I stared at the message on my phone for a few minutes. It read: 'Will is no more.' Will, or William was a dear friend. Our families were close, and related somewhere down the Anglo-Indian ancestral tree. He was like this visiting sibling to my sister and me, who would wow us each time with his cool books, and cooler ideas.

His loss earlier this month has left a void for many reasons. In that suddenness of the news and the helplessness that anybody who has lost a loved one during this pandemic, has experienced, I found myself seeking solace in frames from my childhood. We'd spend overnighters at his home that were filled with comic book reading sessions, followed by endless debates if Batman or Spider-Man had better powers, or why Obelix and Asterix never changed their attire. Tintin was off-limits to scrutiny – and thanks to Will – we sat on rollercoasters with the mad bunch to the Moon, Tibet, and oh yes, learnt the meaning of barnacles.