This story is a complete fiction. Some characters may bear resemblance with true persons.
It was Miss Kavita’s class.
“God! We have to learn by heart this lesson again?” Anil said.
Well Anil is my classmate, desk mate and yes my best friend. Anil loves complaining. That day he had something to complain about the whole day----Miss Kavita had asked the whole class to learn the new poem she taught during that class.
“7-A!!! no noise!!”
“You know what, Malem?” Anil said in a hushed tone.
“What?”
“Each time she shouts, she sends chills down my spine.” Anil said in a hushed tone.
“Errr….not exactly. She sends chills down the spine of the class” I replied trying hard not to laugh.
Tringgggggggg…....
The class jumped with joy. There are two bells the whole students like: the recess bell and the final-class-over bell.
“dhanyabad guruji” 7-A said loudly in chorus.
The girls went crazy running around with their lunch boxes.
Well, there were few boys who brought lunch boxes. And I thought it was really sissy for boys to do something like that. We are the cool boys and cool boys don’t need lunch packs. Our favorite recess spot is the top floor stairs.
The day dragged on. The last period went by so quickly. As we were heading towards the school main gate, there were two girls in front of us who were discussing about the next day’s homework.
“Girls will always be girls” I thought.
“Anil, do we have Hindi class tomorrow?”
“Yes, first period--dang it! We have some bone up to do.”
When I got home that evening, I was greeted by my cousins and my aunt. They had come to have dinner with my family. My cousins brought a brand new video game cassette. After the dinner, my cousins decided to stay back for the night. It was a hell lot of gaming.
The horror came the next morning when I woke up just to realize that I had not learnt my Hindi poem for Miss Kavita. I had a plan built up in my mind. I rushed to the kitchen to tell my mom that I was having a stomach ache. All I could think of was a stomach ache and it seemed very plausible as I had a dinner feast the previous night.
“Mom--”
“Yes”
My plan backfired when the aroma of my mom’s fish curry drugged me. I could not lie about me having a stomach ache as my mom would not allow me to have the fish curry if I told I had a problem with my tummy. I just grinned and turned.
“Darn!” I said to myself.
Without a clue of the poem in my head I was ready to face any punishment Miss Kavita would give that day.
I was quite scared in the class. Even Anil went on reciting the poem over and over again.
“I am surely getting doomed today.” I said banging my head on the desk.
“Hey, join me try learning some few lines. It’s not very difficult.” Anil responded on a positive note. “But, you know I am so going to love seeing you get punished.”
I punched him hard.
Before he could yell in pain and I could give him a winning smirk, our school principal came inside. All of us were taken aback. As we greeted him morning, I could sense the confusion in our voices.
“My young monkeys, your teacher is absent today. So I decided to take this class.”
“yooohoooooo! Good that I didn’t learn that poem” I chuckled.
“Well -- your luck won’t be your side kick tomorrow.” Anil snapped back.
“Boys and girls—there is someone I would like to introduce to you all. But only one of you gets to meet this person.” Sir Daniel said, nodding his head.
The whole class started to whisper and discuss among themselves.
“Oh! This is so exciting!! I wish Sir would take the whole classes for us--- why can’t he?”
“That is because he doesn’t want to listen to your nags and complaints.” I replied.
“Silence!”
Well that straightened us out all.
I would not deny that I was excited about it too. I could feel my stomach turning upside down. I could not stop thinking and wondering who the person was.
Just then Anil started poking me.
“Who could that person be?”
“God knows! Stop poking me.”
He chuckled and poked me again. I was so irritated that I took out my water bottle and ------
THOMPPP!!!
“Who was that?”
The whole class was silent. It was so nerve wrecking. I didn’t know what to do. It was my fault. I really wished that our principal would just leave it and go back to his lecture. But he didn’t. And that moment seemed liked ages.
“I asked you all something—“
Before I could realize anything, I was standing up.
“Sorry sir! It was me. I hit Anil with my bottle.”
“And why did you do that?”
I burst out laughing.
“Both of you out of my class.”
We stood outside the class. The class got over and Sir Daniel came to us.
“Anil, you go inside. And you young lad, what is your name?”
“Malem, Sir!”
“Malem, you come with me.”
I was so scared that I followed him in silent.
After minute or so, he broke the silence.
“The person I wanted to introduce is me.” He turned and said.
I comically raised my eyebrows. I have always heard of our Principal being so amusing and humorous.
“I am not your principal. I am a genie. Now let’s go somewhere it is isolated and silent.”
I still thought he was amusing. Just then he turned into fumes and disappeared into the air.
“What was that? I think I must be crazy.”
“No, you are not.”
It startled me. I looked around.
“Boy, I’m in your pocket. Let’s go.”
I really didn’t know what was going on and a place where can be alone----
“What is going on? And I’m not going to the place where we take a dump.”
Somehow I did end up in the toilet with Sir—no I ended up with this Mr. Genie.
“It takes great deal to admit your mistakes. So, name your wishes.”
He still had the appearance of Sir Daniel except for the fact that his lower body ended in my pocket. He was indeed a real Genie. I couldn’t think of anything else. My mind was blank.
“I just wish that my teachers won’t punish me on the days I forget to learn my lessons……”
I went rogue.
“…..and I wish that it will be always mom to find excuses for me no to go to school……”
“Okay done!”
“…and for the last wish...”
“It is already done. Two wishes—that is all I’ve got for you.”
“This is not done….Genies always grant three wishes.”
“Well those are imaginary genies with imaginary three wishes.” Saying this Mr.Genie pinched me hard on my thighs.
“Ouch----that hurts!”
“Then wake up!”
I opened my eyes, it was my cousin.
“It was so real----hmmm just a dream.”
“What was so real?”
“Nothing.” I replied in disappointment. “My Hindi poem----“ I added with more disappointment.
Just then my mom came in.
“Ebungo, since your cousins are here skip your school today. Spend the day with them.”
I winked at her in disbelief. A warm feeling kicked up.
-----------
I’m waiting for my school van now. I will never skip school today for the whole world. I have my Hindi class in the first period.
“Yes, I have not learnt it.”
for TTUS!!
for TTUS!!
