Page 133 - Gyananda YearBook 2022-23

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The girls stood in the corridors, presently negotiating with
Sarika, who refused to set the alarm at the last moment. "Bu-
but you promised!" said Noor, as she was the next victim in
line. Only then did Pihu whisper, "Guys, I think I saw a shadow
by the connecting corridor." A dead silence fell upon the girls. 12
"That's not possible. Nobody guards this place at night. "Only
the residential block and the main gate have security at this
time of the night," said Sarika, showing her watch that read
2:17 am. "Then was it a ghost?" The words rolled off Diya's lips
in a mere whisper. "Look, I told you guys our school is built on
a graveyard. "It's a malevolent spirit," Noor said, on the verge
of tears. Sarika snickered at the foolishness of her peers. Only
then did a hand grasp her shoulder. She could have sworn
that the colour left her cheeks and her blood ran cold. She
froze. Noor noticed in the dark, and she lit the torch over her
shoulder only to reveal something horrifying. The girls all
screamed and fell to the ground. It was none other than Ms.
Singh, their warden. The middle-aged woman gave them a firm
look before continuing, " Are you girls so smart? Do you think I
wouldn't notice if you all decided to sneak out? I have been
teaching here for 15 years. I know all about troublemakers like
you. " The girls wept, pleaded for apology and whatever they
could muster up, as getting caught wasn't in the picture.

"Now you all better get back, it's past two!" I will make
sure you hear from the coordinator and your captains
in the morning, and you will all do ten extra laps during
sports," she said before waving them off. They were all
silent as they walked back the same route, their epic
plan turned to mush. They went back to catch up with
the upcoming four hours of sleep.
The next morning, the four walked together, their
heads hung low in shame. They were sure their
classmates had already heard of it until the familiar
voice of Ms. Singh sounded behind them. "Good
morning, girls. I see you look a little glum today. All
well? " They were utterly confused. They went on to
mutter incoherent apologies, hoping the word
wouldn't get to the coordinator. Ms. Singh gave a
bewildered look before speaking, " What are you girls
sorry about? Have you been watching too much TV
over the weekend? "Now hurry up for breakfast," she
said, then walked away. They were muddled by the
queer behaviour until Noor spoke. "Th-the person we
saw last night I don't think it was Ms. Singh." Chills ran
down their spines.

RADHIKA KOHLI
GRADE IX