Adventures by the Dozen

By Cheryl Rao

"Girls, boys, friends, parents, grandparents and other members of the family manage to attract adventure, excitement and even magic in their everyday life. 

Meet:

Ankita who doesn't like to admit she is wrong, 

Shubha who spies on her older siblings' outings, 

Akhil who tries to avoid his mother

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing
• Release date: Jan 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9789360496043

Book preview

A Fresh Start

T

here was only a week left for school to re-open. Ankita sat at her desk with her head in her hands. She had left her holiday homework for the last minute and now it seemed like there was not enough time to do it all. There was a tap on her window and she looked up. Meenu stood in the corridor between the apartments. ‘Come on, let’s go cycling,’ she said.

‘You go,’ grunted Ankita. ‘I have work to do.’ She stared at her book angrily, as if it was at fault for making life difficult for her.

‘Come on, a little fresh air will clear your brain,’ cajoled Meenu. ‘You can finish everything when you get back.’

books vanilla

Ankita shut her exercise book and stood up and moved towards the door of her room, while on the outside, Meenu went towards the front door of their apartment. ‘I guess I might as well. I’ll never be able to concentrate when I know you’re out having fun…’

‘Are you done with your holiday homework already?’ asked Mother, looking up in surprise when Ankita entered the drawing room. ‘That was quick work! See, I knew you could do it if you set your mind to it.’

‘Actually, Ma, I’m thinking of taking a gap year – you know, dropping out of the race for a year to explore other possibilities…’

‘I know what a gap year is, my dear,’ said Mother sternly, ‘and it doesn’t apply when you’re in Class 8. What other possibilities are you going to explore other than the next grade and the next?’

‘Oh Ma, you’re so old-fashioned! And you don’t understand anything!’ exclaimed Ankita in an exaggerated tone of exasperation. Then she added with a sweet smile, ‘Anyway, do you think we could talk about it later? I’m going for a cycle ride now.’

‘Good idea,’ said Mother, trying to hide her own smile. ‘The fresh air will clear your head…’

‘I said that too, Aunty,’ said Meenu from the door. ‘And I can lend her a hand with her homework too if you’re worried that she won’t finish it…’

‘Don’t even think about it,’ said Mother. ‘Homework is meant to be done independently. Let her do her own work.’

Ankita let herself out of the door and the two girls raced each other down the stairs to the parking lot where their cycles were kept. ‘Ma will never understand,’ Ankita said gloomily. ‘Back to school in a week – back to the same old - same old routine. I don’t want to go back. There’s nothing to look forward to. Why can’t there be something new? I could do with a complete change of scene…’

‘School is a complete change of scene, isn’t it?’ asked Meenu, getting onto her bike and setting off down the road of their gated blocks of apartments with Ankita beside her. ‘Nothing much has happened here in this apartment complex during the holidays. At least when we get back to school our new canteen will be functional. And then, there’s sports, dramatics, swimming, tennis, science class…

‘Science class!’ exclaimed Ankita. ‘Are you for real? Next you’ll say that you’re looking forward to Social Studies and Second Language and – and – all those other subjects I don’t even know the names of!’

They had completed one round of the colony and had started their second. It was getting dark and several of the street lights had not come on. They had to rely on the light shining from the apartments onto the road. Meenu had fallen behind. ‘I’m thirsty. Let’s go for a Coke or something,’ suggested Ankita.

‘I’m game,’ said Meenu and quickly turned into the side lane that went towards the colony shop.

Ankita also made a quick about turn. In the darkness, she didn’t notice someone in a dark track suit jogging on the other side of the road. Suddenly her cycle connected with the jogger. She tried to control the cycle but it was too late.  Both she and the jogger went down.

‘Are you hurt?’ asked the jogger, struggling to her feet and putting out her hand to help Ankita up.

Ankita pushed aside the jogger’s hand and stood up. ‘You should look where you’re going!’ she exclaimed angrily to the small figure in front of her. ‘And you shouldn’t be wearing dark clothes at night when you’re walking or jogging. It’s dangerous – hasn’t your mom ever told you that?’

‘She must have, but I didn’t remember it this evening,’ said the jogger, moving over to a streetlight and looking down at her muddied track suit. Ankita could see her clearly now. There was a smudge on her cheek and her short curly hair was untidy, the hood of her jacket having slipped off. But she didn’t look or act like she was hurt. Ankita’s knee, on the other hand, ached. She followed the jogger to the streetlight to inspect her own bruises.

Meenu, who had gone on ahead to the shop, turned and saw the two of them under the streetlight and she cycled back. ‘What happened?’ she asked. Then she saw the fallen cycle and she stopped and jumped off hers. ‘Did you fall? Are you hurt?’

‘She bumped into me,’ said Ankita, indicating the jogger.

‘Excuse me,’ said the jogger, with a sniff. ‘You rode your cycle into me!’

‘That’s because it was dark and you were almost invisible in your dark clothes – I told you that earlier,’ said Ankita. She shook her head. ‘You really ought to do something about your wardrobe.’

‘A simple sorry would be more appropriate than pointing a finger at my clothes,’ said the jogger. ‘Surely your mother told you that?’

‘My mother told me to think for myself…’

‘…and you’re not thinking too clearly now, are you?’ hissed Meenu, pulling at Ankita’s shirt to get her away from the jogger, who, despite her calm demeanour, seemed to have no intention of letting Ankita go without sorting her out.

‘Give me your flat number and I’ll continue this dialogue with your mother,’ said the jogger in an even tone of voice.

Meenu wheeled Ankita’s cycle away with one hand while pulling Ankita with the other. She turned to the jogger. ‘No need, really. It was an accident. I hope it’s okay with you if we go now, Ma’am, I mean, Miss. Hope you’re okay. You do look fine…’

‘You’re quite right she’s fine,’ snapped Ankita, trying to pull away from Meenu. ‘But my knee isn’t…’

‘Stop it!’ Meenu whispered. ‘Just stop…’ And at last, Ankita did. She turned back a couple of times. The jogger was watching them – then she too turned and began to walk in the other direction. ‘Dude – why were you so rude?’ Meenu asked Ankita. ‘That jogger must be at least 16 years old – that’s three-four years older than us. She could be a tenthie or even twelfthie. What if she comes back with a pack of her friends? You should really watch what you say, you know!’

‘And she should watch where she goes! I tell you it was her fault!’ protested Ankita. ‘If she wants to stay safe and plans to run regularly at night, she should wear fluorescent orange or yellow. That’s all I was trying to say.’

‘Funny, I didn’t hear you saying that. All I heard was It’s your fault, it’s your fault… You didn’t even ask if she was hurt!’

‘She wasn’t hurt! I’m hurt. I fell from the height of the seat…’

‘…on her!’ reminded Meenu.

‘Okay, so she may have got a little hurt – but not like me... And she could have said sorry, too, couldn’t she?’ Suddenly Ankita thought of something. ‘Do you really think she’ll complain to my mom? Mom won’t let me out of the house again when it’s dark, even though this place is so safe.’

‘Then you’d better hope that jogger doesn’t find out where you live because then she might really continue the dialogue with your mom like she said she would!’

By the time the two of them reached the shop, Ankita’s limp was gone and she was walking briskly, pushing the bike at her side. The girls had their drinks and then turned to go home.

Ankita’s mind was so filled with thoughts of all the work she had to do that she forgot all about her encounter with the jogger. She got a shock, therefore, when she put away her cycle and went into her building and saw someone who looked like the jogger disappearing up the stairs. Quickly, she stepped back and hid behind the pillar. ‘Oh no! She’s looking for my place! How did she know I stay in this block?’

Ankita didn’t know what to do. Should she follow the jogger up