THE MINI ADVENTURES OF SHRUTI

CHAPTER 2

After a few more steps, they reached the main gate of the school. The watchman wasn't there but the gate was left half open. The worker asked, "Do you want me to accompany you inside?" Shruti shook her head and said, "No thank you. You have already done enough for me." The worker smiled and mumbled before leaving, "Such an unlucky woman she is, to not have such a daughter in her life..." Shruti sighed on hearing that and walked inside the school. For the first time, the school had been so silent. The sound of her footsteps echoed as she walked up to the Chemistry lab.

The door was locked. Maybe Gopal hadn't arrived yet. Shruti checked the time and found that she was four minutes early. It won't be long before her teacher's arrival. She walked away from the lab's door and stared down at the empty and silent quadrangle from the third floor. She was enjoying the silence even though her mind kept chattering about the fact. When she took a deep breath, it echoed, when she walked it echoed, when she clapped her hands, the sound was extremely loud. She was the only person in the school right now. She whispered things to herself and laughed at the jokes she cracked in her mind. She went into a few classes on the third floor, including hers. It was all the same as yesterday. The writings on the board, the chalk, the benches and the book rack.

She had a peculiar habit to collect random things. She went to each class and put all the chalk she found in her bag. It was of no use for two months anyway. She opened the cupboards and emptied the chalk boxes in her bag. She used to eat small pieces of chalk when she was two years old. The habit of eating it was gone, but the habit of collecting it stayed the way it was.

Every time she saw a piece of chalk not in use, she wanted it. She always collected nothing other than white chalk. The other colours never interested her. She had lots of chalk in her bag right now. She had finished emptying the chalk boxes in her class and another few classes when she heard the sound of shoes. She knew her teacher had arrived. She quickly emptied a box in her hand into her bag from a classroom and quickly closed the zips and wore her bag. She ran out of the class and closed the door slowly behind her. She ran towards the stairs and saw Gopal walking in the towards the stairs.

She made her way in front of the Chemistry lab and waited for her teacher to come upstairs. She rubbed her fingers with all her might meanwhile, in order to make the chalk powder on them go away. Soon the chalk powder on her fingers disappeared and her teacher was walking towards her. When he reached her, she said, "Good morning sir." Gopal replied, "Good morning. I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."

"Not at all sir."

"Did you come here alone?"

"No sir. A worker from the orphanage escorted me till the main gate."

Gopal nodded and opened the door with the key.

They went inside and Gopal placed his sling bag on the table and took out the time machine. He hadn't noticed that Shruti was still wearing her bag.

"Have you brought something for the test?"

"Yes sir. Will an old notebook be doable?"

"Of course."

Shruti took out her notebook from her bag and wore it again. Gopal had meanwhile pressed a red button on the machine.

"Is that how you switch the machine on, sir?"

Gopal nodded in reply. Shruti watched the machine with keen eyes. When the machine was ready, Gopal took the book from Shruti and placed it on the table.

He took the machine in his hands. "Shall we see how it will look in the future?"

Shruti nodded excitedly. Gopal said, "I am setting it one year in the future." Shruti didn't make a sound and watched Gopal make the bulb on the right face the surface of the book. He then pressed a green button and a white light flashed on the book. The label turned slightly brown gradually. The bind started looking old. The pages started to look used.