I saw myself taking part in one of the most amazing geeky + adventurous (dangerous) events in the world. This was all because of attending the classes of a lady teacher very attentively and doing class participation. In one of the classes when I couldn't control my urge of having maggi which was in my lunch box, I lowered my head at the bench and took a little bite. I did that a few times, carefully lest the teacher would find out. I felt part relieved and part amused when I saw others also having their food from their lunch boxes. Occasionally teacher did give a accusing look in the direction of those eating food while she was teaching, but I was safe because I was participating in class, discussing and answering questions!
It happened so that she did punish few students for having food in her class, and she also walked up to my desk and asked me if I was having my lunch while bending a little to see if I was hiding anything inside my desk. I replied in negative. When the class was over she called me while I was walking out of the room and asked me which teacher I was working under. I said I was working under prof. P K Reddy. She ignored my reply and said that some of the faculty members were planning to send their students to some international level geeky+adventurous competition. We walked out of the class and she told me all about it, people from various parts of the world competing in almost all kinds of competition, be it mathematical problems, or adventure sports or social events/dances etc. I could see people of various nationalities dancing in a circle. I was flabbergasted about existence of such a competition yet quite interested. Before I could say anything, I was in the competition! :D
The only event I remember was the final one in which a person would be given any number of chances as he/she may desire but the final trophy has to be taken by climbing on a pile of oval shaped stones which were quite slippery and out of balance. Only the daring ones attempted it. I saw myself standing at almost the top of the pile and stretching my arm to catch the trophy. I did curl my fingers around it but at that instant the stones lost balance and I fell on the slimy muddy water below, and wounded myself. I decided it wasn't worth another try. I was supposed to gracefully come down that pile with the trophy in my hand but I fell so I failed.
I traveled back by train and stayed at place of a fellow IIITian for few hours to clean up my wounds when suddenly I heard a doorbell ring. I went to attend it and saw my sister at the door. I was surprised. Actually my fellow IIITian's house and my house were in the New Offrs colony in Dhrangadhra cantonment area, my house being at the same place as it was and his being Gautam Shahi's house, my friend. So, I asked her to come in but she wanted me to come home as soon as possible and that I had promised I would come home. The wounds still hurt and I got frustrated, asked her to give me some space and some independence from her and others. She started sobbing and then started running back towards our home. I shouted after her that I didn't really mean whatever I had said, went after her and stopped her. We stood at the playground between the row of two sets of houses, my being on the other side of the playground. I said I loved her and loved them. I lit a cigarette and was joined by that fellow IIITian of mine, after he heard the commotion. After a few minutes my sister saw father coming out into the playground and she shrieked at me, I dropped my cigarette on the soil in the ground, didn't bother to extinguish it. She urged me
to come home, tried pulling me. I said to her that I'd be coming in a few minutes and that she should go first.
Next thing I remember my father was very sad that I had promised I would come home and I didn't. He didn't mention the cigarette thing but I knew that he saw me smoking a cigarette. He didn't look at me while talking. I felt so guilty about the cigarette thing that I didn't tell him about the fact that I had reached the final round in one of the newest and most exciting events in the world.
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