Typical Day If Something Goes Missing - Won The Hachette India Contest!

Pic. Courtesy: Google Images

Today evening I received my prize for winning the Contest Alert on March 9, from Hachette India. The challenge for the contest was to 'Create a story about a typical day if something goes missing'. Below is my entry for the same which won me the book - THE GOLLANCZ BOOK OF SOUTH ASIAN SCIENCE FICTION. I am thrilled and excited to start reading this book.

This is my first attempt at writing fiction.

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It is 7 a.m. in the morning. Aashi and Aadi walk down the stairs, as always, half asleep, to get to the wash basin to brush their teeth. The house is unusually silent for this time of the day, but they are still unaware of the eerie silence. They enter the kitchen and find that their morning hot drink is ready for them, which they pick up and drink and then switch on the TV. After 15 minutes, Aashi, heads to take bath and get ready for school while Aadi is still seated on the couch watching TV. Nishanth (their Dad) is sleeping. Aashi, on her way to the bathroom, wakes up her Dad and heads to the take bath. Nishanth, comes down for his coffee and notices the silence (or rather just the noise that is coming from the TV and nothing else). A school day morning is never silent. What was wrong? He heads to the kitchen and finds it empty. He thought he didn't see Nithya beside him when he woke up and she is neither here in the kitchen, and that too on a working morning. Now he is concerned and looks in every room, but she is nowhere. His heart is beating fast and he is very close to a panic attack. He rushes outside hoping to find her in the garden or walking around in the community only to have his hopes crushed. Now he is in full-blown panic mode.

He comes inside and asks Aadi if he saw his mom. Aadi says, "No papa."

Aashi is out of her bath and Nishanth asks her "Do you know where your Mom is?"

Aashi says, "I thought she was in the bath in your room."

Nishant says, "No, I have searched for her everywhere but I can't find her."

Aashi says, "Did you try calling her mobile or messaging her on hangouts?"

Nishanth does both only to find that the phone was ringing in their room. Now he goes frantic with anxiety, wondering if she actually did take his word seriously and walked out on him to her Mom's place or elsewhere, as he had asked her to when they were arguing the previous night, just before hitting bed. He picked up his phone to call his Mother-in-law, but then stopped himself. What would he tell his mom-in-law if Nithya wasn't there? Just then, Aadi notices that it is time for his bath and walks up the stairs, picks his clothes from his room, and then opens the door to the sit out calling out, "Ma, it is time for my bath. Can you help me with some warm water please?"

Nithya, promptly responds, "It is already done. Go and take your bath.".

She walks down the stairs with her head held high and a knowing smile on her face (and a glint of pride in her eyes only for Nishanth to see) and into the kitchen to pack the children's lunches. Understanding dawns on Nishanth and he realises how much he took her presence for granted and vows to himself to give more quality time for Nithya and their personal relationship over and beyond the roles they play as spouses, parents, among others. He now knows that Nithya is his earthing and he needs her by his side always for him to be the successful husband, father, employee, son, brother, and friend. A few seconds of her absence was enough to realise her importance in his life.