[color=#FF0000]CROSSTALK
Day 1
Sunday
“Hello ….(wooooshhh)…heeeelllloo..Do you hear me?”,shouted Lucy, angrily through the phone. It was again the irritating crosstalk! This time,the voice was murmuring something in Spanish.
“MOM, when are you going to change the line?”, shrieked Lucy.
“Lucy, you know that we are moving to a new house in 6 months. Then what is the use of a new line?” , asked Mrs.Wilgman.
Mrs.Claire Wilgman was a tall ,middle-aged woman who had blonde hair. She was very friendly and understanding. One might say, her favorites place in the world is the kitchen.
“I can’t tolerate this any longer. Mom, I am 15, why can’t I get a mobile? All my friends have it!”, said Lucy ,stubbornly.
Mrs.Wilgman gave no answer and went to the kitchen.
Lucy Wilgman was a nice girl who had short blond hair, like that of her mother’s, and a chubby round face. She was very adorable and passionate about her friends. She was shrewd and elegant.
“I am not hungry”, shouted Lucy ,angrily and rushed upstairs to her bedroom.
She jumped onto her bed and hugged her favorite pillow gifted to her by her best and closest friend, Krilo.
She thought, “I wish I had a mobile, and then Krilo would not have fought with me. I wish the crosstalk could just disappear. I wish Krilo would understand my problem with my phone and I (YAWN) wish……”,and she dozed off.
Krilo Phils had a curly hair and always wore her diamond earring, gifted to her by her mother. She had an interesting face to look. She was very short tempered and possessive of Lucy. Adventures is a main factor in her life.
Krilo fought with Lucy just because Lucy cut the phone – that was because of crosstalk –while they were talking. So, Krilo misunderstood that Lucy ignored her. Lucy wanted to tell her about this problem to her but she just wished that one day, Krilo would understand her problem.
Day 2
Monday
TRRRIINNGGG! The alarm rang in Lucy’s ear.
” Oh! School again?”,mumbled Lucy ,sleepily.
She got up from her bed and entered her pink-tiled washroom.
She was ready, wearing her favourite pink shirt and a cow-hip jean. She got her snickers on and grabbed her pink bag from her pink laptop table.
She saw her dad, reading ‘THE OAKLEY DAILY’. Well,As all daddy’s do!!!
Mrs.Wilgman - as usual - was in kitchen, making breakfast.
“Good morning, dad”, said Lucy
“Good morning, Lucy. Anything much today?”, asked Mr.Wilgman.
Mr. Richard Wilgman was a handsome, middle-aged man. He had dark hair which were always neatly kept at one side. He worked as an engineer in a busy office. He is the one who always wanted Lucy to have the best of everything.
“Not much, dad! I just have some work in Stephanie’s house. I will be late today.”, said Lucy as she entered the kitchen.
“Good morning, mom. I am sorry for what happened yesterday! I was really very angry! Sorry, mom!”, apologized Lucy.
“It’s okay, sweetie! It all happens”, comforted Mrs.Wilgman, hugging Lucy tightly with her wet hands.
Lucy ate her fill happily.
“Fine, Mom. See you later!”, said Lucy as she headed towards the door.
“Bye, dad!” ,shouted Lucy as she left.
*************************
“Yo Gal! What’s shaking?” ,asked Stephanie, her best mate, as they entered the school bus.
Stephanie Corps, Lucy’s friend, is a tall girl with straight black hair put up in a pony. She was the captain of the school’s girl’s basketball team. She has an athletic body and usually wears her favourite Adidas wrist band. One would never see her without them. Lucy shares everything to her.
Lucy, Krilo, Stephanie are great trio in Oakley High School.
“Nothing much, Stephanie! Did you meet Krilo? How is she? Did she tell anything about me?” ,asked Lucy ,anxiously.
“I went to her house yesterday. She is alright. She just said she fought with you. By the way, why you guys fought?”,asked Stephanie.
Lucy narrated the whole problem.
“Well, It’s quite silly.”, snorted Stephanie.
Lucy nodded as they entered Miss. Christine’s math class. Lucy loved Miss. Christine and Miss. Christine was fond of her, too.
Lucy’s eyes fell on Krilo, who was flipping the pages of her math book.
Miss. Christine entered her class. She looked gorgeous in the black suit and pulled brown hair.
Time flew as the interesting class went on.
After few more classes, the trio met at the canteen.
No one spoke as they sat on their usual table with their food. Stephanie, seeing the silence, broke the ice.
“Hey! What happened to you? Is someone dead?”
Krilo gave a glance at Stephanie and went back to her food.
Lucy could go no longer. She broke off, “Look, Krilo! What should I do if my phone does not work properly?”
Krilo did not speak a word.
“C’mon, Krilo. You can’t fight for such silly things. Cheer up!”,persuaded Stephanie.
Krilo bit her lips nervously and then said, “ Well, Lucy, You should not do it again!”.There was a slight smile on her face.
“That is, if my phone works properly”, muttered Lucy to herself.
“What?”, asked Krilo, seeing Lucy’s face.
“Nothing!Sure,Krilo. I won’t do it again!”, said Lucy.
“Fine, Problem solved! You both are coming to my place, right?” ,asked Stephanie.
Lucy and Krilo nodded.
******************************
Stephanie bought some freshly baked cookies to the living room for Lucy and Krilo.
“So Stephanie, where is your mom?” ,asked Krilo looking around.
“I told her that you are coming for doing things for the school exhibition next month. Maybe she went for shopping because she just loves shopping”, replied Stephanie.
“What are we going to do now?”,asked Lucy, taking a bite of the delicious cookie.
“We have to browse about…..hey, which country for the exhibition?” ,asked Stephanie, dutifully.
“BERMUDA”, said Krilo and Lucy in unison.
Day 3
Tuesday
Lucy could not remember when she snoozed off.
She wasn’t in the mood to have breakfast. She greeted her parents, who were quite busy as usual and left home.
The trio met at the canteen, after few classes.
“How was the day?” asked Stephanie.
“It was good as usual”, said Lucy, taking a sip of her mango shake.
“Except for Mrs. Wilson’s class, it was quite boring!”,complained Krilo, taking a bite of her hotdog.
“Hey, Trio! Are you all free today?” ,came a familiar voice from behind. It was Kate Sommes. Kate was a famous cheerleader in the school. The Trio and Kate are great friends. She was the most beautiful girl in the Oakley High.
“Free? Us? No, after all we have a kingdom to look after”, said Lucy, sarcastically. Kate seemed to believe it.
Krilo burst out into laughter. “Kate, you know very well, we are very much free.”
“Oh right! Fine! I thought of hanging out with you, this evening. Mind to come?”, asked Kate.
“Sure, Cheerleader! I would come! What about you?”,asked Lucy, turing to Krilo and Stephanie. Both of them agreed.
“That’s cool! I will pick you guys up at Lucy’s place at 5! See you”, said Kate and walked off.
******************************
“Hey,Mom! How is it going?” ,asked Lucy, tossing her bag on to the couch.
“Fine, dear!”, replied Mrs.Wilgman.
“Mom! Kate invited us out.”,Lucy started slowly with a sugary smile ,adding that ,“Krilo and Stephanie will be here at 4! We guys are going to dine out, then hang out in the mall….Mom is it OK with you?”.
Mom looked at Lucy ,smiling and said, “It’s ok dear, but return early. You know I can’t call you!”
“Ok Mom! Gotta’ freshen up” ,said Lucy as she ran upstairs.
***************************
“Hey guys are you all ready?”,asked Kate ,over the phone
“Yup!! Everyone is here. So ,when are you going to pick us up?”,asked Lucy.
“On the way,buddy”,repled Kate.
Keeping the phone receiver, Lucy went back to the duo -Krilo and Stephanie - who was having a deep discussion on shopping.
The girls were alone as Mrs.Wilgman was out to buy some groceries. Some time later, the phone bell rang-
“Hello? Yeah! Kate….What happened?....Hello?......Hello…….???....Hello…….Oh! CRAP!!”,shouted Lucy.
“What happened Lucy..?”,asked Krilo ,impatiently.
“Just a sec, Krilo..”, stopping her, Lucy listened closely through the phone.
Lucy’s face was completely blank as she returned the phone to its gadle.
“What’s wrong Lucy? Is everything alright?”, asked Stephanie,anxiously.
“MURDER”, muttered Lucy.
“Murder? What are you..”?
“Yes! Murder ….The voice in the crosstalk mentioned it…MURDER…9 PM….PARK AVENUE……TOMORROW……………..MR.SWING!!! Don’t know who!?” ,said Lucy looking at the phone as if it would jump at her any moment.
“Just stop that! That’s just a crosstalk”, scoffed Krilo.
“No…” ,protested Lucy.
”Look Kate is here”, shouted Stephanie, cheerfully, as the later entered the scene waiving at the trio.
**************************
They all entered the taxi .Lucy was still thinking, ‘should i forget the crosstalk or report it to the police?’
But the police won’t believe it without a proof!!!
‘Hey Lucy! What happened to you?”,asked Kate, seeing Lucy in her own world.
“Oh! Nothing .When are we going to reach the mall?” asked Lucy, ignoring the crosstalk.She would worry about it later.
“We are almost there “said Kate.
Day 4
Wednesday
“Tring…… “, the alarm rang. She woke up with a start. The voices were presently out of her mind.
She didn’t see her father on the couch. “Good Morning Mom. Where is Dad?” ,asked Lucy ,taking a sip of her coffee.
“He got some important meeting today. So he went to office early, dear. I will be going to my mom’s house, I may be late…..your dad won’t be here too……….so here is the key. I have kept your lunch in the fridge. Heat it and eat, dear”, instructed Mrs.Wilgman, handing over the key to Lucy.
“Fine, mom .I may be late too……I’ve practices for school function”, said Lucy picking up her bag from the kitchen table.
“Bye, mom”
*****************************
“Are you staying for the practice”, asked Krilo, during lunch.
“YEP! My parents are out. They will be late today”,said Lucy.
“COOL! I’m staying too”, said Stephanie, perfecting her hair.
“Hi! whatcha ‘doin?, shouted Gordon behind Lucy. The trio looked up. Gordon was Krilo’s boyfriend.
Gordon Collins was a happy and funny guy. He loved tennis. He had brown hair which was always spiked up. He usually wore shirts and jeans or whatever Krilo ordered him to wear. He likes to have thrill or adventures in his life. Gordon was the captain for the school tennis team. He was pretty good.
“Hi Gord..!Nothing Much!!”, said Krilo ,giving him a chair.
“Hi”, said Lucy and Stephanie.
After a bit of usual talk,Gordon added, “Did you guys know our school planned a camping in the Dean Forest. Will you guys come? Well , I am going. Krilo, you have to come!!”.
“Sure…Gord! Just tell me when we are going?”, asked Krilo looking up at duo.
“Hmm..!They planned the camp on this Saturday”, replied Gordon, taking a sip of his orange juice.
“I’ve to ask my parents “, said Lucy. Stephanie agreed with this.
“Then you guys tell me about this, tomorrow”, said Gordon.
Day 5
Thursday
Lucy didn’t see her mom the other day before.
“Maybe she returned late”, thought Lucy.
She turned up and looked up at the clock. It was 15 minutes past 8.She was already 15 min late. She jumped out the bed. and dressed up quickly.
“Good Morning, mom! How was the day at Grandma’s house?” ,asked Lucy.
“It was fine dear…How was yours?”, asked Mrs.Wilgman, giving Lucy a cup of coffee.
“It was good mom..can I ask you something ?You see our school is…..you know…..going for camping this Saturday to Dean forest.…So umm…please,can I go ?”,stammered Lucy, thinking her dad must be at office at this time.
Mrs.Wilgman was quiet for a few minute.
“Mom …It’s getting late…please let me know fast”, asked Lucy ,impatiently.
“Well! I definitely won’t say NO. Dad will agree to this too!”, said Mrs.Wilgman with a happy smile.
“Oh! Mom. Thanks a lot!” ,said Lucy ,hugging her mother.
***************************
The trio and Gordon met together in the canteen.The whole school was excited upon going to the camping on Saturday,
“Lucy, read this!”,said Stephanie, handing over a newspaper to Lucy.
Lucy’s eyes grew big.
”Oh man! The crosstalk …..” ,muttered Lucy.
“What’s it?”
Lucy read aloud the headline, “MURDER OF MR.SWING AT PARK AVENUE……..”.
“Read further”, Krilo said.
“MR.SWING,A POPULAR BUSINESSMAN IN OAKLEY TOWN,WAS STABBED IN PARK AVENUE LATE AT NIGHT YESTERDAY .POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING FOR FURTHER MORE INFORMATION”.
“So what’s the big deal in it? Who’s this “swing “guy anyway?”, asked Gordon.
Krilo explained the whole story about the crosstalk to Gordon.
“Well! You don’t need to bother about that. Forget it girls. Think about the fun we are going to have in our camping”, said Gordon as he stood up from his chair.
“So, are you leaving now?”, asked Krilo.
“Yeah! I got some work to do for Miss. Granger. See you later”, saying this, Gordon departed.
Looking at Lucy’s face, Krilo said soothingly ,“Lucy, I can understand you’re concerned but you don’t need to be worried about this”.She wanted to console her as they are friends for a long time. Krilo knew Lucy could be sensitive at times.
“I want to forget this too…” ,said Lucy as they left to continue their classes.
Day 6:
Friday
Lucy planned to call Krilo and Stephanie. She wanted to know more about the camping .As she came down, she didn’t see her mom in the kitchen. She wondered where she was. She saw a note on the kitchen table which read-
“Darling,
I am going to see my sister. I’ll be back after 2 days. Your dad is out of town. He got some work. Call Stephanie and Krilo to stay with you. Enjoy your camping!
Urs loving ,mom”
Lucy kept the paper on the table and sighed.
She ate her meal and left out.
************************
She reached home early with Krilo and Stephanie. They planned to have a siesta for a while as they were too tired after their tennis practice.
The trio woke up ,startled ,when the phone rang.
Lucy yawned and picked up the phone.
”Hello! Yes…..sorry…..He is not here….Can I know who is this? ..... Thank you….I will inform him ….ok….Hello….Hello...Hello!!”
“(moosh)……murder…..Dean forest….”,Lucy banged the phone down. She didn’t want to listen to those crosstalks again.
“Hey….. (Yawn)…who was that?”, asked Stephanie closing her eyes.
“It was a call for my father …and those annoying crosstalk interfered. I hung up “, said Lucy.
“Hmmm….Why can’t we go out? Some mall, perhaps?”, asked Krilo.
It was apparent to Stephanie that Krilo was changing the topic of discussion.
“Good idea! I need to do some shopping for the camping. Tents and all those things”, said Lucy.
“So do I”, said Stephanie. Krilo nodded.
Day 7:
Saturday
It was the ‘D’-day. The students waited eagerly in the lunch room to kick off their camp trip.
“Hello. How are you? I am meeting you after a long time”, said Nick.
Nick Jayson was a total nerd. He had black hair and was very thin with a loose spectacle on his nose. He always carries a bag which contains his gadgets. He was a little shorter than Gordon. He is like know-it-all type of guy.Gordon hated him and his lectures.
“Hey! Nick. I am fine. What about you?”, asked Lucy.
“I am fine, Lucy! I am coming to the camp too. I need to research about millipedes and centipedes. You know, they are very small creatures which ……….”
“O k Nick…..Its good you are coming”, Lucy interrupted as she knew Nick wouldn’t finish the lecture now.
“Hey! Are you guys ready?”, asked Gordon, waiving “Hi” to the girls.
“Of course we are!”, said Stephanie.
“Hi! Guys! What’s up?” ,said Krilo, entering the lunch room.
“Hmmm…. Everything is fine. You are on time. Can we board the bus, Lady –Love?”,asked Gordon, giving his hand to Krilo.
“Sure, Darling”, blushed Krilo.
*****************************
It was a fine trip to Dean Forest. Mr.Bintoak, the science professor, told to put up the tents and said,“Two students should share a tent. The partners will be decided by the person in command, namely…….. Me.”,which bought laughter to the students.
Gordon sighed.He hated these laws and rules and regulation as hated Newton’s laws.
He read the instructions carefully and pulled up the tent as best as he could.
Nick became his partner which was unfortunte for Gordon.
Krilo,Lucy and Stephanie shared one tent.
***************************
Everything was set. The tent, camp fire and everything .They had a healthy meal. Gordon was struck with Nick. Well, the trio too as they all sat with him for dinner.
“You know, I’ve a separate special room for inventions and research. I’ve a special video too ,in which you can shoot videos at night. It is very compact.”,said Nick,whose glasses were too big and owl –like. It gave the impression that it was about to fall any moment.
Lucy saw Beandri talking with her friends near a tent.
Beandri was a rich and over smart girl. She hated the trio and they hated her too.
They all gathered at the campfire for some roasted marsh mallows and coffee. Then they went to sleep in their assigned tents.
Day 8:
SUNDAY
Gordon woke up, sensing an excitement in the air ,thinking about the day ahead but then a snore like a roar broke into his thoughts. He thought ,panicking,“maybe a bear”. He slowly turned his head and saw not a bear but Nick’s equally horrifying face. It was right next to him and the worse thing was that his mouth was wide open! Gordon ,who was groggy till a moment ago, sat up and dashed out the tent, as if had seen a ghost. He headed for Mr.Bintoak’s tent.
Fortunately, Mr.Bintoak was awake, sitting outside his tent, with a book in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee in another.
As Gordon inched closer, Mr.Bintoak looked up and Gordon couldn’t help but grin at the fact that, his teacher has another of his science fiction
“Yes, Gordon. What is it? You’re up early?”
“Um….eh..Mr.Bintoak, uh…..it’s….ermmm…..”
“Yes Gordon, what is it?” ,asked Mr.Bintoak.
“I want to change my tent partner”, he said.
“Um…, sorry kid but I didn’t get you there”.
Gordon was momentarily humiliated by the fact that he was called a kid. But there were more pressing matters to take care of. This little thing, he’d worry about later.
“Uh, I said I don’t want to share my tent with Nick”
“ Listen Gordon! Whatever problem you have, you should try to solve it yourself .you can’t come to me for silly problems.”
Gordon was disappointed. He didn’t expect his favourite teacher to talk like this.Gordon nodded and went back to his tent .Nick was still sleeping .But this time the snoring was less. Gordon dressed up quickly .Nick woke up, yawning and put on his glasses.
Gordon sighed,
“Good Morning, Gordon”
Gordon gave a slight smile.
“See you later”, said Gordon as he went out.
“Nice escape”, Gordon smiled to himself.
He saw the girls outside their tent. They were having their hot cup of coffee. Gordon went up to them.
“Hey! Morning! How are you trio…?”, asked Gordon, sitting next to Krilo.
“Hmmm…good ….so how was your night with Nick?”,asked Stephanie, laughing.
“Yeah…..It was damn horrible. He snores a lot”, said Gordon, taking a cup of coffee from Krilo.
They had talked for some time and the time passed on quickly.
*****************************
“Ok, students! Now, let’s have some fun”, continued Mr. Flee, the sports teacher.
“Here is the plan. We will go for boating right now and then we will go for some rock climbing.Finally we will be going for fishing .Got it?”.
“And you all should be together….Everyone should make a group of 5 students?” ,said Mr.Bintoak.
Gordon rushed towards the trio.But ,they formed only 4.Mr.Bintoak, seeing this ,added Nick to the team. Gordon was just ecstatic to have him.
****************************
“I researched in the internet….It’s says Bamboo trees are the tallest woody plant”, said Nick as they went past Bamboos.
Gordon went Blue. “If I had a chance to kill someone”, thought Gordon, “I would kill this guy, who is lecturing all the time”.
He was taking photos of a worm.
“NIIIIIIIIIIIICKKKK……” Gordon screamed, of course, inside his head. He drenched his fists in anger.
The trio giggled seeing Gordon’s face.
“Having a nice time Gord?”,asked Stephanie ,snickering.
“Ha Ha! Very funny…He is killing me by his jokes”, muttered Gordon.
“Oh, Then, when is the funeral?”, asked Krilo, giggling.
Gordon murmured something to himself and kept moving. Time passed. Gordon looked very upset. Krilo felt bad. She went up to him.
Gordon starred at her.
“Angry with me….huh?” ,asked Krilo.
Gordon didn’t answer.
“Listen Gordon, I am sorry, our camping would be of no fun without sick jokes .I know Nick is irritating you but still it is also fun. Just be friend with him. C’mon cheer up”, said Krilo looking helpless.
Gordon ,after sometime, smiled a little.
“Cant I have a bigger smile, Gord?”,asked Krilo
He gave pretty good smile and hugged Krilo.
Well, for Lucy and Stephanie, they had quite bad time with Nick.
**************************
When they reached the river, Nick was talking about plant cells.
“Nick, um…We reached the river. We have to go for boating. Maybe you can continue about….uh…plant cell or something…..later”, stammered Lucy.
She didn’t want to hurt Nick.
“Now we are providing one boat for each group. You can ride by yourselves but you should not go very far .Return before 12.Its 10 a.m now. Any doubts?” asked Mr. Flee
Gordon looked at Nick and manage to smile.
“Do you guys know how to boat? You know, it’s like this”,Nick stopped as Stephanie interrupted,“Uh, yes, Nick! We know how to boat! Is it not, Lucy?”.
Lucy nodded.
They embarked their boat. Nick started his lecture again. But this time about fishes.
“Do you know, Salmon fish goes to fresh water to lay eggs and they come back, but fresh water eel goes to saltwater to lay eggs….”
And he went on about it until they completed their ride.
*************************
“Well! It was fun! Wasn’t it?” ,asked Gordon as they had something to fill their grumbling stomach.
“Of course, it was! Nick was interesting. He isn’t boring after all!”, said Krilo as she took a sip of her drink.
“Hmmm….Let’s move on …” ,said Gordon.
*********************
“It’s fabulous! Look at the view!”, said Lucy, pointing towards a beautiful mountain range, far away.
“Yeah! It’s very refreshing!”, said Krilo.
“Oh! Nick! Your camera is so cool! Can I give it a try?”, asked Stephanie.
“Yes! Sure, Stephanie! Do you know how to operate it?”, asked Nick, handing over the camera to Stephanie.
‘Oh please…..You’re not the only smarty-pants around this place, Ok?!’, thought Stephanie.
“I know how to operate it. I had used my uncle’s camera last year”, said Stephanie.
She took a snap of the beautiful landscape.
“Here we come, Students. This is the mountain you are going to climb. Whoever is not interested you can sit by that rock! Other’s please, go with Mr. Flee”, said Mr.Bintoak pointing to a small rock to sit.
“Nick,are not you coming?”, asked Lucy ,tightening her shoe lace.
“No, Lucy! I have to take some more pictures and I have to research about worms life cycle”, said Nick, pushing his glasses up his nose.
“Hmmmm…..Okay …you carry on, all the best for your research!”,she wished.
The trio saw Beandri trying to climb the mountain. She was having hard time climbing it. The trio giggled and began on their journey. It was very tiring but it was worth it. The view there was better than down below.
After some time of enjoyment, they started down.
****************************
“So, Nick..How was your research? Did you take the photos?”, asked Stephanie, eagerly.
“Yes! It was all good .I got two worms in a bottle”, said Nick, showing a pair of worms in bottle.
“It’s revulsion”, thought Gordon.
“Oh! Its ….um..Cute!” ,said Stephanie - awkwardly - not really wanting to tell him what she thought of those things.
“Now, Students, we will go for fishing, the final program for today”, said Mr. Flee.
After some time ,all of them reached Dean Forest’s white foamy lake. None of them had luck except Nick who caught a tiny baby fish because he researched on how to fish.
Wearily, they all came back to the camp.
“Yawn! I am tired! When are we going to sleep?!”, asked Gordon, almost falling to the ground to get some sleep.
“We have to hog and then you can go to sleep,Romeo” ,said Krilo.
“Yaaawwwwwn!”, said Gordon, controlling his sleep.
For dinner, Nick was so proud of his baby fish, that was what he ate. The others had some cereals and then they started moving towards their tents.
“Good Night, Krilo! Good Night…Lucy and Stephanie”
“Good Night, Gord”, said the trio, in chorus.
Day 12:
Thursday
“SNO…RE….(TRINGGGG)…..SNORE…….!”
Gordon woke with a start. He got scared by the alarm and snoring of Nick. He looked at the clock. It was ten past 9.He got ready and went up to the trio’s tent. They were awake and they were talking about the previous day’s fun.
“Hey, girls! Busy, huh?”, asked Gordon, yawning.
“What? Busy? No….We were just talking”, said Krilo.
“Our camping is going really good. But there is no thrill…!”, Gordon complained.
“What do you mean by ‘NO THRILL’ in our camping?Do you want some hot coffee?”, asked Stephanie.
“Oh yes! Thrill means some kind of scary things should happen…like murder or something…”, said Gordon, smiling scarily at the girls and accepting the hot coffee
“Ha! Murder, let’s see!” ,said Lucy giggling.
“Ok Students! I want all of you to come out and assemble here”, shouted Mr. Flee, outside the tent.
The trio and Gordon stepped out and saw Nick coming out of his tent. “Good!Today, we are not going anywhere as this is the last day in camping. You can go anywhere you want but be sure to return back as soon as possible. Also, give your name and the place where you are going, to Mr.Bintoak, understand?”.
Everyone chewed this prospect of exploring the forest by themselves.
“So guys! What shall we do?”, asked Krilo.
“Um.. What about going for a walk in the woods later on, maybe at 8 o’clock”, said Krilo.
“Yeah, Good Idea!”, said Lucy.
“Hmmm...May be you can find ‘THRILL”, said Stephanie, jokingly.
They all laughed.
Lucy noticed Nick coming up to them,”Uh…Can I come with you?”, asked Nick
“Mr. Scientific Nicholas James….” said Krilo, laughing.”If you think we are going for an adventure or something. You are wrong. We are going to the woods for a walk only!”
“It’s ok! I will also come with you. I have no problem! Please”, pleaded Nick.
“But we have problem”, grumbled Gordon to himself.
“But…..”, started Gordon but Stephanie interfered ,“No problem. You can join with us!”
“Thank you! So nice of you!” ,said Nick, smiling.
“Hey! You! Where are you guys going?”, asked Beandri who came up to them.
“It’s none of your business, Lady”, said Gordon angrily.
“Oh! Yeah! Mr.Krilo’s boyfriend?!”, started Beandri. “Um….Beandri….We are going to woods for walk..”,interrupted Lucy.
Beandri gave a fake smile and went away.
Krilo looked at Gordon. He looked upset.
“Cool down, Gord! Why are you spoiling this day?”, asked Krilo.
“OK! I am going to give our name to Mr.Bintoak! If you guys don’t mind, Krilo and I are going for boating now and we will return before 8!”, said Gordon, turning to Lucy and Stephanie.
”We have no problem! We will have some fun here .I bought my monopoly .We can play”, said Lucy.
“Thanks!” said Krilo. Lucy smiled.
*************************
“Yeah! So I won the game” , exclaimed Stephanie.
“Yeah! I agree!”, said Lucy, packing up her monopoly.
Meanwhile ,Krilo and Gordon had fun boating. After 7.30,they started moving back to the camp.
“Hey guys!” ,came Krilo’s voice. Lucy and Stephanie turned and saw Krilo and Gordon.
“How was your time?” ,asked Stephanie, hugging her pillow.
“Of course,good! Hey, is there anyone else, other than our school students in the forest?”, asked Gordon, eagerly.
“Maybe! I don’t know! Why?”, asked Lucy.
“I saw a stranger while we are through the woods. He was clicking photos on his camera. He was collecting sample of leaves. Looks like he was researching…” ,said Gordon.
“Like Nick?”, asked Stephanie,funnily.
“Yeah!!” ‘’EXCUSE ME”
Everyone turned. It was Nick with a camera in his hand. “ What is he going to research on this tent?”, whispered Gordon to Krilo, in frustration. “I mean ,will this Nick ever give us a break?”.
Krilo giggled.
“Um…Till now, I had great time with you! I just want to take a photo with you! Can I?”, asked Nick.
“Of course! You can, Nick!”, said Gordon.
Nick immediately rushed out and bought a boy with him. “Can you take a photo of us?” ,asked Nick to the boy.
“Sure, Nick”, replied the boy.
“SMILE PLEASE……AND..HERE YOU GO…..”*click*
“Thank you!”,said Nick.
What Nick didn’t notice was two fingers on top of his head in the photo! The trio couldn’t help laughing.
************************
“Got everything packed?” ,asked Gordon.
“Granola bars…..water…..juice…..hmmm….perfect! Everything is ready!” ,said Stephanie, checking the things in her bag.
“So are we!”, said Gordon.
Soon ,they were walking through the forest. It wasn’t such a dense forest as how they it expected to be! There were irritating noises of insects and pleasant sounds of the wind and rustling waves. There were different kinds of trees and plants.The smell of the fragrant woody flowers floated along with the air.
“Nature is a wonder”, thought Lucy.
“Hey ,did you hear that noise?”, asked Stephanie.
There was a soft rustling sound behind them ,among the trees. Gordon saw a figure running towards the dense forest.
“What is it?” asked Nick.
“Oh should I say ‘who was it’?”, corrected Lucy.
“Let’s go back from here!”, said Stephanie, who looked very scared.
“I hope there is some ‘thrill’ waiting for us”,said Gordon, frivolously.
“Yeah! Let’s follow it!”, said Krilo, ready for an adventure.
“No…”,started Stephanie
“C’mon Stephanie! Don’t get scared! We are with you, besides it will be nothing.”, said Lucy ,consoling her friend.
***********************
They lost sight of the figure when following him.
“Look!” ,cried Nick. They all looked towards where he was pointing ,little distance away from them. The figure was having a knife in his hand.
“Hide ….fast”, cried Gordon.
They all scattered behind the rocks and bushes and switched off their torch.
The figure was talking with another man. The figure looked like a man. Lucy could see him wearing a hoody gown kind of thing.
“Hey! This is the guy who was researching when we went for boating!” ,whispered Gordon.
“Who?the one with the hood?”,asked Nick,quietly.
“No,the other one!!”,whispered back Krilo.
“What do you want?”, came the research-man’s shaking voice. “Why did you want me to come here?”
“I want your life!!”, said the hoody-guy’s cold voice.
“WHAT???” ,continued the other guy and the hoody-guy plunged the knife into his stomach.
Stephanie gasped.
But at that moment nobody paid any attention to her.
The hoody-guy gave an evil laugh and disappeared in the other side of the dense forest.
“Let’s move”, said Nick,shaking a bit.
“Hey! Wait! What happened to her?!” ,cried Krilo.
Everyone turned back towards Stephanie.
“STEPHANIE!” shouted Lucy.
“Stephanie! Listen! Get up!”, cried Krilo
“She is shocked seeing the murder. She is paralyzed”, said Nick, worried.
“What?”, asked Krilo.Her face was pale
“There is no time! What should we do?”, asked Gordon, rubbing his forehead, nervously.
“But we can move her, even if she won’t. Lucy and Krilo support her hand and walk “,said Nick, switching on his torch.
“Move….” ,shouted Gordon and they went off.
“Hold..What if the police finds our shoeprints?Just wipe them off while walking back.”,suggested Nick.His face was red and it was obvious,he was scared.
***************************
“What happened to Miss. Stephanie?”, asked Mr. Flee, looking at Stephanie.
“Um..Sir..She saw something and got scared”, replied Gordon, being nervous.
“Take her to the tent! We will leave early tomorrow!”, said Mr. Flee.
They all went away to the trio’s tent and made Stephanie lay down.
“Can she sleep, Nick?”, asked Lucy, curiously.
“Yes! She can sleep, just shut her eyes”, said Nick.
“I’ve got something to tell to you”, said Lucy, “I think I know who murdered him!”.
“What do you mean!?How do you know it?” ,asked Gordon, flabbergasted.
“You remember Mr. Swing? The Famous businessman, The crosstalk in my phone?!”, asked Lucy.
“Yeah we remember! What in world does that have to do with this murder?”, asked Krilo.
Gordon nodded, agreeing.
“Mr. Swing? I read that he was murdered ,in the newspaper! But what crosstalk?” asked Nick puzzled
Gordon narrated the whole story. “Oh God!”, cried Nick.
“Krilo, Do you remember the crosstalk I got on Friday?!?”, asked Lucy.
“Yes! On Friday! You got a call for your dad!” ,replied Krilo.
“Yes ,I ignored it that time. The crosstalk voice was exactly same as the voice which said to kill Mr. Swing. I am sure the same person did it! ”, said Lucy.
“We got to report it to police”, said Nick
“Hmm…No we shouldn’t”, said Krilo.
”Why not?”, asked Lucy, surprised,
“Why can’t we have an adventure? I am pretty sure, this hoody-guy is plotting to kill another man but we will catch him before he does!”
“Wait!” ,Nick interrupted. Everyone turned to him. He was having a laptop on his lap with a modem connected with it.
“It is said here that Mr. Swing, was having an deal with a famous doctor, a real estate broker and an engineer. But it is not known to the public as such.”
“So what has that got to do with anything?”, Gordon asked.
Nick said, “I don’t know but somehow I feel it’s connected to this case”.
“Whoa! Whoa! Hold on! If it is not available to the public then …..How do you know?” ,Gordon asked with his eyebrows raised.
“Erm... ”,squirmed Nick. Gordon waited.
“Urm….I just know some…..websites through which…urm…..you can get….uh…information like this.”, trailed off Nick’s voice.
“You mean ,illegal websites?”,Gordon enquired, loving every moment of torturing Nick, even though they all have become quite close after this incident.
Before Nick could answer, “ Wait! Guys, we are moving away from this subject at hand. For instance, if you want me to remind you of the stupid MURDER”, Lucy shouted. Nick looked thankful for the interruption.
“So, what should we do now? We got to tell the police”, continued Lucy.
“C’mon, Lucy! ADVENTURE! Adventure is coming up to us. We better grab it. Why can’t WE find the murderer? Why can’t WE investigate? If we inform the police they are going to suspect us. WE CAN INVESTIGATE! WE CAN!! ” ,said Krilo, with over-confidence.
“What? WE??” ,asked Lucy,thinking this was absolutely insane
“YES, WE!” replied Gordon.
“We will get into trouble, I mean, come to think of it. It will be dangerous to our life”, commented Lucy.
“No, It won’t be”, said Nick quietly. Lucy stared at him. There was something weird about the way he said that.
“Ok! But how can we know who the Hoody –guy is gonna murder next? How can we know who he is?”, asked Lucy, trying to tell them it was a stupid idea. There was an uncomfortable silence in the tent.
“CROSSTALK”, Krilo broke the silence.
Day 13:
friday
Lucy and Krilo woke up, hearing sirens of the cops. They brushed with a bottle of water, made their hair, dressed up and ran out. Mr. Flee and Mr.Bintoak was talking with a group of policemen. One of them had a notepad and a pen in his hand ,with them stood Gordon and Nick. All the students, who stood behind were excited about the happening. Lucy stood horror-struck.
“What, on earth is happening there?” ,whispered Krilo.
“Hoody –guy murder!”, reminded Lucy.
Lucy and Krilo went up to them. “Ah……Here comes Lucy and Krilo!” ,said Mr.Bintoak.
“Well, were you with these two young men yesterday, in the woods?”, asked one of the cops, pointing to Nick and Gordon.
“Yes sir! We were with them with one more girl, who isn’t well right now.”, replied Lucy
“Did you see anything odd? Or anyone?”, asked the cop, anxiously.
“No sir, we just went for a walk”, replied Krilo.
“Well…Youngman…..Did you see anyone…..um.,.. dead?”, asked the cop, turning to Gordon and Nick with a confused yet firm face.
“DEAD?!? No sir, we didn’t!”, exclaimed Gordon. Even Nick shook his head.
“Hmmm…..You can go!”, said the cop.
The policemen spoke with Mr. Flee and Mr.Bintoak and went away.
“Ok, Students….Pack up everything! We have to leave right now, hurry up!”,said Mr. Flee, hurriedly.
Everyone rushed towards the tent. “Now what are we going to do!?”, asked Lucy as they reached the tent.
“Listen! When you get a crosstalk, listen to it……pack your bags”, said Krilo as she heard someone pass by their tent.
She stuffed all her things into the bag and began to pack Stephanie’s. Lucy looked at her for a moment.
”Ok, I think I will” ,she said, mostly to convince herself.
******************************
“Yummmm……delicious turkey sandwich, Mom!” said Lucy, taking another bite of her sandwich.Lucy returned home after leaving Stephanie in her house.After long hours of talking with her parents,Mrs.Wilgman made her some Turkey sandwich.
”Lucy, your grandma called us! Um…..she is sick.I will be staying there till she feels better! Can you manage alone? You can call your friends home.”, said Mr.Wilgman.
“WWWWWWHHHHAT?!”, screamed Lucy.
“Please Lucy……understand!!”,replied Mrs.Wilgman.
“ When are you leaving? What about dad’s work?”, asked Lucy.She did not want to stay alone.
“Your dad took leave for a week! We’re going in a hour.”, said Mrs.Wilgman
“Um….. mom…ok fine... Tell my regards to grandma!”, said Lucy, thinking it was all for the best.
***********************
After the send-off, Lucy passed her time thinking.
“Hmph….boring day”, sighed Lucy.
Suddenly the phone rang, Lucy jumped.”Gosh! Only the call, HUH!”. Lucy reached for the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hello” ,came the voice on the other side. “Oh! Kate, what’s up?”, asked Lucy.
“Uh!! I heard Stephanie got shocked or something? Ah?”,asked Kate.
“Yeah!I think she saw something which made…HELLOO..HELLLOO!!!”, Lucy shouted through her phone.
“Crosstalk”, said Lucy to herself, listening carefully.
“(moosshh)…Good…Now……two left…..Frake, the engineer….(mosshh)..Give you extra $5000….Kill Frake….Oakley Tower construction site….at 12am….(mosshh)…careful of cops……tomorrow….”
Lucy listened more closely but it was in vain. That was all she could hear. She quickly hung up and rushed to get a notepad. She wrote down whatever she could remember of the crosstalk. “The same voice.I have to tell this to Gordon and Krilo…oh…Also, Nick. I just wish Stephanie was in this too…”, thought Lucy sadly.
Day 14
Saturday
“Got any news about Stephanie?” ,asked Gordon as Krilo, Nick and Lucy walked with him back from the special classes to the canteen.
“OH,Yeah…Doc said she will be fine in few days”, said Krilo.
“Hey, I have something to tell you. I heard a crosstalk again!”, said Lucy as they sat on their usual table.
“That’s cool”, replied Krilo
“Hope we are gonna play a thrilling game! C’mon, tell us. I am eager to listen to it”, said Gordon.
“Not here…”, said Lucy,looking around the noisy canteen.
They ate their food as fast as they could, though they cannot spare from eating food even for most important matters, and went to the always-empty library.
Lucy narrated the whole crosstalk, referring to the notepad.
“So, today, there is gonna be a murder at 12 am in Oakley tower construction site. The victim is Frake, the engineer!”,said Gordon in a systematic manner.
Lucy nodded.
“I read in news that, the man who was murdered in the woods, namely Cling, was a scientific doctor. He was researching in the Dean Forest. Poor He! He was killed!” said Nick. There was a silence for a moment.
“I got a plan”, said Gordon. “Listen…. “.
“Quite a good idea!” ,Lucy remarked though she wasn’t still sure if they should deal with it themselves.
Krilo nodded.
“Oakley Tower Construction, a perfect place to kill an engineer!”, said Gordon.
Krilo nodded.
“Nick, bring your video cam today.I will pick you all up from your house.” ,said Gordon ,silently as he noticed the librarian noticing at them.
“But what about your parents, will they allow?” ,asked Lucy.
“That’s a big problem!” ,said Krilo.
“Why can’t you guys stay at my house and tell them that you have projects to do.My parents are out of town”, said Lucy.
“I can!”, said Nick
“Me too! You, Krilo?”, asked Gordon.
“I think I can”, replied Krilo.
“Good, I know Bill, the innocent taxi-driver. We will hire him and go there.” ,said Gordon.
*************************
“Ok guys! Are you ready to experience the ‘THRILL’?”, asked Gordon, his hands up in the air.
Everyone nodded, excitedly. Nick nodded too fast, that his big glasses fell off his nose. Krilo and Lucy giggled. “Can we?”,asked Gordon with sprit of self-confidence.
“We can”, said all in unison.
They jumped into Bill’s cab and Nick took the front seat.
Bill was a smart young looking guy of 20’s. He did not look innocent at all. The long T-shirt which he was wearing was bit weird.
“So, dude! I am supposed to wait at the bus station near the Oakley Site. Is not it?” ,asked Bill.
“Ya! Bill, that’s the plan! When we return just leave us back to our house. It will just take half-an-hour. But be sure not to go anywhere.” ,said Gordon.
“Fine! Gord..Where you said you were going?”, asked Bill
“Uh…just to a friend’s house nearby. Is it ok for you to stay at the car?”, asked Gordon doubtfully.
“It’s ok! I’ll be fine. I got my iPod with me.”, said Bill.
*****************************
The girls and Gordon with Nick jumped out of the cab, when they reached the bus station.
They were scared - scared that their plan would go wrong. The air was fresh and cold as they walked a little far to the construction site which was standing middle of a deserted place. They found a thin gap to creep into the site which was enclosed by cardboard walls. They saw a neatly dressed man on the tenth floor of the tower.
“I think he is Frake” ,said Lucy, looking around. There was no sign of any human beings except Frake and themselves.
They silently clambered up the concrete stairs. Fortunately, Frake did not notice them. He was busy talking in the phone. They silently crept behind a broad pillar near the stairs and hid there.
“Hey, the Hoody-Guy has come. Be quiet.”, whispered Gordon, quietly.
Lucy turned towards the stairs. There stood a tall guy wearing the same hoody T-shirt as he wore for Claig’s murder. His silhouette was cleary seen but not his face. Nick switched on his video cam and started recording.
Frake looked up and hung up the phone. At present, he was quiet close to the edge of the floor.As the hoody-guy went closer to Frake,his face was seen a bit.
“Hey,YOU??Were you the one who called me and said that you were my client’s P.A? What do you want now?” ,asked Frake, his voice was trembling.
“Clever..You recognized me!” ,replied Hoody-Guy. “No wasting time, now. Adieu, my dear pal.”, saying this, the Hoody-guy moved forward and pushed him fiercely. Frake lost his balance and fell.
“Oh my!” ,exclaimed Lucy and covered her mouth.
There was silence for a second. Suddenly, Nick sneezed.
The Hoody-guy saw them behind the pillar.”Aaaah!”, shrieked the Hoody-guy angrily.
“Guys! Run! Run! Run fast”, shouted Gordon.
They rushed downstairs and the Hoody-guy was a step behind them. “Guys! Run!” , shouted Gordon again.
Nick tightened the video cam from falling. “We are near! Run!”, screamed Gordon.
All of them were puffing and panting. They came closer to the car. Nick, who was running slowly, turned back to see if the Hoody-guy was following him or not, he was but anger was radiating from him.They reached the cab and jumped into it.
“Start the car! Hurry! Fast! Go!”, said Gordon, turning back.
“What …?” ,started Bill.
“Fast! Go!”, interrupted Nick.
“What happened, Gordon?”, asked Bill anxiously, starting the car.
“Nothing! Um…one guy was chasing us coz’ we had a terrible fight with him”, said Nick, hiding the fact.
Soon, they reached Lucy’s house.
“Phew”, sighed Krilo and Lucy. They all fell on the couch.
“So! The Hoody-guy saw us! Are we in trouble?”, asked Nick
“No ,not at all !He didn’t see our face”, replied Gordon, knowingly.
“Did you take video?”, asked Krilo, more importantly.
“Yes! I took….even the dead body!” ,replied Nick.
“Do you guys want anything to drink?” ,asked Lucy, changing the topic.
“Orange juices would do!” ,replied Gordon. Lucy went to the kitchen to get some juice.
“You know guys, I was thinking …….” ,said Lucy slowly, coming out of the kitchen. She had a very curious look on her face. Krilo, Gordon and Nick looked at each other, confused by the expression on Lucy’s face.
“What….What is it Lucy…?”, asked Krilo quietly.
“You know, that day back in the tent, Nick …you told something about the secret deal or something…”, said Lucy, confusingly.
“Yes…..?!”,Nick said ,uncertainly.
“Well, what if each of these guys is connected. You know, to each other, I mean?”,continued Lucy, “Maybe, just maybe,the estate manager is next….it’s just a hunch, guys.”
“Actually, that makes sense, Lucy.”,Gordon agreed.
Nick exclaimed, “ I knew it! I knew that a bit of information to be useful! Cool!”
“You mean the illegal news?” ,Gordon snickered.
Nick turned red. But once again, Lucy interrupted, “In that case, we have to meet the real estate manager before he is killed. We got to save him. We got to get help from him!”, said Lucy,concerned.
“Yeah! But how can we find him? Who has his address?”
“We can find it through net!”, said Nick as he took his laptop from his bag.
“I hope it is not illegal”, Gordon mocked.
But Nick paid no attention. He always becomes like this when he is engrossed with his work. Gordon drummed his fingers.
“Got it! Note down…!
“45,Malfoy Street,
Gear Town”
“ A few Kms away from here! Tomorrow we have off, so we will go tomorrow from here at 11am.Okay?”,Gordon asked.
“But till then Lucy keep your eyes open or should I say ears open for anymore crosstalk.”, Nick said.
Everyone agreed.
Day 15:
Sunday
Lucy woke up, yawning. She thought about the day befores thrill. Everything flashed on her mind, the Hoody-guy, the murder. She turned and saw Krilo fast asleep. The girls were in Lucy’s room and the boys were in the TV room, on the couches.
“Hey Krilo! Wake up! Its 8…”, shouted Lucy, so loudly that even the guys down there could hear her.
Gordon yawned and shook Nick up ,then decided it was useless, remembering the camp. Krilo and Lucy dressed up and came downstairs. Even Gordon has freshened but Nick was still snoring! Lucy opened her mouth to shout and wake him up but Gordon stopped her by saying, “He was researching till late at night to get more information about the dead and the estate manager. So let him sleep for some more time.Lets wake him up at 8:30”
“You mean 8:30 ‘pm’?” Lucy joked.
They all laughed and went to the kitchen.
************************
“Nick, Get up! Get up!” shouted Krilo angrily, trying to wake him up for past 10 minutes. At last, the snoring faded slowly like an melodious song coming to an end.
Nick silently woke up yawning.
“uh….Morning! What’s the time?” ,asked Nick, getting up from his couch.
“Mr. Nicholas, its 8:40”, said Gordon.
Nick got dressed up soon. “So ,what’s the plan, today?”,asked Krilo as they all sat on the dining to have some cookies and coffee.
“Uh….! First let’s meet Stephanie and off we go to the real estate manager’s house…..” ,Gordon stopped as the phone rang.
Gordon sighed in frustration because he didn’t get to finish his PLAN.
Everyone looked at each other.
“Go get it, Lucy but be aware of crosstalks!” ,warned Krilo.
Lucy reached for the receiver.
“Hello. Oh! Hey mom! How are you?....Oh! Yes! Everything fine…Yes Gord, Nick, Krilo are here………Yes, mom! How is grandma? Ok mom! Mom! Mom!?Do you …..” ,stopped Lucy.
“CROSSTALK!”,Lucy said to the other three. They came near to Lucy, “ What is it …?”, asked Krilo, eagerly in a whisper.
“Uh…some crazy language ….but wait! Here it comes..” .Lucy listened to the crosstalk closely as it murmured-“KILL…SAKE……TODAY………IN THAT LAND………..KILL…….(moosh)………THE FOUR CHILDREN… (moosh)……BEFORE THEY INFORM THE POLICE…….GOT THAT…..?(moosh)”,Lucy could not hear anymore ….She hung up.
“WHAT? What happened?” ,asked Nick.
Lucy narrated the whole crosstalk.
“What does it mean? Who is sake? Who are the children? Why kill them? Which land is he talking about?-WHO? WHERE? WHY?”,asked Krilo, confused,like an investigator.
Gordon shook his head. “I think I know one ,unusual! Sake is the real estate manager!”, said Nick
“Oh yeah! The Hoody-guy is gonna kill Sake at some land! Which land?”, asked Lucy
“Don’t know!” ,said Krilo
Gordon remained silent; his fingers kept drumming on the table.
“Gord! Say something!” ,said Krilo.
Gordon made a gesture to keep quiet but he didn’t talk.
After 10 minutes, “Yes! Yes! I got that! mmmm…….”, murmured Gordon to himself.
“What? What did you say, Gord?” ,asked Krilo.
“He said he got something, what is it?”,asked Lucy eagerly
“I think the land has got something to do with the deal and the children are “,Gordon stopped and said hesitantly,“US!!”
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