Board results were round the corner. Every student who had appeared for the examination that year, was jittery.
"What if I don't score well?" "What if my percentage is the lowest in the neighbourhood?" "What if I don't live up to the expectations of my parents?" "What if my friends mock me?" These words were ringing aloud in the mind of Prarthna. The apple of her parents eye, born to them after years of wedlock, she had been the center of their world ever since she had entered their lives.
Pampered to the core, she had never had any cloud of doubts about herself but today, for the first time, she was uncertain of herself.
In those days, the results were not available on the internet. One had to report to school at the given time, when the mark list would be put up on the notice board to be seen by one and all. This was the most dreaded moment as apart from seeing your own result, one could easily check the result of the others. Everyone was under the scanner. The neighbours too would shamelessly ask about your result and you could do nothing but oblige.
With baited breath, Prarthna looked at the display board. She quickly scanned the list for her name and lo! 75%!!!!!!!! That was unbelievable! The academically bright girl had all her positive hopes shattered. She had studied hard, given her best but could have possibly gone wrong? She knew that mathematical calculations sent her into a tizzy but still she had hoped for better marks.
The notice board area reverberated with various sounds. Celebratory, joyful, excited, angry, upset, nervous, all emotions mixed together in the air. Prarthna retreated slowly. She could not relate to anything that was happening there. She had disappeared into a world of her own thoughts. Amidst this banter, nobody realized that Prarthna had left.
Absent mindedly she walked along the snaky road which lead up to her home but instead of walking home, her feet veered into another direction, the direction of the cliffs. She couldn’t begin to imagine how her parents would react when they would get to know that their beloved daughter had failed them! Standing at the edge of the cliff, she surveyed the vast expanse of green around her. She wanted to get lost in that green, never again to face her parents.
While she was contemplating this, one little voice told her, “Go home! Your parents are waiting.” As if, breaking from her reverie, Prarthna realized what she was just about to do! She quickly walked back to her home. Her parents were pacing up and down the balcony when she spotted them. They waved cheerily at her. Her faint wry smile in return told them that something was amiss and they knew exactly what had happened.
“Wow! My daughter has got 75%! That’s a distinction percentage. I could just manage a first division in my time,” said her father. “You’ve crossed a milestone in life,” said her mother. “Let’s celebrate!!!!!” Both her parents said together.
This reaction of her parents and what she had been contemplating just a short while ago, sent a chill down her spine! How could she have even thought of taking such a drastic step? How could her parents have handled this? God! She was so insane to have even thought of committing such a gory sin! She was ever so thankful to that voice of reason which had stopped her just in the nick of time.
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