Cricket

L.B.W.

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Chapter 1

Slurp…

“I was sure he was going to bowl a yorker. Why did he bowl the slower one? Did I shuffle across the off stump a bit early? Did he see through me? God, it was embarrassing”. Naman was recalling his day on the ground today. He was sitting at his usual place, having his cup of tea, waiting for Pranav to join.

“Hey, champ.” Pranav arrived with his cricket kit. “Geez, what a knock you played today! Another century for you. Practice those autographs already”. Naman had played an excellent inning for his academy today. This was his second consecutive century in the tournament they were playing. He was the star of the academy at the moment.

“Shut up now. Didn’t you see how I threw my wicket? A catch to the wicketkeeper after hitting the middle of the bat. I’m never playing this stupid scoop again”. Naman was frustrated by his dismissal. “Are you stupid? You scored a freaking century. I got out on the first ball in the previous game. I’m pretty sure I won’t get to play another match now”, Pranav sighed, finishing his tea, “Let’s go home now, we have a test tomorrow at school too.”

Naman and Pranav lived in the same area of the city. They became good friends after they joined the Lessons Beyond Wickets Academy for cricket. The LBW academy was one of the best in the state for this sport. It was located across the little forest outside the town. They both cycled around the forest every day to reach the academy. Naman’s parents have strictly prohibited him from going through the woods; otherwise, they’d pull him back from the academy. Naman has never thought about breaking this rule.

“All the best for the test. See you in school.” Pranav took off after saying goodbye to Pranav. Naman turned back and started going back towards the woods.

Previous Chapter: Prologue

L.B.W

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Prologue

“Why am I running?”
“Where am I?”
“Is this a dream?”
“What is this sound? Where is it coming from?”
“I can’t see anything. I cannot; It is dark, and I am still running and….”
His eyes were open now. A sense of relief came to him; it was just a dream.
“Ouch,” he exclaimed in discomfort.
He was not on his bed; It was not even his room. There were trees and bushes all around. He was lying around a bush full of thorns.
“Am I still sleeping?” he thought.
It didn’t feel like a dream. He was in pain; he felt it everywhere in his body. He got up and sat under a tree, confused and scared. What was he to do now? He tried to collect his thoughts and calm his nerves down. He pushed his face into his palms and tried to think and recollect the situation. He felt something on the tip of his fingers. It was around his forehead. He could feel the dryness of the blood that was present there.
“Is it mine?”
This weird question was the first thing that came into his mind. The scary feeling that this was not his blood was creeping in. It was never a dream. He was running.
What happened before that? What happened after that? What was the last thing that he remembered?
After having a tough day at the cricket ground, he returned to his home with Pranav. Pranav asked him to wait as he took a pee in the woods. He remembered Pranav was not back even after half an hour. He remembered that he went into the words. He remembered. He was blank. He did not remember anything after that.

Next Chapter: Chapter 1