The Spectacles

She had conveniently skipped her evening prep and was loitering around the corridor. It was one of those gratifying moments she loved to entertain herself with.  The old school building had many a secret passageway, where taking refuge from the strict eyes of the hostel warden was not a hard task. She was deep in thought about her next adventure when  Sister Letsnotnameher beckoned her.

‘Damn!, did I just get caught’?

‘Good evening sister, I was I am I mean ..actually...I wanted to …’  No! the crisis was grave! Her brain had phased out and no reasonably logical explanation seemed to make way. However, the saving grace, Sister Letsnotnameher was a gentle old lady, she might just buy even the lamest excuse or even a no-sense mumble. Praying that she did, our protagonist, began the prelude to her excuse (which she was still desperately trying to concoct) for not being where she was supposed to be. Sister Letsnotnameher was least interested in the creative extempore, hence, gently interrupted the happy wanderer's tale, 'Child could you bring my spectacles from the parlor, I can't see well enough without them’.

Oh! That was easy! Our relieved child scooted to the parlor, found the pair on the piano, and in a jiffy scooted back to hand them over to the owner but strange!! Sister L was nowhere in sight. She spent the next few minutes in search of the missing. An octogenarian without glasses couldn't have walked away in seconds.

Finally, confused and exhausted, she headed towards the dormitory, prep hour was over and she didn’t want to risk running into non-gentle beings ( the strict convent had an abundance of them). On the way back, she noticed that the lights, near the kindergarten playground, were on, which was unusual for this time of the day. Unmindful, she passed it off without deeper analysis. 

Back in the dorm, she heard the girls chatter louder than usual. The spectacles in hand she hollered at the crowd for attention, ‘Girls has anyone seen Sister Letsnotnameher anywhere? I met her near the chapel. She wanted her specs. they are here with me but I can’t seem to find her. Absolute silence followed for the next couple of minutes. Then one of her seemingly aghast confidantes broke the shocking news – Don’t you know?

What?

They just buried her a while back. That answered the lights at the cemetery next to the playground.

_________

Fictionalized but based on the real experience of Sanjukta C. She claims it happened. 

Posted on the rare occasion of Friday the 13th meets Bhoot Chaturdashi (The same was posted by me in my school blog)