"Okay, Neena. We'll go to grandma's place in an hour," Mom called from the kitchen. "Finish your homework by then!"
"Got it, Amma!" Neena replied, packing her English workbook into her bag.
At 10 years old, Neena was sharp, organized, and loved ticking things off her to-do list. She was also curious - sometimes too curious.
Today, she had decided to go downstairs to sit in the garden and do her homework. It was quieter there, and she liked the breeze.
She stepped into the lift, pressed the G button, and leaned against the wall, humming a tune. The lift began to move.
CLUNK. Then... nothing.
Neena blinked. "Huh?"
The lights were still on, but the lift had stopped moving.
She pressed the G button again. Then 2, then 1. Nothing happened.
"Oh no," she whispered. "Did the lift just... stop?"
She stared at the closed doors.
"This is fine," she told herself. "It's just a pause."
She waited a full minute. Still nothing.
"Okay, Neena," she said, straightening her back, "don't panic. You read about this. What did I learn in the moral education class?
She took a deep breath and told herself, "Stay calm and think about what to do next.
First - press the alarm.
She found the red button with the tiny bell symbol and pressed it.
A loud ding-ding-ding rang through the building.
She waited. Still no voice, no answer.
"Alright," she muttered. "Next step? keep calm and stay busy."
She pulled out her homework notebook.
"Let's see. Page 45 - 'Write five sentences using adjectives.'"
Neena sat down on the lift floor and began writing:
My yellow bag is full of books.
The slow elevator is stuck!
My brave heart is staying calm.
She paused, giggled at her own sentence, and kept going.
By the time she was done, 25 minutes had passed.
"Hmm. What now?"
She had no games, no phone, and homework was done.
"Well, there's always singing!"
Neena began softly singing her favorite song from music class:
"When the sun is high and shining bright, keep your heart full of light?"
Her voice echoed slightly in the metal lift.
Meanwhile, upstairs?
"Neena?" her mom called from the hallway. "Ready to go?"
No answer.
She checked Neena's room. Empty.
Then the study table. Bag missing.
Now she was worried.
"She never goes without telling me," Mom said, scanning the house.
She thought for a moment, then decided to check the park and as she passed by the elevator, she paused.
Let me just try the lift, she thought, pressing the call button.
Nothing. The display was blank.
Just then, she heard a faint voice from inside. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Oh no? she's stuck in there!"
She ran down to the security guard.
"Sir! My daughter might be stuck in the lift! It's not working!"
Within minutes, the maintenance team was called. Neighbors gathered. Someone shouted, "Can you hear us?"
Inside the lift, Neena had just finished her second round of singing when she heard faint voices.
"YES! I'M HERE!" she shouted. "I'm okay!"
"Hold on, dear!" someone called. "We're opening it!"
There was a clank, a whirr, and then -
CLACK! The lift doors opened slowly.
Neena blinked at the light - and smiled.
"Amma!"
Her mother pulled her into a tight hug.
"Are you okay? Were you scared?" she asked, worried.
"A little. But I remembered what our textbook said. In an emergency, don't panic. Think clearly. So I did."
Everyone looked at her, surprised.
"You didn't cry?" one neighbor asked.
"Nope!" Neena said proudly. "I pressed the alarm, did my homework, then sang songs. The echo was kind of fun!"
The security guard laughed. "Braver than most adults, I'd say!"
"Thank you," Neena said politely.
Her mom shook her head in disbelief. "You amaze me sometimes."
That evening, as they sat at grandma's house with mango juice and biscuits, her mother said, "Tell Patti what you did in the lift."
"Oh, I became a calm cucumber," Neena grinned.
"A what?" Grandma laughed.
"You know - cool and calm. Like the cucumber in our salad!"
Everyone laughed.
"But seriously, Amma," Neena said, "I think every kid should know what to do in situations like that. If I had panicked, I might've cried or pressed the wrong buttons."
"You're right," Mom said. "I'm going to suggest a safety workshop in your school."
"Great! And maybe they can teach us more - like what to do during a fire drill, or when you get lost."
"That's my little safety officer!" Grandma smiled.
Neena sipped her juice and looked out the window.
Getting stuck in a lift wasn't fun - but staying calm?
That made all the difference.
Tip to Parents
"Talk to your kids about such challenging situations and explore calm, thoughtful ways to handle them together."
