Nihaal and Suhasini stood affixed as they felt that the owner of that familiar voice was slowly walking towards them. ‘Nihaal?!’, the voice said again. Nihaal abruptly let go of Suhasini’s face and turned around to look at the person who had terrified them both. It was Mrs. Shrivastav. Nihaal stood beside Suhasini as she looked pale. ‘Oh what a pleasant surprise!’, said Mrs. Shrivastav with an affectionate smile, ‘I thought I saw you Nihaal, but I didn’t see Suhasini’, she added. Nihaal gulped, Suhasini looked down at her hands which she kept kneading nervously. ‘Oh! Yes, Mrs. Shrivastav, well Suhasini here, she…something was bothering her eye maybe a dust speck or something, so I was just helping’, faltered Nihaal.
‘Oh dear! Is it better now? Let me see’, she said with concern and stepped closer to Suhasini, lifted her chin and checked her eyes. ‘Oh! Yes, I can see, your right eye is quite red, dear’, she added with worry, ‘you should go and wash it thoroughly’.