Time: 6:00 AM
Location: Terna International School
The school building at 6 AM looked less like a place of learning and more like "Area 51 after budget cuts."
The lights were off, the wind was howling, and the only thing missing was background music from The Conjuring. Students stood in small groups outside, shivering from the cold—or fear. Who knows.
"Bro, I swear I saw a ghost on the third floor," one kid said, wide-eyed.
Another chimed in, "Same, dude! I saw a girl with long hair in a white dress."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "That's just Priya from 11-C, she always overdresses for no reason."
Another student went full Mythbusters. "My cousin's friend's uncle's tuition student told me a kid once got possessed in this building."
Nick: "Okay but was the ghost also forced to take tuition? That's the real tragedy here."
Just then, he spotted K and Zaid standing near the bus list, looking like two kids who got grounded for crimes they didn't commit.
Nick joined them. "Gentlemen, ready for a day of absolute chaos, questionable food, and one mental breakdown minimum?"
Zaid: "I'm already mentally broken. This trip's just part two."
Suddenly—BOOM—the school lights flickered on like someone reconnected the Wi-Fi after 2 weeks.
Preeti Ma'am appeared from the shadows like a final boss character.
"STUDENTS! SILENCE!"
She held a list like it was the manifesto of doom.
"You will now board the buses in order! No shouting, no pushing, and no Bluetooth speakers!"
Everyone heard "no Bluetooth speakers" and immediately ignored it.
As the kids rushed to the buses like it was a PUBG drop zone, Nick, K, and Zaid made a beeline for the middle row of Bus 2, claiming the window, middle, and aisle like a squad claiming territory.
Nick threw his bag on the seat. "I have secured the window seat. I am now emotionally superior."
Zaid sat down with chips. "Let the chaos begin."
Within 5 minutes:
• Chips were being opened like exam papers.
• Girls in the front had their own Bluetooth speaker blasting Arijit Singh like they were going through 3 heartbreaks at once.
• Boys in the back hijacked the bus speaker and played "brown Munde" at 3x speed.
• A literal negotiation broke out over Lays vs Bingo chips.
K glanced around. "This is not a field trip. This is Bigg Boss with wheels."
Meanwhile, Nick sat silently, already 20% dead.
Zaid looked over. "Wait… isn't Nick the one with motion sickness?"
K blinked. "Oh shit. We forgot."
Nick, gripping the seat in front of him: "You forgot my condition like I'm a side character in my own story!"
He looked like he was being slowly possessed by the spirit of food poisoning and regret.
K: "You okay?"
Nick: "Do I look okay? I feel like a tossed momo right now."
Zaid offered him a mint. "Want something?"
Nick: "Yeah. A new body and a better immune system."
Just then, someone at the back screamed: "GUYS! BUFFALO!"
Entire bus leaned to one side to look out the window like it was a zoo safari. Nick, on the other side, got flung back like a plastic bag in the wind.
Nick (whispers): "This is not a trip. This is a moving trauma simulator."
Suddenly, a kid passed him dahi puri in a ziplock.
Nick: "You brought street food on a moving vehicle? Are you trying to summon a demon?"
Girl in front: "Guys, let's do karaoke!"
Backbenchers: "NO! SHUT UP! IT'S TRIP, NOT INDIAN IDOL."
A boy stood up with a JBL speaker and screamed, "I PAID 1500 FOR DJ NIGHT. I'M STARTING EARLY."
Nick (dying): "Bro I paid 1500 for a panic attack."
Zaid smirked. "Nick, at this point, even the bus is more stable than your digestive system."
Nick leaned over, grabbed his bag, and pulled out a barf bag like it was his Horcrux.
K: "You brought a barf bag?"
Nick: "I am the barf bag."
Zaid (deadpan): "Your emotional support barf bag."
Nick: "You joke, but this bag has seen more pain than my report card."
And as the sun finally began to rise, casting golden light through the windows, a strange calm settled.
Except for Nick.
Nick, now halfway into the fetal position, whispered: "Wake me up when we reach or when I flatline—whichever comes first."
As the bus came to a halt in front of the Gandhi Darshan Museum, a collective groan echoed through the bus—not because of the destination, but because everyone had just started getting comfortable in their awkward bus sleeping positions. Zaid looked like he had been folded like an omelette. K had been using a packet of Lays as a pillow. Nick, of course, was still recovering from his motion sickness.
"Finally," Zaid muttered, rubbing his neck. "I can walk again. My spine is no longer in the shape of a question mark."
Nick stumbled out of the bus with the grace of a baby giraffe. "I think I left my soul somewhere near that last speed breaker."
"Same place you left your dignity," K added.
The students were told to only carry their water bottles, notebooks, and pens. The teachers wanted them to learn something and not be distracted by snacks, phones, or the random Rubik's cubes people always carry for no reason.
Preeti Ma'am clapped her hands. "Students, please form a line! Behave yourselves. This is a place of history, not your living room."
Nick whispered, "She says that like I bring thirty classmates to my living room daily."
As they entered the museum, the mood changed. The building had a quiet, calming aura. The air was cooler, the walls adorned with large photos, timelines, and artifacts from the freedom struggle. Quotes by Gandhi ji were displayed on almost every wall.
Nick read one aloud: "Be the change you want to see in the world."
Zaid nodded solemnly. "Okay. I want to see a world where there's no homework."
K rolled his eyes. "That's not what it means."
They were led by a guide—an elderly man with an enthusiastic smile who looked like he drank chai brewed from history books.
"Welcome to the Gandhi Darshan Museum," he said. "Here, we explore the journey of the Father of the Nation, from his early life to the freedom movement."
The students followed him, stopping at each exhibit. There were childhood photos of Gandhi ji, his letters, old books, and replicas of his famous possessions. At one point, the guide showed them a pair of Gandhi ji's glasses.
Nick whispered, "So clean. My specs don't even survive a math period."
As they reached the section on Gandhi's time in South Africa, the guide explained his early legal career and the beginning of his activism.
Pearl, who had been walking just ahead, turned to Nick. "It's actually really inspiring, isn't it?"
Nick, caught off guard, replied, "Yeah. I mean… man traveled continents and I can't even cross the school corridor without tripping."
Pearl laughed softly. "Small steps."
Nick smiled. Then looked down at his notebook.
They continued on to a room showcasing Gandhi ji's jail time, letters he wrote while imprisoned, and images of the Dandi March. The students were more serious now, even Zaid, who was surprisingly silent—only blinking intensely at a display of salt.
Nick poked him. "You good?"
Zaid nodded slowly. "Yeah. Just… trying to feel smart."
The guide concluded the tour with a stop at Gandhi ji's iconic spinning wheel (charkha). Students were allowed to take photos here, and instantly, phones appeared from nowhere.
"Thought phones weren't allowed?" K muttered.
Nick shrugged. "We're students. We find ways."
Photos were taken—some posing sincerely, some with goofy smiles. Someone tried to spin the charkha and was immediately stopped by the guide who politely reminded them: "This is a museum, not a gym."
Preeti Ma'am called everyone to gather around for a final reflection.
"I hope you all learned something valuable today," she said. "This place is more than history. It's about values—truth, peace, and non-violence."
Zaid immediately sighed. "Ah. There it is. The homework bomb."
Nick looked around one last time. There was something about the quiet of the museum that stayed with him. The walls didn't shout—they whispered. And sometimes, that's what you remember more.
As they walked back to the bus, K said, "Well, that was better than expected."
Zaid agreed. "Yeah. Learned a lot. Also, I think Pearl smiled at Nick again."
Nick's face lit up. "She did. Twice. Maybe even three times if we count the half-smile by the salt display."
K deadpanned. "Nothing says romance like sodium chloride."
Back on the bus, the noise returned—music, chips, laughter—but Nick leaned back in his seat, still thinking about everything they'd seen.
He'd remember the trip. Not just because of Pearl. But because sometimes, seeing where you come from makes the path ahead a little clearer.
And also because Zaid spilled Pepsi on the guide's shoe.
But that's another story.
And here we go again the motion sickness kicks back in
To be continued…