“Just one games period per week?” sighed Nitin.
“No, we have two!” interrupted Jai.
“Oh, one is Mass Drill period, not games!” retorted Moksh.
That was exactly why we were always looking for ways to get a free period. We were at our best when a substitute teacher came in, and we often managed to squeeze out a free period from her.
The bulletin board competition always excited us for one major reason: the class that won received a free games period! We coaxed our class artists to unleash all their creativity, let the bulletin board come alive, and bless us with that coveted prize. To our joy, our artists won! Our bulletin board was adjudged the best, and we got our free games period.
The right time
The timing couldn’t have been better. The sky was overcast with dark clouds, and a cool breeze was blowing. It was only the second period of the day; an excellent opportunity to hit the open playground.
”The prize coupon should be utilised right now!” everyone agreed.
The teacher happily obliged. Armed with our basketball and football, we lined up and headed to the play area. Playing alongside the two state-level football players in our class was always an enriching experience. Since no other class was on the field, we had the entire place to ourselves in that pleasant weather.
Suddenly, I noticed a group of students under a tree, looking up and throwing whatever they could lay their hands on. I abandoned my cricket bat and rushed over.
Mr. Daniel was already there, yelling at them to stop throwing stones. Everyone paused their games to see what was happening up in the branches. Was it the usual monkey gang visiting during the monsoons?
When we looked up, we saw the football, happily perched as if saying, “I’m not in the mood to play today.”
Illustration: Sreejith R. Kumar
Mr. Daniel warned us that throwing stones was dangerous. Naturally, the next move was trying to jump high enough to reach the branches, but all anyone managed to pull down were a few leaves and twigs. Then came Raman, the tallest boy in class, with Dev balancing on his shoulders while Mohit, the strongest, held them up on all fours.
Mr. Daniel put a stop to that acrobatic stunt immediately. “I will call the school helper. He’ll climb up and shake it down,” he said, pulling out his phone.
But our precious games period was ticking away; we couldn’t wait. Out of nowhere, Ratan came running and hurled his shoe straight through the branches. Everyone cheered, convinced the target was hit. Except the shoe didn’t come down. It settled comfortably in a Y-shaped branch. Within seconds, Ratan was hopping around on one foot, far more anxious about his missing shoe than the football!
Then came Navin, sprinting forward with a long iron pipe ready to launch like a javelin. Luckily, Mr. Daniel looked up from his phone at just the right moment. His loud shout froze Navin mid-throw, causing him to drop the pipe instantly. Even the longest sticks couldn’t reach the ball.
Enter the basketball
The basketball group, playing on the far side of the field, finally noticed the chaos and wandered over with their basketball.
”We’ll target the football with this!” one yelled.
Rohan pushed everyone aside, shouting, “I’m the best shooter! Baaaasket!”
Up went the basketball... only to clip a branch and bounce directly onto his head with a thud. Player after player took a shot. Ratan was the happiest when one misplaced basketball throw finally knocked his shoe off!
Varun eventually grabbed the basketball. “No more tries. We’re continuing our game; the period is almost over.”
”Please, one last try!” Navin pleaded.
Varun agreed, wound up, and launched the basketball into the tree with so much power that the football came dribbling down. We cheered for Varun at the top of our lungs before scrambling back to our spots. Ten minutes left; we weren’t going to waste a single second!