Radhika finally reached Sister Stella’s home, an old cottage situated on the outskirts of the town. She walked through a small garden and arrived at the main door on which was inscribed a quote:

Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’

The words resonated deep within Radhika’s soul and she felt buoyant and confident that she wouldn’t fail Madhav. She rang the doorbell.

A young boy opened the door. The house looked rather shabby but spacious. ‘I want to meet Sister Stella,’ she said. The boy ran back into the house yelling, ‘Momma, someone has come to see Aunty Stella!’

A middle-aged lady appeared from the dark recesses of the house, with a cake box in her hand. She looked inquiringly at Radhika.

‘Hello, my name is Radhika Kapoor. Father Nelson sent me here. I want to speak to Sister Stella,’ she said.

‘Come in,’ said the woman.

Radhika sat on a slightly moth-eaten sofa as the woman called out to Sister Stella.

A very old woman, with wrinkled skin and liver spots, hobbled towards Radhika. She must be in her eighties, Radhika thought.

‘Yes, my dear,’ she said, making her way on to an old rocking chair. She couldn’t speak very coherently, so Radhika moved closer to hear her properly.

‘Hello Sister, I am sorry for bothering you. My name is Radhika and I have come from Delhi. I wanted to speak to you about something that happened eleven years ago at Hilltop School,’ Radhika said, deciding that plunging right in was the best way to begin.

‘What happened eleven years ago?’

‘A boy called Parth Aggarwal died,’ she said. Sister Stella looked at her stunned.

‘Why are you asking me about that day?’

‘I am Madhav Mehra’s friend. I think that incident might be the source of his present illness,’ Radhika explained.

‘Poor child! I remember he was in shock,’ she said.

Suddenly, Radhika’s phone rang—it was Madhav. She disconnected the call, but he kept trying, so she put her phone on silent mode.

‘Could you please tell me what exactly happened?’ Radhika asked.

Thankfully, Sister Stella turned out to be quite garrulous for her age.

‘It was winter, if I remember correctly. Madhav and Parth had been joined at the hip since their first day at school, but they were quite different—Parth excelled in academics while Madhav was known for his poetry. They were a trio––there was a girl too––and the three of them were together all the time. Of course, being a faculty, I don’t know much but I remember the two boys were like brothers. On the day of the incident, we couldn’t find Madhav for a very long time.’

Sister Stella shook her head and continued, ‘Something had happened prior to the fall and Madhav was almost expelled from school, but before any official action could be taken, we received the news about Parth’s demise. As there was no witness or any evidence of foul play, it was treated as an accident. But I was somehow never entirely convinced. After Parth’s death, Madhav began behaving very erratically and cultivated strange habits. We thought it would be best if his family was around him during that time, so his parents took him back. I don’t remember much about that girl, but she also left shortly.’