It happened last summer, a week before the beginning of our vacations. All my friends had decided to bunk class. I study in a residential school and for us friends are like one?s family.

Because my friends were determined to go ahead with their plan, they tried to convince me too. When that failed, they tried to provoke and tempt me. ?Just think what fun it will be,? whispered Rohan in my ears.

I ignored him and walked on down the corridor, only to be followed by more of them. ?All of us will get together every evening,? said Atul, tugging me by my hand. ?And we will watch soccer till late night and get up really, really late in the mornings,? he added, knowing how much I would love doing that.

I almost gave in to the temptation. But the memory of how furious my father had been when I had bunked classes last time made me hold on to my resolution.

I just tried to walk away. But my friends kept following, singing: ?What a coward he is, what a coward he is!? I did feel silly, and I knew everyone could hear all this. But for once, I remained strong. Little did I know this was a beginning of some major miseries.

The next day I dragged myself out of bed and went for my chemistry class, a subject I always hated. No matter how hard I tried to memorise the confusing formulas, I always forgot them by next morning.

It didn?t help matters that I didn?t particularly like my chemistry teacher, Mr Prithviraj Tiwari. He was reed-thin, barely 5-ft tall, bespectacled, bald, with very thick moustache. He probably had the most unique frown I have ever seen on anyone. He had been a part of the school ever since I was a kid. And I don?t remember him smiling ever. Sometimes, I felt he must have been a dictator in his previous birth. Friends said I was absent minded, but even they agreed that our chemistry teacher was even more absent minded than I was!

Anyway, there I was facing him. The first period of the day, sitting all by myself, surrounded by vacant benches. Whereas I knew why they were vacant, Tiwari looked at them absolutely shocked. ?Where are the other students?? he almost thundered and his voice echoed through the empty room.

I was terrified and had no idea what to say. ?I have no idea,? was all that I could manage to murmur, so softly that I could barely hear myself.

I really do not know if he heard me, but I had to sit through the long lecture he started on.

?What?s the matter with the students nowadays? What?s wrong with the country? Is this the way to behave? This way their future seems bleak indeed...? he went on.

I didn?t know how bleak my friends futures were going to be, but my present looked very bleak indeed, as I sat morosely, looking at his frowning face. ?Never mind,? he suddenly said, adding :?I will teach you.?

That only made my heart sink further, as I had been hoping he would simply give me a holiday saying there was no point teaching only one student.

?So what is a fire extinguisher?? he asked, frowning as if I had already given a wrong answer. But all I could do was stare at him, absentmindedly, his words not quite registering in my mind. He perhaps thought I didn?t know the answer.

?Come with me,? he suddenly said, and started to walk out of the room. I quickly jumped up and followed, puzzled by his strange, new way of teaching.

Usually, he hardly even stood up while teaching. Anyway, I was happy I didn?t have to at least sit in the class and happily followed him through the long corridor till we came and stood in front of the fire extinguisher. ?Hold this,? he said gruffly.

I held it, and stood a little sheepishly, not quite knowing what to do with it. ?This is a fire extinguisher,? he said, almost magnimously.

?It?s beautiful,? was my absurd reply, not knowing what else was I expected to say. I held on to it. It was quite heavy, heavier than I had expected it to be. Tiwari started explaining to me how it functioned, to which I patiently listened. The lecture was long and boring and it was tiring to stand there for so long, holding on to the heavy cylinder.

?All my friends must be having such a wonderful time,? I started muttering to myself.

I desperately wanted the period to end, and I was impatiently shuffling my feet, when suddenly the fire extinguisher fell from my hands. And as it fell, I accidently switched it on. And as it fell with a hissing sound, I just stood horrified.

Its nozzle opened and a foamish liquid oozed out. Tiwari sir, too, was taken aback, not prepared for this sudden turn of events.

The foam began to spread through the corridor, most alarmingly. Meanwhile, almost half the corridor and its walls were covered with the foam. I tried to stop it from oozing further, though I had no clue how to. In the process all I managed was to turn the nozzle towards Mr Tiwari. After a while, all I could see was him standing there covered with foam, from head to toe.

Then, I simply ran for my life, not stopping till I had reached my room and locked myself in. Then at the first available opportunity, I went home, happy to find that my father was away on a tour and so could not know I had bunked school and come.

After the vacations, I had expected a sound thrashing from Tiwari sir. But surprisingly, he did nothing. Either he had forgotten the incident, or maybe I was rewarded for being the only student present in the class that day.