Spells

Chapter 2: Empty Room

Arul

Arul would miss his house and his school. Even if he didn't particularly like the latter, he was comfortable there. Much more than the previous two schools he had been in. He had trouble fitting in those. And though he had a 'circle of friends' there too, he realised after coming here that they fell more into the 'classmates' category. He hung out with them just because there was nothing else to do, not because it was his idea of a fun time. But here it had been different. He played with his friends a lot, chatting and teasing one another. He never felt bored with them. Time passed by quickly when there were just so many things to talk about! With a pang of sadness, Arul realised most of all, he would miss his friends.

"Well, dude, I am gonna miss you." Naman said, breaking his thoughts.

"Yeah, will miss you too, bro. But hey, at least with me gone, there is no competition for you among the girls." replied Arul cheekily. They were standing in his now empty room. Naman had come over to help him pack, and arrived right on time, when he was already finished with it.

"Yup, cause all the girls used to ask me about was, 'Is that scrawny little friend of yours single?'" replied Naman sarcastically.

"I figured, I am just so cute!" said Arul instantly, drawing a laugh from Naman.

Naman was one of the few very good friends he'd made in this town. And now he had to move to a new place and start all over again with the 'fitting in' process. People say that children can easily make new friends, and that was true for Arul too. But there was a difference between friends and good friends. The latter takes a lot of time.

"Well, all packed." Arul said, stuffing his earphones in his backpack and then carefully placing the framed picture of his mom in a small suitcase. The room now stood mostly empty with some stray papers, redundant notebooks, and tattered cardboard boxes scattered on the ground. He paused there for a moment, wondering how all his stuff fit into this tiny room. With its pale whitish-yellow paint and the slanting sunshine coming through the window, it already seemed like a memory. Arul felt nostalgic, knowing that he will miss this room and this place. He probably would never get to see it again.

It was exactly three weeks ago his dad had dropped the 'transferred' bombshell. He and his elder brother Abhimanyu had been sitting at the dinner table, talking about the upcoming examinations. His sister Inaya was watching television and Prithvi, the oldest among them, had gone for a walk already aware of the troubling news. Their dad was silent and deep in thought. He blurted it out suddenly, the news about the transfer, his announcement followed by complete silence...Which then gave way to a whole lot of questions.

"Let's get out of here now," suggested Naman. Arul nodded, checking his analog watch. He had finished twelve minutes early. Nine was the tentative time given by his dad to begin their journey.

"So, have you even seen a picture of this town yet?" Naman asked, coming down the stairs. In only a day, the whole look of their place had changed. Most of the stuff was boxed in and ready to be trucked to the new town.

"No, I haven't. But Dad said it's a tiny peaceful place, almost like a village. That just means no television or internet. I doubt they know about the concept of electricity." Arul sighed.

Naman chuckled. "It's not going to be that bad."

"Aww... Looks like somebody loves Kuldhara. Want to trade places with me? You can tell me how great it is by sending letters, since emails probably won't exist there either."

Naman laughingly shook his head. "Never."

They reached the street, looking at the building that Arul used to call home. He could hear the ruckus of his family inside. A cargo truck with 'Amit's Packers and Movers' printed on its wall was parked on the street in front, with its employees busy loading their household stuff. His father's jeep sat in the driveway, looking clean and ready for its long journey.

"Don't worry, you will be able to make friends there, too. You are a cool guy, you know!" Naman said suddenly.

Arul's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He never thought Naman would be able to read his thoughts like that.

Is my worry that obvious?

"I know." Arul agreed.

Naman patted him on the back and nudged him towards the house. "Let's see if your family needs help with anything."

"Yeah." Arul nodded, feeling a bit more confident about the new life awaiting him.