The Magic of the Secret Door

Friends, hope you like this comic story, whose major part is autobiographical. Thank you.

Anand loved books. I believe the title of ‘a bookworm’ could fit him to a tee.

It was no wonder, therefore, that when Anand joined his school, its library facilities would become his second home. Thus, you could see him sneaking off to this cherished home as often as he could in between his class hours.

And the shiny encyclopedias, kept on a prominent shelf in the central hall of the library, held special attraction for him. These thick tomes had such smooth pages… such colourful prints… such wonderful smell…such interesting tidbits! The boy just loved them.
Moreover, there were a couple of old-fashioned sofas in the hall, and it was a pleasure to recline in comfort while devouring those volumes. All in all, the library was like heaven!

In this sequence, Anand rushed to the library after wolfing down his lunch one afternoon. He knew that the next period, which was that of geography, would be an off-period because the concerned teacher was out of town. As he reached the library on the first floor, he was startled to find it empty save for the librarian-in-charge. To add to his joy, that lady also left for the principal’s chamber on the ground floor on urgent summons.

“I will be back in fifteen minutes. Till that time, be vigilant and take care of the library,” she commanded her student.
“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Aha!” he rejoiced inside, “today, I can read in complete peace,” as he settled on his favourite sofa with his favourite volume. To his annoyance, however, this humid August afternoon made him thirsty, and he had to rush off to the water-cooler in the corner. As he came back after gratefully gulping the refreshing drink, Anand was startled to see a door on the wall behind the cooling machine.

“Now, this cooler was taller than I am. Maybe that is why I missed the door earlier. Maybe it was always there, but I never paid it any attention. Maybe it was a recent addition … maybe… maybe… maybe…,” an umpteen number of reasons flashed through Anand’s mind as to why he had missed the door earlier.

As he continued gazing at the door while lounging on his sofa, his curiosity was aroused: “What is there beyond this mysterious door?”
Mind you, Anand was a disciplined boy and did not do anything at school or at home without permission. But here was a mysterious door behind which more treasures of books could lie hidden. Soon, Anand found himself inching towards the door and placing his hand on its knob with a palpitating heart.

“Should I or shouldn’t I?” mused the boy. I have to confess that his love for books managed to win over the need to follow rules. He decided to push open the door.

As he stepped inside, the first thing he noticed was a full-length mirror on the opposite wall. So strange! Why should there be a mirror in a library of all places? But when he saw himself in the mirror, he could not believe his eyes! When he entered the library, he was a lanky eleven-year-old boy reading in Class 6 of his school. But here he seemed to be a fully grown adult!

More shocks were waiting for him. In that magical room, Anand was startled to discover that he was the principal of his school. And all the teachers who used to burden him with so much homework… with so many lessons to memorize… with such heavy bags to carry every day, were now his students. The tables had been turned!

Anand now sat at the head of the table in the classroom, and all his teachers sat in their school uniforms in front of him. He was looking severe. On the other hand, all his teacher-cum-pupils were looking scared. It was evident that they were guilty of some other mischief: they had not prepared their lesson, or they had forgotten to do their homework, or they had come late for school, etc.

“Hmm, these truant children need to be taken to task so that they mend their ways in future,” decided the new principal. He was taking his responsibilities seriously!

Turning his gaze toward his erstwhile math teacher, he asked in a steely voice, ‘Hey, you! Where is your homework?’

The teacher-turned-student began to fumble, “Sir, I forgot to put that notebook in my schoolbag today.”

“You naughty boy, you deserve punishment. Stand up on the bench till the end of the class.”

The principal turned his attention to the next student, a history teacher in the earlier version, “The guard has reported that today you came to the school late. May I know the reason?”

The student mumbled, “Sir, today I missed my school bus. I had to come by a public bus instead.”

“Why?”

Silence.

The principal roared, “You must have woken up late today. Bring me a letter of apology countersigned by your father tomorrow. I will ask you to read it to the whole class. Hope the scolding you are receiving from me today will make you get up early from tomorrow onward.’

“Hmm,” Anand felt a delicious tinge, “How just it is to scold those people! Otherwise, they are so liberal in handing out punishments left and right!"

But what is this?

Who has dared to shake the new principal’s august shoulders?

Oh no! It was the librarian, and it was a real figure this time! “My goodness,” realized the frightened boy, “I must have fallen victim to a post-lunch siesta on the sofa. So, what I saw a few moments ago was a daydream!” His worst suspicions were confirmed as he heard his fuming teacher shout, “So, is this how you take care of my library in my absence?” She then continued in the same vein for two minutes straight.

A crestfallen Anand promised then and there to never sleep in school in general and in the library in particular in future. He was a rule-abiding boy by nature, and he knew he would keep his promise. Needless to add, the severe scolding he received a few moments ago, a real scolding this time, would go a long way to ensure that!

But as he walked back to his classroom, Anand couldn't help but smile. "Being the principal wasn't so bad, though!" A mischievous glint came to his eyes, “Maybe one day, I'd get to be the boss for real. Aha!”

***