[short story] Indestructible Digestion

Tarun let out of a sigh of frustration. He was late to his first class by ten minutes - he knew Prof. Nathan would not let him in, and there was no point trying and getting humiliated. Tarun was both happy and sad - he would not have to sit through the boring lecture, but he would have to catch up later. He went to the cafeteria and bought a cup of coffee, and decided to head to the kindergarten section, hoping to check up on his four-year-old sister, Sasha. He knew that his older sister, Diya, would be busy with her 11th-grade classes. Tarun was the middle child, now in 7th grade. He was happy with his status - he enjoyed the double-privilege of bossing around Sasha and being doted upon by Diya.

Tarun, Diya and Sasha had loving parents. They were a typical middle-class family - but with an extraordinary secret. The secret was Little Sasha's superpower. She was born with indestructible digestion - she could eat anything, and her body would digest it, no problem. Tarun's mother discovered this when she started teaching three-year-old Sasha the English alphabet from a book. Sasha, however, was not too interested and preferred playing with her toys. On the third day, when her mother kept the book down on the table and started to read from it, Sasha did something strange. Little Sasha ate the book. Three bites and the book was gone. This incident befuddled her mother immensely, and she immediately took Sasha to the hospital. The doctors examined Sasha and found nothing wrong with her. No traces of paper in her digestive tract. The doctors concluded among themselves that the mother was mistaken, and insisted that she not worry too much. 

Initially, the other members of the family did not believe the mother's accusations on Sasha either - until Sasha made a habit out of eating everything she saw. Once, Sasha's father was waiting by the landline for a call from his supervisor, when Sasha came and took a seat on his lap. He smiled at her and continued waiting while ruffling Sasha's hair - until Sasha picked up the phone in her hands. Before her father could chastise her and ask her to put it back, she had swallowed it. There was no landline. Only the wire was left. This incident served as a turning point in the family. 

Sasha's mother, a wise and calm woman, realized that something needs to be done. She understood that they could not talk about this to anyone else for fear of being judged crazy. She directed her husband and other children to continuously train Sasha to avoid eating non-edible substances such as books, phones, etc., as well as something that Sasha seemed to enjoy eating the most - stuffed toys. Fortunately, this worked - Sasha learnt to be a normal child and to distinguish between edible and non-edible objects according to the standard human criteria. But every now and then, when something went missing from the house, everybody knew who the culprit was. 

Just as Tarun entered the pre-school section of the school, the school alarm rang, and the school principal's shrill voice rang out from the speakers:

 "Students, it has come to our notice from the police that a bomb has been placed in the school premises. Please do not panic. The bomb-squad and the police are on their way. Please systematically leave the school grounds immediately. The staff are requested to supervise the evacuation process to the best of their ability and ensure that all students leave the premises. Once again, do not panic."

Tarun could not believe his ears. At this point, the principal's booming voice drowned under the chaos around him. People had started running helter-skelter. Tarun tried to make his way into the pre-school section to find Sasha, but the continuous stream of kids coming out of the doorway blocked his way. Tarun wondered where Diya was. But he knew that Sasha would need his help more than Diya. Tarun kept scanning the outflow of kindergarten kids for Sasha. However, the stream ended without any sight of Sasha. Tarun rushed into the classrooms one by one, thoroughly searching them. No Sasha. As he ran out of the last classroom, drenched in sweat and his heart thumping loudly, he saw Diya running towards him. 

"Where is Sasha?", asked Diya. Tarun recounted how he had searched the entire pre-school section but had not found her. He could see the fear and shock on Diya's face as well. 

He started crying, not knowing what to do next. "Do you think she could have gone outside with the other kids without me noticing?"

Diya shook her head uncertainly. "Even if you did not spot her, she would have seen you and come over to you if you were standing at the doorway." 

At that instant, an understanding passed between Diya and Tarun. They were not leaving without Sasha, no matter what. 

"Run out to where the other kids are and check if Sasha is there. Meanwhile, I will search around inside the school", said Diya. Tarun wanted to protest that she didn't have to be the one searching inside the school, but he knew that Diya was right, she knew the ins and outs of the school better, having studied in it longer.

Tarun ran towards the school exit. On his way, she noticed that the bomb squad was there. And something else. They had found the bomb. It was green, looked like a mechanic's toolbox from the outside and was the size of a school bag, and had three red lights blinking on it. As he attempted to overcome his disbelief and keep moving, Tarun saw something else that made him question his sight and stop in his tracks - Sasha was there, and she was running towards the bomb. 

Tarun started screaming her name and approaching her, but Sasha paid no attention to him. Before he could get to her, Sasha had reached the bomb. Little Sasha ate the bomb and then turned around to smile at Tarun.