Silly Tales

Card Coincidence

Back in school during an exam, I had to share a bench with a senior student studying in class ten. When the exam had started, we all were writing at full speed when the invigilator was taking usual rounds of inspection. The senior beside me stood up, handed over his script and, very surprisingly, declared that he had forgotten to bring his admit card that day. Just as I heard him say that, I automatically looked at my small pencil box, where I keep my admit card. I, instantly, felt a chill running down my spine as I realized that I had forgotten my card too! It was a really, really awkward moment when I had to repeat a statement which was stated moments before from the other side of the bench. I do not know whether the invigilator was in a good mood that day or if there was something else in his mind. But he let us both of carry on after a small warning. If it was not such a nerve-wrecking moment, we all could have had a bit of a laugh that day.

Shahriar Kabir
Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology, Dhaka.

Catch Goes Wrong

I remember the hot summer afternoons, when we couldn't wait for the school to be over, so that we could go out and play “catch-catch” with tennis-balls in the school playground. One afternoon, a very funny incident happened. I was in the third grade and the 1999 cricket world-cup had just ended. We were playing catch after school hours, when suddenly, our principal made a surprise visit. One of the balls thrown by a class mate accidentally hit the PA of our principal. Chills of fear ran down our spine as the principal called us. For a moment, we stopped breathing, and were waiting for the hell that was about to be unleashed upon us. To our surprise, our beloved principal burst into laughter, seeing our reaction combined with the fact that we were soaked in perspiration and covered in dust. It took us a few seconds to realise what was happening, but soon we started laughing too as the whole school watched! We were really lucky to get away with what we did, as our principal let us go with just a warning. Now, 13 years later, I can't help but smile about the incident.

Sadat Shams
Islamic University of Technology, Gazipur

Caught Red-Handed

Going to a reputed private school in Dhaka was a privilege, but it also made for a lot of good times. One particular incident still comes back to tickle my funny bone sometimes. It was a school day like any other. Classes were almost over. The only thing standing between us ninth graders and freedom was accounting. The consequent restlessness in the air was, however, accompanied by a bit of apprehension because this particular accounting teacher had either vowed to never bathe, or had boycotted every deodorant manufacturer in the world. Either way, his entrance into the classroom meant we had to test our ability to not breathe. After about fifteen minutes of suffering putrid hell, one of my classmates seemed to have been suffocated into temporary insanity. With the whole class watching anxiously, and the teacher writing on the blackboard, she tip-toed towards him with a bottle of deodorant. Just as she was about to blast the man with a fresh flowery scent, he turned and jumped at the sight of her. Looking livid he stormed out of the room, to a thunderous roar of laughter.

Nazif Hossain
Sunbeams School, Dhaka