“Anu…!” 

I came awake with a silent scream on my lips. Eyes flashed open. Adrenalin coursed through my veins. 

My little sister! Anu! 

Open or shut, my eyes were seeing the same dark night. Someone snored. It took me a moment to realise it was matron in the room next to our dorm. I heaved a sigh of relief. 

Just a dream! With a trembling hand, I reached for the bottle by my bed. 

Cold water trickled in, easing the dream out. One of the girls turned over and the sheets rustled. 

“Anu’s fine,” I told myself. 

“It was a dream. A bad dream! That’s all it was.” 

My watch showed 4 a.m. We had a physics test today. The dream was fading already. Switching on my desk lamp, I settled down to revise. Last minute revisions are important. 

Five hours later, dream forgotten, I was whistling on my walk to the school. 

“Looks like someone’s well-prepared,” said Sally who struggled as much with physics as with her frizzy hair. Right now, it was an electric halo around her head. She was never put out by my silken straight hair nor my affinity to physics. 

“It’s a hack to beat nervousness,” I winked. “There’s science behind it.” 

“We’ve got ten minutes,” she said. “Let’s go to the chapel.” 

“Chapel?” I asked. “You should be revising now.” 

“To ask for blessings that we do well in the test,” she said. “Equally important.” 

“Prep and revision, Sally,” I said. 

“These get you through the test. Not blessings!” I was sharp, but Sally was a sweet friend who shrugged off life’s troubles easily. 

“I forget!” She slapped her forehead. “Atheist! Logical, scientific thinking nerd!” 

During the test, my focus wasn’t fully on the paper. Anushri was on my mind. I had been in the 2nd grade when she was born. When I visited her and mom in the hospital, the first thing I noticed was her tiny nose. 

Born seven years apart, we had the big sister-little sister thing going. When she’d throw a tantrum for the TV remote, all it took was a warning glance from me and she’d drop it in a sulk. 

Last night’s dream remained clear in my mind. Hard as I tried to block the disturbing images, they continued to return. 

Next day, the first bell for breakfast found me knocking on the bathroom door. I shared one with Radhika. No response. She had been in there for a while now. 

I pressed my ear to the door and heard her muttering. 

“Are you talking to someone?” I spoke. “You sound like you do.” 

Radhika slammed the door open. “I dreamt,” her voice trembled. 

“I dreamt our dormitory had caught fire and everything was burnt.” 

“It’s just a dream,” I said, holding her wrist. 

“Not so,” she shook her head. “Dreams come true. But, if you sit on the pot and narrate your dream aloud, the dream won’t come true. I was doing that.” 

“Really, Radhika! Sitting on the pot and saying your dream aloud? Did you just say that! Dreams don’t come true. Not the ones you have in sleep. They’re just your subconscious manifesting itself. Now, please move! I’m late already!” 

My dream returned, and I tried to shrug it off. It was just a dream! 

But, was it? It was a constant presence through the day, during classes and at play. The encyclopaedia, which I could usually rely upon to calm myself didn’t work either. I shut it after a few minutes. Anushri played behind my eyes. 

What was she doing now? Watching TV, I suppose. I needed to hear mom’s voice, for her to tell me that all was well. 

In the phone room, I avoided Sister Angie’s eye while I wrote down mom’s number for her. Sister Angie was bone thin and leaned heavily towards moral science and I wasn’t in the mood for it. 

A senior was on the phone. I sat on the wooden bench, smooth with use, but with the ink and scrapes of a thousand girls who had shown their stress, fear, and happiness on it. 

The senior leaned against the wall, answering in monosyllables. 

I began rocking back and forth. I was restless. 

Finally, the girl put the receiver down. Not a moment later, the phone rang. 

“Your mother’s call, Mann!” Sister Angie called out cheerfully. “The wireless connection of the divine. Connected before I could dial.” 

Strange coincidence! Now that I had mom on the phone, my hello was muted. 

“Mann! Manu. All well with you?” 

“Yes, mom,” I said. She sounded fine. Maybe a tiny bit breathless, but fine. Anushri must be fine. Not that the dream meant anything. 

“You don’t sound like your normal self, beta. Don’t tell me you’ve been through something too! Is all well? How are things with you? I am worried. Say something!” Her words were tumbling over one another, not giving me a chance to answer. 

“What do you mean me too?” I said, holding my breath. 

“Anushri!” her voice wavered. “Anu almost drowned at Haridwar. Two days ago…” 

A chill ran down my spine. Her voice receded. 

“She slipped in the Ganges,” I cut in. “A stranger appeared out of nowhere and…” 

“Did…did dad call you? How do you know this?” mom was saying. 

“A dream, ma,” I said. “I dreamt the whole thing at night.” 

The line disconnected and I found myself back in the dream. 

TO BE CONTINUED……

What was the dream? What happened to Anu? How did Mann find the path of faith? To know, read Part-2 of “THE CALL”