Is He Fine? God Was Listening, I Guess! — Short Story

Rosily Joseph, 12th Grade, AVPS Fazilka School, Punjab

While the kids played, we, the elders – Elias, Luca, Mia, Nina, and I – went to greet the kind villagers. Though, to be honest, we had a secret hope of getting something yummy. And we weren’t disappointed. The baker handed us fresh bread, warm and soft, and the sweet shop owner gave us a few treats. We never asked for anything, yet they always shared with us. They loved the orphans, and with that much love, we never truly felt like orphans.

On our way back, we ran into some peers who invited us to a birthday party. But it coincided with the day the matron was returning. She would arrive late in the evening, while the party was earlier in the day. We couldn’t go without her permission. She was strict with rules… but, honestly, we didn’t really want to go anyway. We wanted to welcome her back.

Just one more week of rule-lessness before the matron returned. As we, the elder ones, reached the playground to gather the kids, we were met with uneasy faces. Some were shocked. Some looked down, avoiding eye contact, while a few girls had teary eyes. Then they ran towards us, voices shaky and frantic.

“Johnny… we can’t find Johnny!”

“We’ve searched everywhere!”

Oh no, no, no… I have a bad feeling about this. We exchanged panicked looks before splitting into search parties. We scoured every corner, shouting his name. The children were told to either stay put or search alongside the elders to avoid getting lost. Nina and Mia went around the village, asking the villagers.

Oh God! What should I do?

The children kept crying. In fact, there were more crying faces than before. Their expressions said it all – fear. Fear of losing little Johnny. Fear that something terrible had happened. Fear that it had happened while they were all playing together.

I tried to comfort them, even though anxiety gnawed at my own bones.

“It’s going to be alright. We will find him. Maybe he just hid somewhere and fell asleep. Who knows, right?” I forced a reassuring smile, though deep down, dread coiled tightly in my chest.

What would we tell the matron if we couldn’t find him? Where did he go? Maybe one of us should’ve stayed behind with the children. We were supposed to take care of them – all of them.

Amidst the chaos, I closed my eyes tightly. Praying! Someone, anyone, please find Johnny. Any divine being, please! I beg you. Oh God, my Lord, help us. I didn’t even know what to do, what to say, or how to pray. When I opened my eyes, everyone had gathered again, faces grim.

“Did anyone find him?”

“Did you check there?”

“Where could he have gone?”

No one had found him – not the elders, not the children. The sky was turning dark. It was time for everyone to return, but how could we when one of us was missing?

A little girl, voice trembling, spoke. “No one checked the ghost mansion. What if Johnny went there?”

Silence!

She was right. None of us had even thought about searching there. Maybe because we assumed no child would dare go near it. The ghost mansion was an old, abandoned house – its emptiness filled only by eerie tales whispered through generations. None of us had ever gone inside. We never felt the need to. After all, we knew the stories were just to scare children away. But the children didn’t know that. And now, fear clawed at our minds.

What if the stories were true? Or what if the house was crawling with snakes, rats, or worse? And what if Johnny was in there – alone, scared, or hurt?

Elias took charge. Even if he was panicked, he didn’t show. And that, somehow, comforted me. Why am I panicking? I am supposed to be one of the elders. If I panic, of course the kids will too. Elias assigned the tasks. Nina and I were to search the village again. Mia would stay with the children. Luca and he would check the mansion. Maybe he saw how shaken Nina and I were, so he sent us where the villagers could help calm us down. Mia, on the other hand, was composed – stronger than any of us in this moment. Her usual sarcastic and carefree demeanour had vanished, replaced by quiet determination.

As we searched the village, some villagers joined us. Eventually, they suggested taking the children back to the orphanage since it was getting late. They were ready to keep searching with us. As we debated who would escort the kids, we saw Elias and Luca returning. Elias was walking ahead, his shirt soaked in blood. Oh no, no! Dear God, what happened? Is he hurt? Behind him, Luca followed, carrying something – no, someone.

Johnny!

Blood covered him. His head had a deep gash, still glistening, still oozing. His hair was matted with dark red, his face unnaturally pale. His body hung limp in Luca’s arms, his head tilted at an unsettling angle. His fingers curled weakly over Luca’s shoulder, lifeless. The villagers rushed toward them. One gasped, then hesitated as if unsure whether to say what we all feared. I couldn’t move. I was there with all the children, frozen, staring at the blood – his blood – trailing behind them.

Then, someone shoved past me. Mia. She ran toward them, urgency in her every step. The villagers surrounded Johnny, tending to him. But their faces – those who understood – were filled with silent dread. No one wanted to say it aloud. Slowly, my senses returned.

The children – they must be terrified. I should help them. I turned to see their faces. Some had covered their eyes, others couldn’t stop staring, while some had curled into themselves, knees drawn to their chests.

Nina… Where was Nina? She had been right beside me. A few steps ahead, I spotted her – collapsed.

“Nina!!”

The children gathered around as my voice rang out. No, no. Everything’s going to be alright. Sophie, don’t panic. Reverie, don’t panic. Everything is alright. I forced myself to breathe, to stay strong. For them.

“Don’t worry, kids. Nina is just resting. Everything will be okay.”

“Johnny too? He has so much blood on him. And Elias and Luca too? They have blood!”

“Yes, Johnny too. It looks bad, but he’ll be fine. Elias and Luca are okay, see? The villagers are helping.”

I tried to sound optimistic, praying I didn’t sound as shaken as I felt. “Come on, everyone, let’s pray. The matron taught us to pray, right? Close your eyes and pray – for Johnny to be well.” I was on the verge of breaking down, but I couldn’t let them see. So, I prayed. Desperately. More desperately than I ever had before. I don’t know if I had prayed this desperately ever in my past life. I opened my eyes done with my prayers. Then, suddenly…

Silence again! A loud, unsettling silence in the midst of chaos. A stillness that made my heart clench. No. No, no. Don’t tell me…. And then, noise. A sudden burst of voices. But not cries of grief.

Instead, laughter. Relief. Joy. Johnny had woken up. The little brat, after making the entire village gather around him, had the audacity to ask what was happening. Still covered in blood, still looking like a disaster.

But alive!

The villagers murmured in disbelief. His wounds – they had vanished, as if they had never existed.

A miracle!

And now, the question was, “How did this miracle happen?”

The villagers considered every possibility.

From, “Is this child so favoured by the gods that he was saved?”; “Is there a healer among us?” To, “Could someone here have the power of prayer?”

As soon as this possibility was mentioned, everyone seemed to agree.

“But who?”

Finding the one responsible among so many people was difficult. In the midst of this, everyone forgot that we, the kids, still had to return home – or that we were even there at all. Luka and Elias were resting lying on the green ground after their rescue. Mia was taking care of Nina, who had finally come to her senses (I did take care of her first?). And I was with the kids… A little boy standing beside me suddenly joined the conversation. I get it, kiddo, it’s interesting. But why are you jumping into the adults’ discussion? The villagers seemed to ignore him at first – understandable, since no one usually takes a child’s opinion seriously in important matters. But the next thing that came out of his mouth caught everyone’s attention.

“I’m pretty sure it’s Reverie who has the power of prayer. Don’t believe me if you don’t want to, but we all saw her praying. And when she opened her eyes, Johnny was fine.”

Silence fell over the crowd. Every eye turned toward me. My heart started pounding heavily – what am I supposed to say?