Peter was a young boy of about 12 to13 years of age. He was going to the Seventh class very soon. He did not like being called a child as he was too old for that he thought. And his father would tell him that he was not an adult as yet, but the two would get along very well. They were a family of six with Peter being the eldest, Kevin and Alan being the naughty ones and Olivia being the baby of the family.

Finances were also a bit on the tighter side and it was already difficult to manage the house with his young boisterous brothers who would both bring the house down with their wails if they were denied anything. Olivia was a 6 month old baby girl whom all the boys just adored and doted upon her whenever they got a chance to. Only Peter was allowed to baby sit the her as he was big enough to undertake her responsibility. Kevin and Alan were were going to the 1st and the 2nd classes respectively. His mother was a thin and wiry lady but was strong enough to look afetr the whole family and the house, but only during the day when the boys would be at school and Olivia would be at her side babbling and crawling all around the house. At night, she and her husband would have to look after all the kids taking their own ways and turns to discipline and keep them and the house in a perfect order.

Usually his dad would accompany him on his trips to the villlage and if needed back at home would leave Peter and return to their house in Bangalore. This time, his mother had also been unwell and she needed little more help than usual and they had to hire a nanny for Olivia. And the holiday's plan of going to the village was also booked way in advance which couldn't be cancelled as Peter had to leave the very day that he finished his exams. Peter did not want to go but his Mom advised him to do so as the fresh air of the village would do him good and in a few days, Kevin and Alan were going to join him. His father did not want him to go alone to the village as it was a journey that started in the afternoon but he would reach only after Midnight and that was not a good time to be outside, but he had insisted as he felt that being the eldest son among his two younger brothers, he could look after himself as well. Besides he did not want his father to worry much about him as he already had too much upon his hands to look after.

Peter got ready and went to the main bus stand with his father where most of the buses plying out of Bangalore stood. He bought his ticket and went to the bus which was to leave towards his village. He got his luggage loaded up into the bus and then bade his father a warm goodbye. Though his Father had insisted on staying till the bus left yet Peter gently told him that he was needed more at home as his mother was unwell. He waved out a big bye with a huge smile and then waited for the bus to leave, as it was scheduled to do so in 15 minutes.

Time passed but the bus did not leave the bus stand at the appointed hour, it was going to leave an hour late. Peter was anxiously waiting for the bus to start moving. He knew that it would be past midnight by the time he reached his village. That was the very reason why he was a bit scared and wished that his father was near to comfort him. He was thinking if only he had listened to his dad, than he would have travelled along with him and not boasted that he could look after himself.

When the bus started off he was slightly relieved from his anxiety. He then opened up a book which had a shadow of a man holding a knife as a cover picture. He fell asleep while reading the book as the bus jerked all around while moving and the comfortable seats were only making people sleep. When he woke up he noticed that he was the only passenger left in the bus. He looked at his watch, it was already 1:30 am, and after half an hour more, he got down at his village and started walking towards his home.

Water filled pits on the wet road showed that it rained here just half an hour ago as small drops were still falling from the sky. He was frightened to walk alone all along the church road because it was surrounded by big trees on both sides thus blocking the moon light and making it darker than usual. Suddenly an owl shouted very loudly in the trees from behind him which gave him such a start that he started walking faster as he felt that his heart beat became louder than usual and his heart was beating so fast as though it would come out anytime.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaa” a wail echoed out through out the trees and the sky and the owls also stopped shouting. But the shriek continued for some time and Peter realised that it was comming from the Church side. He continued to walk faster as he did not know what made that noise. His heart almost stopped for a fraction of a second, hearing a man’s cry again for the second time when he was walking beside the church gate. Immediately he ran ahead upto some distance, and stopped as his tired legs could carry him no more, he panted for breath to get back his strength.
Then he realised that he had acted like a coward as his father had taught that when some one was in need we should go and help them. He felt that the person who screamed was in need and might need his help and so decided to help him and came back to find out what had occured.

He entered the church, but the watchman was not there. He would generally sleep on the portico of the church in the front. He then started walking towards the backyard and heard some footsteps coming out from the garden. Peter got scared and hid himself behind a tree. He saw a man coming from the backyard. His hands and legs were strained with blood. Peter then remembered the novel he had read in the bus, it was in his pocket. He started thinking that this man had killed someone and then buried him in the backyard of the church similar to the villain in the novel. He waited in his hiding place as he was scared and thought that the man would also kill him if he showed himself now. The man was in pain and stopped near the tree, Peter froze in terror but did not make any noise. The man was saying how he could be so careless so as to hurt himself while doing one simple job and how negligent he had become while doing such simple things. The man was using cuss words, he wanted the blood to stop and also washed off the wound at the tap near the tree. He stayed for a little while more near the tree and then decided to get a drink and then go to the hospital. Peter was scared as he did not feel that killing a person was a simple job and was literally frozen to death. After an hour, when the man left, and after making sure that no one was around, only then did Peter come out and go to his house.

Early the next morning, Peter along with a few elders of the village went to the church. The watchman was fast asleep on the chair. He had a cloth bandage tied onto his foot and which was stained with blood. Everyone asked the watchman what he had been upto when Peter had come to the church at night and told him the entire story that had occured. Then the watchman fearing for his job, blurted out the truth and said that a heavy rainfall had occured last night and the backyard was filled up with rain water. It was threatening to go down into the church basement and spoil the walls and so the watchman dug small canals to make the water drain out into the main canal. While he was digging these canals, he had hurt himself on his foot as it was dark and he had tried to stop it with his hands and so he was blood stained when Peter had seen him. That was also the reason why he had cried out in pain.

Peter then grew red in the face and then realised his folly and was ashamed, but the elders were kind to him and they also told him that if they were in his place they would have either run off or do as he had done. They also patted him on his back for trying to follow the advice that his father had given him of helping others. They also told Peter that what was written in the novels and story books was not always true and was mostly a figment of the author's imagination running wild. We as people who buy books should know the difference between the truth and fiction and should not also blindly follow them at all times. Peter then understood their point and made sure that he would never forget it. They also told the watchman to be careful and not to do such foolish things but to do things carefully and well.

The End