The soft morning sunlight was entering the room through the window.
Rahul was still half asleep when he heard his mother calling him.
She said, "Wake up, son, you'll be late for school."
Rahul opened his eyes and realized it was the start of another new day.
To him, school meant a kingdom of friends, games, and stories.
He quickly wore his uniform and slung his bag over his shoulder.
His mother packed potato parathas and chutney in his tiffin box.
A smile spread across Rahul's face, knowing he would share it with his friends.
As soon as he reached the school gate, he heard the familiar chatter.
All his friends were standing there, talking excitedly.
Suman shouted, "Hey Rahul, come quickly!"
Rahul ran and joined them happily.
When the prayer bell rang, everyone stood in line.
During the prayer, the flag swayed gently in the breeze.
At that moment, it felt as if all worries had drifted away.
The first class was Bengali.
The teacher opened a storybook and began to read.
Listening to her voice, Rahul felt transported to another world.
He thought that one day he too would write stories like that.
The second class was Mathematics.
He was a bit weak in math,
but his benchmate Rimi always helped him.
Rimi said, "Don't worry, I'll explain it to you."
This small act of friendship gave him great courage.
As soon as the tiffin bell rang, everyone felt like free birds.
They sat on the field and opened their lunch boxes.
Some had brought luchis, some cake, some noodles.
Rahul's parathas were quickly shared among everyone.
The field filled with laughter.
Some were chatting, some playing, some running around.
That short time was the happiest part of the day.
After tiffin, it was the sports period.
The physical education teacher said, "Today we'll have a football match."
Rahul wasn't a very good player,
yet he ran with all his heart.
At the last moment, the ball came to his feet.
He kicked it hard and it went straight into the goalpost.
All his friends shouted,
"Rahul scored!"
At that moment, he felt like a hero.
The teacher smiled and said, "See, if you try, everything is possible."
In the last class of the day, the teacher said,
"The most beautiful time of your life is your school life."
Rahul didn't fully understand the depth of those words then,
but he felt that this time truly was special.
The final bell rang.
Everyone rushed toward the gate with their bags.
While leaving, Suman said,
"See you tomorrow!"
Rahul walked home slowly.
The sun was gently setting in the west.
He felt the day had passed too quickly.
Back home, he told his mother all the stories of the day.
She listened with a warm smile.
She said, "One day, these will be the memories you miss the most."
At night, while studying, Rahul wrote in his notebook,
"My school is my place of happiness."
He decided he would learn something new every day.
Lying in bed, he thought about his friends, the field, and the classes.
There were dreams in his eyes,
dreams of a beautiful future.
And that future had begun
the day he first stepped through that little school gate.