The boarding school of Henry

Henry Greene was a calm and serene teenager. It was his passion to stroll in the garden next to his house and sketch out the beautiful scenes of plants and animals interacting in nature while listening to Mozart. It would be perhaps wrong to conclude then that he was an introvert, as he enjoyed playing too with his friends in the evening. But he was different from others in that he was a kind of boy whose likes and dislikes were rarely influenced by friend-inflicted-prejudices, so he was able to enjoy many of the things which his friends and classmates knocked off.

It was a Friday, as the family sat together for dinner, that the question of Henry's further education was raised by his father. His father was worried that due to Henry's non-conformist attitudes, that as he did not align himself with the prevailing atmosphere at his school, Henry lacked friends. So he felt that if Henry was sent to a new school, with a different atmosphere, with new open-minded people surrounding him, he would perhaps enjoy his life more. So he asked, " Henry dear, do you want to continue your studies at your current school, or would you like to go to a new institution?" Henry initially felt uncomfortable for why did his father raise this topic of his education suddenly, but he adjusted himself and replied, "Dad, do you want me to study in some different school?". " No, I was just wondering about the prospect of a good boarding school for you", the father said. "I have not thought about that much", Henry replied. "Don't worry. Take your time. I have proposed my idea. It's your choice to accept it or not", his father replied. "Ok," Henry said.

Henry did his job and convinced himself that a boarding school would be a better option for his future. He also did his research and detailed out the good boarding schools in his state. After some days when the family was up together for dinner once again, and when his father was in a fine mood, he said, "Papa I have made my mind. I will go to Sherborne International School". "That's your final decision then, boy", the father asked. "Ya" muttered Henry. " Alright, then we will apply for this school which I hope is good, the next week", proclaimed Henry's father.

Henry smiled ear to ear. He was very excited about it. So much so that he could barely sleep at that night. Soon came his first day at the school. As soon as he entered his new campus, he was amazed by the soothing cold breeze which permeated the entire campus atmosphere and that past by his face to give a sense of pure relaxation when he inhaled them. Henry was also fascinated by the prospect of staying in this wonderful place for two whole terms, and also by the enormous amount of books the institution's library carried. Henry hoped fervently that within the premises of this school the next two years of his life would go as lively as possible.

So with these hopes, Henry stepped into his hostel room and swiftly evened his stuff out and managed everything at the right place so that he could sit near the window and enjoy the sight of lush green mountains which lay nearby. After enjoying the scenery he lied down on his bed to have a nap that would remove the tiredness of this heavy day. When he woke up with a fresh mood an idea inflamed in his mind, to go and check the school library. While in the library he entered the state of an indescribable ecstasy on seeing so many books on diverse topics in front of his very eyes. He took a book entitled "The epistemology of human life" with him and drank all of it down in a few weeks.

Soon he was spending 3 to 4 hours daily in the library. He had even lesser friends than what he used to have at his previous school. Henry became solely absorbed in gaining as much knowledge as he could, all of which was guided by a beam of pure interest. This huge transformation did not come as a Pauline vision in Damascus Road but slowly condensed into what became a lifelong quest.

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, but yet his thirst for more was unquenchable. Near the end of the winter, during the Christmas holidays, he went home to be with his parents. This transition of Henry from an ambivert to a complete introvert in his boarding school was not hidden from his parents. They genuinely became even more concerned about their unusual child. Hence they started counselling him, "how did your days go?", "did you enjoy them?", " who was your best friend? Was he good towards you?"..... Henry understood his parent's condition and explained to them that nothing strange has happened. It was just that he got entirely absorbed in learning about the world that surrounds him. "That's nothing much to worry about. Everyone follows their passion in life, so do I." His parents were contented for the time being. But this did not last long.

His life got back into its original track when he returned to the boarding school to attend the second term. As what became his way of living, he rarely when out of his room during holidays and free times, working during the day as well as sometimes during the night. But such kind of life is not an easy one. He had his difficulties. He had his internal struggle to overcome all odds and progress towards the light, and there was his external struggle with parents and teachers who constantly dragged him towards being a follower of the hard-baked academic curriculum, which had no space for such ideas as his. But the overall atmosphere if the boarding school was very helpful and enlightening for his development.

When he grew up, Henry Greene became the Laureate Henry Greene and was considered to be a great man by many. But due to his innate quality of being humble, he never forgot to acknowledge the importance of the library and atmosphere of his boarding school, which never discouraged him but rather always boosted him.