A voice echoed that sounded hauntingly familiar, and the view around me felt like something I'd seen before. Half-asleep, I looked up... "Wait, this is that same old ceiling fan that killed me! But what is it doing here?"
As I was pondering this, something fell straight onto my face. In my daze, I picked it up; it felt soft and thin, almost like a rubber toy. When I narrowed my eyes to get a better look, I saw its two tiny eyes and a small mouth. The moment I realized what it was, a scream escaped my throat! I threw it away instantly. I was terrified beyond words. And that twitching tail, still squirming on my bed... it was even more revolting, making my very soul shudder.
Suddenly, Mom burst into the room and barked, "Aren't you going to school today? And what is this mess? How did you get these scratches on your face?"
Trembling, I said, "Mom, forget all that... look, a lizard!"
Mom looked around, "Where?"
I pointed with a shaking finger, "Look at its tail!"
Mom got annoyed with me, "You're a boy and you're scared of a lizard's tail?" She grabbed her broom and swept it into the dustbin. I just stood there, stunned.
Mom commanded, "Go brush your teeth, have breakfast, and get to school immediately, or your teacher will complain again that you're late, bla-bla-bla..."
I went to brush my teeth, looking at myself in the mirror and thinking—"Was that all just a dream? Whatever it was, it was one hell of a dangerous dream! Though it wasn't all bad, I guess. But hey, at least I'm not dead. I had imagined so many ways I might have died... and also, my hands are big again!"
I had just finished brushing when Mom brought my clothes downstairs and said, "Change here." I felt shy, "What? Change right here?" She snapped, "Isn't there a bathroom right behind you?" I quickly ran into the bathroom. I had just started getting ready when a voice came from outside, "Are you ready? I'm coming in!" Panicked, I yelled, "Mom! At least wait a second!"
I rushed out fully dressed. She handed me a piece of bread and my bag was already packed, "Eat this on the way." She walked me to the gate, "Bye-bye beta, miss you!" and I set off. To be honest, no matter how much she scolds, she works really hard. Our next meeting will be straight at 11 PM, by which time I'm usually asleep. Our conversations only happen in this morning rush.
Suddenly, my heart started racing. [Bhai Sahab!] She was right there in front of me—my dear Anaya! I thought I'd never see her again. But in that moment of shock, the bread got stuck in my throat and I started coughing violently. Suddenly, a heavy fist landed on my back, stopping the cough and making the bread chunk fly out. It was my friend— "Abe [Chapad Ganju]! Why the hell are you coughing like that?"
I composed myself and looked again, but Anaya was gone! "Hey! Where did she go? This is all your fault!"
My friend said, "[ganju]! You're looking for her, right? Look over there, she's feeding a kitten." Truly, Anaya looked adorable feeding that kitten. Then a friend of hers arrived and they both started to leave. Before going, Anaya blew a 'flying kiss'—to the kitten! My friend mocked me, "Abe yaar, someone else stole her first kiss before you!"
Angry, I started to Choke him, "What did you say? Say it again!" (It was a friendly [Choke], not the life-threatening kind).
We walked towards the same kitten. It was happy a moment ago, but the second it saw me, it started growling. My friend laughed, "Abe forget it [yaar]! Your face is so ugly even this cat doesn't like you. So how would she (Anaya)? She must have just called you over randomly (without meaning anything)." I jabbed my elbow into his stomach— "Shut up!"
In class, I couldn't stop staring at Anaya. I thought to myself— "How beautiful my Anaya is! Those maids were stunning, but they're nothing compared to her."
Then the teacher entered. Everyone stood up 'Respectfully' and chanted in unison— "Gooooood mooooorrrrnnnniiiiinnnnnggggg sirrrrrrrrrr!" (Note: A typical Indian school greeting where students stretch the words like a song).
The teacher said, "Everyone sit down! You all did well this time, but there's one boy who has made a massive jump in his marks. There couldn't be a greater or more 'noble' child in this class! And man, the way he wrote in his copy, wow! Handwriting so good it's a joy to look at. That boy is— Mr. Aryan Bhardwaj!"
My friend whispered, "Saale, you were lying when you said you don't study? You spent the whole night grinding, didn't you!"
I was in shock. What the hell did I write in the paper?
The teacher asked, "Does anyone know his previous marks?"
My friend replied, "Yes sir, he got 51% in the last class. Tell us sir, how much did he get now? I'll deal with him later!"
The teacher said, "Yeah, I'm telling you, why so much tension?" The whole class and I waited for the result in anticipation.
The teacher announced, "Total 38%!"
The whole class burst out laughing, and my best friend was laughing the loudest, literally screaming. My face fell. The teacher got a bit stern, "Everyone quiet down!" though even he couldn't hide his smirk.
"Aryan beta, what have you written? For a moment, the Hindi teacher almost had a heart attack! In the Hindi paper, you solved Math problems? And wrong ones at that! On top of that, you made the value of 'Pi' a terminating decimal? How did you even do that? Now even I want to know! And [Yaar], in the English paper, the start was okay, but then why did you write a Hindi song? This is an English paper, right? So where did Hindi come from? And listen to the song— 'Ae sanam tere bin mera kya hoga' (Note: A dramatic Bollywood-style heartbreak song). Who dumped you, bro?"
"And in the Art paper, you were told to draw vegetables, but you made a literal [Sabji] (Note: A spicy vegetable curry) out of them! Well, at least you drew art in the Art paper, but still! I turned the page and there was a poem— ['Ek tha raja, ek thi rani, dono mar gaye khatam kahani'] (Note: A famous nursery rhyme used to end stories instantly). Now tell me, what is the moral of this? You're a poet, right? So tell the whole class, what does the poet imply here?"
The teacher picked up the Math paper again, "Beta, when you said 'Sir, my paper is finished,' I should have kicked you out right then. I was the fool who told you to stay and 'check again, something might be missing or correct the mistakes'. A normal boy thinks of cheating, but you drew a Dinosaur in the Math paper! That too, spitting fire from its Back Side... and who is that fire eating? Me! [Yaar], just kill me first, you are hopeless!"
I was humiliated in front of the whole class. I glanced up and saw that Anaya was laughing with everyone too. That hurt. The teacher smiled mockingly, "You are hopeless, you'll always be last. I don't even know how you passed!"
Suddenly, my patience snapped. I shouted, "Sir! I will come first this time! This is my promise to you, I will shut everyone up!"
The teacher teased, "What did you say? You'll come first? I didn't hear you, say it again!"
I repeated, "Yes sir! I will come first!"
Sir said, "That means you'll beat Anaya? Who has been first since Class 1 and has maintained it? You think you'll get more marks than her? If you even get into the Top 3, I'll be impressed. I bet you won't even make Top 3."
My friend asked, "Sir! How much is the bet for?"
Sir said, "A full 1 Lakh Rupees!"
I stumbled. 1 Lakh? I didn't even trust myself to make Top 10, let alone Top 3. Then Sir said, "Don't worry, if you lose, I won't take a single rupee from you, because I know you aren't even a Top 10 student, let alone Top 3." I wondered, "Is he reading my mind?"
I looked at Anaya again; she was 'Blushing' a little. I made up my mind, "Yes sir! I accept!"
Sir said, "Okay, but if you lose, I won't take any money, but I will tell you to do one thing and you must do it. Don't worry, I won't ask for anything you can't do. Think about it, last chance."
I thought—if I say no, it's an insult; if I say yes, who knows what he'll ask. But I couldn't back down now. I said proudly, "Yes sir! Now get ready to give me one lakh. And yes, I won't take the money until I come 1st! Top 3 doesn't matter to me anymore!"
The Top 2 and Top 3 students gave me death stares.
The teacher said, "Okay children, now know your marks. Roll No. 1: Anaya, 97%. Excellent as always."
Eventually, it was my friend's turn. "Roll No. 48: Anurag Maurya. You did better this time, 54%."
Then my turn. "Roll No. 49: Aryan Bhardwaj! Will you grace us with your presence? I don't think I need to announce your marks." He whispered in my ear, "You can still back out, there's time."
I said, "No! I won't give up this time." He smiled, "As you wish."
I went back to my desk and Anurag started mocking me, "What was that? Who falls this low? What were you thinking, promising to come first? You just said it in the heat of the moment. Didn't you think that Anaya might feel bad about it?"
My heart skipped a beat, "What? She'll feel bad?"
Anurag said, "Yeah bro, girls often feel bad about these things."
I panicked, "Then you should have stopped me!"
He replied, "Bro, after seeing your confidence, I thought even God couldn't stop you!"
I worried—would she start hating me? Some time passed; I was looking out the window, thinking. That 'Palace' world felt so real! I could still feel that rain-cooled breeze. Then I thought of that maid and laughed, "Abe haan yaar! Poor maid... now I understand how she must have felt at that moment..."
Suddenly, the Science teacher made me stand up. He was so slow that even a snail could beat him. He wasted 5 minutes just asking what I was looking at outside. Then he said, "Are you slacking off? You know, those who work hard don't earn with blood, but with [Pasine Se]!"
I thought to myself, "Eh? (What did that even mean? Did he just blurt out whatever came to mind?)"
Anyway, he started teaching Science. Honestly, if I study with him, one chapter will take a year. I don't know who made him a teacher! He's 60; maybe back then jobs were just given out like that. The whole school should kick him out.
The scene shifted straight to lunch. Anurag and I were eating when the classroom door flew open— [Dhadam!] (A loud banging sound). Two big, dangerous-looking guys walked in, looking like they were part of some major gang.
They asked in a heavy voice— "Where are Aryan and Anurag?"
[Vocabulary & Context]
[Bhai Sahab!]: An Indian expression used to show shock or excitement (literally means 'Big Brother').
[Chapad Ganju]: A lighthearted slang for someone acting silly or looking funny.
[Yaar]: A very common informal term for 'Friend' or 'Buddy' in India.
[Sabji]: Refers to a cooked vegetable dish/curry.
[Pasine Se]: Refers to Sweat.
[Ae sanam tere bin mera kya hoga]: A dramatic Bollywood heartbreak song line (Oh beloved, what will happen to me without you).
[Ek tha raja, ek thi rani, dono mar gaye khatam kahani]: A famous Indian nursery rhyme used to mock long stories by ending them instantly (There was a king, there was a queen, both died, the story ends).