“Okay! Please don’t freak out!” The two friends were silent for a few moments. Then Rupesh unexpectedly hit her with“You haven’t changed at all have you?” Priya was caught off-guard. “How do you mean?” “You know, the way you were in school. Always so nervous, always afraid of the teachers! Like time Miss Mukherjee wrongly punished you but you didn’t say a word?” “That’s not true!”, Priya protested but her friend went on. “And you wouldn’t tell on the kids who bullied you because you were scared they’d bully you more if you did?” Priya felt her ears burning up. The attack of humiliation was like a slap across her face. “Look”, he added quickly, “I’m not saying all this to bring back bad memories. It’s just that… don’t you think you should try being a bit more gutsy? I mean, asking for a day off shouldn’t be that big a deal!” Well truth be told, Rupesh, you haven’t changed either! You’re still the same imposing jerk you were in high school! The very reason I had stopped talking to you altogether! Of course, she didn’t say any of this aloud to him. “I get in trouble a lot more frequently than other people do’’, she said meekly. “My luck isn’t so great”, she added with a laugh so awkward it was almost painful to witness. “We make our own luck!”, he declared. Oh the desire to sock the guy in the face was too tempting! “Not always”, she said instead, “trust me, I’ve been born with the curse of bad luck.” “Nonsense!” “It’s not! ”, Priya didn’t know why she was even explaining herself but she couldn’t stop. “Trust me”, she continued, “I wish I could find a genie or a wishing well or a horseshoe or something that could help me!” “I don’t know of any wishing wells”, he replied, “but there’s a wishing pond. You could try that” Priya tried to guess if this was a joke. She couldn’t make that out from his expression. “It’s true! “, he continued, “the little pond behind Harinathpur Kali temple is said to be a wishing pond. I don’t believe in luck. But at least three people I know have tossed coins into the pond and got what they wished for. Give it a shot!” “Oh no! I’m not that desperate yet!” It was a lie. Priya was intrigued by the idea. But was such a thing even possible? A wishing pond? It’s so foolish to travel all the way back looking for some pond that may or may not be magical. I’m already late for work. But then again…if I don’t try, I’ll never know. Surely, I won’t get in too much trouble for arriving a few minutes late. It’s Durga Puja after all! “Okay! I get off here”, Rupesh announced. 5
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