STORY: And then it rained...

" HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED????!!!!"

Rimi- 14yrs, student-tenth standard
Present Situation: hyperventilating, Eyes bulging, mouth working: in short, SHE'S GONNA BLOW!

"MAAAAA!"Rimi hollered- proving that Rimi's vocal chords were in superb condition.

"MAAAAA!"

" What is it? What is it?"

Ma- 38 yrs, teacher
Present Situation: Half Asleep, confused,worried.

" What is it?"

"Ma'arm'fing'sfalinguf?"

" What?Rimi, it'll do me a lot of good if you slowed down and - "

" Ma are my fingers falling off?"

"WHAT????"

Ma, Present Situation: Irritated, incredulous.

" You wake me up at two o clock in the morning because you wanted to know whether your fingers were falling off?????"

Nod, nod.

Ma took a long deep breath- ignoring the acid smell of both Rimi and Ranji's socks, a rotting lost lunch, and several other unique fragrances.

" No Rimi dear, your fingers are not falling off. See-they are all right there: all 10 of them. Now why don't you go back to sleep? You have your first exam tomorrow."

For the kind reader, who has been wondering for so long why a 14yr old girl of adequate mental faculties, must believe her fingers to be falling off- this will be a revelation.

You see, Rimi was going to write that incredible hurdle of the education system- The BOARDS. Yes, that looming spectre of Lugubrious Learning, that Emperor of Exams. That very same institution that turns students into desperate tape recorders - striving,straining to catch every word of their Together Withs and R.D Sharmas in their Venus fly trap brains, until no other thought but " MARKS" beat a tattoo into their young souls.

And these tattoos had begun to burn in poor Rimi's breast since the month before- taking the shape of terrible nightmares. Her worst one, until now, was where she stared at a blank question paper and every one else got a normal one. Finally, when the first question appeared on the blank sheet- the bell would ring and her answer sheet, white as driven snow, was torn away from her clutching hands.

But this newest one was the worst by far. In this case- She got a normal question paper- She even knew all the answers . But the moment she took the pen up to let her knowledge flow- Catastrophe!!"- each of her fingers fell off until all that was left was a trapezium shaped stub!!!

So friends, you will not condemn her to being childish- you will empathise with the turmoil in that young mind, when she bagan screaming "MAAAAA".

It took Ma another 10 mins to get Rimi to go to sleep again.

**

The day dawned.

The sky was overshadowed by dark black clouds and the rain beat a steady rhythm on the window panes.

Rimi felt like a goat during BakrEid.

"Hey sis, you're writing the first one today right?"

Ranji: 15yrs, student-11th.
Present Situation: gloating.

All Rimi could do was nod a shaken affirmative while the toast turned to ashes in her mouth.

" Hmm...you know, the general view is that the paper is going to be really tough this year." said Ranji nonchantly while Rimi wished him to perdition.

"It's ok Rimi. I am sure you'll scrape a 60%" Ranji smirked.

Rimi prayed for a war to erupt just then.

"Anyway 50% percent is also possible eh?"

Nuclear explosion PLEASE!!!

" Don't worry, if you fail, you can always write a compartment."

" Shut up you fool!"

"That's enough Ranji!"

Pappa- 43yrs, engineer.

" Hey, I was just stating facts."

" Sadist!" spat Rimi" I didn't see you stating facts this time last year. And I'll be sure to remind you of them next year this time!"

Rimi had the satisfaction of seeing him blanche.

"Stop it both of you! Rimi have your coffee."

" Pappa, I really don't want coffee."

" Did you eat your toast?"

"Yes" said Rimi, quickly checking whether her half eaten toast was well concealed.

"Rimi, stop being fussy and eat it. You can't go on an empty stomach- you know that."

Drat!

**

20 mins later-

"Pappa, shall we go."

"No wait, I'll just catch the broadcast.."

Oh no! this was just like nightmare no 132- leaving late reaching the examination hall just when bell rings for withdrawal of paper.

" No no pappa lets go now!" The whining had begun.

" Rimi, this will just take a few minutes and we have an hour and half till the assigned time anyway. Just calm down. "

Easier said than done Pappa dear.

" Pappa please pappa, take me there now pappa, pleasee pleaase please pappa, pleeeaaasssse."

' But Rimi, I -"

"Pleaaase...." almost in tears now.

Ma intervened- " Take her, you can see how she is. You can catch the broadcast later."

Pappa, understanding and patient though he was, could really not understand or be patient with Rimi's unatural nervousness. But- majority wins. Mumbling and grumbling about Prima-donna daughters and over hyped examinations Pappa left for school.

Horror of horrors, traffic jam!

Damn And Blast!!

"The roads seem flooded after yesterday's rain." commented Pappa, trying in vain to infuse some small talk into the charged atmosphere.

" Pappa we have to be at school by 7:30 otherwise the bus leaves without us to the centre!"

"Yes Rimi, but the car in front has to move right?" replied Pappa to his distraught offspring while furiously honking the horn.

15 desperate, nerve racking minutes later, the car was moving again, wipers flapping listlessly.

"Pappa please drive faster."

" Rimi, the road is full of water!"

"Pappa please we are going to be late!"

" Ok ok I''ll hurry."

Oh my God it's 7:15!!!

" Pappa, faster pappa!"

" Yes yes calm down it's only an exam."

"It's 7:15!!"Rimi was close to hysteria now.

" Rimi, don't worry- if we are late, I'll take you to the centre myself."

" Oh no! Alex sir said he'd give us some last tips! I'll fail if I didn't hear that!"

" Rimi, the only thing you have a risk of failing is in avoiding hyper tension. Now be sensible and stop being such a muddle of nerves."

" Yes Pappa."

There was a moment of silence.

"Pappa please drive faster!"

There's no use Pappa, your daughter is too strung up.

Finally, after a severely sloshy sojourn, the poor car reached it's destination.

Rimi jumped out of the car and ran to the front gate . The beating rain was unfelt on her zealous forehead. All Rimi cared about right then was to get into the bus, reach the centre, write the exam.

Pappa was calling something out.

"What is it Pappa?" asked Rimi just as she entered and turned to find-

NO BUS!!!

" OH NOOOOO!!!"

Poor Pappa probably thought Rimi witnessed some gruesome sight- not just a missing School bus. Not that we can blame him for supposing this- Rimi was standing motionless like a zombie; rain dripping from her ponytail, staring into the empty courtyard.

" Rimi! Rimi! What happened dear?" Pappa ran up to her and covered her head with his umberella.

"It's gone...." she whispered" gone..."

" Ah Reemee! what you doing? How you are?"

Ummar ikka: unknown yrs, watchman cum janitor cum canteen supervisor.
Present situation: Cheerful, umberella weilding.

"Hello Ummar ikka, how are you?" asked Pappa respectfully.

" Me?" Ummar ikka smiled genially, wiping his thick horn rimmed glasses," Oh, I am good. My leg not hurting so much- it usual bad hurtings when raining, but today not-"

" Pappa," Rimi meanwhile had revived from the shock "Pappa, shouldn't we be..." she ended giving him the broad hint.

"Ah.. Reemee," began Ummar ikka." why you in uniform? Where you going?"

Rimi underwent a sudden transformation- she was now patronising-better-informed-but kind-individual talking to inferior-intelligence-organism.

" You see Ummar ikka, today is the first board exam"

" No no Reemee, no exam today."

Rimi was now getting annoyed, valuable minutes were slipping away as she conversed with a man who had obviously gone senile.

" Ummar ikka, today is the beginning of the exams."

" No Reemee."

"But ikka, today is the 12th remember. "

"Yes Reemee."

"Then the exams are today."

" No Reemee."

Rimi was getting hysterical again.

"Pappa..."

"Wait Rimi. Why is there no exam then, Ummar ikka?"

"The morning broadcast say there no exam today because bad raining. See- news paper saying also."

"WHAT??????"shouted Rimi.

"Rimi! Rimi! Wake up! Wake up what is wrong? What happened?"

Rimi woke up to stare at Ranji's worried face.

" Ranji....it rained Ranji, it rained.."

**