a thief and a snake, a dinosaur and a great-grandmother, a boy and his lucky marble. Some more? How about a boy and an elephant, a terrorist and a school boy, and some ghosts?

  Theft at the Fair and Other Stories

  A collection of four baffling mysteries children crack using math, problem solving, and observation skills.

  The Unicycle and Other Stories

  A collection of six stories that are fun, and also make the young reader more aware about giving back to the community.

  Novels / Novellas

  Cheetaka, Queen of Giants

  This is a fantasy in the Land of Giants. Nine-year old Tara, who finds herself in a strange land after a storm, and accidentally lands on the head of the queen of giants, is taken into the queen’s care. The good queen promises to help her return home but there are evil giants who believe Tara is a magician and are out to capture her for her magic powers. What follows is danger, courage and a fascinating journey home. And yes, fun, because Tara and the boy-giant, Montek, become great friends.

  King Neptune’s Delite

  A bottle with a diamond ring and a coded message is washed ashore. Maya, who is usually sensible, and keeps her exuberant brother in line, is swept along the tide of adventure into a dangerous rescue mission.

  Apart from being a fast paced page turner, the book gives a glimpse of Indian rural culture, and shows how a close-knit community takes care of its children.

  Hunt for the Horseman

  Hunt for the Horseman is a gripping story set in an Indian palace.

  Twelve year old Sandy, who has always lived in the U.S., is visiting Amrita Mahal, the family palace. She joins the other children of the erstwhile royal family in the Hunt for the Horseman, a game like none other because it involves the many secret compartments of the palace. But dangerous criminals are out to grab the palace. This could be the last chance the children may have to find the elusive horseman. Will they succeed? More important, will the palace be saved?

  Hunt for the Horseman is also about Sandy learning more about her family and her roots, and building a better understanding with her parents, who are first generation immigrants.

  Cinderella’s Escape

  Cinderella’s Escape is a retelling of the fairy tale with a gritty heroine who needs no Prince Charming or Fairy Godmother to rescue her!

  Author A.E.Albert says, "I really enjoyed this parallel story of Cinderella. What impressed me is the heroine herself. Unlike the lead characters from most fairy tales, Anna Maria is a fighter and a survivalist. This 'Cinderella' is a role model for all young girls; believing in herself and never giving up."

  Picture Books

  Bala-Gala the Brave and Dangerous

  Bala-Gala lives in the forest of Gamba-Bamba, and must save himself from the crocodile, Brammy-Gommy, who lives in the River Kanga. 

  But who is Bala-Gala? Is he is deer, a tiger, a dinosaur, or a dragon? The answer will delight kids, as will the story.

  The Ant Thief

  Noira the Ant wears a diamond ring and tells everyone a king gifted it to her for bravery. She becomes famous as the Great Traveler Ant. But the truth is something different. Noira is a thief. Will the other ants learn the truth? What will Noira do if they find out?

  Super Duper Monty

  The Alphabet Game

  Bee-Not-So-Busy (Free ebook)