To add more fuel to this daily dose of disheartenment Sashi takes, Elizabeth ma'am enters her life. Elizabeth ma'am is the headmistress of the primary school Sashi studies in. She is a tall, fair-skinned, hefty woman, who goes on rounds all the time, visiting one classroom after the other, holding a wooden stick intended to frighten these young, free-minded spirits, in one hand and wearing a big-framed, black spectacles, which she adjusts frequently to have a clear sight when she peeps into the classrooms, intending to disturb the magical moments of recess, enjoyed by the children in between the classes. Though Sashi protects herself many a time from having a direct face-to-face encounter with this Elizabeth ma'am, she still fears in massive amounts, whenever she hears her voice or even feels like she has caught a sight of her at least from the corner of her eye.
Sashi's school is planning to have a small celebration for the forthcoming children's day. Sashi's been selected for a stage play. To each of the programmes finalized for the event, Elizabeth ma'am appoints a teacher to look over its activities. And to Sashi's sheer good luck or bad luck, it is Elizabeth ma'am who is going to handle the stage play Sashi is going to be part of. When Sashi hears her name in the list, which Elizabeth ma'am proudly announces in the school assembly that she is going to train these beings to the excellence, her heart beat skips a minute. World seems blank to her for a moment. She even asks her friend, who stands before her in line of her morning school assembly, if she hears it correct. Elizabeth ma'am goes on reading the list of programmes she plans for the event. Nah!! Sashi no longer shows excitement to find out the remaining programmes. The flashing news robbed her of excitement. The war is already lost for her.
On the very next day, Elizabeth ma'am asks the students selected for stage play to assemble in the ground under the shade of a big tree. She has already finalized costumes for all the characters in the play, and calls a tailor today to take body measurements of all the students in the play. She is that forward and excited for the forthcoming event. After all she is the headmistress. Doesn't she want her closely supervised play to stand above all else ?
All the students assembled near the tree. Though everybody else knows why he/she has been called for, Sashi is still oblivious of the reason behind it, as she loses her composure as soon as she hears the call from Elizabeth ma'am. She comes and stands near the tree along with her friends in the same state of terror-filled shock.
And now, nerve-jolting scenario takes place. Elizabeth ma'am signals Sashi and asks to bring her handbag. WHATTTTT?????? Sashi gets jolt-awakened to the situation. She cannot believe it. Basically she doesn't want to believe it. But she realizes that she has to. Without wasting much time, she soon leaves for madam's cabin to get her handbag, as she fears if Elizabeth ma'am turns again after just a few minutes and scolds her for being there in the same place without running for the bag.
Sashi's nervous system is fully active now as it is sub-conscious mind which takes hold, in emergency conditions. Within a few minutes she lands herself in her cabin. And now, the holy search of the handbag begins. A very basic question hits Sashi. What color is madam's handbag ? Or least how does it even look like ? Sashi curses herself for being in such a hurry and failing to ask the color of handbag, though she is not completely sure whether she has the guts to ask a straight question to Elizabeth ma'am in response to her command. Sashi takes a few, quick glances in all directions. She cannot find at least a single bag. She takes a step forward and opens a few racks. But still it is of no use. A layer of sweat has already clouded her forehead. Minutes pass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sweat dripping now. Still she cannot find it. Sweat dripping more profusely now. She makes an attempt to wipe the sweat with her sleeve. After even kneeling down and searching almost all the racks of the madam's desk and cupboard, she gets up to stretch her aching back once. And now she sees her music teacher named Samuel, sitting and watching her from the adjacent cabin which has a glass enclosure.
Sashi has a special relation with Samuel Sir. He teaches prayer songs to all the students during his hour. Sashi once gets caught by him in the playground when she is taking pains to imitate him singing his favorite 'Bind us together' song, in the presence of her friends. He goes past her silently, with a frowning face. DAMN IT!!! After that debacle, it is now, she is seeing him again. He has been watching Sashi's futile attempts to find the bag. As soon as Sashi fixes her gaze on him, unintentionally, he gestures her to come to his cabin. Sashi goes and greets him, simpering. Kindhearted Samuel Sir says that Elizabeth madam's handbag color is black and Sashi can find it in the locked, bigger rack of the cupboard, whose key is usually placed under the sheets in first rack of madam's desk. Sashi feels grateful to him for the help. Almost twenty minutes passed by already. Sashi's tension is in peeks. She still does not know how to account for the delay she has already made. She kicks into the room again, finds key, opens the sought after rack with fast, pulsing heart. To her surprise, there are two bags and that too one is yellow and the other is red in color. WHERE THE HELL IS THIS BLACK BAG???
Enough of the nonsense. Sashi cannot not take tension any longer and straight away goes and stands near the ma'am to say that she couldn't find her handbag after a thirty-minute vigorous search . She is waiting for the chance to speak to ma'am, as ma'am is busy in speaking to a group of people, regarding the event. Sashi tries to interrupt ma'am twice. But the attempts go futile. When She tries to speak to her the third time, ma'am turns her head and says, '' Hey girl, which section do you belong to ? What are you still doing here in the ground ? Bunking the classes or what ? Go to classroom immediately. " in a harsh, admonitory voice.
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ? HOW CAN SHE EVEN SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT ?
She returns to class all the way finding as many different ways of cursing the ma'am as possible. Her classroom is chaotic since the respective teacher has not yet come to take class. As soon as she enters the class, her set of buddies come running to her to say, " Where have you been Sashi ? Elizabeth ma'am called out your name thrice, when she took out a piece of paper from her handbag handed over by Hasitha, and started calling out the names of the participants in the play. She even asked us to inform you that you have to meet her tomorrow in her cabin. ''
And only when Sashi constantly replays the scenes which take place as soon as she gets to the ground, would she realize that she misconstrues the Elizabeth madam's command given to Hasitha, who happens to stand JUST BEHIND Sashi. 😲
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