Lost and Found (Finding Saira Patil)

Chapter 1-Saira Patil

"Jesus loves you and you and you and me and everyone," Aileas chanted nodding her head at the other children her large hat bobbing up and down, and finally falling off. The children giggled and all fell over - deliberately, as they always did.  

"That's correct," replied Miss Kinsey, "Jesus loves everyone - even a really mean man who took money off people all for himself, which is what the story I am going to tell you today is about."

"Ooh I know who it is,"  clever Lilias interrupted.  

"Who, who?" impatient, young Bruce asked.

"Zacchaeus!" a voice which was Asian sounding, that the 'Crèche'  at Peace Church had never heard before came from the back - out of the blue, and then appeared a decidedly short, Pakistani girl wearing a long, whitish, Shalwar kameez - what the Patils and other Pakistanis always wore.

"And who are you?" Miss Kinsey questioned in her sweet, inquisitive vociferation.

"Saira  (SY-rah) Patil," 

" Nice to meet you Saira, now where are you from, and how come you know the story of Zacchaeus so well?" 

"I'm from Pakistan, where my parents have been living and telling people about Jesus, I help out and tell the little, little ones bible stories so I know them all really well."

"Wow" cries of admiration echoed around the room,

My one short memory, one short conversation, one short girl, one big question.

Our lovely teacher Miss Kinsey then told us the story of Zacchaeus and how he had come to be a follower, Saira interjected remarks at different points in the story so Crèche that day went very slowly.

I never saw Saira Patil after that day as she went back to Pakistan but she stays put in my memory not allowing other thoughts to flow freely in time, and I often wonder what has happened to her. I worry, a lot about her, when she is virtually alone. I freaked out once after I saw a news report telling of a young Christian girl - Pakistani born - being shot, just dead for no particular reason. Was that her?

Why did I just stop believing in God when I'd seemed so intrigued when I was younger? 

"Aileas, Aileas, come back to earth and stop daydreaming, again"

"What? What? Oh it's you Georgie stop scaring me - you know how boring history is for me."

"Yes, but you need to at least look awake so you don't get told off"

"Georgie, don't give me a lecture I'm not in the mood for it."

"I know one thing you will be in the mood for though - my mums homemade lemon shortbreads at lunch" 

"Yes! It's lunch next I'm so glad we don't have another lesson- I think I would just collapse in a heap"

"Well just don't collapse on me - I'd fall over straight away!"

**
What do I say to my best friend about someone I hardly knew? But I must tell her about Saira, how? I never even told Georgie that I used to be Christian let alone the fact that I wish for her to help me search for Saira Patil - and I only know her name. Just get on with it Aileas, you can't wait any longer she will haunt you until you find out what happened to her. Okay, here goes.

"Georgie,"

"yes,"

"Oh! Georgie come here, no lets go to the library it will be easier in there."

"What? Aileas, what?"

"Just come to the library, okay?"

"Alright..."

My hand trembles as I open the gloomy, brownish door and I'm sure I just went pale as a corpse, we sat down waiting for someone to break the silence... finally after what seemed like decades I decide to speak.

"Georgie - it's a long story so you're going to have to be patient. Okay, you know I was daydreaming in history again, well this time it was different as an old memory came back to me: I was in church at a sort of Sunday school,"

"Urgh, Sunday school - were your parents mad or something?"

"No. Georgie, just allow me to continue, well on this day our teacher Miss Kinsey, I think that's what she was called. Anyway she was interrupted when she was about to tell us the story of Zacchaeus by a small, Pakistani, missionary child, girl named Saira Patil. I never saw Saira again after that day."

"Why did you need to tell me?"

"I had to tell someone and... I heard a news report a couple of years ago of a young, Pakistani born, missionary girl being shot - for no reason, she would be about our age now. Was it her? I need to know, please, Georgie help me find her, she haunts me..."

Pause, again I guess I was expecting that.

"Okay then, we'll start tomorrow,"

"Thank you so much, that's one thing off my conscience."

Where will we start? 

So ducklings this is the first chapter of my new book hope you like it...

RILLA

P.S.Quack to all