Indhu's POV
The morning after the science museum trip, I realized one thing very clearly — my body had not returned with me.
My legs hurt. My eyes refused to open properly. Even my school bag smelled like chips and brochures.
Swetha collapsed beside me.
"I swear, if I see one more robot, I'll short-circuit."
I nodded seriously. "At this point, even my mitochondria would fall asleep inside me."
Charlotte sighed from the other bench. "Can someone tell the timetable to take a break?"
Rohan walked in limping dramatically. "Who said field trips are fun? My legs need therapy."
Aditya smiled faintly. "I had fun. But yes. I would also like to lie on the floor now."
Before we could emotionally recover, our class teacher dropped a bomb.
"Children, your science teacher is absent today. A substitute will take the period."
Silence.
Then chaos erupted inside my head.
Substitute teacher meant anything could happen.
The man who walked in looked like he had personally invented the syllabus.
His name tag just said "N".
Walking stick. Thick glasses. Silver hair. One long ahem that echoed through the room. He stared at the attendance sheet like it was an ancient manuscript.
"Rohan… the tall boy. Sit properly."
Rohan stood up instantly. "Oh! Okay, grandfather— sorry sir!"
I covered my mouth. Too late. The class exploded with laughter.
Swetha whispered, "He's from the Jurassic syllabus."
Charlotte added, "He probably taught Einstein."
Sir N raised his hand. "Silence! Today we revise the digestive system."
I groaned softly. Again?
He pointed at Rohan. "Where is the stomach located?"
Rohan placed a hand on his chest.
"Here, sir. Where I digest heartbreak."
I laughed so hard my bench shook.
When I tried to answer properly, sir interrupted me with proverbs.
"The belly is wiser than the brain," he said proudly.
I blinked. "Sir… what?"
Charlotte asked innocently, "Is that in our textbook?"
"No," he said. "It's in life's textbook."
I gave up.
Then came his master plan.
"Make a digestive system using whatever you have in your bags."
I stared at my bag. Why did this feel personal?
Charlotte nearly fainted. Swetha slapped her head. But somehow, the whole class came together.
Rohan used earphones as intestines.
Swetha turned her scrunchie into a stomach.
Charlotte found a cookie and declared it the liver.
Aditya carefully folded paper into a neat pancreas.
I held up my water bottle proudly. "Saliva reservoir."
Our project looked like trash. Creative trash.
And somehow… we finished it.
Sir N inspected it. "Is that a stapler as the gall bladder?"
"Yes sir," Rohan said confidently. "It holds everything together."
I had tears in my eyes from laughing.
Fate clearly hated us, because Sir N continued next period too.
Swetha tried to nap while pretending to read.
"Girl in the middle!" sir barked. "Read!"
Swetha jumped. "Sir, my voice is in the esophagus right now!"
Charlotte mumbled, "Mine is in the large intestine."
I completely lost it.
Finally, the bell rang.
Sir N sighed. "In all my 40 years of teaching, I've never seen such a class."
"Memorable, aren't we?" Rohan grinned.
As sir left, muttering, "Digestive system, my foot…", Swetha waved.
"Bye-bye, N-grampa… or should I say Mr. Anonymous?"
The moment the door closed, Rohan stood up.
"Class," he announced seriously. "It's time. The ritual."
I knew I was doomed.
He grabbed Charlotte's glitter bottle, Swetha's ruler-esophagus, and Aditya's folded intestines and made a glittery crown.
He placed it on my head.
"All hail the Queen of Digestion!"
I stood on the bench, raised my hands dramatically.
"Kneel before your villi overlord!"
Charlotte and Swetha hummed background music. Rohan fake-fainted.
Then the next teacher walked in.
She froze.
Half the class bowing. Me wearing a glitter crown.
"Am I… interrupting something?"
"No, ma'am," I said sweetly. "Just a digestive ceremony."
She backed out slowly.
"Leeeeeaveee… and don't forget your science homework…"
We screamed and ran.
Another day.
Another memory.
Another reason V5 will never be forgotten.