My Cherubic Onset!

On a bright, brilliant day on ides of scorching June, the fidgety 7th grade me decided to take up the “Flag- holder” position for civilians marching troop, our coach has been pushing me for. I did, & even boldly took the charge as the elected president of the dance-drama club. Signed the papers in front of our Principal Rev. Fr.Job. K. Thomas ( just remember him, he is the paramount figure here). Leaving the office and while strutting down the corridors I got a strange feeling, the one you get when you are about to perform on a stage. Yes, “the butterfly in stomach” experience.

Ignored it, – just a mere excitement, puff!

The first two classes went extraordinarily well. I felt all new that half of my day. I was doing more than just good in my classes. I was jotting down everything superfast. I was annoyingly excited about everything. I was enjoying my newly achieved superpowers in my mind when suddenly my soul sister Pinki decided to poke me, just for a pen; she has always done that, for years and I never reacted. It was kind of cute for me. But today__

 Preposterous! A huge ball of fire rose to my heart from the void, bursting my brain, breaching the sister code and throwing unintended words out of my mouth, loudly.

” Are you trying to kill me here? Can’t you just shut up? Why don't you ever bring your own pen?"

“I was just…” she paused and left.

I regretted instantly, but the arrow had already left its bow brutally hurting the target.

She changed her seat. Not only was she hurt, but also shocked for I had always been the well mannered, patient shoulder in her goofy times.

Recess was tough for two reasons, one- Pinki was avoiding me, two- all of a sudden every muscle in my body was behaving as if tied to huge logs of wood. For the next four periods, I was engaged in my activities without a clue about why am I irritated at everything.

By the end of the 7th period, I started getting a sudden urge to gulp hot spicy bowl of ramen, which of course was impossible to find at school. I was thirsty, more than anyone would ever get during summers. My gums started to swell itchingly.

“Did something happen last night? Did I sleep-walk? Was someone here? Did I meet the Count for real?"

I rushed to the girl’s washroom to check any signs left behind; yeah you got it right, Fang-signs. I was pretty sure that I was turning into a blood-sucking creature. -Bram Stoker effect.

Nothing, there was nothing to substantiate my theory.

Attended rest of the lessons with all these rushed emotions and overlapping mysterious thoughts.

Wrapping up at school, I was getting ready to leave when I noticed Father Job staring at me. Creepy!

” Good afternoon Father. Was just about to leave. I won’t wait long”, uttered my words at a breakneck speed.

Honestly, I was smashed by then.

” You are a good student, child”, he said, “You deserve a reward. I had always wished to present to you one for your birthday. Anyway, it's never too late.

“It’s alright, Father. You are already doing so much!”

“But this is different. Here is my shawl as a token of love, my child. You should wrap it around your waist. It would look classy that way”.

He handed me his Sardine-Gray Shawl & waited for me to wrap it.

I did exactly what he said, how can I not?.

The ” Brilliant! Now, You can rush home."

At this very moment, my eyes were filled with these briny fluids. I was all teary on my way back home, boasting my mom about how I’m the darling student of Father Job, tears flowing endlessly.

Wait, why am I crying? Nevermind.

On reaching home, mom asked me to take a shower so that we can continue this over lunch. I obeyed, moved to the lavatory, pulled down my briefs, and boom!

A cruor loaded patch had taken its path to reach my right hamstring, tinting my garb & turning my world 180 degrees. I suddenly became the brand new harbinger of magnified human emotions.

“Mom, I’m dying!” I screamed. ” There’s blood flowing out of me, It’s my end.”

My nonchalant mom came bearing a squarely poly-wrapped tissue, I guess, which she then stuck on another brief. She asked me to take a warm shower and change into this. She served me warm, slurpy stew.

“Mom, I’m sorry for all those nasty hurtful behaviour. I tried to be a good __, ”

“Shut up and eat”, she mumbled mildly. ” You are absolutely fine”.

“Then why am I bleeding?” I asked.

“You are sacred now. Close to God. He now gave you the power to create new lives. Women are blessed with this proficiency, you are going to become a woman now. A new achievement, right?”

“Mom, if I am close to him now, then why this blood? I’m scared that I’m going to lose all of it and die.”, I panicked.

” These are all the bad things coming out of you. The waste ones, along with all those bad words people spoke about you to hurt you, the parts of the memories that left you devastated and the bad foods you gulped. Guess, every reward requires some effort. This is the price you pay for being close to Him. This will cleanse you from the core and leave you as pure as Aurora.”

I had understood by then that all those unexpected transformations happening in me weren’t because I was turning into a fang-bearing creature rather me entering into a new world.

I called Pinki to apologize for my behaviour. She was chuffed. She forgave me in a wink. She was indeed a true friend. I will always regret the way I mistreated her. She had never gone through that phase till then. How could she get it? But we always learn from our missteps, don't we?

Father Job must have noticed stains on my uniform. I guess, the reward was not the serape, rather himself, a man so compassionate and sensitive.

To be continued…..