Games at Twilight

“Games at Twilight” is a short story written by Indian author Anita Desai. It was originally published in 1978 in a collection titled Games at Twilight and Other Stories, which contains several texts that explore different aspects of Indian life in urban settings. That same year, Desai was nominated for the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize and the Sahitya Akademi Award for her novel Fire on the Mountain. “Games at Twilight” focuses on a young boy who struggles to stand out and be recognized by adults and his siblings for accomplishing something meaningful and important. It explores themes related to gender stereotypes, familial roles and dynamics, and feelings of inadequacy and insignificance.

The story opens with a restless group of unnamed children struggling to escape the confines of a hot, stuffy house in the middle of a sweltering day. The narrator describes the mother’s attempts to draw the curtains and close the shutters to shut out some of the sun’s heat. However, instead of cooling the children, her efforts make them feel suffocated and desperate to get outside into the fresh air. The children beg, plead, and promise to stay on the veranda, and eventually, the mother surrenders and opens the door to let them outside. After they frantically run out of the house and scatter about, she retreats to the bath for some peace and quiet and her own relief from the heat.

Once the children are outside, they take full advantage of their freedom to run and tumble about, and they decide on the game they will play together: hide-and-seek. Almost immediately, a disagreement erupts concerning who will be “It” first. After the argument turns physical, the “motherly Mira” steps in to sort things out and offers the boys a solution to their problem. After using a clapping chant to methodically eliminate participants down to a single remaining player, it is determined that Raghu will be “It” first, much to his dismay. Within seconds, all the children disappear to find their hiding spaces, leaving Raghu to begin counting.

Manu, who appears to be the youngest of the group and is not confident in his ability to find a sufficient hiding spot, is found first. After catching Manu and pronouncing him “dead,” Raghu sets off in search of the others. At this time, the story switches perspectives to focus on Ravi as the central character.

Ravi is another of the younger siblings and is very anxious about being found. He has a mediocre hiding spot—sitting upon an overturned flowerpot behind the garage—and he nervously picks his nose as he contemplates what to do. He plays out several options in his mind, but as he sits, his thoughts drift to feelings of inadequacy over his small stature. He is envious of Raghu and the family’s driver (who is sleeping in the garage) because of their height, strength, and physical maturity. Ravi wishes he looked more like them so he could have a better chance of winning this game.

However, Ravi discovers a way to use his small size to his advantage. There is a shed next to the garage that, although locked, has a gap between the walls and door that is just wide enough for him to slip through. After successfully making it inside, Ravi is immediately overcome by fear as he realizes that he is alone in the dark, creepy shed. He compares the smell inside to graves, rats, and spiderwebs, and he thinks about the unknown “horrors” (Paragraph 23) surrounding him as he sits there. He is frozen in silence and fear for quite a while, moving only to hesitantly squash what may be a spider on his neck.

After some time, Ravi’s eyes adjust to the dark, and he can see all the broken and discarded household objects that have been relegated to this dark and dusty place. He debates whether to stay in the shed or rejoin his family as they begin their preparations for the evening fun and games. He fondly recalls in vivid detail the sights, sounds, and smells that await him. As he gets up to leave, he is jolted back to reality with shouts from another sibling who has been found by Raghu. Ravi ultimately resolves to stay in the shed for as long as it takes to win the game. He is determined to stand out as a victor among his older siblings.

As the light fades and evening approaches, Ravi notices the silence outside the shed and wonders where everyone is. He questions whether the game is over, even though he has not yet been found. He then realizes that he should have taken an opportunity to run to the “den” and win the game; he chastises himself for focusing so much on hiding that he forgot the last step needed to win. When he finally bursts out of the shed and runs toward the white pillar that serves as their “den,” he is overcome with anger and shame at having made such a big mistake.

Everyone—children and adults alike—briefly stops what they are doing. They are surprised at his appearance and unruly behavior, but they quickly return to their activities. Ravi then becomes even more outraged and emotional, insisting that he won and aggressively running at the other children. Several people, including his mother, Raghu, and Mira, try to dismiss Ravi’s behavior and tell him to regain control of himself, but he is distraught over having been forgotten by everyone. He can’t bear to join them and instead lies face down in the grass as he tries to grapple with the depth of “his insignificance” (Paragraph 37).