THE MAGICAL PALACE by Kunal Mukjerjee

tiny little bat brain—is a sonar device that is constantly sensing the world of objects. That is why a bat would never get stuckin someone’s hair, because it would avoid it easily, given its highly precise sonar system.’
    I felt a surge of anger again at Mrs Firdausi.
    ‘And bats eat many times their body weight in insects, like those annoying mosquitoes,’ Colonel Uncle added. Then he looked at his watch and said, ‘It is almost ten. Your parents are probably getting worried about you. I will walk you downstairs.’
    ‘Please do not tell my father I was up here,’ I begged him again.
    ‘Don’t worry. This will be our little secret. You can visit any time you want. I have been travelling to my family home in Rajasthan to take care of the estate for the past few years, but I will be here a lot more in the future. You will find me almost any time you visit.’ Colonel Uncle smiled and I felt comforted. He walked me downstairs, using the other flight of stairs that led to a separate locked door, which was his private entrance.
    Rani was beside herself with worry by the time I found her.
    ‘Where were you and what were you doing up there?’ she demanded. ‘I almost told Ma and Baba. Of course, they would have been furious! So, what is it like upstairs?’
    ‘Oh, wouldn’t you love to know! If you never tell anyone that I play with your kitchen toy set, I will tell you.’
    Rani hesitated. Her eyes glittered and she said, ‘I am not interested.’
    ‘Fine. Now you will never know what Colonel Uncle showed me,’ I said airily as I walked away, feeling a rare sense of power in our never-ending struggle for the upper hand.
    Saturday Evening. San Francisco.
    ‘I already like Colonel Uncle. He seems to be the coolest of the gang.’ Andrew’s words broke into my memories. ‘Everyone else seems to be really hard to deal with.’
    ‘Yes, as I said, he was simply amazing.’
    ‘So tell me, how did Colonel Uncle end up not marrying? From what you say, no one can escape the marriage trap.’ He laughed ironically and said with some bitterness, ‘And you don’t seem to be winning this battle.’
    ‘Hey, Andrew. Chill out. Give me a break, okay? You promised to hear me out …’
    ‘Got it.’ Andrew changed the subject swiftly, much to my relief. I really did not want to get into an argument again. ‘I wonder what it is about bats that makes people so afraid. I mean, even here, bats are associated with so much scary stuff around Halloween, but it’s in a “Haha, funny!” way. Although, that stupid superstition that they get caught in hair is quite common. But I love to watch them flying around at dusk around Stowe Lake in Golden Gate Park.’
    ‘I think they get a raw deal because they are different. They fly and are nocturnal.’
    Andrew was quiet for a few moments. ‘But then, so do mosquitoes. They are not associated with darkness and evil.’
    I made no answer. Andrew had a point. I looked at the clock and then out at the San Francisco Bay. The fog was rolling in across the bay now, shrouding it with translucent wisps of grey. It would be dark soon—and there was still so much to tell. A cable car rumbled by on its tracks and the apartment walls shook slightly. ‘Let me get back to my story,’ I said. ‘Are you ready?’
    ‘Hold on, let me get a beer.’ I heard Andrew stomp to the fridge, take out a can and flip the lid with a pop-and-fizz. He took a swig. ‘Shoot,’ he said as he stifled an unexpected burp, ‘Sorry …’

4
    April 1973. Hyderabad.
    I spent the next week with my nose buried in my school books as the teachers relentlessly ploughed through the last chapters of the syllabus, barely giving us time to revise and catch up on the new lessons. That Saturday, I had to study for my exams all day. I thought longingly about the garden and wished I could embark on the ‘royal tour’ I took of the grounds each year. But I would have to wait until the vacations started.
    The palace was