The sun had just risen when I finally made my way back home after wandering through that mysterious, never-ending forest. My heart began to race as I stepped inside the house. I was covered in dust from head to toe, my hair messy and tangled.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I knelt near the kitchen, too exhausted to move any further. Dropping my bag, I called out, “Mama, Papa, where are you guys? I’m home!”

But there was only silence.

“They might be sleeping,” I thought, slowly walking towards my room, each step heavy with exhaustion, before collapsing onto my bed.

“Ayaan, Ayaan beta, wake up!” my mum’s gentle voice pulled me out of my nap.

“Hey, look at me! Where were you? And where is Ahmed? I told you to come back before it got dark, but you came so late!” she said sternly.

“We got separated on the way... he just went home,” I answered hesitantly.

My mum exploded in anger. “What took you so long? I specifically told you to come early, didn’t I?” she thundered. “Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?” she exclaimed, her voice trembling. Then she turned and walked out of the room.

Still reeling from her scolding, I heard a noise outside the window. I opened it and saw Ahmed standing there.

“Why are you here? Are you out of your mind?” I asked.

“Come outside, I have to tell you something,” he replied.

I climbed out of the window and sat on his bicycle.

“How did you handle things with your parents? Weren’t they angry?” I asked.

“They were going to punish me, but I calmed them down by telling them everything. Also, your mum called my dad, she asked about me and mentioned that you were grounded. That’s why I came here,” he explained.

We were starving, so we decided to grab a burger at a nearby restaurant.

We picked a quiet corner table. After sitting down, we noticed an older, hefty man with a strange beard staring at us. Ignoring him, we ordered two crunchy burgers.

Just as we were about to take our first bite, the same man appeared beside out table and asked, “Are you boys alone here?”

A bit hesitant, we replied, “Yes, sir. Any objections?”

“No, I just wanted to say, if you’re short on money, I can help,” he said.

“No, sir, thanks for the offer, but we don’t need it,” we replied politely.

As he walked away, something fell from his pocket. Ahmed bent down to pick it up, but I stopped him. Another boy sitting with his family at a nearby table quickly grabbed the object, a set of keys, and ran outside. The man followed him. Neither of them returned.

We finished our burgers and left the restaurant to return home before getting more scolding from our parents. Just then, a black van appeared on the street. Inside, we saw the same boy who had picked up the keys. The hefty man had his hand clamped over the boy’s mouth, muffling his cries. His arms flailed desperately — it was clear he was being kidnapped.

Both of us froze for a moment. Then we ran back inside the restaurant and told the boy’s parents what had happened. Shocked, they immediately called the police.

Ahmed said, “Let’s follow them!” and we rushed on his bicycle towards the direction the van had gone.

We soon spotted the van at a traffic signal and began chasing it. The van’s speed was incredible. Ahmed pedalled furiously until he grew tired, so I took over and kept going. The van turned into a narrow lane, but I knew a shortcut. Taking it, we ended up right in front of the van. It tried to reverse, only to find police cars blocking its way.

The officers caught the man and took him away. Moments later, the boy’s parents arrived. They ran to their child, hugging him tightly. His mother was in tears. They thanked us over and over, praising our bravery until we both felt embarrassed.

It was then that I realised how deeply our parents, especially mothers, love us and how worried they must have been when we went into that forest. I hurried back home through the same window I had climbed out of.

After some time, mum opened the door, holding a plate of potato paratha. “You must be starving,” she said softly.

It was my favourite dish. I was on the verge of tears as I apologised, but she smiled gently and said, “I’ve already forgiven you, beta. Just remember, next time you go anywhere, make sure you’re with an elder and always tell us before you leave.”

In that moment, I truly understood, with complete clarity, how true her words were.

Then she tore a piece of the paratha and brought it to my mouth.

“Oh, I’ll have it in a little while, it’s very hot right now. You don’t worry about me, go and do your work,” I quickly said, as the thought of eating a potato paratha after having just had a burger almost made me choke.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 1st, 2025