Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2020 finalist, Risha Jadhav! Risha finished 5th grade this past school year. The story she submitted is called “Revelation.”  Our judges loved Risha’s characters.

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Revelation
By Risha Jadhav

The office was messy. The trash bin was overflowing, the papers were scattered, and there was no sense of calm. That much could be told from one glance of the office. It was a sunny afternoon, yet the curtains were drawn as if someone didn’t want the light coming through. An untouched sandwich lay on a stack of files; clearly, somebody missed lunch. The office wasn’t unhygienic, no. But there was a certain aura which made the room feel tight and stressed, almost claustrophobic.

A young brunette, about 30 or so, walked through the door, the dark bags under his eyes seeming to intensify. He strode toward his desk and set his heavy black bag on an armchair and slumped into his seat. He spared the sandwich a look before dumping it carelessly into the trash bin. The screen on his desk flickered on within a second of the man clicking its button, and with that, the man got to work, typing frantically with the occasional call or two.

This was how it always was in Jason Miles’s office. He would sit down, work tirelessly, and go home. Jason would often pull off all-nighters or wake up ridiculously early for some meeting or another email. He knew it was unhealthy to be cooped in the office past 7 pm, and how he seriously craved, no, needed, a break. But he needed something to consume his time, distract his thoughts. This was the regular, the norm. Everything else faded into the background; everything else didn’t matter.

The sharp ring of a phone broke the silence. The caller ID was his mom, Maya. The man stared at the screen and after a few moments, decided to ignore it. He turned back to the computer. The phone continued to blow up. Finally, the man reluctantly answered the call.

“Hello? Jason? Is that you, dear?”

“Yes, Mother.” Jason’s voice came out quiet.

“Are you okay? You sound sad.”

Silence.

Maya sighed. “Your uncle Fred and little cousins are coming over in about a week. You’re coming over to Angie’s for dinner.” Angelica Miles was Jason’s older sister. She was commonly referred to as the friendlier and nicer child out of the two, which caused a one-sided sibling rivalry. Angelica had her own house and worked as a doctor at a children’s hospital.

“Okay. I’ll be there, Mother,” with that, he indifferently hung up before Maya could talk any longer.

It wasn’t as if Jason didn’t love his family, it’s just he found them too tiring. He was fine being alone.
Jason checked his watch tiredly. It was late. Time to go home. As he walked to his car, he couldn’t help but get lost in his thoughts. Nothing seemed exciting anymore. He just couldn’t focus, and he wasn’t happy. Fatigue settled into his bones, the gloomy gray sky reflecting how he felt inside. He felt like he was stuck in an endless time loop on repeat. What was the point of this? When was it going to end?

Jason drove slowly, exhausted. As he pondered these things, he didn’t notice a car taking a sharp left, speeding right towards him. Honks flew and wheels skidded, a force throwing Jason off guard. His head slammed against the steering wheel and his eyesight went dark. The last thing he remembered was people yelling from the sidewalks.

Jason’s eyes fluttered open. The first thing he noticed was the flower wallpapers decorating the walls. The room had the sharp smell of disinfectant. There were a couple of beds like his own to his right. The cold white sheets rested clenched in his sweaty palms. Jason groaned. His head ached and his limbs felt limp and sore.

“Hiya!” an enthusiastic voice chirped. Jason turned his head to the right, where a brown-haired teen stood.
“Who are you?” Jason stared at him strangely.

“My name is Jay!” the boy announced with a happy grin. “You’re the new patient, yes?”

“What?” Jason said, confused. The upbeat kid paid no attention to Jason’s cold exterior.

“Well, it was nice to meet you! I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other more.” Before Jason could ask what he meant, the door opened with a loud, ear-shattering (at least to Jason) creak, and a blonde woman in a nurse’s uniform walked in.

“Hello!” she beamed. “You’re awake, eh? It’s about time.”

“Who are you?” Jason said warily. “And where am I?”

“I am a nurse, and you are in the hospital because of a car crash,” she squinted at him, “You didn’t suffer any memory loss, did you? I know you have a concussion, and you were out for a couple of hours-”

“I was unconscious for a couple of hours?” said Jason in shock. “Wait, what?”

“Do you remember your family? Do you have a consistent sleeping schedule?” The woman rambled on, ticking symptoms off on her fingers.

The door opened yet again. This time a pretty brunette entered. “Hi, Jason,” she said calmly. “How are you feeling?”

“Angelica?” Jason mumbled. The nurse left the room.

“You were in a car accident. Your car is in a repair shop right now. Don’t worry, the costs are taken care of by the insurance company.” She continued, “You’re going to be spending a week here. Hopefully, you don’t have too much head trauma.”

Jason didn’t speak. Then he sighed softly. “Okay. At least I’ll have company.”

Angelica stared at him curiously, surprised. “Who?”

“This kid I met. Actually, where’d he go?” Jason blinked, looking around. “Huh.”

“I’d love to meet him,” Angelica said. “When he shows up.”

“Probably is out doing something.”

As the week went by, Jason found himself growing fond of the 14-year old. They actually had a whole lot more in common than one would think and Jason admitted he felt lighter and happier when around the energetic child. His happiness was truly contagious. They spent so much time together, but never with other people. And later, Jason would realize how peculiar yet relaxing it was; to finally have a friend who he could confide all his worries to. There was this mutual bond of trust between them. After all, he was the first friend who actually understood what Jason wanted. Jay whisked his worries away temporarily. And when Jason needed to talk, Jay was somehow always there.

“What’s wrong?” Jay said softly. Jason felt a strong, unexplainable need to vent all his feelings. He knew Jay
wouldn’t judge him.

Jason watched him bring the Legos over to Jason’s bed, miserably. “My week is almost over. It’s my last day here. I’ll have to go back to my sad, dismal life.”

“Your week is almost over,” Jay echoed, a wistful look settling in his eyes. His chocolate brown eyes, eyes that were too old and wise for his age. “Your life doesn’t have to be dismal.” He started grouping the yellow colored Legos carefully.

“That’s not true!” Jason said angrily, finding an unknown burst of emotion within him. Jason was surprised by his own reaction. “I can visit. Why are you even in the hospital, anyway?” Every time he would ask that Jay would somehow avoid the question.

“Never mind that. It’s your last day here. If you want to really enjoy it, you’d come over and play with me and forget about something that hasn’t even happened yet.”

Time did fly by quickly. Before he knew it, Jason was getting discharged from the hospital. His family welcomed him with open arms, frantic and worried and joyful.

The little family reunion was conveniently placed right after Jason came home. Jason adjusted his nice red shirt nervously. The house was neat and tidy. There were tables and a grill set up in the backyard. The fragrant air drifting through smelled like the mouthwatering food, fresh flowers, and the outdoors. The dark green trees swayed softly in the breeze. Little fairy lights were strung everywhere. The children ran around, giggling and shrieking in delight. The older adults sat, enjoying drinks while gossiping about practically everything. Music played faintly in the background. People laughed and got up to dance. The whole environment was warm and comforting and happy. For once, Jason didn’t feel as if he were from another planet. His shoulders relaxed. His forehead smoothed out. He felt like he could belong. Just then, he realized how lucky he was to have such a caring family, and such a caring friend.

Jason remembered the nights he would spend with his cousins and sister catching chirping crickets and glowing fireflies back in his parents’ old home near the country. When did those times end? When did he stop believing? Jason gazed up at the twinkling stars, winking and laughing merrily. He never realized the stars were so beautiful. ‘I guess you can find something beautiful in everything.’ A small smile crept onto Jason’s face. His life didn’t have to be dismal. There would always be little lights and moments everywhere. So, you should treasure them as they come and go. Spend time with what really matters. Then and there, Jason decided to visit Jay later to thank him. ‘Who knew someone could impact someone else’s life so greatly?’ Jason thought, staring at the stars fixedly as Angelica came and said something indistinct to Jason, pulling him along to a group of other family members who greeted him with bright smiles.

Jason got out of the car. He was carrying a box of Jay’s favorite chocolates. He walked up to the receptionist and asked politely, “Excuse me? Can I visit Jay?”

The receptionist looked at him with a confused smile. “I’m sorry, Jay, who?”

Jason hesitated, remembering he never asked for Jay’s last name. “Jay from Ward 5?”

The receptionist checked her computer before shaking her head.

“Are you perhaps referring to Jackson from Ward 5?”

“No,” Jason said, growing increasingly more confused. “You know, the kid with brown hair-”

“I’m afraid not, sir. Anything else I can help you with?” the receptionist interrupted curtly. Jason was distinctly aware of people staring at him, flushing slightly.

“No,” he mumbled. “Thank you.” Jason walked out the door in a sort of a daze. ‘Maybe I do have brain damage,’ he thought, his happy little bubble deflating rapidly. ‘I’m so desperate I’m hallucinating about people now. Who really is Jay? What is Jay?’ The little voice in the back of his head chirped quietly, ‘You don’t know that. Actually, you don’t know anything.’ Right now, thinking hurts. Every path he took would always end up in a dead-end or loop around in circles. Jason could practically hear what Jay would’ve said in the moment. “Don’t worry so much! It’ll give you wrinkles.” ‘So,’ the voice said. ‘What are you going to do?’

“I guess the best thing I can do-” Jason started, smiling faintly- “is keep going forward and look on the bright side,” he said as he got into the car, ready to go home to the people and times that mattered.

 

Epilogue

The office was messy. There was an overabundance of papers. The trash bin was emptier than usual. The pale blue curtains were drawn open. Light filtered through the window, casting the room in a soft, warm glow. There were pictures of different people scattering the painted walls. There was a napkin with crumbs littering it on the corner of the desk, next to a small little pot with a young green budding plant. The room had an open, warm aura. It was funny how much Jason Miles’s office changed in a measly one month.

The End