911

Ayan woke up early today. Usually he sleeps until his father throws his bed sheets off to wake him up and pester him to get ready for the school. Today Ayan is pestering his father to get ready and drop him at the school as early as possible. He is going for a field trip along with his fellow students under the school management. He is so excited to see the zoo and to go for a safari trip. His father works for police and is always busy at work so Ayan never had a chance to go for a trip like this before but now fortunately he is going for it. His mother packed some food for him for lunch. When his father was about to drop him at the school, he gave him a walkie talkie kind of a mobile and said, “Hey Buddy! Be very careful and cautious. If anything goes wrong call through this walkie talkie. You know the number right?”

“I do.”

“Tell me the number.”

“It is 9.. 1..1..?”

“Very good. Don’t forget and take care”

With an excitement filled smile Ayan waved to his father and rushed to the school parking area. There all the students who are registered for the trip are gathered and their guide is telling them the rules and regulations to be followed. 

“Listen boys. This is your first field trip and I don’t want anyone to go through any mess. Instructions are already given to you the previous day. Abide to them. We are going to make this trip as funny as possible. One more thing, we are going up to the hill so keep your seat belts on and never ever open the door. The road up to the hill is heavily sloped and curved. Don’t fear cause we got one of the best drivers. Let’s rock this day! Get in everyone.”

Ayan was never so excited before. He always tries to explore stuff. He never plays the same game too many days. If he likes something, he will do it. If he likes another he will do it too. He is quite an exploring kind of guy. This trip is no less an adventure for him. He got into the bus and put his seat belt on. Nick is sitting next to Ayan. They both play together and study together. Nick is as excited as Ayan is. When the bus started to ride up the hill, it felt like a roller-coaster taking off. Slope is too high and the curves too wide. Ayan and Nick are eagerly looking through the window. It is a huge forest area surrounding the hill and it is a no man’s land. There is news about wild criminals and poisonous snakes in that dense forest. As the bus moves up, they are getting a clear and wider view of the forest wondering how big and murky the forest is. While the forest looks so spectacular, the way the hill crafter to lay down the road is also so spectacular. A part of the hill almost looked like a dog. 

“Hey Nick! Doesn’t it look like a puppy?”

“Yeahhh! It is. It is almost like someone crafted it there.”

Remembering about the walkie talkie that had been given by his father, Ayan took it out of the bag to show it to nick.

“Nick! See what I got.”

“Woah! A police walkie talkie!”

“It is a mobile phone too. I think with these numbers we can call people.”

“That is a perk of having police as a father.”

“Let’s make some prank calls Eh?”

“We will call our guide and ask him to check for a bomb under his seat.”

They both laughed out loud. During their chuckles, walkie talkie slipped out of his hands and dropped in the path way in between the seats. Ayan immediately took his seat belt off to grab the walkie talkie. Right at the movement, the bus is about to take a huge turn and from an ambush a bike opposite to them. Driver tried to turn to the other side to miss the hit. While doing so, the bus lost its balance and started to roll around. Ayan who is now standing with a walkie talkie in his hand, is thrown to the window with a powerful push. Powerful enough to break the window and get out of the bus. His momentum didn’t stop with that, he slided to the edge of the road and he fell down into the forest. Bus rolled a couple of times and is now stopped at stake from falling into the forest.

Carefully the guide gave proper instructions to the children and within no time without creating any heavy movements, he got everyone out of the bus. Some of the children went unconscious but all seemed safe. The guild gave a sigh before he started to count the children. He counted thrice to make sure the number he got is true. A boy is missing.

Ayan opened his eyes to see the light falling onto him through the gaps of the branches. His body is aching like hell. It took him a couple of minutes to realise what had happened. He almost fell from more than fifty meters and wondered how he is still alive. Probably the dense trees and branches might have slowed down his fall. But this seemed like hell of luck for him. He obscured the light with his hands and realised he was still holding the walkie talkie. He remembered his dad’s words and dialed the number 911.

“Hello! Welcome to 911.”

“I fell down from the hill into the forest.”

“Don’t worry boy. We will come and reach you soon. Tell me the location of the hill and some more details that might help us.”

“We were going to Birmingham zoo on top of the hill in a bus. I think it met with an accident. I fell out of the bus and then into the forest.”

“That zoo is still under construction. Why were you going there? Anyways we will keep in touch with you until we reach you. Don’t roam around, stay where you are. We started our ride and don’t panic son you will be taken care of. My name is Goerdan Henrick. You can call me Goe.”

“Ok Goe. Can you connect this call to my father? He is working in the police.”

“Sure boy. Tell me his name.”

“Arthur Henrick.”

“Oh really! We named our boy Arthur just yesterday. But I don’t think there is an officer with that name. Are you sure he is working in this division?”

“I don’t know the division.”

“Don’t worry son. We will give a call to all our divisions and we will let him know about you. How old are you boy? And what’s your name?”

“I am 14. You can call me Ayan”

“Such a brave boy you are. We just reached the place son but there is no sign of any accident here. You sure you were going for Birmingham?”

“Yes Birmingham through the uphill. There is a place through the cut down part of the hill that looks like a dog.”

“Hold on son. We are looking for it.”

Police took some time to watch every way up to the hill to find the spot the boy mentioned. After sometime they found what the boy mentioned.

“We found it son. It is like a puppy lying down. Is it right?”

“Yes yes. From there like after a few meters I fell down.”

“Okay son. Have you got any heavy bruises or bleeding?”

“No not much.”

“I think I don’t even have to tell you to be strong. Your father will be very proud of you.”

A search team of twenty has been dispatched down the hill where the boy mentioned.

“Son, look for any and mark that you can give us.”

Ayan walked and looked around the place to find something. He saw a tombstone. He looked down to read the name.

“I saw a tombstone here with the name Thomas Shelby on it.”

“Great. Be right there. We will come and reach you soon.”

Goerdan himslef tied to the rope and dropped down into the forest. With his team he searched all over the forest. Meanwhile he talked to the boy to keep him feeling secured and safe. Finally he found a tombstone.and bent down to read the name. Thomas Shelby.

“Kid I found the tombstone you mentioned. Where are you?”

“I am standing right beside the tombstone Goe.”

“Goerdan looked all around the place but he didn’t find anyone.

“Boy I cannot see you.”

“Goe… Goe..?”

“Kid.. can you hear me?”

“Hello…”

Ayan started to hear a helicopter sound over his head. He looked up to see a man in a rescue suit dropping down through the rope. He is about to drop right next to the kid. Ayan tried to speak through the walkie talkie but it doesn’t seem to work anymore. The man came down and handed over his hand to the boy.

“Thank you Goe.”

“Are you okay Kid. I am not Goe by the way I am peter. Tie this safety rope around you. Your father is waiting for you in the helicopter.”

Ayan confused for a while but this is not the time for questions so he did as Peter instructed him to do. He took him to the helicopter. His father hugged him and asked about the bruises and all. He was taken to the hospital for the first aid for the little bruises he got. His father came to him and said, “I am so worried son. Thank you god you stayed right at the spot and waited for us. I tried contacting the walkie talkie I gave to you. It didn’t seem to work.”

That doesn’t make any sense for Ayan. He has been talking to Goe for an hour. His head got fussy.

“Dad, do you know Goerden Henrick?”

“He is my father. Where did you hear this name?” 

“Why have you never mentioned him?”

“He died when I was an year old and my mother married another guy who you know as a grandfather. He doesn’t want to talk about my father much so you never heard of it. How do you know that name and why is it now?”

“Dad, I dialed 911 and Goe picked my call. We have been talking for an hour. I told him all the details. He said Birmingham zoo is still under construction. When I asked about you, he said his son’s name is Arthur too.”

His father startled. He recalled how his father died which his mother told him. His father worked for police too. One day he answered an emergency 911 call from a boy and went to search for the forest. There he was killed by a snake bite. But it all happened in 1978. He tried to figure out and join the threads. He found one line that can only make sense about what happened. Ayan call was picked by Goe in 1978, which is 42 years in the past.