Prevent that thing from DROOPING!!

At the very outset,I congratulate Preeti Shenoy for her latest book TEA FOR TWO AND A PIECE OF CAKE.

Here is yet another exciting prompt by her: There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.  ~Bernard-Paul Heroux

Talking of trouble, the very first thing that comes to my mind is exam. For a college student (or for that matter, any student), what can be more frightening than occasional tests and assessments which seem to dry out the whole enthusiasm of college life?

Restlessly sitting on his wooden chair, Animesh stares at the opposite wall with an absolute blank look. If somebody asks him, he will promptly utter his favourite one-liner ‘Don’t disturb, I’m concentrating.’ After failing in Forensic Medicine (which is a horrible subject in Medical Science) in the second year final exams, he was to reappear for another paper of the subject the next day. He remembers-in the finals, he wrote his theory paper quite well but the external who took his viva wasn’t satisfied by the definitions that Animesh couldn’t reproduce word by word as per the bible (the Forensic Medicine book). Well, definitions are something which students leave for cramming the night before the viva. Unless you have freshly mugged them, you are sure to fumble and become a target to the sarcasm showered on you by the internals and externals alike.

So, what Animesh exactly is trying to do by staring at the pale wall is to prevent his head droop automatically (he always wonders why the force of gravitation on his nearly empty head is so goddamn overpowering especially during exam time). He tends to fall asleep early during exam days (quite contrary to the common practice of most students of studying non-stop and forgetting the bed during those difficult days). A mosquito swishes past his ear and plants a sweet bite on the tip of his nose. Scratching his nose pink, he looks all the more pitiable. He hasn’t switched on the All-out. At least the tyranny of the mosquitoes will help him battle his sleep, which by now has taken control of his upper eyelids and is gently shutting them down.

Three hours later, the cell buzzes in the highest possible volume (he purposely set the volume high..the reason? of course, to kick him out of his sleep’s territory every time he invades it without his own aching will). A slight shiver and he is up again, reading the sms of his pal- kitna padh liya?yaar, I’m unable to cram these definitions. DEFINITIONS!!God! he hasn’t touched a single definition and these are the real culprits for his failure in the previous exam. He can’t carry on with his ‘on and off’ pattern any longer or he’ll fail again. But, why does he feel so drowsy. He wonders if the dinner that he gobbled down contained any sleep-inducing agent. He rushes to the wash room and splashes a handful of freezing water on his expressionless face. Fixing his gaze at the mirror he mutters in a motherly tone, ‘Animesh beta, not again. You can’t fail this time or the junior that you have been eying to make your girlfriend will soon end up a year senior to you. Do anything but don’t sleep. Just the definitions, you can mug them up in a jiffy.’

Desperate as he seems to keep away his sleep, he thinks hard. Suddenly the ad of ‘Wah, Taj’ flashes in front of his eyes. Switching on his electric kettle, he boils a cupful of water. Dipping a tea bag (he brought one from a hostel mate), he prepares a rich red cup of tea. Oh, the colour itself is so rejuvenating. With each sip, he feels his energy multiplying and sleep disappearing.

To end the story in a positive note, Animesh didn’t fall asleep after drinking the elixir. And yes, he passed!!