Masks #1

A muffled scream. A silent horror. An invisible threat. What would you make of these? Or rather, what would these make to you?

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“Yeah Mom, I’m coming down. Give me a moment”, I call out as I make my way down from my room in the process of getting ready to school. It’s rather Olympic a business. Seriously! I could’ve filled my cupboards with medals in that case! Wait, how come no one thought of this before? An Olympic game of getting-ready-to-school! I’m a genius. Am not I?

Well, back to reality. I pick up the toast on my way and give my mom a good bye kiss…munching, all the way.

I hurriedly finish my supposedly breakfast before I hit the main street. You know, I don’t want people staring at me or rather I don’t want myself thinking that they do. I slow my pace and walk to the bus stop. Ah, I’m early (about two minutes) which is an achievement. Hurrah!

I look around and there he is. My scary classmate – Jash short for Jashvant. No he isn’t scary because he looks so. He is just that one nerd guy. He always beats me in exams, which is kind of impartial. Come on, why always him and not me? Am I being irrational? Well, maybe.

His mom gives me a little smile and I return it politely. Well, she thinks that I’m kind of proof for her son’s genius. Seriously, she could be proud of her son, without involving me in it… You should see her when she always makes this (savage) speech to my mom about his talents and blah blah, tempting her to prove otherwise!  “Aww, how sweet of you, aunt!” my sarcastic brain would smile at her. I smirk mentally with my poker face on, reeling back to reality!

I brush her off as my bus turns the corner. Hmm, it’s five minutes late today (10 minutes yesterday and left without me the day before). I instinctively pull on a neutral face and get in my bus as it pulls over. Jash gets in first. My foot barely missed from getting smashed from his boot (nasty idiot, my brainy screams at him).

I get in the bus with my bag slung over and reach for my seat. The first seat! This is the only seat that will always be filled last. Everyone will prefer the last ones. You know…the group games, loud chats and secret gossips! But first seat is kind of reserved. The calm and undisturbed one. Okay honestly, no one will want to stare at the driver’s back and especially not the engine heat…except me. Because, I can deal with inanimate things and silence than the other (living) ones. You get me right?

I pull the window open and sit with my bag on my lap, comfortably in the window seat. Oh, this is heaven! A lorry crossed beside us and he honked his blaring nasty horn. Now, why would he do that? There isn’t even any vehicle in front. “You Mud-head”, my brainy yelled at him. I smiled tragically…not heaven, I guess then. Not with horns!

I drift along with time. Two stops crossed and two more to reach school, I count mentally. And I continue to stare out of the window. Our driver horns and I whizz back. At last, I’m at school. I pull my bag over and get down the bus, first.

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- Sp -