Chapter 2: Monday

Monday dawned bright and early, as most Mondays seem to do. At 8:30 am, Poltu found himself in his usual seat, next to Rekha. It was English class. Mrs. Chaudhry was explaining to the class how a radish was more whitish than red, while a carrot was more reddish than white. She seemed determined to clear this vital point of that no one had been confused about—at least not till class had started. Gradually, some students prevailed on Mrs. Chaudhry to go back to the book they were discussing.

Poltu looked out of the window. Past a few trees, he could see the school boundary, and through the metal fence, a few cars zipping by. Suddenly, he caught sight of a form zipping on the boundary fence. Not by the fence, by on it. It was a blur of red and green, and then it was gone.

"... what do you think, Poltu? Is the Midsummer Night's Dream a social commentary?" Mrs. Chaudhry question came out of the blue.

"Red and green!" Poltu blurted the first thought that came into his mind.

"Red and green? You are in English class, not art class." A few snickers went around the classroom.

"I mean red for love, and green for power. The story explores the interplay between the two, especially as the two colors run together. I got a bit carried away by Shakespeare's imagery, ma'am."

Mrs. Chaudhry looked suspiciously at Poltu, then turned back to where she had broken off.

"How do you come up with stuff like that?" whispered Rekha. She looked mildly impressed.

"I think I saw Gati Girl!" Poltu whispered back.

"Where?"

"I'll tell you after class."