Chapter 4: Mastery and Escape

I took part in a long-lost monthly test.

Nearly a year was enough for me to completely master all the chapters on the test. I could recite definitions, formulae, and even the margins of the textbook from memory.

This time, I no longer relied on memorising the answers, but completed the entire paper with my real ability. Every answer flowed from my pen without hesitation. The ink glided across the page as smoothly as the dahi poured over chaat at the school canteen.

"Rohan, 744 marks, first in the batch."

When the class teacher read out this score, I could hear the surprise and suspicion in his voice. He adjusted his glasses, squinting at me, as if searching for a hidden answer sheet tucked under my desk.

But I had no time to care about that.

Because at that moment, I realised—I wasn’t pulled back. For the first time, the classroom stayed solid, the smells and sounds unchanged. Even the ceiling fan’s creak continued, unbroken.

I shot up from my seat, staring in disbelief at the familiar teacher. Classmates and teachers all thought I was shocked by my own score. But only I knew the real reason for my astonishment. My hands trembled, clutching the desk. The boy in front turned around and whispered, 'Yaar, Rohan ko kya ho gaya?' I just shook my head, unable to speak.

I had finally escaped the loop.

For now.

Sitting back down and listening to the teacher review the test, I felt a long-lost sense of relief. Everything around me became clear and real. I could hear the laughter outside the corridor, the school bell ringing, even the distant call of the kulfiwala.

For the first time, I truly felt how wonderful the passage of time was. There was sweetness even in the ordinary ticking of the classroom clock.