The empire of the vampire

As i guessed the other day I slept with my eyes wide open in the physiology gallery as professor Babaji relentlessly taught us blood and its components. Anju who sat beside me, drew an excellent portrait of professor Babaji, with his upturned nose, curly hair and poker face.“ummmmmmm good job” I couldn’t stop myself from giving away the compliment.

I looked around and found Aditi & Dips playing book cricket. Much to Dip's credit Irfan patan made a double century.  Table fan did his job ‘BABE WATCH’ with utmost dedication. Bhalu-The bear, occupied more than half of the last bench, cracking jokes which luckily were not audible. Kaushik, a heap of skin and bones, countered  his barrack. It’s as good as watching “Laurel and Hardey”. Rahul is at the best of his craftsman ship making paper rockets. Rambo snored from the last-but-one bench.

The much awaited bell rang quiet melodiously. Everybody sprang to their feet at once, pushing wooden chairs hither tether with screeching noises.  Paper rockets soared the skies as the female fraternity left the gallery, dropping missile like messages "Hey Baby! Lukin sexy today" "How about a movie?" "waiting for you at the boat point @4pm" "kiss me and you will see the stars. Love me and I will give them to you".

I walked unwillingly to the physio lab with heavy feet in a Jack-sparrow-like-gait (courtesy Jonny depp from the pirates of Carrabin sea).

“Post lunch sessions should be banned” Souji cursed yawing lazily. I walked past the second row looking for my number. 19,20. I moved to the next row 21, 22. 

“Ah! Here it is 23, 24” I spotted it. I had to share my microscope with Hrishikesh. The same self obsessed, head strong, arrogent shaitaan who is in best-buddies-of-the-planet vibe with Aditi.  I’m not comfortable with him. Yet I’m not intimidated by him. I couldn’t understand this strange feeling. I’ll do well to remember not to pick a fight with him. After all that would make things between me and Aditi a little awkward.  I hope he doesn’t push me to the limits of my patience. There is a surge of adrenaline and I felt hyper-alert. I felt as if I am walking in to the cage of a wild beast. Easy baby…. Easy I seated myself on the stool numbered 24 pulling it as far away as possible. I’ll not let him pull out one of his tricks on me again. I’ll be careful.

“Hi, I’m Hrishikesh. We met the other day. Remember?” He held out his hand for a shake.

I mumbled “ummm. Hrudi” ignoring his hand without lifting up my head. He yanked his hand back immediately as though I electrocuted him.  However he sat calm and halcyon with a white-paper-face.

The tutor appeared on the lecturer’s podium and ordered us to begin the practical. “Last week we have done estimation of hemoglobin and today I will teach u how to test for blood groups”. He continued “The first person in each pair will prick the second person and make 3 to 4 huge drops of blood on the tile placed in front of you. And then….” He continued his instructions without ever noticing the growing trepidation among the students.

“Isn’t there any chance that I can wriggle out of this crap?”I heard Sowji comment.

“Good gracious” someone cried as Indu had a black out. she is carried away to the girls common room where she could relax.

“Nah……..these girls are really useless. Pea brained. Of what use they are as doctors in this society? All that they are fit for is to marry and beget children. Why do they waste seats for God’s sake?” the tutor who was notorious as a ‘khoon chusing vampire’ complained as he strolled between the rows.

I’m not too happy with his attitude. I have to prove him wrong. I took a firm determination and turned to Hrishikesh. I held out my finger tentatively, trying my best to appear valiant. He pressed the tip of my finger and cleansed it with spirit with a lop sided grin. I felt as though he was mocking me for not shaking hands with him earlier. I’m extremely uncomfortable as he touched me. More uncomfortable than what it had been with Tom-Dick-and-Harry.

How about requesting the tutor to give me a prick instead? He looks experienced                 

Meanwhile Souji too stuck out her finger at the vampires comment but the middle one. “Go to hell” she hissed under her breath and her partner Itihaas tried to give her a painless prick without touching her. The blood didn’t ooze. He apologized and tried another prick. A small but insufficient drop beaded atop of her finger. He wiped the cold sweat on his fore head with his handkerchief and held the needle with trembling hand for the third time. The tutor snatched the needle with one hand, pressed Souji’s finger with the other and gave a prick with a good depth that she bellowed a cry despite her determination not to twitch a muscle. Blood flooded half of the tile. Itihaas pressed some cotton firmly to her pricked finger looking apologetic. She fought back the tears which welled up in eyes much out of the insult, than the pain. The vampire then looked at us hungrily barring his fangs. Hrish spun on the moment and quickly gave me a prick in a blink of a sec. He swiftly made 4 drops on the slide while the vampire walked away slowly as if we denied his meal. I looked down at my finger. It is covered with cotton. There is no sign of blood. There isn’t any pain. Yet there are these huge drops of blood on the tile. I am confused but dared not to voice my doubts. The vampire is still eavesdropping us. Hrish quickly mixed the antiserum A and B on the drops of blood and mixed them with a match stick.  We waited silently for a couple of minutes and read the results.

“B+ve” we cried out in unison holding out our tile to the vampire as if it is a talisman. He nodded approvingly and walked away to pry on the unsuspecting victims.

“But my blood group is O+ ve” I looked enquiringly at hrish and he winked. I never realized how he managed to prick himself instead of me. And most importantly “why?” I smiled charismatically at him for the first time ever since he set his foot in this lab.

“Well that was a really painless prick” I said coyly extending my hand for a shake.

He looked satisfied and left the hall with a devil’s grin ignoring my hand.