A lpana loved the school the minute she saw it. The old grey stone building rising out of the mountain side, the orchard, the rose garden, the playground... everything had a charm to it.
The dorm (she learnt that was what it was called) was big and airy with large windows that let in ample light.
“It gets really cold in winter,” said Banu, a girl she had just met. “And we just don’t want to get up in the morning because we are all so snug under our blankets.”
First day
The first day was slow and Alpana was glad to get to know her dorm mates who were also her classmates. “Some of the girls are day scholars. You will meet them tomorrow in class,” said Aarthi.
“What are our teachers like?” asked Alpana. She was an average student, and absent-minded too — she often forgot her books and sometimes, her home work too. But, she was determined that she would be more alert in this new school.
“Our class teacher this year is Miss Ambrose. She’s sweet, but she puts on a serious face and tries to be strict... But, you watch out for our Maths teacher. Mrs Ramamurthy,” warned Banu. “She is a tough one. Grim as hell and nasty too. There are a lot of stories about her. Some really scary ones too.”
Alpana found the teachers were a happy bunch, except for Mrs Ramamurthy, or The R, as she was called. She was a nasty piece of work. Although it was the first day, The R had no qualms of giving them homework . The day passed in a blur of activity.
At six, when the bell rang, Alpana was told it was time for prep. They collected their books and went to the common room to do their homework. Alpana took out her books and decided she would do her Math homework first. To her dismay, she found her book was missing.
“Oh no! Not today!” she exclaimed. “I can’t be so careless! Where could I have left it?”
Hearing her, Banu said, “Maybe you left it in class. Go and see.”
Sobs that scare
So, off she went. She noticed that the sun had set but its soft glow lingered, setting alight the mountains in the horizon. The plants and trees in the garden too smouldered in the fading rays. She felt a shiver run down her spine. She ran to her class and reached her desk. She heard the sound of crying and looked around. She saw a girl slumped on the first desk... her shoulders heaved as she sobbed.
Alpana went toward the weeping girl hoping to comfort her. She put out her hand to touch her and then the image of the girl and the sounds disappeared. All was quiet. Alpana’s mind went blank. She didn’t know how long she stood there, cold with fear and shock. She only came back to the present when her friends came searching for her. She recounted her story to them. None of them were shocked. Aarthi said, “We have heard some stories about this girl who cries in this class. We never believed it till now.”
“They say it was The R that drove her to her death. She kept the girl locked in the classroom to make her finish her homework. But, The R forgot and went home. The next day, when the classroom was opened they found her dead inside. Since then, none of the classrooms are locked at night,” said Banu.
