In the summer

Chapter 1
The news set the city differently. Here, the papers had a new look each day. From the famous
singers ready to be awarded, to the whole rosters of new speeches. The smell of the words and
ink, also the urge to publish his words to the student corner page. This made sarthak really
different, in the city of new york. He had a really small life and smiled. "In his small life", meant
the life of the school each day. He never liked to be reminded that he had to be the one doing
his assignments. He liked to pick up Netflix twice a day. Near his school, there was a small
bookstore. He used to save some dollars, and go there for new medications each week. Like
yesterday, he had brought a book named "the collected works of Edgar Allan Poe ''. He didn't
know, to handle any classic book.
If it were to be drunk on juice, and rant on the boring men talking. He would be in the league,
and the prime victims were his social studies teachers.
Apart from that, he liked the smell of the streets. When he was on the path, he felt like a free
bird. The layers of the universe seemed to come alive. A new energy and way to live was his.
The books store was open that day. The outer portion of the store was neighboured by a park,
and the street was in front.The shop on the left was of shoes, he liked the placement of it. The
shop was some steps after the school gate. He got in, soaked in excitement. The guy who
managed the shop had the name of derrin. He was a young one, of an age around 26. He really
liked making collaborative tiktok expeditions. Sarthak got near the shelf, while derrin kept
scrolling the screen. Sarthak put his hand on the spines, and slid in the section of thriller books.
"The silent patient. Should be here, somewhere." He mumbled, as he pulled out a few other
books. He placed them in a pile, on the ground one by one. Looking at the pieces inside, and
glancing at the words on the spine. After some steps, runs and turns. He saw the book on his
right. Then he pulled it out, and saw the other kids. They were at the shelf on the left, looking at
each other and shuffling books. He walked out, and placed the book at the counter. The boys
were roaming around the shelves, derrin looked at them. The one with the hat was pulling out a
comic book.
"hey.. the marvel ones have run out. I have asked the people at the office. The shipment will
come, after some 2 days. Don't you try something else till then?" derrin said, the one in the hat
went further in.
"do they always come for that comic?" asked samarth.
"no, they come for a talk. If they grab a comic, they feel like it's a license to talk with me. They
appear rash, but are shy. They want to be friends with me." derrin said.
"I don't get it, they can surely say it simply to you." samarth asked, and pulled his purse out.
derrin looked at the shelves, they were coming out with a fantasy book.
"Hey, derry. How much is it?" The boy in the hat asked. Derry picked the book, and looked at
the backside. The title was, "The crooked kingdom".
"It says 12 dollars. For you it's 9, have fun. Do tell me, your review of it. Derrin said, and took
the money from the boy. He avoided eye contact, and his friend was standing near the door. He
glanced at samarth.
"Hey, pal. Your article mentioned my soccer game. You note the thrill of it pretty well, keep it up.
That beardy one is so very wrong. The words should show the flow, your thoughts were clear to
me. " said the boy's friend, his name was ken. He was the soccer player for the school's team,
his goals were a delight to see.The way he moved with the ball, and signaled the formations. If
he was in the forward position, the goal was seen pierced at least twice.
Samarth felt good. The boy with the hat went till Ken, and they both laughed about something.
Then. both went out.
Samarth handed the money to derrin. His eyes went to the tree outside, which he could see
from the window. His brain hit the inspiration, and he walked out.
Derrin opened tiktok, and scrolled for a bit of time. Then he got up, and decided to arrange the
comics. He pulled out the issues, and started to place them in groups. The one with the spider
man, at one place in sequence with issue numbers. Then, he went to the fantasy shelf. The
sci-fi shelf appeared a bit disjointed. He was surprised to see piles of books on the ground. He
knelt down,
the door bell sounded to him. He got up, and came out from the left.
"Yes, it's derrin. How may I help you?" He announced, but no one was there near the counter.
The face of derrin, appeared to be surprised. He got back on his chair.
 Chapter 2
The essence of books was a known thing to the knight. He has previously searched for a dozen
other places. None of them ever fit his needs. This one was different, it had some useful people
coming in. He stayed in his hiding place, which was behind a cupboard. He could live inside a
book, so he had no problem. The sight had not changed.
Derrin sat, and looked at a hardcover book on his counter. It was an illustrated edition of the
Earthsea cycle. He opened it gently, and shifted the pages. His eyes were keen with interest. He
looked at the index, and mapped the page number.
The knight got out.
His eyes were on the street, it was evening by then. The moon had come out, it was some days
past the new moon day. The scars on his hands were recovering, and he walked ahead. He saw
the cars going, there under the streetlight.. Someone was on the bus stand, reading a
newspaper. He could see the children from the apartments get out. The lights turned on, and tv
operas would sound. He liked the sound of life. Being a knight, didn't offer much. He was not a
servant of the moon. He chose to be one, as he got into derrin's bookstore. His name was
Rahul, a normal guy in the city. Father, as well. He had a son who loved books from the earlier
part of his childhood.
Being a knight was not a choice of heart. He knew that his son had a bad fate. He was part of
god awaak's lineage. If the steelers, took away the 2nd last piece. His son was destined to lose
his life, and this made him worried. When he had left his magical village, and came into the real
world. He was forced due to sudden wars, and magical outbreaks. That's when he met Kilry at a
library, they both had gotten into a pair since then.
Though, sarthank was not his son. He was a shell of god awaak, which had formed as a living
human.
He came near a house, and touched the door of it. He could walk past the door without opening
it, and got in. The hall was full of sounds. Sarthak's mother was cleaning the table. The flower
vase stood at the right of the family picture. Rahul came to the sofa, and uncovered his physical
self.
"Honey." Kiley said, as she could see Rahul in the silvery armor. She hugged him, the mop
dropped on the floor.
Rahul touched her hand, and the armor disappeared.
Kiley put the mop down, and asked,”Was the library safe ?”
“Umm..yes.” Rahul said, and sat down on the sofa.”I have scanned for the magic remains and
energy. Found none, so they are not near it.”
He looked at the family photo placed at the table, near the vase. Rahul, kiley and sarthak were
in a park. The greenery was evenly spread, his heart was filled with nostalgia.
“Young one, still does not know what he is. Maybe, he still likes to hang out with humans.” said
Rahul, and looked at Kiley with loving eyes.
“He was a good one from the 5th grade. Haven’t heard him fighting other bullies. Just a pure
heart, he has.” said Kiley, and sat down beside rahul.
“Maybe.. It will be the last time he is good. See this.” Rahul pulled out a piece of steel from his
bag. Kiley held it, its edge had broken a bit.
“This piece is a key sign. The steelers are near the library. I won’t let them have another book
with them. It's enough.. Of the losses.”
“This appears to be a part of the sword.” She said,” Maybe, they wield even greater weapons
now.” Kiley suggested. Rahul sat upright. Looked at the window, then said.
“It's not about strength.” He breathed,” It's about their location. They are in this city. As they
were hit by the guard knights. This piece may have been left out.” Rahul said.
Kiley knew that Rahul was a knight. She tried to make him think, if not accurately. This helped
him to fight ahead. The tasks were inevitable, as their house lay between the kingdom of trikius
and earth. The window of sarthak’s room was a secret gateway to the magical world. If they
stopped to proceed, then the kingdom may execute rahul. As his task was to uphold the pillars
of the world. The great circle of knowledge.
“Yes.. we are near some good and sweet conclusion.” Kiley said,” if it doesn't demand my son to
go. I will be happy.”
The words stung Rahul in his heart. He had no words to say, or prayers to offer a motherly
heart. The time may make it happen, or may not also.
If the second last piece is stolen, then sarthak will go away as well.
He was reminded, the duty he was carrying on. A knight, meant to stop the world from changing
its path. A father, and a friend to kiley.
“I say.. It won't be so. Just hope all is good. May I have some supper?” Rahul asked, Kiley’s face
turned a bit stiff.
“Uff.. for now i have these bananas here.” She pointed at the fruit basket.
“You swing in the trees of those magic lands, like a monkey. So I allow you to eat them,
considering your race. Honey” She said, and went on with a smile.
Rahul was stuck, he needed some good and wholemeal.
He peeled one, and mapped the library. It was at the left from the gate, some steps to be taken.
A suspicious bunch was in the school. They were to be stalked today, and sealed with care.
He looked at Kiley, and threw the peel in the dustbin.
“In the name of Luna, I go now. My mistress, have some grapes and love from me.” Said Rahul,
then he stepped on the wall. And, he had disappeared
 Chapter 3
Derrin was aware of the passing time. As the shelves were all arranged, he was aware of his
duty. He got up, and came near the comic section. He pulled out a spider man issue, and
touched it.The cover changed to a magical circle, and it had a blue border around. The cover
had turned black. Derrin placed it on his counter.
The surroundings started to fill with a luminance of yellow. The bookshelves, and even the
windows showed a hint of yellow. He got up and placed his fingers on the book cover. A metallic
circle levitated from it till the roof. Then it came down on the table. Derrin held both of his hands
adobe it, and focused the blue beam on it. Then a shelf slid right, revealing a spray of sunshine.
He looked there, and slowly walked in it.
The grassland was all over. The greenery and blue sky, and the yellow flowers. They were like a
painting of nature, which nourished derrin. He was in the fields of village trikius. He cherished
his moments, and walked ahead. The sun was above him, and his love for nature never ended.
He had chosen to be in New York city, to serve the duty of a preserver. He had to protect this
adjacent world. Or, his village may crumble.
His knowledge was limited. The teachers in trikius told some folk stories to the children. But, no
one ever mentioned the reign of god awaak anytime. He was the incarnation of universal
energy. He held the circle of knowledge together.
Derrin recalled the figure from his school days. The circle was big. It had many subsections,
each of which was surrounded by a circle of different color. The pieces had so many names.
From “karmakar”, the root word for science of practical use. To the abstract like “kalpam”
meaning the vision beyond reality. The “karmakar” section was further into pieces like science,
craft and so on.
These structures were all held by the royal rings of the world. It protected the pieces from
exploitation. As time passed, derrin heard that the circle was too powerful to be put together
physically. As god awaak lost his powers, he was absorbed in the circle and sealed. Then, the
piece of magic lay protected in the village. The god’s remains were bound to the cosmic stars,
so that none may reach there.
Derrin sat under the tree, looking at his master’s hut. He walked till the hut.
“Sire.. may i come?” asked derrin, the door opened. An old man awaited him. He was in blue
clothes, and his eyes were filled with warmth and familiarity. He hugged derrin, and got teary
eyed.
“So long it was…my son. I see, my silvers have formed a lustrous lining on your heart. So good
to see you, strong and happy. How is it there?” Derrin's master asked.
“Sir, it's better than I thought. The bookstore is going well, I earn enough to live there. The
steelers are hitting the outer parts of this world for the remains. I have no clue of their current
location. They have not warped anything around me, The guard knights are reporting 3 arrests
and sealing of magical weapons. So, we may have made them weaker.'' Derrin replied.
“Ok, but we have to see the plan. The stealers always come near the grand moon day, so they
may get some powers. Your place will see the same, be on the lookout.” Derrin’s master said.
“And..may i know you are good here?” derrin asked.
“If i could say good.. It may have been better. It's not fully so, I am weary and old now. The
seasons of summer have initiated the “kalpam”. So, we see the royal waters taken away to
quench the circle’s magic. I am running out. Of health due to it." Derrin's master said.
“If it is so, I will ask mahar to fill the need for you. You could have asked?”
“Now.. I may not have much trouble. It's my time to say the last word, I am nothing more than an
old magical being. As they say, we all go.”
Derrin felt heavy.
“Don’t say so sir, you are the feeling of my heart. Please, be with god awaak and the world
more.” Derrin answered,
“If i could, i may have stayed. Now go, your duty awaits. The steelers should not get the
remains.” His master said they hugged each other.
Derrin came out of the hut, and walked nar the shelf door.
“What?” He found the door to be closed.
 Chapter 4
It was a moment of pause. Time and its flow gave way to the thoughts. Slowly and steadily, he
started to turn the pages. He looked onto the headings, and the text beneath them. Physics was
a tough subject to work on. Sarthak agreed upon it, as he made the project. He typed his part
on the computer, his textbook was on his side. The book named, "a silent patient" lay at the side
of the table. His fingers were tight with focus, his mind on the electric charges. He analyzed the
vectors and their angles. His rough copy was filled with dozens of equations, which he used to
derive the result.
At last, he wrote the conclusion page. His part was done.
He hit the option,"export as pdf." on google docs. Then he shared it on whatsapp group. He
straightened his arms, and lay on his bed for some time. This project was a tight task, with a lot
of research and efforts it was completed in time. His phone sounded and he saw a message.
"Thanks to all my fellows, now the weight is off our shoulders. Now rejoice, and have your day."
The message was written by henry. The group leader, and a classmate of sarthak. He put the
phone at the side, and glanced at the window.
"It offers the lens to see the world.
A new reflection each day,
within the same lights and buildings.
I see my world in a different light.
A new word of the universe to me."
Sarthak wrote this poem, on the last page of his notebook. He bound his heart around the
words, and breathed a relief. Then his phone rang, and it was Maria who had called.
"Hey, sarthak. Sorry, I may have disturbed you. It's urgent." Maria said.
"Yes, go on." sarthak said.
"Mr. Parker has messaged us for a zoom meeting. Its regarding the project, and he asked me to
join right at 7:15 p.m. He has called all the group members, so I have to tell you." Maria said,
Sarthak was listening carefully.
"Yes, I have noticed it. 7:15, that is after 10 mins. Are Henry, Karra, samet ready for it?"
Sarthak asked. Maria's side remained silent for a bit.
"Karra is ready, i think henry is not knowing. I will text samet now, you can also call him. Do it
quick, or we will be roasted.'' Maria said.
No one wanted to be a burning wooden pile on winter holiday. Sarthak was quick, he opened his
room door and got down the stairs. His mother was calculating the expenses of the house, her
pen and mind were all on the numbers. He came near her and said,
"Mum, can I borrow dad's macbook for a moment. It's a school meeting." He said, not expecting
a direct reaction. She looked at him and said,
"Yes, it is there in his bag." She pointed at the table, and the black coloured mac-bag reigned on
the top. He handled it with care, and unzipped the bag. He saw his mother's face, for a moment
worry covered her. It was not a natural feeling, it was the seed of a longing for safety.
Sarthak's father had not been home for the past 2 weeks. She and sarthak cared for him, that
his foreign trip was good and fine. He had gone to the UK to present his team's new application.
Sarthak looked at her and said,
"Dad, will come soon. I think he is on a big journey. Lets trust..his will and skills." He said, Kiley
looked at him.
"yes..for a good time." Kiley said, with a sad tone. Sarthak looked at her, his eyes assuring her
heart. She felt lighter and kissed sarthak's cheeks.
He then went up, and some 3 mins were left for the call.
He turned his macbook on, and looked at the zoom link shared by henry. He used whatsapp
web, and was in the meeting in some 1 minute. The zoom call was empty, there was no
mr.parker in there. Henry, Karra, and samet were there. Their names flashed, Karra had her mic
on.
"Sir, we are waiting. We have to study also. Please." She had yellow hair, and her laptop was on
the table. The picture of bts suga was at the right. Sarthak saw no activity for some minutes.
Slowly all of them turned the camera on. All of them were in their respective rooms.
Then, a sound came from Karra's side. A piece of rock had hit her wall, so she got up and
picked it.
"Guys.. see this stone. I wonder who threw it?" She said, and no one was outside the window as
she checked. Then Henry's room went dark. Sarthak looked at him, and some sounds were
heard. Of punches, grunts and some rubbing of feet. Then something dropped, the light was
back. But, Henry was not there.
"oh...my lord." Samet said,
"henry.. please do no pranks. it's a serious place." Karra asked again. "Henry",She said, nothing
came back.
Sarthak looked around him,the walls had started to be covered with blue roots. He glanced at
the screen again, mr.park was back.
"ok.. students. Shall we begin the talk? May I ask where is Henry among you all?"
They could not answer.
"sir.. he is unable to join. He has a network problem. Please don't cut his grades for it." Karra
said.
"Yes sir" samet added, Sarthak raised his hand on zoom.
Mr Parker then resumed the discussion normally. All the while, sarthak grew suspicious. The
blue roots were still growing on his walls. Mr Parker ended the talk after 15 mins.
"Ok. Now I ask you all to go. Time brings all to their karma, always." Then all left. sarthak saw a
message in the chatbox, which made him fearful.
"From this night, you will be near the neverending sleep. Son of the holy piece, sarthak." Its
was sent by a user named "x23". He then closed the meeting, in a feeling of disgust.
"What was it?" was his primary question.
 Chapter 5
Sarthak was stung by surprise. He played the scene in his mind, and prayed for henry. The
scene was filled with darkness. The sudden disappearance had left the group in a weird
condition. The chats were filed with many such queries.
“Oh.. my. Who took away my boy.” wrote samet and was followed with a surprise emoji, The
chats were not having any bit of evidence. Sarthak didn’t have it either. He decided to look at
the meeting recording he had made. As he replayed the video, Henry's segment came. He
slowed the video. He could see a subtle spark, as if a small bit of light was moved to the left.
Then some punches were heard, and sounds of muffled sound came. Sarthak guessed, henry
may have punched the attacker. But, the man tightened his mouth and didn't let him make much
sound. Other than that, the chair moved. And some hands were hit on the table.
These random sounds did not explain anything to sarthak. He played the video again, he saw
that henry was checking his phone and got surprised for a moment. His face was filled with
terror as he scrolled ahead. Then, the lights went out.
Sarthak recalled the “x83” message in the chatbox. Maybe Henry got the same one in his phone
chat. If so, this person was behind all of it. There was no way to track the attacker, at least with
this much info. He lay on his bed, imagining a tied henry. Crying for help, or calling God to save
him.
Sarthak looked at the wall, and felt heavy in his chest. He decided to forget it,and opened his
math book. The exercise number 5.3 awaited his hands. Then, he went on.
As he went on with the questions, his mind went to his room window. He kept seeing it, and felt
something moving close to it. There was no table or frame near it. So, nothing physical could
shake it apart from the wind or sarthak. The sound came again, and he turned.
Some white balls were levitating outside the window.
Sarthak slid the pane, and looked at the balls more clearly, they came near his palms. Sarthak
slowly touched one of them, and got blinded.
As he opened his eyes, he was in the center of a circle. The circle was a wide ground, and
spread all over him. Some wooden emblems were moving and fusing at the center. He went a
few steps near them, and looked at the wooden pieces. He picked on up. Each piece had an
engraving and a glass piece at the center. He put it on the ground, to initiate a yellow light on
the engravings. Then the circle went anticlockwise, the pillar at the center shot a yellow light in
the sky.
Then, sarthak felt the circle slow down. A wooden piece fell from a wooden statue at his left.
Sarthak held it in front of his eye, and looked at the sun through it. He could see the 9 planets
circling a purple star. He focused on a green ball on the 9 life pieces, and could see a library.
Henry was inside it, and the library was near the supermarket in New york.
As he saw, Henry was made to take some books out, and place them on the table. Then he
opened each of them, and talked with the other men around him.
Sarthak grew angry, and looked out of the lens. He was at the circle.
“Ok.. I have found my friend. The magic.. Can I go now? Thanks for your help.” His locket shone
and he was back in his room.
Sarthak knew the way now.