The Boy at the Beach

#story

In a private lodge five medical college students shared a room - Jasmine, Alice, Satya, Nandini, and Anaya. They decided to go for a picnic with few other friends after their third semester to a desolate beach to have some funny moments away from the maddening crowd before going home for a long vacation. They wanted to relax near the sea shore enjoying the beauty of nature.

They packed their bags and were quite excited for the trip. Satya said, "I'm warning you again, think...."

Alice interrupted her, "Stop this now! Let's move fast."

They had rented a car for this trip. Alice drove towards the location guided by Jasmine. They reached the picnic spot. As they couldn't take the car to the beach they parked it near a small restaurant at the road side. Nandini asked a boy in the restaurant from where the way to the beach was. The boy looked at her with wonder and without saying a word just showed the girls his index finger to the beach.

Without even waiting for any other response they moved to the beach. They found that it was really an abandoned beach but it's beauty was beyond any description. After having a look all around Jasmine said, "I'm surprised why people have abandoned this beach. You know, Satya was telling that this beach is haunted, that's the reason people don't come here. What nonsense!! I don't believe in such things."

Satya remarked, "Dear, I came just because of you all or else I would never come to such a beach. Can you see there is no one here?"

Alice said, "What nonsense, Satya! Stop it now. We have come here to enjoy, not to talk nonsense. Yes, if you wish you can entertain us with your haunted stories." She started to laugh loudly mocking Satya.

Nandini said, "You girls are right! Look at that boat. A couple is already having all the fun there. And also see this little boy who is coming to us. I don't think that people don't come to this beach. It is rarely visited by people because they may not know about this location."

That little boy she was talking about came towards them. He was crying bitterly. He looked 4-5 years old with blond hair and swollen eyes and was wearing a blue shirt and grey half pants. It was now of their concern that why the little boy was all alone.

Nandini said, "Hey girls, look at the boy. How is he all alone here? It looks like he is lost. We need to help him. Oh so cute he is!"

As they went near the boy. He came the little boy requested them while crying, “Please take me to my mummy!”

Alice asked the boy, “Where is your mummy?”

He showed his finger towards the sea while crying louder.

Satya said, "But there is just one boat there in the midst of the sea. Are they your parents?"

The boy didn't answer. He just kept on crying.

Anaya couldn't stop herself from getting agitated with such a negligent parents who left the little boy alone on the beach and had gone for boating. She said, “What kind of stupid parents they are! They left their child alone at the beach. I'll teach them a good lesson today. Let them come. ”

Still they were not ready to accept this. They asked the boy altogether, “Your mummy left you here alone? Do you have anyone else with you? ”

The boy said along with his constant sobbing, “No, I was also there with them. We went for a family boat ride. I fell asleep and when I woke up I found that I was lying alone. But they are still in that boat. I too want to go with them. ”

Now the friends were really in a shock and couldn’t think anything. It was so confusing. They didn’t know how to help the boy as there was no one there at the beach with whom they could get any help.

Luckily the boat was coming back towards the beach. Jasmine took a deep breath of relief. She assured the boy that his parents may be in the boat. She took him to the seats arranged for the tourists and gave him a few chocolates to eat. But the boy denied everything, he just wanted his parents.

The boat reached the beach and a man and a lady came out of that. They had a ghostly appearance. The untied and scattered hair of the lady terrified the friends. While the man was in a dirty white shirt and blood red pants, his eyes were swollen and appeared bulging out of the sockets.

Getting scared of the couple they took their bags and started to run from there as fast as they could.

Anya said, "Hey, we can't leave the boy here. He must be in trouble. Let him also come with us."

Satya said, "Just save your life! Look the boy is not there. The couple is following us as if we have taken their valuables. Don't stop, just keep on running."

They reached the restaurant where they had parked the car and relaxed on the chairs arranged there.

The owner appeared there and said, "What do you want?"

They said all together, "Let's take a few breaths first."

The same boy whom they asked the address came there. He whispered something to the owner.

The owner said with astonishment, “How dare they go there? Why didn't you warn them?"

The boy said, "They didn't listen to me."

Satya came there and asked them, "What's the matter? What are you hiding from us?"

He said, "People don't come to this beach. It's known to be haunted. A boat sank in the sea six months ago. In that boat a small boy was there along with his parents. The parents were saved but the dead body of the boy couldn’t be found anywhere. The parents too died here at the beach waiting for their son since that day. Did you meet them there?"

©Anupam Mishra