By Sriya. M, 5A

“Hurry up Nandu!” Lakshmi cried, stuffing her last pair of clothes into her bag. They were going to their grandma’s house for a few days due to some inconvenience at their house in the city.
Nandu zipped up his bag and ran down the stairs. He opened the door and ran to the car, where their father was waiting for them. Lakshmi closed the door behind her and ran after Nandu.
“Ready to go kids?” their father asked.
It was a long way from the city to the village. The car passed through green meadows filled with blooming flowers and fields filled with golden corn and ripe apples.

 “I just love this route! It’s so beautiful!” cried Lakshmi with her eyes glued to the field.
Nandu agreed with her and said, “Didi, Look! We have arrived!”

Grandma was waiting for them at the door.

“Grandma!” cried the children as they ran to meet her. Their father waved goodbye and returned home. Their grandma was very delighted to see them.

“So, what do you want to do first, huh?” asked their grandma as she placed their bags on the bed.

 “Granny, can we go and see Ananya?” Nandu asked Grandma.

Ananya was their cow who lived in the cow shed.

“Sure, why not?” said grandma, beckoning them to go.

Nandu and Lakshmi ran outside to meet her. After a while, they came back into the house, looking exhausted.

“Come on now, you look tired. We’ll eat some dinner and sleep,” said grandma. Dinner was then eaten in silence.

The next morning, the delicious aroma of parathas awoke Nandu and Lakshmi. They brushed their teeth and went downstairs for breakfast. As they sat down, they caught a glimpse of the forbidden forest. Legend has it that the forest was haunted by a woman killed 20 years ago. Breakfast was delicious.

Then Nandu spoke up. “Granny, can we go to the forbidden forest?”

“No, Nandu! How many times do I have to tell you?! You cannot go there!” grandma shouted.
Evening arrived and Nandu sneaked outside the house without informing Grandma. Lakshmi caught a glimpse of him and started following him. She saw him enter the forest and caught up with him.

”Aah! Didi, what are you doing here?” said a shocked Nandu.

“I saw you sneak away, so I followed you. Did you think I would let you go alone?” said Lakshmi.
They entered the forest and marvelled at the sight of the beautiful trees and birds. From outside, the forest looked creepy, but  on the inside, oh how wonderful it was!

“ I really regret not coming here before”, Lakshmi whispered into Nandu’s ear. But Nandu’s mouth was still hanging open like a door.

Dusk had started to set in. Now, the forest looked creepier than ever. Tired from the long walk, Nandu and Lakshmi sat down near a big cedar tree and were surprised to hear a loud thud. They got up immediately and brushed away a thick carpet of dried leaves and twigs.
They found a wooden trapdoor with a big, metal ring of some sort attached to the door. They pulled it open and found a tunnel. It was dimly lit with burning torches. Nandu and Lakshmi went through the tunnel and found a small room with boxes of gold and jewels!

“Nandu, this must be a hideout of a gang of thieves!” said Lakshmi, in a low voice close to a whisper.

They followed the torches out and through the trapdoor. They were a bit surprised to see dawn arriving. Suddenly, Nandu saw a small hut.

“Didi, look! A hut!” Nandu cried as they rushed towards it.
They saw that they were in the village and sighted a small but noisy group of people. In the center, few village police men and grandma stood. Then, grandma saw them and rushed towards them.

“Nandu….Lakshmi…” grandma was crying. Then Nandu and Lakshmi told the village policemen about where the trapdoor was, and the thieves and their loot. After that day, Nandu and Lakshmi never dared to go to the forest.