THE BOOK THAT LIVED

for #TheBestOfMeContest

It all happened when I was in ninth grade. I used to wake up at sharp 6 A.M. After doing a little bit of regular morning chores with mother and getting ready for school, I always headed for school at around 7:30 A.M. I loved going to school. 

One day, before the first bell going off, when I started pulling out my notebook as usual, I noticed my friend reading a thick story book. I asked her what she was reading. 

'Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone '  

'Is it a story?' I asked her to keep the conversation continue. 

'Yes and a very interesting one.' 

I gave her a perfunctory nod. 

I noticed she was almost at the end of the novel. 

Back then, I was a very competitive sort of girl. I never read anything outside of my syllabus. The only thing I ever read was Champak and Nagraaj (Hindi comic books). I always want to do better than everyone at everything. If, someday, someone in my class impressed my teacher in some way, next day I always tried to do something better than that to make my teacher like me the most.  

Then and there, I decided, if she can read such a thick book, than so can I.  

I asked her if I could borrow it. She nodded then resumed reading it. 

Whole lunch hour, I kept thinking about that book. How will I read such a thick book? There would be so many unfamiliar words in it. How irritating it would be to keep checking the dictionary. Swarms of such questions kept humming in my mind. The most important of all was how much time would it take to complete and if it took too much time which I was sure it would, then how terribly I would be behind my work in all my classes. 

Suddenly, I was all panicky and regretted asking my friend for it. 

To my horror, my friend finished it by the time school was over and handed it over to me. 

I was so very angry at her but I couldn't do anything so I gave her a fake toothy smile and took it. 

'You'll love it.' She said while giving it to me. 

'Let me decide that.' I replied. 

'Oh trust me, you will. Ok see you tomorrow.'  

With that she turned around and left. The first thing that came to my mind was that that infuriatingly heavy bundle of pages was going to add to the already heavy bag I carried home every day on my back. It was a good fifteen minutes walk from my school to my home. 

'What a thing I did?' I asked myself through gritted teeth. 

That day, for the first time, I regretted going to school. 

After reaching home I chucked my bag on my bad and went to shower. 

By 6 P.M I finished all my homework. To kill more time, I went to the kitchen to help my mother. The truth was that I was trying to ignore initiating reading that book. She was surprised to see me in the kitchen willingly but not more than me. I never thought a day would come when I would prefer spending time in my kitchen over something but alas everyone and everyplace have their day. 

After having dinner I reluctantly went to my room which I shared with my younger brother. Halfheartedly I took out Harry Potter. 

Next day I skipped school. 

The day after that was the hardest day for me as I had to give Harry Potter back to my friend. My Harry Potter. I was head over heels for that marvelous work of J.K. Rowling. It became my first favorite novel. I never thought it was possible for me to love a book that I hated a few days before so much. 

'so you liked it?' she asked me as I sulkily returned it. 

'I loved it. I loved it so much that I read it twice.' For the first time I was talking in a squeaky manner that the girls usually use while talking about an actor or make up or things along the same line. 

Soon I started watching movies based on it (my favorite novel) and I loved them so much (not as much as the book series) that I started making portraits of Harry (Daniel Redcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint), my three best friends. 

Harry Potter became my inspiration, my trigger. It brought out the reader in me who is patient and enjoys the characters and the writer's imagination. It also brought the inner artist in me. I make portraits today, though they are not that perfect but they definitely resembles the person of whom I tried and I love them but not as much as I love my books. 

I'm just greatful to J.K.Rowling for this lovely work and of course my first love.

share with me how you fell in love with HARRY POTTER. VOTE IT. IT WON'T TAKE MUCH TIME. JUST ONE CLICK. LOVE YOU XOXO. 

LONG LIVE HP FANS.