A treat for lunch

"A treat like no other awaits all

On the last day, for lunch.

Be ready to lick your lips in anticipation

And later, to lick your fingers down to the bone.

Exclamations of joy fill the air,

When the treat makes it way to the centre of the hall,

Squeals of pleasure rise from every corner

For as brown as the Brownie is

You might as well call it a Goldie

For it shines like gold in people's heart."

On the day, as the minute hand moved to 28

With the hour hand stuck in 12

A set of ten, eleven and twelve year olds

Ran towards the dining hall.

Like people scampering away 

From a T-Rex in Jurassic Park.

Only here, the terror in their faces supplanted

By expressions of anticipation and joy.

Stunned bystanders jumped out of the way

To avoid being brownied under the rushing feet.

A little later, from within the dining hall

Loud groans grew, pain laden voices uttered,

"Where is the cake?"

"I don't see no brownies!"

"But there should be a surprise!"

"What happened to the surprise?"

"I want my brownie!"

An older voice bellowed above the protests,

"Not now! Not now!

You have to wait for a bit."

Dull faces sat around their tables

Staring at their empty steel plates indifferently.

The food on the table offered no interest.

Vegetable biriyani and curd rice could not satisfy

Their desire for the brownie.

They looked towards the serving area yearningly.

The adults looked back at them sternly,

Demanding patience, which they believed is a virtue.

The walls of the dining hall shook,

As the disappointed hearts sighed in unison

And then the bell rang!

Announcing the approach of the half way mark

Between the beginning and end of the lunch hour.

As per the unwritten understanding

Among the users of the dining hall

Three minutes of silence would be maintained.

The ones with filled stomachs

Usually leave the hall at the end of the silence time.

But on that day, none left!

On that day there was no silence either!

Like disciples gathering around the holy one,

Boys and girls quietly walked towards the serving area.

As plates laden with brownies appeared,

Silence gave way to excited whispers.

All thoughts of order and discipline disappeared.

Eager faces crowded around the loaded plates.

Pleading eyes turned desperately towards the adults.

Two minutes before the end of silence time,

Adult hearts melted like chocolate in a hot water bath.

The Brownies landed directly into the children's heart.

No one waited for the silence period to end.

The dark brown cream on the brownies

Were the first to disappear.

Pink tongues flicking out of their abode,

Went back, decked in brown.

Gleeful giggles appreciated the sweetness of the treat.

The brownie was declared the best till date!

“The kitchen had never made better brownies than this!”

Its qualities were discussed in detail,

By the eager members of the dining hall.

Soon the demand for a second

And then, a third appeared.

Once again, the adults demanded patience.

"Let everyone have one, at least" they pleaded.

But the demanders for another brownie

Did not care for the people,

Who had not picked their first brownie yet.

In their minds, they were sure,

No human could resist the brownie for that long.

“Everyone has taken one already,” they cried.

The brownies disappeared quickly.

Some chose not to pick a brownie,

For they did not like their food sweet.

As for the rest, many brownies

Found its way into their insides.

No person could get more than three brownies was the claim.

And yet on that day, a few got as much as six.

"I hid my face and got one" said one.

"I asked him to go and get me another,” said another.

"I smiled sweetly at the one who was serving" claimed a third.

As I walked towards the bucket

To clean the waste off my plate.

I saw a brownie lying wasted in the bucket.

I could not help but shout "Who threw that brownie away?"

Someone uttered the name of the offender immediately.

Like a dragon spewing fire,

I went in search of the offender.

I found her cowering under a desk.

I towered over her and thundered,

"Why did you waste that brownie?"'

In a feeble voice she responded "Because I did not like it"

My anger grew by leaps and bounds,

"Then why did you take it?"

Her voice got feebler.

"I didn't know when I picked it."

I could not digest her statement,

"Don't you know if the Brownie was not brown,

It would have been called Goldie.

It’s precious and you wasted it? Shame!"

She offered feebly "Next time I will give it to you."

I smiled and said "Ah! Your words sound like a poem to me.

That’s a deal!"