A Lost Friend...

I looked at the novel on my study table…I picked it up and looked closely at it…The symbol of a bird on it, yes that brought back memories…

It was the June of 2016- if I correctly remember. Yes, I am pretty sure…

Sometimes, some drawings are drawn by the heart and no matter how hard you try to erase them, the imprint it has made never, ever fades away…

Anyways, so it was the June of 2016. Those carefree school days when we didn’t have to worry much about studies…

Summer was about to end, and every street was filled with kids playing cricket or badminton, while many others went in groups for cycling. After all, it was just a couple of days since the summer holidays would end. So everyone was enjoying to their heart’s content.

Watching everyone playing and having fun, I wanted to join them too…But I looked at my watch and sighed… I had to go to Belgharia for a mathematics class, and all by myself. And after the reopening of school, I would just have enough time to take lunch and rush for the only train at that hour.

After about an hour, I got down from the crowded compartment of the train at Belgharia, and looked at my watch. It was already 6! I made a dash for the bus that went there. Phew! I somehow made it on time!

When I entered the class for the first time, I was relieved to see that the teacher hadn’t arrived by then but at the same time, I was surprised to see so many new faces staring at me. It took me some time to register the fact that I was a newcomer and I had joined the classes much later than the others.

I found an isolated bench on the third row and took my seat there. The chattering among the others resumed and everything was normal. The only problem was that I didn’t know anyone there. Multiple times, I looked here and there, hoping to find a familiar face, but there wasn’t any. But at the last bench, I found a girl reading a familiar book - having a familiar symbol of a bird with an arrow on it’s beak.

It was a Mockingjay - a bird and a symbol of revolution in The Hunger Games trilogy- one of my most favorite novels. I had read all but the first book of the trilogy and obviously, I didn’t know about many characters and plots of the first book that were mentioned in the latter two. Even then it was so well written that it had been one of my favorites the moment I had finished reading the second and third book. Ever since, I had wanted to buy the first book of the trilogy but I never got the chance.

And here, on the last bench someone was reading the first book! I was an introvert and it was pretty rare that I started a conversation with someone new, but out of sheer excitement, I did.

I went over to the last bench, and saw a girl reading the book, lost into it… It suddenly occurred to me that I should say something but I didn’t know what to say, so in the end I just managed a feeble “Excuse me…”

“Yes”-the girl looked up at me and answered.

She had a large pair of spectacles and the way she looked through her sparkling eyes, I thought she was probably the topper around there, in that batch.

“Do you want to say something?”- She snapped.

“Is that the first book of The Hunger Games?”-I asked.

The sullen look got replaced by a warm smile and she said-“You know about it?”

Back in those days, I knew very few people who read novels and as far as this trilogy was concerned, there was probably no other soul in the world who had even heard of the name, let alone read it. Perhaps she had the same belief.

“Yes, it’s my favorite actually…”- I replied.

“Mine too!! I have, like, read it a dozen times!! Wanna discuss about it?”- She asked.

“Yeah sure”- I exclaimed.

“May the odds…”- she said softly, leaving out the rest of the line in the air.

“Be ever in your favour!”- I completed it. It was a sarcastic line in the novel that seemingly offered optimism, but didn’t…

She chimed happily, and asked me to sit at the last bench.

“And your name...?”- I asked.

“Priyanka…” was her reply.

“And yours?”-she asked.

“It’s Tuhin…”-I told.

“Friends?”-She asked, looking at me.

“Yeah, cool!!”-I said.

I took my bag and sat next to her. We talked for a while on general topics, the places we hailed from and random stuff…Soon enough, when we started talking about the novel, I told her that I hadn’t read the first book of the trilogy at all.

She laughed, and said -“Who on earth reads a trilogy in the wrong order?”

Perhaps it was foolish of me to not read the first book first. Of course I was.

“I guess…” – I said, and before I could finish saying, she laughed it off by saying-

“Cazz…I will lend you the novel for a week, until next Tuesday when we meet again for our next class.”

“Cool!! That gives me a lot of time to read it. Thanks a lot!”- I replied, appreciating the sweet gesture.

The teacher arrived half an hour late, and the class became quiet again. Except for the two for us… The topics covered in the class were pretty simple and we finished the questions in no time, and then we discussed about the plots, protagonists and the many other characters of the trilogy.

It was great to have a friend who loved the trilogy by heart, and we had infinite discussions, heated arguments on so many plots that day itself. We even developed an alternate ending to the story!!

The two-hour class finished, and then she gave me the novel, saying-“Have a look at the first page…”

On the first page, in neat handwriting were written the words -

“Take care of the Mockingjay”,

followed by her signature. The Mockingjay referred to the book.

“Yeah of course”- I said and after bidding goodbyes, we went our ways. The first day didn’t go bad at all…In fact, it was totally awesome! And then, I got the first novel of the trilogy from my new friend.

I was so excited about reading it, that by the time I reached home, I had read about half of the book on the train itself.

I scribbled down notes and connected missing plot links after I finished reading the book. I had stayed up that night to finish it.

The next week came soon enough, and we discussed a lot- like a lot, about The Hunger Games trilogy. Turned out we were both great fans of the three novels, and there was no end to the discussions. And after having read the first novel, it was easier enough to understand about the reasons behind the twists and turns at crucial stages of the story.

We had exchanged our numbers that day when the class had ended.

The weeks came and went, and we continued our discussions. I thought even the author of the trilogy would have gone crazy on listening to our insanely and never ending conversations over the trilogy!

At times, we switched our discussions to other novels- those of Khaled Hosseini, Dan Brown, John Green and Paulo Coelho to name a few. And sometimes about new songs, and general stuff.

Keeping a novel besides the notebook was a regular habit, and we read them whenever the teacher went out for a break.

One day, we figured out that our teacher was scared of insects, and even a harmless moth would send him panicking like anything. After a couple of weeks, we were pretty sure that the teacher was actually really very scared of insects and we took turns trying to make the insects fly whenever one of them landed on a wall near our teacher.

We laughed like maniacs in the last bench, enjoying how well the prank went.

From long discussions on the novel, heated arguments based on differences of opinion, laughing and scaring away the teacher- we loved them all.

The weeks came and went…2017 arrived… A new year…Winter was at its peak…

And our board exams were knocking on the door… The last day of January… We discussed about the trilogy one last time…But I didn’t know then that it would be our LAST discussion…

I had asked her last week if she could lend me the first book of the trilogy once again, so that I could read the whole trilogy once my exams got over. After thinking for a while, she had agreed to give it to me in the next class.

She gave me the novel, but she seemed sad somehow… I understood- when you are attached to your favorite novel it’s hard to give it up easily. I assured her that I would return the book the very next week after the exams. That brought the smile back on her face.

“You better do…”- she said seriously, and noticing my confused face, she laughed and said-

“Why do you take everything so seriously? Cazz…I wouldn’t possibly die if I didn’t see the novel for a few weeks. And by the way, you would be doing me a favor by keeping the novel away from me, else I wouldn’t be able to focus for my exams. So don’t worry, just keep it safe and bring it right away when the board exams get over!”

Saying this, she had handed me the novel- which is still there with me for 4 years…

I came for the next two weeks, but the last bench always remained empty. In fact, most of the benches were empty by then. Everyone were at their homes during this chilly cold, while I and a few more students were attending the class…

The final day I went there before my exams, I looked at the last bench where we had scribbled all the many characters of the trilogy we had managed to recollect. I sincerely believed that we would do well in the exams and then we would discuss about the novel again.

The exams came, and I didn’t have much time to read the novel she had given me, so I kept it on one side of my study table. After the exams finally got over, I wiped the dust off the novel and read it again. The same feeling, the same effect- when I had read it for the first time…

Then I remembered… I had to return it the coming Tuesday. I wondered if she would come. But I believed she would, coz it’s hard to stay away from your beloved novel.

But that Tuesday, she didn’t come… I felt a bit disappointed…

But I was hopeful the next Tuesday…And she didn’t came even then…I started feeling hopeless. The thought of losing a friend who loved the trilogy as much as me was dreadful…

Even then, I thought of waiting for the next week and so I didn’t call on her number…

I still hoped she would turn up the next Tuesday in the class…But she didn’t…And the last bench was empty, except for me…

It’s strange- when someone is important to you and you haven’t seen them or heard from them in a long time- it makes you feel worried…A lot…

I couldn’t wait anymore. So I went over to the office and asked for her address, saying that I needed to return a book for hers.

Just after class, I took the bus to Jessore Road and went to her address. I rang the doorbell…Silence for a moment… And then a lady opened the door.

“Is Priyanka here?”-I asked.

“Oh, they got transferred to Kanpur last week only. We shifted to this place a few days ago…”-she said.

“Oh, it’s all right…”- I replied, trying to remain calm… But it was difficult to stay calm- the news was shocking to me…

I started walking to the closest bus stop, but the road didn’t seem to end. I kept going for a long time, frantically dialing her number and calling. But the same monotonic voice saying the number was not reachable filled the silence that now surrounded me.

I couldn’t accept the fact that she had left Kolkata- leaving behind the novel and our discussions on it abruptly.

“It’s not fair, it’s just so unfair!”- I kept saying to myself as I was nearly by the bus stop. The world indeed, was not a “wish-granting factory.”

And I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye…

I got up on the bus, and found a seat at the back. I wore my headphones, put a sad song on repeat and thought back…

We didn’t get much time…We still had so many plots to discuss upon…But now the conversations and discussions would come to an end, and die- just like the normal talks and chit-chats we have regularly with every other person.

Everything comes to an end eventually…The only difference is whether it comes sooner or later and when you sense that the end is near, you still don’t have the good sense to give up.

Yes, I didn’t have the good sense to give up. Through the open window of the bus, I looked out at the star-lit sky. Somewhere, someplace not very far off, perhaps she would be looking at the sky too...

I opened my backpack and took out the novel she had given me…I ran my hands over her handwriting on the first page that said-“Take care of the Mockingjay…”

“Yes, I will…”-I said to myself.

Maybe the odds were not in my favour, but it was all right. I kept the novel safely inside, hoping someday we would meet when our paths crossed again…

And I managed to whisper to the sky-

 “Good Bye…”