The auto  maneuvered it's way down busy streets. Inside was a single passenger, Bonnie, lost in her thoughts. An onlooker given the task to observe her during her homeward journey today would describe her as 'A Preety Girl with a Permanent Frown', for she had a frown pasted on her face for the past one hour!  She was completely unaware of her surroundings and it was not so much the traffic outside but the inner turmoil that was bothering her. 

Bonnie was a cute girl with a round face and large eyes filled with emotions of all kinds which reflected her moods.She had short brown hair and was wearing a pink shirt paired with black trousers. If she was a studious girl,  her looks did not defy it.

Since there was no one, besides her, she did not have to wait to be in the confines of her room or the washroom to have her fill of bringing her worries to the surface. Lost in her world, she would let a few salty drops trickle down her large eyes, mix with the fluid coming out of her nose and enter her mouth untamed.The 'auto wale bhaiya' had the traffic stricken street to pay attention to although he could not help wondering, through his peeks at the rear view mirror, what was bothering his frequent customer 'Bonnie Didi'. 

 Since, today, the traffic was rather helping her, when her auto finally dropped her at the mouth of the narrow gully to her house, she could not decide if she liked it more inside the auto which cradled her worries or was eager to take refuge in the warmth of home.

As she entered through the front gate, she found her parents, grandparents and little Cheeku(the toy poodle) enjoying tea time in the front yard. That was the ritual in Mukherjee family. No matter how busy the day was, they made it a point to be together during tea time and dinner. 

What a grand greeting Bonnie got! Cheeku was jumping up and down, wagging his little brown tail and yelping no end, while the others smiled and asked eagerly about her exam. Now Bonnie was a second semester student of B.Sc. chemistry (Hons) and was appearing for her end semester examination. She tried to hide her emotions while narrating to the others how easy the paper was. A sharp eye could catch her clasping her bag tightly as if to hide something from the eyes of the others. However, things escaped  the eyes of her unsuspecting family members. They believed in each word that Bonnie narrated.

She was offered cookies and cakes and namkeen and chai but she declined all and went to her room, an air of impatience evident but not apparent to her dear ones.

Cheeku was at her toes, following her to her room. 

Once in her room, she shut the door and began sobbing uncontrollably. Cheeku stood there at her feet staring with his large black eyes and planning to try the 'lick therapy.'

He stuck out his tongue and gave a few licks at her feet but her sobs grew bigger and bigger with each passing moment. Cheeku unable to contain himself any further made a whimpering sound and tried to reach out to her face. This suddenly brought Bonnie back to her awareness and she picked Cheeku up. Cheeku started licking her face with a vigour that made her face wetter and her mood a little lighter.

She looked at Cheeku and said  "Listen Cheeku" and Cheeku got his face a little  tilted prepared to listen to her story. Cheeku and Bonnie lost in their intimate conversation was cuteness personified.

"Cheeku, I did something horrible today. You would never love me the same after listening to what I did"

Cheeku gave a quick lick at her nose and tilted his face again.

"Cheeku when I got the 'organic' paper today and read the questions, I got a terrible panic attack. I could not remember a single thing of what I had prepared. I thought I would gain composure as time passed, but things instead of improving began getting worse. I was anxiety stricken and did not know what to do"

Cheeku gave a little whine and began licking Bonnie's hand. What a relief it was to have Cheeku's company.

Meanwhile, at a quiet corner of his little study, Professor Roy was taking out the bundle of 'organic chemistry' answer booklets of the second semester students  and preparing to examine the papers. He was around forty five with a tall and lanky figure. Dressed casually in a white tshirt and blue trackpants and donning gold rimmed glasses with attached chain he looked easy-going as well as intellectual. His entire look was complimented with his salt and pepper hair and french beard. Prof. Roy was actually as a scholarly and far less stricter than he looked. He was often mistaken as an austere professor while he was the opposite. Although a bachelor, he never felt lonely, for he had his books as companions. That evening a hot mug of coffee was lying at the table beside a huge pile of books. It was ritualistic for Prof. Roy to begin his corrections only after finishing his mug and while the coffee was still too hot to be sipped he decided to begin by counting the papers. The invigilators already did that but he would always count the papers before beginning with the corrections.

The count should have been sixty five, but he could count only sixty four. Prof. Roy initially thought that his tired brain was mixing up things. With furrowed eyebrows he started counting again and then again and then again.He must have counted at least ten times before being sure that one answer booklet was missing! The office was closed by then and he knew he would have to wait until the morning to check  the attendance sheet and confirm whose paper was missing. 

Despite his restlessness, Prof. Roy began checking the papers stopping occasionally to wonder how one paper could have gone missing. He knew the questions were not easy, so he was marking leniently but he could not help being hurt by the blank copies and wrong answers. 

"If I had corrected properly, none would pass" he would mutter often. 

When the door bell rang announcing the arrival of the 'tiffin boy', he was jolted out of the trance he had been in during the past hour or so marking one paper after the other.

He got up to open the door meaning to finish his dinner and retire early to bed. He had no intention of continuing the very labour intensive work of paper correction any further!

Dinner was announced at Bonnie's home. Mrs. Mukherjee knocked at the bedroom door with a certain impatience for she was a little irked that Bonnie had not been out of her room since she returned.Cheeku had been with the brooding Bonnie all this while, listening to her and trying to calm her down. 

Excited on getting mum's voice he made joyful whelping sounds while Bonnie wiped her face and prepared to head for dinner.

As usual, the dinner table was filled with laughter and merry banter. Bonnie was unusually quiet but that did not bother anyone for she was usually very silent during exam time. She quickly finished her dinner, picked up Cheeku who was still licking his plate, wished 'good night' to all and returned to the haven of her room.

Once there, she locked the door and motioned Cheeku to go to bed. She went to her study table and grabbing her bag, went to sit at the corner of her bed. 

Fingers trembling, she unzipped her bag and took out the paper which was supposed to be at Prof. Roy's. Bonnie started a fresh bout of sobs and Cheeku came running to console his 'didi'. Somehow, Cheeku understood that the paper might be the reason for Bonnie's distress and he tried to get the paper from Bonnie's hands. Bonnie was so preoccupied  that she could not react until her entire answer script was in Cheeku's mouth and he had already started chewing it.

When she finally discovered what was happening, Bonnie gave a loud yell, caught hold of Cheeku's face and opened his jaws until the paper dropped. She picked it up and held it close to her heart and started sobbing again uncontrollably. Cheeku did not know what to do. He quietly laid his head at her feet and waited while Bonnie tried to straighten the paper in between her violent sobs.

After sometime Bonnie got up, went to her table, switched on the table lamp, took a pen and stared at the sheet. She went back to bring the question paper and a book from her cupboard and was constantly telling Cheeku "I had studied hard Cheeku" while Cheeku kept wagging his tail.

She opened her book and started reading, occasionally taking notes in a rough copy. She muttered "Cheeku, I will first read, then finish writing my answers and tomorrow I will steal into Roy Sir's room and keep my answer booklet back. I will solve all the questions tonight."

She started reading, calmness returning to her gradually. 

It was late into the night when 'dad' knocked at the door to ask her to go to bed. 

She got up with a start on hearing the knock and hurriedly went to the door. 

"I am studying daddy" was her sheepish remark on finding Mr. Mukherjee standing at the door.

"It's very late sweeti and you have study leave tomorrow and the day after. You have got two days to prepare. Please go to bed plummy"

A panting Cheeku standing behind Bonnie tried to lick daddy and daddy gave Cheeku his share of  cuddles too.

"You look extremely tired Bonnyneee", daddy persuaded and Bonnie nodded. 

With a promise to go to bed, she shut the door and returned to her table.

 "Look I have a whole paper to solve and I have still not begun! What have I been doing all evening, fighting with myself! I have to finish writing the paper Cheeku. I have to." she muttered while attempting to push back the tremendous force that had been trying to admonish her and was growing louder and louder with each passing moment. 

It was the force actually that made her miserable. She had been weeping and sobbing and crying all this while because of that small but weird internal force that seemed not to wish good for her, that asked her to stop being so amoral, so dishonest. She wanted to finish writing her paper at HOME but that tiny part of her would not let her do that. That voice rebuked her for lifting the paper, that voice had been nagging her constantly for being such a coward.

She whispered "Cheeku, I am robbing myself of any peace. I am killing myself Cheeku. There is someone inside me that is not letting me be. What shall I do Cheeku"

Cheeku had this supreme power of consoling, of giving answers without uttering a word. He was listening to Bonnie with the same tilt in his head and with the same tilt he gradually was able to clear all the cobwebs of doubts. 

Bonnie was able to understand what that inner voice was, how much she was of the inner voice, how she and her inner voice were same and how her hasty action earlier in the day was just an influencer, a dissuader of virtue. Her real self was the 'voice' which was made little by the insincere province of her expectations, her surroundings.

When dawn broke, Bonnie broke free of all shackles and put her inner voice at the helm of affairs. She started getting ready for college. Cheeku was following her everywhere with a happy zig zag dance. He knew how relieved his didi was.

Prof. Roy had woken up a little disturbed. That one missing answer booklet had been nagging him and he was in a hurry to reach his college to find out more. He needed to talk with the invigilators, check the attendance sheet and look at every nook and corner of his room to find the missing paper.

He got ready, drank his coffee at one gulp and left for the college in his little 'Tiago'.

Bonnie, to rid herself of all guilt had written a small note to Prof. Roy confessing everything. How she had stolen into the Professor's room after the exam in a fit of worry and lifted her answer booklet meaning to throw it away on her way back home. She had written how the devil inside her had grown further and persuaded her to take the paper home and write all the answers and resubmit the paper without anyone's knowledge. She noted down how good sense finally prevailed and she decided to owe up!

Bonnie, knew, this could mean the end of her college. She knew she would be rusticated today, but end of college life was way better than the guilt that kept killing her.

As she waved goodbye to the others and gave a big hug to Cheeku, she knew she would have another tough day. However, she hoped that the night would not be as torturous. She planned to tell everything to the others after returning. They were already questioning her decision to go to college during a study leave. She had convinced the others that it was important. Therefore, with a strong determination she headed for the auto stand.

Prof. Roy was already in the college and from the attendance sheet he had found that it was Bonnie's answer booklet that was missing. He had checked his chamber thoroughly and was talking to the invigilators,  one of whom remembered clearly to have seen Bonnie's answer booklet while arranging them. He was certain that the booklet might have fallen somewhere. Prof. Roy went to his colleague Prof. Singh's office who taught physics and in whose paper Bonnie had appeared the day before yesterday. Prof. Roy could spot Bonnie's paper in his pile and also checked if the  chemistry paper had not ended up in the pile mistakenly. Both Bonnie's teachers walked out of the chamber deep in discussion. They were wondering where the paper had gone. Was it some kind of prank by other students who did not like her? or Had the paper fallen? Prof. Roy and Prof. Singh were about to  enter Prof. Roy's room where Bonnie was already waiting with bated breath.  

"I wonder where Bonnie's paper has gone?" Prof. Roy was telling Prof. Singh while entering. 

"Bonnie's paper is with Bonny sir" came Bonnie's reply. 

Her Professors were taken aback to find Bonnie

"Why Bonnie you have a long life. We have been discussing about you just now." Prof. Singh stated.

Bonnie gave a weak smile. She again repeated, "Sir my answer booklet is with me" and she handed the paper and her confession letter to Prof. Roy. 

Both the Professors read her letter, their hearts full of compassion.

Prof. Roy waved the confession at Bonnie and stated "Well Bonnie, I hope you understand the repercussions?"

"Yes sir" was the reply

"Have you finished writing your answers" Prof Singh said taking the booklet from Prof. Roy's hands. 

"No sir"

"We will keep the paper and tear the confession letter, what say you Prof. Singh" Prof. Roy quipped with a wry smile.

Bonnie shook her head without uttering a word.

"You understand what this means I suppose?" Prof. Roy asked slowly

Bonnie nodded

"You might be suspended."

Bonnie nodded

"You might be rusticated."

Bonnie nodded

"Your career might end."

Bonnie nodded.

"This behaviour is so out of the box" Prof. Roy said Prof. Singh a mild surprise in his tone. "Well I have taught many, of different kinds, but I have not seen one who was something yesterday and someone entirely different today. It requires guts to lift your answer booklet from a collected pile and it also requires guts to confess everything the very next day."

Prof. Roy looked at Bonnie and gave a laugh. He turned the pages of the answer booklet and asked Bonnie "The questions were bad is'nt it Bonnie? It's all Sir's fault, why give such difficult questions. Sir should have known that students like Bonnie might get a panic attack.Hmmmm."

He continued "But sir thanks himself for doing that. He might have read terrible answers but he got to witness some lost virtues. Sir will check your answers as sincerely as you have returned them. Don't worry. And if you do not make it..."

"I will try to clear the paper in the next semester sir"

His unfinished sentence was completed by Bonnie.

Bonnie's sir smiled, his eyes full of emotions that all these years of  solving equations could not dissolve.

He placed his hand on Bonnie's head and looking at Prof. Singh said 'Prof.Singh let's not focus on the internal workings of the black box, let's just revel in the output that perhaps your and mine teachings have created.

Bonnie burst into tears of joy. Finally, her inner voice could rule the roost.