epithelial

PROLOGUE:
The wind is blowing fast-a bit too fast for my liking. But then, it was better than I expected, given that I was standing on the highest point my college could offer me. We had chosen a wise date for the dare as it is the last day of the second semester, precisely a certain basic electrical engineering exam in which the likes of eight and nine-pointers failed to make a mark in the mid-semester examinations. Somehow we were sure we won’t flunk in the end semesters that all the more increased our perseveration towards performing the…well not undoable, but the preposterous dare.
Visiting the bell tower-this is a feat all the first year students get in legacy from our seniors. We specially identified the need to visit this place after going through the album of one of our seniors in healthy detail. It emerged as a sort of “tashan” to steal to this place…especially as it was not allowed. The entry was a rickety spiral staircase that evolved from the out-of-bounds siren room, located just near the vice-chancellor’s office. The guard had been meaningfully positioned there by the authorities for carrying out three simultaneous duties that is so exclusive to the Indian way of doing things or rather getting things done, namely-barring access to the VC’s office during unofficial and inconvenient hours, ringing the sirens at exact intervals of fifty minutes signaling the end of periods and third (less tiresome and seldom responsible), guarding the staircase to the college terrace.
Our plan was well-made, and even better accomplished, that is so untypical for first time wrong-doers. But now when I think of it, sitting within the confines of my room that impedes absolutely every chance of stepping a toenail out of line, maybe this instinct was too well-honed not to be successful during the recessive periods I spent in my room at large with no one for company except me in the first semester. But that’s a different story altogether.
Yes-the plan. One of my less daring friends-Palashi was supposed to do this little bit for us; her share of contribution towards this plan-the necessary evil part of being one of us. She was to create a diversion by feigning to be confused about the complex labyrinths of passageways and involving the guard in her quest. Meanwhile, we were supposed to make a grab for the now-unguarded doorway and fly off towards the sky! And that we did. We successfully reached the terrace of or building, none of us were what one would call averagely tall, so we didn’t particularly worry about us being seen by the euphoric students frolicking in the grounds below. And we believed Palashi too much to worry about any intruders to our blissful bout of rule-breaking.
We glided up the staircase leading from the terrace to the bell-tower, and I ran to touch the bell, symbolically trying to ring it, signaling the end of our second semester of engineering studies. I was happy…very happy the way things turned out to be; especially after the murky details of the first semester. The subsequent years would be even better, I decided then. There. I narrowed my eyes, trying to blink away the tears, but Ravi saw me. I smiled apologetically; she looked away, choosing to ignore my gesture. I was thankful.