The Incident

The year was 1990, I was 11 and in an all-girls hostel. There were bunk beds for all of us. I was allotted the upper bed, coming from a lower-middle-class family, I was thrilled by the sight of a velvety bunk bed. I climbed the stairs attached to it and made myself at home right away merrily! As soon as I spread out on the soft and comfortable bed, I had the most enchanting feeling as if I was high up in tall mountains just a few feet away from god's abode! Suddenly, I was shaken out of my pleasant reverie upon hearing a familiar voice call out my name. My friend looked up at me and told me it was time for evening snacks. No sooner did I stand up to clear out my bed, did a girl turn the fan near me on! Before I knew it, one of the arms of the fan whacked my forehead with a loud bang and the chitter of the other girls faded into an eerie silence. I fell back on my bed, feeling close to god's abode yet again, but this time in a different sense. I felt my forehead with my hand, and it felt unusually warm, as I looked back at my hand, it was covered in blood. I fainted right there and then! The next time I opened my eyes, I was in a blue hospital gown, with my forehead stitched! To this day, I always get chills at the idea of buying a bunk bed!