Climbing the stairs to the fifth floor, Tina, along with her friends, was laughing about their upcoming class.
The corridor was unusually quiet that morning, and their footsteps echoed against the walls as they climbed higher and higher.
On the landing between the fourth and fifth floors, Tina noticed several tall stacks of answer papers placed neatly in the corner. They were piled up in different heights—some tall and solid-looking, others smaller and slightly tilted.
“Look! They piled up others’ answer sheets here,”
she whispered to her friends, slowing down.One of the smaller stacks caught her attention. A paper on top had bold red ink written across it: 82 out of 100. It belonged to a tenth grader. Tina’s eyes widened.
“Wow, 82! So good, so good,” she said, impressed. “Whoever wrote this did amazing.”
One of her friends said, “You are so impressed as if you have seen a saint!”
Curious, Tina gently placed her hand on the paper to look at it more closely.That friend said again, “You rubbish, let’s leave these and climb. Sir is coming.”
He looked tired, carefully holding onto the railing as he made his way up.Tina quickly removed her hand. “Let’s go,” she whispered. She and her friends hurried up a few more steps.And then
—CRASH!
A loud, heavy sound echoed through the stairwell.
Slowly, Tina turned back.The tall stacks of answer papers had collapsed like dominoes. Papers were scattered everywhere.
In the middle of the mess stood the elderly teacher, completely covered in sheets—papers slipping from his shoulders and falling at his feet.For a moment, there was silence.
Then the teacher shouted angrily, “Who touched these papers?! Catch her!”
Tina’s heart pounded wildly. Fear rushed through her body. Without thinking, she ran up the stairs as fast as she could.Behind her, her friends were not as quick.
The teacher stopped them and sternly ordered, “Since you were there, you will pile up every single paper. Properly!”
Tina was hiding in a corner. “Thasssh!”
Her back burned with a big sound. Raising her head, she saw her friends laughing.Surprised,
she asked, “Aren’t you guys angry at me?”
They replied with pretty smiles, “Yes! We are very, very angry. So now you have to give us a treat.”
She wondered that they were punished for something they didn’t do, yet they were smiling.
Tina said, “Okay, then let’s go.”
She was thinking, “Indeed, my school life is pretty, like an illustration.”
The story highlights the beauty of school days—where friendships and classes were everything in our lives.
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