Abhaya Raj Joshi:

It was just an ordinary day, like any other one. I woke up late as usual and ate my breakfast at lightning speed to rush to the school. The sun was shining bright and I was brimming with confidence. “Just an ordinary day,” I thought.

I was on the move, enjoying the sights and sounds of the good old Kathmandu. Just then, minutes into the journey, a cat came scampering along, pussyfooting, literally. It crossed my path. My superstitious instincts automatically came to the fore. But my head got the better of me. A student of science myself, I asked aloud: “What could possibly happen? What harm will a cute little cat cause?” I then continued the journey, unhindered. But deep down I had a nagging fear, an inexplicable suspicion about the encounter.

I took extra precaution not to get into any sort of trouble. In the bus also I sat away from the window, near the door just in case anything occurred. There was no sign of trouble. Everything went on as usual. My friend offered me a chewing gum. On other days, I would have accepted it but my fear forbade it today. “What if the gum contained something that I was allergic to,” my fear said to me. “No thanks,” I rejected the offer. After a bumpy ride in the old battered bus, I finally reached the school. I got off in a flash and giving up the idea of going to play football went straight to the class. At last, I sat on my chair and thanked God that it was all over. The day went on and there was no sign of trouble.

During the lunch break, I thought I would give up being too cautious and went to the canteen for lunch. I was walking down the corridor when I saw someone running towards me. I managed to clear the course. “That was close,” I thought to myself. I had just caught up a conversation with my friend when another guy came running and I collided, head on. After that I could no longer see clearly. No it was not my eyes! My glasses had broken to pieces.

At the canteen, I bought something to eat and sat on a bench. Then a crow perched on a branch above me showered my food with its droppings. Angered, I left the canteen and went straight back to my seat, from where I did not move an inch until the final bell. That day when I reached home, I had a very bad headache, an empty stomach and messy eyesight. I slam-med the door of my room and landed on the bed. Then on I have religiously avoided crossing a path with a cat. Call it my unfounded fear of the felines or a case of bad luck, but I am yet to make my mind on it. I wait for someone to cross such a path, before I do it myself!