Chapter 5

Sarah stopped when she reached the sit out. She peered at the courtyard. She forwarded some steps and looked around. Mashi is not there, She had gone!.

' Where she is? Mmmm May be she hide somewhere!.' She thought in her mind.

" Hello... Helllooooo... I can't hear anything." Sara's mother yelled over the phone inside the kitchen. Sarah paused once. She turned and watched her mother. She was walking here and there for the network. Due to the poor signal strength, the people there are always forcing to walk through out the home to convey their conversation over the phone.

Her mother started to talk anyway. But Sarah could hear her conversation often breaks and she was repeating the same 'HELLO! 'many times. This time, Sarah got down in the yard and initiated the searching for Mashi. At the very first she had a look behind the bushes which Mashi used to hide some minutes before. But she couldn't find her there. She walked through the southern side of the house. She is looking at the every possible places whilst walking. She was about to turn to the back side of the house, suddenly she felt a movement from her back, she looked there and stepped with a light pace to the spot. Suddenly a white cat jumped among the red hibiscus plant. She leaned back and closed her mouth tightly for not to hear her screaming out. Her heart beats faster. She took some more seconds to recover from the shock. However, She went to the back yard with the same heart beat. There are many twigs, coconut husks and wood pieces placed at a corner for the cooking purpose. It is covered with a plastic sheet to protect from the rain. Sarah went near it and pulled up the sheet to know whether Mashi hide there or not. But there is no sign of Mashi! Then she moved to the northern side of the house. There was a washing stone of three feet height and two buckets were kept near it. She searched behind the washing stone as well to find Mashi, even though it is meaningless she pulled up the bucket as a next hope. But results were the same. She reached infront of the house again. Her father parked a bike on the left side of the yard. it was an old model, second hand one. Her mother hung some clothes which are almost dried. Sarah searched there all but didn't find MaShi anywhere. There is also a small well situated near the courtyard. Sarah moved around the well with little tensed. She fearfully looked into the well and closely watched.

" Oh Thank God!" A sigh of relief came. She came back to the yard. Again the white cat jumped across her face, this time from the sit out of the house! She really got angry now and she quickly took a pebble from the ground and threw at the cat forcely. But She missed the throw. Angrily she mumbled and turned towards the home. Suddenly she paused and looked at the pebble she threw just before. Her focus not on the pebble actually it moved to the clay house which they had made some minutes ago. She came near the clay house and stood amazed. it toppled worse than before. She folded her arms and gazed at it for a while. Her thoughts travels in many ways and it can be seen in her face.

The SI and some other policemen entered with heavy footsteps.

" Ah Sir. Please take your seat". Headmaster welcomed them as he expected their arrival and looked at the pregnant teacher who was standing near him inside the office room.

" Keep trying". Headmaster said to her and handed over the mobile to her.

" Sure Sir". She bought it and greeted the polices with a smile and came outside the office room. She is still looking at her mobile and trying to make a call. She stood infront of the staff room.

"I told you na not to go alone Anywhere? Why didn't you call me, uh?" The teacher got angry at the boy. She held the boy's hand and walked fast with a reddened face.

"Hey, what happened? Why you are scolding him?". The teacher asked.

" Nothing yaar, We went to bathroom. I fed up with him. If my eyes goes somewhere else he will be vanished. Ah! No need to say more. You are going to experience it soon no!". She touched her abdomen and laughed, the other teacher too.

"Ah, What about the Mashi's condition? Any updates?". She stopped laughing as someone apply the brake and asked her.

" I was trying to connect with Sara's mother over the phone. Sarah is her best friend no, So headmaster told me to call her to know whether she said anything the last day. If anything she knows it will be a help for the investigation". She said.

" Oh Okay, Why didn't her class teacher try to call her. She knows them more no?". Teacher asked.

" She is utterly mood off. Headmaster told me to contact them and not to disturb her".

"Oh I see, Her condition is so pathetic". The teacher sighed heavily.

The three of them are about to move into the staff room. The headmaster, SI and the polices came out simultaneously. Teachers stopped.

" They want to check the bathroom. Is it opened?". Headmaster asked the teacher.

" Yes, it is". Teacher replied him.

" Please Come Sir". Headmaster led them.

They headed to the bathroom. Teachers got into the staff room. Peon was talking to someone infront of the bathroom when they reached there.

" Ram". Headmaster called him.

" I'll call you back... Sir?". He disconnected the call and asked the headmaster.

" SI wants to check the bathroom. Can you please join with them? Headmaster asked him.

" Why not Sir? Come?". He joined with them and entered inside the bathroom.

Even though they are more in number the silence dominated there. No one utter a word, only their footsteps ecoed there. Policemen's boot sounds ahead among them.

SI focused to the last bathroom where Mashi was found. The door is widely opened still and he stood in the middle of the doorframe. He put his hands in the pocket and scanned the inner walls thoroughly from there. Suddenly he frawned at the one side of the wall. Only in that instant he noticed that the light was off inside the bathroom.

" Hey, Why are you not switch on the light? ". SI asked by looking at Ram.

"Rarely needed Sir. It always has enough light because of the transparent glass above". Ram switched on the light in between.

"Mm". SI nodded sharply, then turned and had a look inside once again. This time he keenly observed than before. Anyone can conclude from his gesture that something strange he had seen in the wall. He turned his look at others. They are looking at each other with confusing faces.

" There is something in the wall. Something like a picture!". SI said in a low voice.

They all rushed to have a look. Instantly one of the other policemen loudly said;

" Sir, here too".

" WHAT???". SI drives others and looked at the other wall. He then rapidly opened the all other bathroom doors one by one. All of them has drawings. All others too opened and saw the drawings, but no one could understand anything.

" What the hell is this?". SI was totally confused.

" Sir I think it's better to take photos and study it well. Because it is not the same drawings, it's entirely different from one another". One of the policemen told.

" You said it. Go and take the camera from the jeep". SI ordered.

"Sir". Two of the policemen ran towards the jeep.

After few seconds they brought the camera and started to take the photos of the each walls.

Some other teachers also presented there, may be they felt something fishy.

They started to murmuring each other. All had a look on the pictures, but no one get any clue related to it.

SI kept mum and he was concentrated on the first clue he had gotten. It will be a mysterious one until it revealed what it has to say. The bathroom became like a street by now. All were come and watch the pictures again and again like a child got something new. Almost all the teachers observed the Mysterious picture already. After around fifteen minutes the class teacher of the Mashi who was the exception in watching the pictures also came.

The atmosphere became half silent when they saw the class teacher. They made a way for her like an important person of the day. She moved like she is walking on a red carpet. She got freezed at the very first bathroom wall. She needs no others to watch, the only one is more than enough for her to conclude. She whispered to herself;

"It's Mashi's drawings!".