Lost And Lost

By Aryaa Singh

Alicia had recently moved to a new city which meant she had to attend a new school, while walking down the corridor she witnessed a boy getting troubled by a few of his seniors but she walked past that “I need to keep a low profile” she thought to herself. The rest of her day went rather the same. Alicia sat in her first class, the guy beside her was going through his pouch looking for a pen, Alicia saw this and realized he did not have his stationary, she kept quiet and looked forward, no it is not that she did not have an extra pen it's just that she would not bother to offer help when it is not asked for.

Finally, after a comparatively normal day exhausted, she lay on her bed “can I have some water please?” she asked her mother “use the bottle from your bag” her mother replied, Alicia sighed and indolently reached out to her bag. After rummaging through her bag and finding nothing she got on her feet curious as to if her bottle had been lost “I think I left my bottle at school” her mother replied “get it back tomorrow or else you can forget about drinking water” as if my mom would rebuff me water thought Alicia chuckling at her mother’s impractical threat.

It was the next day Alicia woke up to the buzzing of alarm accompanied by her mother's muffled voice from downstairs, she got ready having the missing bottle in mind as it was the only thing she had to look forward to at school, “I don't have any friends yet no wonder my priority at school is that stupid bottle” she thought on her way there after reaching school she attended her first class hoping that she would figure out who she should ask about the bottle till then. not focusing on class, she was observing the room what people were wearing if they were happy or in a pensive mood, then she laid her eyes on this one girl not happy no sad writing in her book which was almost filled as people around chattered loudly, as if she had shut the world outside her…

Class ended Alicia approached the girl confused as to how to start a conversation she audibly cleared her throat and lifted her hand to tap her shoulder which is when the girl started to turn around, she retreated her hand back right away. “Hi” said Alicia in a tone which made it clear that she was going to follow up with a question “is there a lost and found in our school” she continued, “yes there is, it is the room right in front of the washroom” replied the girl “oh! thank you” said Alicia while already heading towards the classroom door.

Alicia reached the washroom and looked right at the door opposite to it. The door said lost and found in dusty and small font of which few letters had been partially scratched making it clear that the room had been neglected for years. Alicia took a few hesitant steps towards the door, held the knob and opened it, the door made the classic shrill creaking sound as if it were a horror movie. The room had been lit with a dim bulb which gave out only enough light to see half of the room. The room smelled dank, dusty and like expired food, the door behind Alicia shut itself close Alicia started taking short breaths clearly and comfortable, “I need to get this over with” she thought to herself, she held her breath and move towards the shelf on the darker side of the room, this shelf looked like it had been abused for many years and then dumped here. It was one of the olden days-heavy wood with glass doors, except there was no glass, it had been broken, which you could tell by looking at the small sharp triangular pieces of broken glass along the edges of the shelf.

Alicia grabbed on to what seemed to be a bottle, unsure as she couldn't see much due to the poor lighting. Alicia tugged but the object did not free itself, she took another tug in a hurry but harder this time as she couldn't hold her breathe any longer the object came out as Alicia was pushed back on her feet by the force she applied, she started examining the bottle-like object while not realizing the shelf also was unstable because of the pull.

Alicia looked up and she could see the shelf shaped darkness coming closer to her, her brain took a few moments to realize the shelf was falling. Before she could let out scream or move away far enough the shelf fell on her hitting her head and knocking her unconscious as she fell on the ground with a thud! With the shelf on top of her body on the floor, and the sound of the bottle-like object she was holding drop and breaking into two pieces, one falling near Alicia and the other rolled down till the door.

The mysteriously interesting girl Alicia talked to was in the washroom right opposite, washing her hands in the sink even when her hands were not dirty nor had she used the bathroom, perhaps she was there for no reason, people do a lot of things without reason, she opened the door to leave and glanced at lost and found room right in front, assuming the girl who asked her where it was found what she need, and walked pass for her next class.

In a matter of seconds crimson red blood which could almost be perceived as mahogany red in that darkness was spreading on the dusty floor of the lost and found room, reaching till the broken pieces of object next to Alicia.

No one heard this, even if they did, who would bother investigating a thud which they hear in the school. Behind the dusty and old door of the lost and found room lay Alicia dead. If not yet, she would be pretty soon.

I commiserate with the next person losing their belongings at school, as there was an unpleasant surprise awaiting them.

By Aryaa Singh