The Bell rang and the light glowed!

All was well until she became my neighbour. I was only 17 - playful yet fared better in my exams. I was lazy yet never left things pending. But things changed soon after her arrival. My playing time got curtailed. My laziness wafted into thin air. Soon, I discovered that I was not myself.

My mother was the first to talk about her. My father was the next. Then, both of them together! I came to know her name as Priya. In fact, my brother too had seen her, but he was not overly concerned. I didn't care much until I saw her myself. I had to believe. The very next day was the first time - 'The Bell rang and the light glowed!' I really had no clue which of the two happened first. But they happened. I thought it was just an one-off event. It was not to be. It was only the beginning and it went on and on. Each day, I thought I could shrug off. But deep inside me, I didn't want to. I wanted to tell my mother that I could not bear it for long. I somehow wanted a full-stop to this. I was waiting eagerly for the day my final exams would end.

The D-Day arrived. I thought I'll tell my mother on reaching home. But I deferred. But, the next day morning, again - The Bell rang and the light glowed! Yes, it was in that order! My mother woke me up from my sleep, "Kanna, the time is 4.30 AM. Wake up and start studying. See, Priya has been studying since 4 AM." "But Ma" I answered in my sleepy tone, "the exams are over!". My mother flashed a victory smile and said,"you still have your entrance exams!".

I had only one option apart from waking up - curse the inventors of the "Alarm Clock" and the "Tube light".

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