SHORT STORY

On a warm summer evening, my friend Farooq and I were walking near the sea beach. We felt experiencing warm breeze. The waves from the sea were hitting our feet, making us feel how wonderful the nature was. The gentle touch of water from waves was making me feel warmer in body and mind. My Farooq’s time at the beach was cut short, as his father dropped by to pick him up. I told him bye and began staring at the vast sea.

There wasn’t anyone left on the beach; it was deserted. Yet I couldn’t leave knowing that only boredom awaits at home. So, I began pacing in the sand, enjoying the nature alone. Then suddenly I heard some screams. I turned back. I realized that the screams were coming from bushes, which were only 10 meters away from me. It was not too dark to venture into the grove. I kept hearing a thing screaming. The creature itself was just bright enough for me to spot it. I wondered what it was, I went near the bushes taking one step after the other, shivering. I was almost scared. When I reached the bushes, I was dumbstruck. It was a bird! It looked like a macaw, red in colour with some yellow feathers. It was struggling to get out of a tangle in the bushes. I cut the twigs around it. I took the bird out of the tangle. Then I looked at it, against my palm. Suddenly, it burst into flames! But a new, much tinier bird emerged out of it. It looked very similar to the previous one, but much diminished in size. Then I suddenly realised that it’s a magical creature called phoenix, which I had read about in Harry Potter series. I felt very lucky to encounter a magical creature like Phoenix, with great happiness, I named it Pincer, and took it home.

I slept that night with a lot of joy. But when I woke up next morning, it wasn’t in the cage. It must have flown away. I wonder where it went.

by

Jaya Prakash Sirikonda

Class IX

Written in October 2023