My first contribution to green scum

"Someday, somehow, I'm gonna make it alright but not right now.."

Those lines from Nickelback were playing softly in my ears from my mp3. It was a perfect day- just cloudy to shield the sun, but the clouds weren't threatening to rain. As I took a turn to my favourite park, I got a call from my best friend Jaya.
"Hello! Sup!" I said.
"I.. Well.."
My heart sank.. I really hoped there was no snag in the plans.

It was the 31st of March. It was Sushant's birthday and we'd planed a surprise for him. Well, not much a surprise as he would obviously have been expecting it. Since it was the holidays, everyone was expected to turn up. I was to arrive at Coffee Day in 10 minutes, I was a little early, so I thought I would take a couple of rounds in the park and think about the next trick I would play on my friends.. I'm quite the prankster, so I guess April Fool's day is my favourite day of the year. Ha! My friends could never compete with me, so they'd stopped trying to put one over me for a couple of years. Anyway, back to the phone call.
"Please don't tell me someone messed something up."
"No.. Its pretty serious. Well, Narayan said he'd pick up Sushant from his house and come over right.. they've met with an accident"
My heart missed a beat.
"Well?? Are they ok? Where are they now? Who told you this?"
"Not exactly ok.. Narayan wasn't driving his bike, he thought he'd give the birthday boy a treat, which was a mistake cuz he doesn't have a lisence yet.. He crashed into an auto rickshaw. Sushant had the helmet on thankfully. He isn't hurt at all surprisingly. But Narayan is."
"What!" I squeaked, "What’s happened to him?"
"He had a wound on the head. He was immediately admitted to the hospital one street away. They say its just a hit on the head an that theres no internal bleeding and all that. He’s in the general ward. I’m just going in to visit him. Come over to the Minerva Hospital.”

“Right. On my way. See ya.” I cut the call and hailed the nearest auto.

I was there in about fifteen minutes. Jaya was near the entrance waiting for me. We quickly took the elevator and reached the 7^th floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I spotted a sombre looking Sushant amidst bustling people in a huge corridor.

“Hey.. Not exactly the the birthday I had in mind” he said with a sheepish grin. “Damn.. why did this have to happen today of all days?”

“Don’t be stupid.. this would have been equally awful anyday. Now, is he in this ward?” I enquired, pointing to the door nearest us.

“Yep, that’s the one.”

I pushed the door open visualizing an unconscious Narayan with white bandages wrapped around his head. Instead, I saw an emaciated old man near the window. He was leaning out.

I was a little surprised. Narayan was nowhere to be seen.

“Er.. sorry to disturb you but is there another patient here? A boy about my age?” I asked looking at the second bed which was currently unoccupied.

“Window!! Boy.. fell out..” His voice sounded constricted, and as though it pained him to speak every word.

I rushed to the window and I gazed down, all the way down and I couldn't help but feel giddy not because of the height but because there was a whole lot more in store.

The old man wasn't pulling my leg. I saw a huge gathering, but it was jam packed, I couldn't see the thing creating all this scene.

My heart felt as though it was getting ripped in two. I rushed out into the corridor and to make things worse I couldn't figure out were the elevator was (you see I have a hopeless sense of direction). Each floor was a maze and I swore I’d kill the architect.

"Excuse me! Where's the elevator?"

And she replied in Hindi!

Yeah great help!

"Sir I can't find the elevator! " I exclaimed desperately and almost out of breath.

A little startled, a doctor explained that it was in between the two pillars to my left.

Ha! What a strategic location! Now I swore I’d not only kill the architect but the Vaastu guy involved with the design.

"Oh but the lifts are under service you've got to use the stair case. They’re at the end of the corridor towards the left."

"How can you clean the lifts during working hours? Where is the sense?" I screamed, all eyes now on me. The doctor looked taken aback which irritated me even more (Didn’t he know this was an emergency?) and I ran to the staircase, all the way down …well at least half way … I needed my breath back.

Now I was pissed off with the doc, the lady for speaking in Hindi, the old man for not getting immediate help, the architect, the vaastu guy, Jaya for abandoning me on the seventh floor and Narayan , for being so dumb as to look down a window and fall, Sushant for causing the accident and even the irritating clean combined smell of Dettol and Lysol was equally contributing.

Finally there was the exit to the Minerva hospital. I ran out into the complex but there was no gathering!

This can’t be happening!

Wait a minute, this can’t be happening!

My friends were right there! All of them in perfectly good health.

And then I cracked. Sudden realization.

This was the best prank ever played and I cried because it felt like I got dropped off from a rollercoaster from the highest point. And in a while there was Jaya hugging me. All smiles …

Sushanth was beaming and Narayan looking perfectly fine and for some reason the doctor whom I’d screamed at earlier!

Ah! it was Narayan's father. God! Was I dumb! I knew Narayan's dad was a doctor and also the resemblance was too close to mistake.

"Sir, can I have the number of the architect who built this thing?" I asked pointing at Minerva.

He smiled and enquired and after explaining my story we were all hooting!

Narayan's dad went back to the hospital and we moved to Coffee Day to celebrate Sushanth's birthday and me being a victim of the world's best prank.