The corridor was deserted.
The building silent.
The sweeper , Rani was singing a bawdy song, and sweeping the rooms on the first floor . The lights were on in janitor's room, where he , his back to me , was fumbling with the giant bunch of keys. Just in time !! Thought I , as I raced to my classroom on the second floor.
Darkness had begun descending . The windows were ajar, and the evening breeze was rattling a loose corner of the chik curtain. I shivered as I made my way to my desk. The lid was not properly closed , as it was wont to , went not carefully placed . That was the reason, I got the seat in the first place , due to an ill fitting desk lid . So much for serendipity and sitting in the front row.
I gingerly lifted the lid , saying prayers in my mind . And lo behold , there it was , nestled amongst pencil shavings and paper scraps . My report -card.
I thanked the Lord and lifted it up. My parents would have thought I lost it on purpose . I wouldn't let any one think that could I ? I had a smug half smile on my face when some thing mad e a rustling sound at the door.
From my desk I could see the fluttering of a white habit . Oh God! Mother Superior ! Now what was I to say ? That I forgot my report card and had sprinted half way across the town to collect it ? I could see myself get further delayed due to the lecture in tardiness and carelessness which I would certainly receive , and probably deserved too.
I walked up ahead, armed with a battery of excuses flying thick and fast inside my cranium.
"Good even...." My forced heartiness disappeared when I saw it was not Mother Superior , in fact , it was not any of the current nuns , residing in the convent right now . She was very fair , had a round face , and big eyes that stared straight ahead into the dark night , through the open windows , as if I didn't exist.
I froze and shivered . She seemed to be transfixed , and then a gentle "plop" resounded in the empty building with the ferocity of a gun-shot.She was standing in a pool of a dark fluid and a drop dripped from her hands into the pool.
Blood ! Her wrists were dripping blood !
My own scream 'came back to me resounding from all the walls of the empty classrooms , magnified thousand times.
The apparition disappeared .
Rani came racing to me , broom in hand . I decided to play it safe and said, I saw a rat. Janitor wanted to know , what was I doing in the classroom , at this time of the day / night ? Thankfully , my grandfather's search party was at the gate , in a rickshaw , and I was allowed to go home .
8888
Next day , there was not even a smudge at the spot . I expected a faint redness to explain what I saw the day before .
Using my own counsel , I kept the story of my adventure to myself till noontime ,when a phone call in the Father's office disrupted the tranquility of the school. All the sisters (nuns) in the staff-room , were seen weeping , and red eyed . The classes were suspended shortly afterwards, as they had to travel to a remote town to attend the last rites of a nun, a very pretty nun , called Sr. Neeta who slit her wrists and was found dead in her bed today morning.
The building silent.
The sweeper , Rani was singing a bawdy song, and sweeping the rooms on the first floor . The lights were on in janitor's room, where he , his back to me , was fumbling with the giant bunch of keys. Just in time !! Thought I , as I raced to my classroom on the second floor.
Darkness had begun descending . The windows were ajar, and the evening breeze was rattling a loose corner of the chik curtain. I shivered as I made my way to my desk. The lid was not properly closed , as it was wont to , went not carefully placed . That was the reason, I got the seat in the first place , due to an ill fitting desk lid . So much for serendipity and sitting in the front row.
I gingerly lifted the lid , saying prayers in my mind . And lo behold , there it was , nestled amongst pencil shavings and paper scraps . My report -card.
I thanked the Lord and lifted it up. My parents would have thought I lost it on purpose . I wouldn't let any one think that could I ? I had a smug half smile on my face when some thing mad e a rustling sound at the door.
From my desk I could see the fluttering of a white habit . Oh God! Mother Superior ! Now what was I to say ? That I forgot my report card and had sprinted half way across the town to collect it ? I could see myself get further delayed due to the lecture in tardiness and carelessness which I would certainly receive , and probably deserved too.
I walked up ahead, armed with a battery of excuses flying thick and fast inside my cranium.
"Good even...." My forced heartiness disappeared when I saw it was not Mother Superior , in fact , it was not any of the current nuns , residing in the convent right now . She was very fair , had a round face , and big eyes that stared straight ahead into the dark night , through the open windows , as if I didn't exist.
I froze and shivered . She seemed to be transfixed , and then a gentle "plop" resounded in the empty building with the ferocity of a gun-shot.She was standing in a pool of a dark fluid and a drop dripped from her hands into the pool.
Blood ! Her wrists were dripping blood !
My own scream 'came back to me resounding from all the walls of the empty classrooms , magnified thousand times.
The apparition disappeared .
Rani came racing to me , broom in hand . I decided to play it safe and said, I saw a rat. Janitor wanted to know , what was I doing in the classroom , at this time of the day / night ? Thankfully , my grandfather's search party was at the gate , in a rickshaw , and I was allowed to go home .
8888
Next day , there was not even a smudge at the spot . I expected a faint redness to explain what I saw the day before .
Using my own counsel , I kept the story of my adventure to myself till noontime ,when a phone call in the Father's office disrupted the tranquility of the school. All the sisters (nuns) in the staff-room , were seen weeping , and red eyed . The classes were suspended shortly afterwards, as they had to travel to a remote town to attend the last rites of a nun, a very pretty nun , called Sr. Neeta who slit her wrists and was found dead in her bed today morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment