interest in bruce lee’s stunts were limited, because he finishes the opponents in few fight moments, whereas Jackie chan jumps here and there and makes lot of fun, so he was still talking about Jackie chan and his monkey, drunken style of fighting. At the end of conversation, they have actually become those characters, yes, Nimmu decided that he would be Jackie chan , Gopu decided that he would be bruce lee and malik ,aarib had no idea about them. However gopu told that malik resembles Hercules and aarib has no character, in fact he was the one they need to save from evil forces. They started their role plays and stunts in the 10 minutes interval, however the interest increased among them and they started doing that every day. Now a day’s nimmu comes back early from home after lunch, to play the game. One day ramesh the monitor of the class came and he asked a role for him also, the only other character that they know is Rambo, so they gave the role to him, but on one condition that he should not attack anyone, but he can move behind trees and he was allowed to wear a piece of cloth in his head. One day the history teacher saw this game and noticed students jumping around in school, he warned all of them against strict action. It was a week after that, the teacher went on leave for a month. Gopu called everyone to play the game again, and this time they kept the name “Return of the Dragon” for their game.
Aarib’s dress seems to be giving up and the fibers were breaking, it was difficult for nimmu to see him like that. He noticed that every day aarib was wearing the same torn trouser. He wanted to understand more and asked aarib to take him one day to his house. Aarib told that his house is very far and nimmu may not walk and nimmu’s parents may not allow, instead he told that he would take him to his father’s working place. They both went on that Saturday morning after the tuition, it was a small hut and inside that they had set a furnace to make rice puff. The man whom he introduced as father was lean, full of dust in his hair and with lot of burns on his skin. Aarib’s father gets daily wages that was not even enough for them to cook decent food and eat, and education for aarib was indeed a luxury for them. Nimmu couldn’t take that and he was crying to his mother and told that aarib don’t have any money and don’t have dress to wear. His mother told him, that they can give his brother’s cloth as they were in pretty good condition. Nimmu wanted to give, but was hesitant to ask aarib, as he shouldn’t take that in wrong sense. Gopu was the one who asked to aarib, and aarib was so happy to take that. Nimmu’s mother gave aarib few pens also to use.
It was a day in December, when nimmu forgot his geometric box, and it was a mathematic class and they need to draw an equilateral triangle. He borrowed a compass from Vital the magician’s son. His father is from kerala and Vital claimed his father does lot of black magic also. Nimmu was using the compass and somehow he was careless a bit and by that time it broke. He don’t know what to do, he tried explaining to vital that it had fallen and he couldn’t do much. But vital told nmmu that he needs to resolve the problem. Nimmu told vital that next day he would give it back. Since the compass was made of plastic, Nimmu decided to show it in the stove and melt it to join. But the flame was thick from the burner and he was afraid, then he took a candle to the terrace and tried melting to join the compass parts. He was successful in joining to an extent, however now the compass was completely black. With lot of guts, he took the compass to vital and gave that. Vital really got angry and told nimmu that he has to buy a new one, else he would face consequence. Nimmu was so afraid that vital should not go for any magic, at the same time he never had any money with him. It was a practice in Nimmu’s house that his parents buy all the required things for nimmu and his brother, but they don’t used to give any pocket money to them. The only time they would get money was the Independence Day to buy chocolates; otherwise it would be clearly based on need. Now nimmu really got stressed, because the compass would not be sold separately in market but only as part of a complete geometric box, which would be very costly. He was worried that his father would get very angry that if he comes to know about it. He passed his days delaying the eminent, he told vital that he would buy, vital was running out of patience and nimmu was really getting stressed on how to tell this to parents. One day, vital caught the neck of nimmu and started abusing, there came gopu and he really thrashed vital, but nimmu stopped him and told that was his mistake. Gopu never came to school next day but he came on next to next day, nagaraj warned him that he would inform his father if takes leave like this. Gopu was quiet but sat next to nimmu and gave a new compass to him. It was for this, he was searching all the shops yesterday to get the compass, and he did found a shop in the afternoon which was one mile away from school, who sold only the compass. Nimmu really don’t have words for gopu and he told that he will give the money slowly, but gopu told that he would never take money from his close friend.
The half year was going to end; Nimmu and Gopu had become very close friends. They both were doing pretty well in the studies and they both were sharing their understanding. Malik and aarib was supported by nimmu on studies, he safeguards them from nagaraj’s wrath, he was more like a student teacher to them. The half yearly exams came, and all of them were well prepared and they all attended the exams and tried their maximum to not to miss one question also. In between they never forgot to safeguard aarib from evil, as Jackie chan and bruce lee. The exams were over, and they got holidays for a week. Nimmu and Gopu both went to their grandmother’s house in that break.
Final Quarter:
The school started and it was winter and all leaves have started falling and the tree class had to be cleaned every day. There was lot to share for Nimmu and gopu about their holidays and how they did spent it. However the teachers also had to share the marks of the students. The English teacher was sharing the marks, nimmu was just praying that he shouldn’t get marks much lower than Charles, indeed he got marks same as Charles. But it was gopu who had got the first marks. The Mathematics marks came and this time nimmu came first, like that tamil and social science (history & geography) marks also came, in fact every result gave nimmu and gopu alternatively the edge. As on that instance, only science marks were pending and now both of them were having equal marks. The science teacher Janaki was yet to join school back and it would be two days later. Nimmu got a plastic electronic watch and that was a big thing for him. Every half an hour he presses some button and keep changing the timing and exploring the options. The light in that watch dial was very fascinating for him, at the end of the day there was no reply from the watch and it was dead. He gave it off that to his father for repairing. His mother asked him the marks on his tests, nimmu was telling all the marks, however he didn’t tell that gopu was also having the same marks. He wanted to remain as hero of the class in front his mother.
Janaki came back; she started distributing the exam papers with mark details. Nimmu had got 90 marks in science and it was gopu the topper with 92 marks. This would mean that gopu would be the topper in class in the half yearly exam, and he was ahead of nimmu by 2 marks. Nimmu couldn’t believe that and he couldn’t digest that, he was no longer the topper but he is number two in rank. He asked gopu to show his exam paper to understand where could he score those 2 marks. Gopu was readily giving that exam paper, nimmu went by question by question and answer by answer. The answers were more or less the same, but then were did he scored those 2 marks. By this time the teacher finished the class and went away. Nimmu checked once again, it was for the question on seeds of plants, they both had given the same answer, but for that nimmu got zero marks, but gopu got two marks. However the situation was complex, as the answer for both of them were wrong. So nimmu couldn’t go and claim his marks to Janaki. Nimmu was worried about his parents, they would never accept that nimmu had got lower marks, in fact his father would say that he watches television and plays more time, that’s why he couldn’t score more marks. He was thinking it would be a disaster to face his parents in home. Whenever his father shouts at him, he just cries, and this time he knows that it’s certain for him. The only way he could avoid, was
by ensuring that gopu don’t get marks for those wrong answers. By that gopu and nimmu both will be in 90 marks and they would be ranked as number one together. He took gopu’s paper and went directly to the teacher’s room and asked Janaki to reduce the marks on Gopu’s paper. There were other teachers also present, and Janaki felt offended that Nimmu was exhibiting her carelessness part in front of others. She warned nimmu and ask him to leave the place immediately, but nimmu was high in emotion, he started crying and told her that she made a mistake and asked her to correct by reducing those 2 marks. She was very unhappy and she told that she would put zero marks for nimmu if he behaves like this. Nimmu realized that she would never correct and arguing with her could only mean damage to him. He decided that he would ask gopu to go and request her.
Gopu spoke first this time, he asked nimmu that how could he take his exam paper without his permission, Charles was standing next to him. Now nimmu realized that there was no chance of changing the