One of the funniest moments I had was when I was in primary school. It was March and the sun’s rays were beating hard on my neck. I had decided to prank my friend and set about doing it by telling her stories about ghosts. I had initially planned to only ‘prove’ that ghosts existed but as I thought more about it, I decided not to be so merciful and decided to lock her in the supposedly haunted washroom. I felt a slow and evil grin creep onto my face. Little did I know that my plan was going to backfire on me.

After school had ended, I brought my friend to a corner and decided to put my plan into action. “Madhu, do you know ghosts existed? I can even prove it to you that they do. Let us go to the 4^th level washroom and test out the story.” It was a rumour that the washroom was haunted and that a faceless ghost lived there. We walked up to the washroom with a spring in our steps and trepidation fluttering in our hearts. She walked into the washroom and I followed her. We went into separate cubicles. When I went out, I realized that Madhu was nowhere to be seen. She had already gone out. She had to be waiting for me outside. When I went to open the washroom’s door, I realized that it was locked. Oh no! My fear started to increase. I felt tears of perspiration run down my back. I felt dizzy and I could feel my fear reaching to its peak. I felt a cold draft hit my back and cause tingles. Then somebody tapped my shoulder. I turned behind and saw someone who did not have a face. I could not identify any features on the face. It was just expressionless. Being the naïve child I was then, I thought it really was a ghost and started to hyperventilate. There were also a few moans. “Ahhh!!!” I screamed as I felt fear run through me. It was horrifying experience. Out of the blue, the door knob opened. My savior! It turned out to be Madhu and not the cleaner who had access to the keys. I was confused and had a question mark look on my face. She jingled a set of keys in front of me. “I borrowed the keys from the cleaner. So, happy early April’s Fool! “she explained. I realized that it was 31^st March. We remained friends throughout primary school.

Friendship is something to be treasured. If you are true friends, you will be able to forgive and not bear a grudge just because they pulled a prank. Even though I lost my voice for a few hours, it was a day to be remembered as my friend used my secret fear (ghosts) to turn the tables on me. I learnt that memories with friends can be sad, joyful even exciting. However, the ones you experience the most are fun events so cherish these memories as you never know what is coming next.

Labels: Roshini