Like every day, I was going to play cricket in the ground near our house with my friends. I love playing cricket and so did my friends Farhan, Ayan and Ghufran. We were very good in cricket and it was our favourite sport.

As we got close to the cricket ground, a white car stopped in front of us. A concerned man named Imtiaz came out and said, “Excuse me, kids. I was traveling and a little while ago, I stopped my car at a restaurant. My son was with me and he started playing in the playing area. Unfortunately, he fell from the slide and got badly injured. The people at the restaurant advised me to come to this town since it’s the closest, and they have given me this address. Can you please guide me if there’s a doctor’s clinic or hospital nearby? Please hurry, my son is hurt badly.” Mr Imtiaz showed us the paper in his hand as he spoke.

I looked at the address on the slip, it was the address of my uncle’s clinic. My uncle was a well-known doctor in our town.

I said, “Don’t worry sir, this doctor is my uncle. I’ll take you there.”

Mr Imtiaz felt relieved and said, “Okay, let’s go.”

I got in the car with him and we drove to the clinic. My uncle carefully examined the boy and gave the necessary treatment. After a while, the boy felt better. Mr Imtiaz thanked me, my uncle and prayed for us.

Now, I had to hurry to the cricket ground, so I excused myself and left.

Days passed. One day, while I was walking home from school, a van blocked my path. Two men, with their faces covered, came out of it. They looked like robbers or abductors. Without giving me any chance to think, they grabbed me and pushed me into the van and drove to a dense forest far from our town. I cried a lot, they slapped me and asked for my father’s number. After I told them, they put a tape on my mouth and tied me with a rope. They called my father and asked for a ransom and threatened to hurt me if my father didn’t give them the money.

There was an old hut in the forest, they stopped their van near it and took me inside then threw me in the corner of that stinky, shabby hut and locked it from outside. I was really scared and kept crying, I heard them laughing. I overheard the men talking to my dad again outside the hut and threatening him. My father begged them to keep me safe while he arranged the money.

They instructed him that once the money was ready, he should place it in a trash can they would position near the entrance of my school. Once they confirmed the money was inside, they promised to release me near the school.

After a while, I heard the van engine being turned on and they drove away. I was alone in the hut and I was scared. It was a dirty and stinky hut, with lots of trash scattered around. Perhaps after an hour, I heard someone walking around the hut. My mouth was taped and I was tied, but I tried to move and made some noise.

Suddenly the door opened and I saw someone standing in the doorway. Whoever the person was, I was sure he was not one of those abductors. As that person came close to me, I was stunned and happy to see that it was Mr Imtiaz.

Mr Imtiaz surveyed the scene and quickly understood the whole situation. He carefully untied me and whispered to me not to make any noise. He peeked outside and waved his hand to call me. Together we rushed away from the place and hid behind some bushes. He then called the police and informed them of the situation and gave them the location.

I asked him how he found me, and he said his car had heated up, and there was no water in his car. Therefore, he left the car to search for water in the forest and he saw the hut. He thought he would find some water there, but, instead of water, he found me.

A few minutes passed as I clutched to Mr Imtiaz while we remained hidden. The police finally arrived. They acted swiftly and concealed themselves around the hut. After a while, the kidnappers returned to the hut, laughing as they slowly exited their van. They looked around suspiciously, and as one of them cautiously opened the hut’s door, all the police officers emerged from their hiding spots and apprehended them.

All of us drove back to our city, Mr Imtiaz and a police inspector took me to my home, where my mum and father were worried and my siblings were crying. They couldn’t believe their eyes as I ran to hug them.

If Mr Imtiaz’s car hadn’t broken down, I wouldn’t have returned home safely. Destiny can work in quite surprising ways. A few days back, I had taken Mr Imtiaz to the doctor to treat his son and now he was the one who saved me from the kidnappers.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 14th, 2023