Sangeetha Kamath

After the last guest had left the birthday party, Timothy, all of ten, dashed inside the house to unwrap all his gifts and presents. He squealed in delight as each package unraveled the objects of his heart’s desire. Just as he thought he was done with it, a slim rectangular box dropped onto the floor as a pile of scrap was being cleared.  It was shoddily wrapped in brown paper.  Gingerly, he picked it, turning it over but there was no name or gift tag. Upon unwrapping, the contents revealed a wristwatch with a tacky, plastic strap but the timepiece shone with a polished glow. A single sprig of an aromatic herb was tucked into the cloth it was swaddled in.  A handwritten note said, “From your well-wisher. Wear it.” Timothy's parents were quite wary of gifts from anonymous sources but Timothy was quite adamant about discarding it. As soon as he wore it, a random number flashed on the display and…started counting down! Aghast at this witchcraft, Timothy's parents swiftly ya...