by Nag Mani
“I will, if only you tell me what’s troubling you.”
“But I just told you!”
“No, you didn’t.”
Her face went blank. “I… I… it’s nothing!” Rohan watched her as she struggled for words. “Just last days of school. Just a bit nostalgic.”
“No, you aren’t.”
She stepped back and stared at him. He stared back. She immediately looked away. She walked over to a sofa, which Rohan now noticed, had been carelessly dumped in a corner in front of the side-door.
“I don’t want to be in this play anymore,” she purred. Rohan sat down beside her. A cold breeze made them both shiver. “I am scared.” She crossed her arms. “I see her everywhere now. She follows me. When I perform on stage, she watches me. Sometimes from the control room. I see her through the glass… her face in the darkness. Sometimes she comes nearer, and sits at the piano. It’s suffocating inside. And it feels so… heavy on the stage. What happened with her was sad, but why is she doing this to me. What have I done?”
Rohan wondered too. He had stolen her ring, kicked the chair she was murdered on. Maybe it enraged her. But what had Chandni done? Was it just because she was assigned the role of Dorothy Gale which Kajal had played years ago?
“And there are more of them. I can feel them. Whispers in dark corners. Movements behind curtains. I think they are coming to get me.” Chandni’s eyes had begun to water.
“Why don’t to talk to Mr. Lawrence?” he suggested.
“He is forcing me to do it. And this Kumar…”
“What did he do?”
“Anjali had been directing us all this time. How can they just fire her now? We all wanted her back. I protested…” she sniffed.
Rohan waited for her to continue.
“… and he slapped me!”
Anger swept over him. He wanted to run in, grab his neck and throw him off the balcony. “Go and tell this to Sharma,” he said, almost ordering her. Senior boys were rarely slapped by any faculty, leave alone girls. He knew the Head-Boy would make a huge scene out of it, and if things turned nasty, they could even beat him up, give him a hammering he would never forget.
“I don’t know. I just want to go home.” And Chandni broke into tears.
Rohan opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t utter a word. He then raised his hands, he didn’t know what for, but immediately withdrew it. He wanted to comfort her, but just didn’t know how. He was nervous. He leaned closer. She was shivering. And just as he opened his mouth again to speak… she hugged him!
He froze in her warmth, and then, slowly, melted.
He lost his senses first, but then came the exotic fragrance of her hair. She was so soft, so fragile, so warm. He was struggling with the idea of hugging her back. He couldn’t decide whether it would be appropriate or not. He gently patted her instead. Something cold touched his neck, a tickling sensation. A shiver ran down his spine. It was the tip of her nose; and her warm breath just below it.
Moments passed. Rohan sat stiff, not daring to move. An erotic warmth radiated from her. She had stopped crying. Her arms tightened around him. Her breathing quickened. He felt her nose move up his neck, gently rubbing against his skin. Then it came all the way up to his cheek. He turned slightly and their noses met… her grip hardened, her breathing intensified. Her lips were so close. He felt them radiate heat… felt her moist breath. Her face began to tilt…
“Chandni?” The door jerked.
She jumped up.
“Chandni?” said a girl from inside, struggling with the door.
“Yes?” Chandni ran to the door and squeezed through. She did not look back.
Rohan sat still, his senses tingling. He tried to hold onto her warmth, her exotic smell, but the brutal night took everything away. He knew she wouldn’t come back, though, deep in his heart, a feeble hope lingered. He sat silently on the couch, a dark figure, unperceivable in the shadows, and gazed at the moonlit Field. After a while, he stood up and looked at the door. It was ajar. He could hear voices inside. He headed back to the Infirmary, laden with guilt. She would soon realise what she had done. He doubted if he would even see her again.
Chandni impatiently waited for the roll-call to get over. First day into rehearsal and the warden had already started with his nonsense. It seemed to go on forever. She ran out as soon as it ended. But the sofa was empty. She looked around. He wasn’t there. Gone. She sat there all alone, shivering in the cold. What had she done!
Did she even mean anything to him?
***
Sister visited Rohan the next morning and informed him that Mr. Lawrence, keeping in mind his contributions to the school, had not struck his name off. However, a letter had been sent to his parents describing the events as written by him. He would be allowed to join the school next year only if they gave in written that he would not disrespect the school’s rules and regulations. He was allowed to go back to his dormitory. But as soon as he stepped out, he noticed that his entire class had gathered on the Stadium Steps. They were all in some heated argument. “Hey guys!” he went over to them. No one seemed to take much notice of him.
“Where have you been?” asked Manav.
“Infirmary,” he replied.
“Why?”
“Nothing. Just a bit sick?” he lied, not wanting to disclose the truth in public and be made fun of.
“Did you meet Ayush?”
“I just came out of the Infi.”
“Even he is in there.”
“Why? What happened to him?”
Rohan sat down with them. They had a shocking story to tell and he listened sincerely. So much had happened in that one day he had been in the Infirmary. The warden had found out that Ayush had disobeyed him and trimmed off his hair. He took him to his house and beat him up while a crowd stood outside, listening to Ayush’s pleas, which later turned to rude objections. They were furious. The entire class gathered outside his house to talk to him. But the warden just drove them away. The boys then went to meet the principal in his office, but Mr. Lawrence refused to meet them. A teacher saw them and angry over what he learnt, called a meeting between the warden and the boys. The warden took it as an opportunity to mark out the rebels and noted down their names. He then went to the principal and handed over the list. The class was summoned to the principal’s house. They waited in his garden, ready to burst out with their complaints. But as soon he came out, he called for Ayush. “You have problem abiding by the rules?” Mr. Lawrence growled at Ayush.
“Sir…”
He wasn’t listening. He slapped him hard and punched him in the stomach. “Go and pack your bags. We don’t want to see you here again.” He caught his collar and pushed him to a side and then went over to the nearest boy. “You have a problem with your warden?” The class just watched, stunned by the monstrous rage that had taken over their principal.
A brief moment of hesitation. “Yes, Sir!”
Slap! “You are expelled. Join him.”
Then the next. “Do you have problem with your warden?”
“Yes, Sir. He…”
Slap! “Expelled!”
Next boy. “And you, do you have problem with your warden?”
“Yes, Sir!”
He was punched in the stomach and pushed aside. “Expelled! Mr. Kumar, have their trunks ready!”
Next boy. “Do you have problem with your warden?”
The boy looked at the warden standing coldly behind Mr. Lawrence and hesitated. “Yes, Sir…” he replied and stood still, waiting for the consequences.
Mr. Lawrence punched him and shoved him towards Ayush. By then, he had realised he could not threaten them. No one would chicken out. It was an old habit developed in boarding schools. One for all and all for one. They always stood for each other. He ordered the warden to dump all five students in the Infirmary. They would wait there in isolation till their parents came to take them away. “Now litter off!” he waved and went inside.
; Rohan stared at the Field as he listened to the story. What had become of the school? He felt guilty. Maybe it was his fault. He had provoked the authorities.
“We need to call our parents,” someone suggested.
“Holidays are only two days away. They are going to come anyway,” someone else replied.
“But those guys will be expelled by then. And even if our parents come, Lorry can easily manipulate them. They will meet him one at a time and he can easily handle the situation. We need to create a stir so that Lorry has to confront them all at once.”
Rohan continued to look at the Field, listening to everything everyone was saying. His mind was blank.
“But what else can we do?” asked a student.
“Call them all together?”
“That is impossible.”
“At least we can call all those who live nearby - Kathgodam, Haldwani?”
“But we can’t call them from here. Someone needs to bunk to town.”
Rohan sensed many eyes on him. The school had no provision for students to make phone calls. If something was urgent, the students had to butter some staff member or risk bunking out of school.
“Instead of calling our parents, why don’t we go to the police station?”
“Two boys did it once. They were only brought back and handed over to the principal. It was years ago.”
“How do you know?”
“I heard it somewhere. I don’t know if it’s true.”
Rohan had no opinion on this. He had learnt to believe in stories.
“But what if we all bunk to town.” It was Mayank.
Silence followed; then a few snorts.
“We all run to town?” someone asked.
“Yes. Think about it. It will create a stir. We don’t need to call our parents. We will directly go to them.”
Rohan looked around. They were already imagining it. A group of sixty students, walking right out of the school, without anyone noticing. They were too desperate to do something… anything. “Guys, please,” he interrupted, “this is not possible. We can’t all bunk to town. Even if we did manage, it will only bring down the school’s reputation…” he stopped. Too many eye brows were raised at him.
What am I saying?
“Guys, it’s the only way. We can all run away and if possible, visit the families in Kathgodam and Haldwani. It’s the only way to bring attention to what is happening in the school. All other parents will surely come running once they hear about it.” Mayank tried to convince them.
A commotion broke out. Rohan turned his attention to the Field again. Of course, there were a thousand other ways, but that was the only way they could think of. They were desperate to bring back their expelled friends. But how could they all just get away? The authorities would notice the moment they stepped out. It was certain, if they did manage, no one would be able to handle the chaos that followed. Parents would come running, and so would media and police. He knew the boys would soon give it up once the excitement died away. But he was wrong.
“Guys, please!” someone stood up. “We have to do this. At least, for our friends. What will they think of us? They took a stand for us and we just deserted them?”
Rohan thought of Ayush. There were so many fond memories about him. He was the first friend he had made in this school. It was on the second day. He was in Class III. Having been awoken rudely by a shrill bell ringing continuously, he nervously changed into his gown and lined up for Wash. Once he was allotted a basin, he unpacked his new toothbrush. He gave a quick glance around. Each student was bent over his basin while their grumpy matron circled the washroom, pressing them to hurry. He returned to his mug. He looked for his toothpaste, and holy god, there was none! He panicked. He must have left it behind in his dormitory. He spun around and saw a long line waiting at the door. He could run to his locker and be back in a blink. But would the matron allow? What would happen to his mug then? Don’t leave your things unattended, his mother had kept reminding him. He would have to take it with him; and the matron would allot the basin to someone else. He would then have to stand last in queue.
And then he realised, he had forgotten to buy a toothpaste in the first place! What was he going to do? Spend the entire year without any toothpaste? The mere thought of it was sickening. And how he wished to be back at home, where he didn’t have to bother about what he needed. He looked around again. The boy next to him had finished washing his face and the matron was directing someone else at his place. Rohan immediately lowered his head. He had not even started. Should he tell the matron? But she might scold him. Or, should he just pretend to brush and wait till someone else forgot to bring his…
“Toothpaste?”
Rohan looked up. A boy had just set his mug next to his. He was at least two inches taller and his gown was carelessly hanging off his shoulders. Rohan did not like him. He nodded and returned to fiddling with his toothbrush.
“Here!” the tall boy held out his toothpaste.
Rohan hesitated. This was not the solution he had expected. Nevertheless, he squeezed out the smallest amount possible and handed the tube back. “Thank you!” he said, though he was sure the words never came out. Then he hurriedly began brushing his teeth.
“Aiushh!” the tall boy extended his hand, a toothbrush now poking out from his lathery mouth.
Reluctantly, Rohan shook his hand.
His classmates were right. Something crazy needed to be done and their friends deserved it.
“So, who all agree?”
No hands were raised. Rohan knew they were scared. For most of them, it was the first time they would be crossing the school boundary without permission. Nevertheless, they would do it. All they needed was the first hand in the air.
He tried to relive the previous evening he had spent with Chandni. But that was too good a feeling to unfold in the dark, depressed state he was in. All he remembered was her hugging him. The play had to be stopped. The warden had to be thrown out. But he was not convinced with the plan. There was so much to lose if it failed, and it certainly would. He saw her face, her smooth skin glowing in the moonlight…
He was falling. The sky began to fade. He knew he was about to fall off the mountain. But neither did he panic nor made any attempt to balance. He felt someone pull him. The stars swirled by and the dark forest came back in view. He pulled away. At first, he thought he saw the moon. But it was a face he recognised only too well. She was so beautiful… so close... their eyes met and his knees buckled. But she held him. He felt himself being gently laid down. Darkness approached. He saw the moon again… leaning over him. He was lost. The sky came in view. It had lightened. He felt warm. He wanted to sleep. She was beside him; he could feel her. So he slept on. And suddenly, it was bitter cold. But he could not open his eyes. He felt movements; then someone lifted him. He was being carried, and again, he fell into oblivion.
Rohan realised his hand was in the air. He looked around. So was everyone else’s.
11. THE PICNIC
It was the 3rd of December. About an hour after lunch, the students of class XI sat huddled in their classrooms. The corridors were empty. There were no prefects in the vicinity. Everyone was nervous. It was time.
Rohan, Varun and Manav left the classroom and signalled others to make small groups and follow. They went to the back-courtyard. It was deserted. A narrow path led them into a small establishment of low-built, terraced houses that were occupied by the families of school workers. Once they had crossed the campus boundary, they waited for others to catch up. The nervousness transformed into excitement. Soon the entire class was working its way upwards through the houses. Men, women and children came out to see them. They talked to each other and smiled. Students often went that way to a small park near the mountain top for picnics. Their move was too bold to arouse any suspicion.
Nevertheless, they hurriedly left the houses behind and took to a broad, stone path that meandered all the way up to the mountain top. Soon the school wa
s left behind. But it was just the beginning. They had a long way to go. It was only a matter of time before the authorities found out that they were missing. Rohan caught a glimpse of the school from high above - the red roof-tops, the Field, the Auditorium. His spirit lifted. They moved up and up, as fast as their slowest friend, shouting and laughing in excitement and nervousness. After about half an hour, they took another path that led them down again. But some students began to get tired. Running away with the entire class was a pretty stupid idea after all. They had to continually stop for students in the rear and some of them had even begun to complain. But they cheered each other and continued down the mountain towards the main town.
“We have made history!” exclaimed Manav.
“Not yet,” replied Rohan. He had a feeling that no matter how fast they went, they would find the authorities waiting for them in the town. They heard a car pass ahead. The stone path they had been travelling on crossed a road and continued steeply down between luxurious houses on either side with beautiful gardens. They were not more than a kilometre from their school. They had taken a wide arc around the campus to avoid detection. They decided to quickly run down the road and disappear. The steep slope was not an issue. It was on their marathon route they had been running for years. But just as they emerged from the trees, they spotted a short woman walking on the road. She was a Junior School nanny. “Where are you boys going?” she asked.
“Picnic!” Manav replied.
“Picnic?” she asked, a smile spreading over her face. “But who is escorting you? I don’t see any teacher.”
“Oh! The warden. He is coming right behind us.”
With that they left. She watched them for some time with an innocent joy on her face. It was certainly blissful to watch the boys, whose dirty underwears she used to once clean, all grown up and enjoying their day out. The group picked up pace as the rest of the journey was downhill. They crossed the main road twice and each time they grew more nervous. As time passed, it became more and more obvious that their absence had been noticed. They moved swiftly across each crossing and disappeared into the trees.