The story so far: After Maya opens a Facebook account, she sends Nana a friend request. On seeing many of his friends on Facebook, Rocky feels left out.
Although Rocky was relieved that Nana hadn’t responded, he was intrigued about ghosts using Facebook.
“Papa, can ghosts use Facebook?” Rocky shocked his father at dinner.
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“Why suddenly?” asked Mr. Ghosh.
“Just like that.”
“This definitely isn’t your idea.”
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“Why not?” asked Rocky. “Remember the aliens? That, too was my idea.”
“Ah, aliens. How can I ever forget that episode, Rocky!” his father scowled. “In fact, every resident of our housing complex too will remember that night. Who else could have imagined that a power cut could actually be an alien invasion to take over our planet?”
Destiny
But Rocky alone wasn’t entirely to blame for his alien obsession. He was born into a housing complex named Space Housing Complex, with a miniature UFO stationed on top of its community hall, visible from Rocky’s bedroom.
His first ride in the children’s park was in a small spaceship. After he was chosen to play Jadoo in their community function, Rocky believed he was destined to do something alien-centric.
“So Papa, can ghosts use Facebook?”
“There are no ghosts,” grunted his father. “Ghosts are like aliens.”
Rocky couldn’t believe that his father echoed Maya’s words.
“People also claim that aliens are real, but they have hardly been able to prove it. Same with ghosts.”
“But aliens are real!” screamed Rocky. Why didn’t anybody take aliens seriously? He decided he would leave it to Nana to prove himself.
Next day, in school, Rocky found Maya had told everyone. He tried to convince his friends that he wasn’t the same Rocky who had helped Maya open a Facebook account. But there was no other boy named Rocky, and none that Maya knew.
Worried that some one might go home and tell his parents, Rocky let them eat his chola-batura . He even took orders for next day, and promised he’d request his mother to make their favourite snack.
When Rocky ignored Maya as she passed him in the corridor during lunch break, she muttered that she didn’t need a friend like him. But, in the evening, she wanted to check her Facebook account. Her mother always kept the tablet with her. The house computer didn’t have Internet, so she headed over to Rocky’s house.
“Rocky,” Maya tapped him from behind. He was busy showing his older cousin Konica, who’d come to spend the weekend with him, his new computer game.
Rocky’s face paled.
To be continued...