It was a dark, stormy night. Flashes of lightning and a faint yellow stream of torchlight were the only sources of illumination. The light from the torch bathed the trees in macabre glory and made the twigs on the ground glisten like snakes. Dew from the plants fell and mingled with the sweat on CP’s face as he slowly made his way to the clearing. Just a little more, he said to himself, as he bravely tried to avoid imminent cardiac arrest when a moth hurtled past his face. Finally!! He shouted out. In front of him lay the clearing with a massive chest at its center. He ran towards it barely believing his good fortune. “Mine! All Mine!” a wicked voice in his head seemed to sing. He reached the chest and touched it. Magically, the lid opened (yes with all the accompanying sound effects of the best horror movies) to reveal CPs Dil ki Mallika sleeping as one dead in it. Just as he thought that fate had played a cruel joke on him and his little heart was awaiting the signal to explode, he saw a sign pinned on the inner lid of the chest.Note: Treasure given sleeping potion to maintain freshness. Needs CPR to resume working condition. As his eyes trailed off the last letters on the sign, his heart started off a series of joyous explosions. He bent closer to do his “duty”, but what was this annoying buzzing sound? He looked up to see a huge bee making a beeline to attack him. He tried to fight it off but the buzzing got louder and louder ….
THUD.CP opened his eyes to see a pile of books and a poster of “How Einstein got his hair” showing Einstein with slicked back hair about to press a shorted out doorbell. Gone was the creepy clearing and the sleepy princess. CP rubbed his sore behind and the sleep from his eyes as the realization that it was all a dream dawned on him. The desire to wallow in self-pity was intense for a moment but the stern stuff that got him through chapter after chapter of OB and IT made him get up. After all, he might have missed his treasure in his dreams but there was still the treasure hunt to be won.
He made it to the starting point with 10 minutes to spare and briefly toyed with the idea of borrowing CP’s Tweed coat to invoke certain…ahem…useful ghosts. But trusting in his prodigious mental capabilities, he decided that the situation wasn’t desperate enough and turned his mind to sizing up the competition. Teams of 2 abounded all around but CP had dared to go it alone. The dinner for two at the Taj was too precious to share. Trying hard to not give into daydreaming about a dinner not too far away in the future he laughed politely at the weak jokes that were being cracked on stage.
“….and now”, the voice said (in too-hearty-to-be-true tones), “we proceed to the first clue”. “This is going to be a cakewalk”, thought CP, trying in vain to wipe the sneer off his face.
“Time to Meddle with the Middle,” continued the voice,
“As You Struggle with this Riddle,Reach that which Divides 0 and 1 but Unites 1 and 2,3rd Plant Bears the Seed, Count Well don’t You Fiddle!”“What!!!” said CP as the sneer gave way to an expression of disbelief. “What on earth does it mean?” he darted panicky looks as everyone seemed to excitedly scurry off in different directions. “Oh what makes me get in the middle of meddlesome struggles? If that isn’t a riddle I don’t know what is! Think CP, think! “
A little hard thinking later, the clue miraculously resolved itself as he scurried away to the pathway that connected both the classrooms and correctly enough the next clue was hidden under the third pot. After this initial hiccup, the rest was fairly smooth sailing as clue led to clue. One hectic, sweaty hour later, CP was just one clue away from hitting the jackpot. He stared at the clue trying to make sense of it.
The grail she awaits, with open armsClimb high atop the castle and claim her charms,Don't look down upon the commoners, Since that's where you came fromSurrounded by veils, look at the heartKnighted you are if you read the writing in stone...[Hint: Where you hone your academic skills]“Ok, that means the library. Oh boy! Oh boy! There couldn’t have been a clue better suited for me” jumped CP in barely concealed joy. “That must refer to the topmost floor of the library”.
Breaking into a jog (calling it a run would be pushing it), he bumbled up his way to the library. Halfway there, he saw HER. Puzzling over the water cooler, trying to make sense of a clue. “CP”, she called out. “If you’re not taking part in the hunt can you help me? Will give you a treat in the NC….please!”
At the sound of that sweet pleading voice, all semblance of coherent thought deserted CP at that moment. So close to winning, he felt that the treasure hunt was over for him. “Ah who needs a dinner for two at the Taj”, he thought to himself as excited whoops of “the library, the library” reached him. “An aloo paratha shared makes much better memories”.
(Well, what eventually happened during the Treasure Hunt is another story altogether! But peoples, Backwaters is but a few hours away! Watch the CP and TP saga unfold as they bungle their way through event after event over the next 3 days!
If you're lucky enough to have made it to Kampus, have a rockin' time! Else we'll make sure you don't miss a moment! Stay tuned, stay glued!)
