Destined

1. The Game

The sun beat down harshly on his dark skin, but despite the pain he felt in his side, he kept running. He had to catch it, the shadow that was staying away from him, it simply couldn’t get away! Stumbling, he caught up with the mysterious figure. As he turned it around to face him-
The young boy woke up sweating bullets. He turned over on his cot, then shot up, and peered out the door of the hut.
“Aiya!” He groaned slapping his wet forehead, “Not again!” Rolling out of bed, he went outside in his banyaan and dhoti.
The village was wide-awake, while this young boy was still rubbing his drooping eyes. The chatter of the village made the boy look around in wonder. Several ladies were out in their friendly groups, and brightly colored sari’s and with their pots to fetch the water. The young boy spotted his mother and sisters and waved exuberantly. They wagged their hands back at him. Around him, the men had already started their daily jobs. Among them, were his elder brother and grandfather. His father was not amongst the many marketing village men, because he was an accountant. Everyday, his father would walk several miles with three other village accountants, to their merchants’ homes, which were located on the outskirts of their village.
The young boy scanned the many markets searching for his brother and grandfather.
“Mika, ay! Over here!” The boy turned around at the sound of his name. His furrowed eyebrows relaxed as he saw his brother waving to him. The boy ran his arm over his sweaty forehead, and began to sprint towards their market.
Each shop was nothing but a vast, flat piece of smoothed wood, mounted atop two wheels. This way, the sellers were able to move the position of their shop. Some marketers would stake four long wooden poles in the packed ground, and create a shady canopy to shelter them from India’s blistering heat. This is exactly what Mika’s relatives had done.
“Mika, why are you always late?” His grandfather asked in his withered, wise voice. He was slicing mangoes. Mika’s grandfather handed a thick slice to him. Mika stuck the mango slice in his mouth, and ran it along his teeth, gathering the fruit between his pearly whites and his tongue.
“Umm.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“He’s just lazy, he doesn’t want to do any work. Just let him sleep all day, that’s all he’s good for.” Mika’s brother complained.
This snide comment made the already cranky Mika furious. He jumped off the market cart, and began pounding at his brother with his bony fists.
“Ouch…Ow...Mika…STOPPIT…that’s it you’re lychee juice!”
Mika’s brother turned and fought right back, pulling at his hair, pushing, shoving, picking him up…
“Veeru, Mika…Both of you, Relax!” Mika’s Grandfather pulled the clawing tigers apart. They glared at each other venomously. Mika began to snarl. As a response, Veeru raised his heavy fist, as to show him the effect of Mika’s annoyance.
“Hey…Veeru, stop that. He’s your younger brother, learn to treat him like one.”
Veeru folded his arms, and ducked his head slightly. “Why doesn’t he treat me like an older brother first?”
“Well, would, if you’d treat me like a younger brother, you make it seem as if we’re the same age.” Mika spoke in an utterly fake humble tone.
“You just be quiet.”
“Naah.” Mika mocked.
Veeru began to complain to his grandpa.
Mika stuck his tongue out.
“Mika, stop teasing your brother.” Dadaji said tiredly.
Mika shrugged his skinny shoulders indifferently, and slyly rubbed a fresh bruise. He plopped back on the cart, and reached for a ripened mango. The mango was so ripe, that when he poked it with a long finger, it left a dent in it. Smiling, Mika tossed the mango into his right hand, and with his grandfather’s penknife, cut a round hole in the mango’s top. He pressed the opening to his mouth, and squeezed the fruit. Immediately, a burst of mango pulp flowed into his mouth. Mika closed his eyes and enjoyed the soft texture, the sweet taste, and felt, with a sheepish smile, mango pulp dribble down the corner of his mouth, and under his chin. He opened his eyes slowly and then gave the mango another squeeze, another, then another, until all the pulp was gone.
With his nimble fingers, Mika peeled open the mango, and slowly pulled out the large seed.
“Don’t drop that Mika, or we’ll have ants the rest of the day.” Veeru warned without looking at his brother.
Mika glared, then looked at the slippery seed, and smiled to himself. With both of his hands, he pushed one end of the seed into his mouth, and licked off the rest of the pulp.
With a sigh, Mika jumped off the cart, and tossed the remains of the mango where he was sitting just moments ago. He glanced at his brother who was placing the apples in an agreeable manner, and his grandfather, who was conversing with a group of elders.
Mika grinned slyly, and ran off to the younger children who were very involved in a game of cricket.
Mika began to hear the shouts of disagreements from the game, as well as the shouts of his brother, insisting upon him to return to the shop.
“Mika, get over here, you’re supposed to help…Mika!” Mika strolled on towards the game, completely blocking out his brother’s pleas.
“HEY! That’s not fair, that was an out, and I hit your wicket.”
“No you didn’t, see, its still there.”
“That’s because you put it back up…I even saw you with my own two eyes!”
“Wait a minute.” Mika shouted holding his small palms up. “Hold on.”
“Vaibhav,” Mika said turning on the young lad who was insisting that he hadn’t knocked down a wicket. “Did you put the wicket back up?”
“Way no!” he insisted holding his hands up.
“Okay, Ashish,” Mika said turning on the bowler, who declared he had knocked down a wicket. “Did you actually see him put the wicket back up?”
“Well, maybe not him, it was actually Mayuresh, but Vaibhav knew, I know he did, he even signaled him to slip the wicket back up!”
“Signaled him?” Mika shot a puzzled look at Vaibhav and then back at Ashish. “What type of signal?”
“He…He scratched his nose in his direction.”
Mika began to chuckle. “So, if you scratch your nose, it becomes a signal? Scratching a nose means you are sending someone a signal?”
“You know what, this is just a misunderstanding, lets just go on with the game, and by the way, who wants me on their team?”
Several kids shouted ‘ME’, but Ashish just sulked.
Vaibhav jogged up to Mika and said in a low voice, “Thanks, bhai, you really saved my skin back there! I didn’t expect him to see me put the wicket back up!”
“Well next time,” Mika glared, “Be much more careful.”
“Yes Boss.” Vaibhav said slapping Mika on his back and laughing.
Ashish stared hard at the backs of the two buddies, and beckoned his friend over.
“Hey, do you know who they are?” Ashish asked pointing at Mika and Vaibhav.
“Of course sir, they are Mika, and Vaibhav, everyone knows who they are.”
Ashish plowed his hair back with his thin fingers. “Do you know why everyone knows them?”
His friend shrugged his shoulders.
“Because, they always cause trouble. They bother everyone. Stealing, skipping their day-school, and their jobs.”
“They do that?” Ashish’s friend gasped. “Don’t their parents give them a good spanking?”
“They ought to, before the boys get spoiled.” Ashish sniffed.

“Okay everyone, ready?” Mika asked as he squinted in the bright sunlight. There was a chorus of ‘Yes’’ “Okay, then, lets begin. But first…TEAM HUDDLE!” Several kids, including Ashish groaned. Every child knew, that when Mika called team huddle, he would take an excruciatingly long time, and then come up with a spectacular plan.
Vaibhav grinned widely, but only because he had Mika on his team. Mika and Vaibhav’s team gathered around them, and Mika began to whisper in a low, and serious voice.
“Okay, I will be batsman, and I’m pretty sure Ashish will be bowler, seeing on the fact that he is the captain of the team. And guess who’s the captain of this team? Me, so I will be batsman, any arguments?” There was silence. Mika looked at his team members’ sweaty faces. “Good. Okay, Vaibhav, you will be outfield over there, and… that’s all I’m going to say, you see, I need to save my energy for the game right? So Vaibhav, you take over, and assign everyone their positions.”
Vaibhav’s eyes widened in surprise. “M…Me?” He wagged his palms in front of him. “No no, I can’t do this, I might elect the wrong people!”
Mika shrugged, “Fine, Gaurav, “ a small dark boy looked expectantly in Mika’s direction. “You elect the people.” Vaibhav’s face calmed down.
Mika walked away from his huddled team members, and picked up the cricket bat. Swinging it round and round, he made his way to his side of the wickets. Soon enough, the rest of the team began to jog to their spots, several walked to the bench. Vaibhav walked up to Mika.
“Ready?”
Mika smiled widely. “Since before I was born” Mika swung the bat again.
Vaibhav nodded.
“Ashish!” Mika called to the other team. “You still playing? Or have you backed out already?”
“Chicken!” Vaibhav began to cluck. Several other teammates joined in the mockery.
Ashish scrunched his young face into a grimace, and shouted back across the field. “We are ready, and this time, we’ll beat the juice out of you!”
Gaurav began laughing. “Yeah, and someday, I’ll be earning as much as Amitabh Bachchaan!”
Mika snorted. “Just begin the game.”
“Not, Yet.” Came a voice from behind Mika that made him freeze in his tracks.
“D….Dada?” Mika stammered. He turned around, and his sharp nose skimmed against the skinny belly of his father, Raaj.
Raaj was a skinny man, who always wore a crisp white kurta and a small brown, boxy hat on his head. His sandals were always shining, and even after a whole day’s work, you would not find the smallest speck of dirt on his clothes.
“Y…You came home mighty early today!”
‘The sahab didn’t many bills for me.” He replied folding his arms. “I see you are also free from work early today.”
Mika bit his tongue. “Erm…”
“No more excuses Mika, you’ve been skipping your work way too often, don’t you understand, you are supposed to be helping Dadaji and Veeru with the stand!” Raaj grabbed Mika’s ear lightly, and dragged him away from the field.

Hey Guys.

ok...to all those of you who are actually following me, i'm sorry for the late updates, I was in india for two months, then got caught up in school, my newest post is a part of my story which I hope to publish, I reely need all of you to reply to this. It Is URGENT!!!