The mild winter sunshine warmed the playground pleasantly. It was break time and girls were scattered all over ? running around, practising shots on the basketball court, or just sitting and munching their tiffins.

A bunch of girls hung around near the big, open air stage, the pride of the school. They were listening intently to a wavy haired girl, standing in the centre of the group.

?I?ll be wearing a white dress you know, made of net, with silver spangles all over ? ?

?Wow!?

?And,? she continued, fluttering her eyelashes, ?There?ll be a silver crown in my hair.? A murmur of admiration rose from the group. The girl, whose name was Sunaina, smiled smugly.

But a less flattering remark suddenly came from elsewhere.

?Chchee!? said a round faced girl with short, boyishly cropped hair. ?What a show off!?

?Niloo!? said a small and mousy-looking girl standing beside her. ?Whatever is the matter? That wasn?t like you at all!?

?Nothing at all,? replied Niloo, looking disgusted. ?I?m getting fed up of airs.?

Niloo and Richa were often called the ?inseparables?. People wondered at their friendship, the two were so different. Bold and outspoken Niloo who never minced her words, and quiet, reserved Richa who hardly spoke.

Sunaina flashed them an unpleasant look. She hadn?t heard the remark, but she guessed Niloo wasn?t saying anything nice about her. Her expression made it obvious. The two were longstanding rivals.

The bell rang and the playground emptied rapidly. Only the group by the stage remained. They were waiting to rehearse the play. Soon Mrs Puri came bustling along. She was the elocution teacher and a talented dramatics coach. She was tall, with a pleasant, open face, and the students loved her direct and informal manner.

?Well, girls,? she said briskly, ?I can see that you?re eager to begin.? She paused, flashing them a broad smile. A Midsummer Night?s Dream is a delightful play ? though we are only doing certain scenes. And I?m sure you can do justice to Shakespeare ? now that you?re a year older.?

?Oh ma?am,? Sunaina piped up, a syrupy smile on her face, ?We are just dying to begin!?

?Good,? Mrs Puri said, unmoved by her flattering tone. ?You?ve all been given your parts, so shall we start reading? By the way, we are lucky to have two excellent roles for two of our outstanding actresses. Titania is just the right part for Sunaina and I?m sure Niloo will be perfect. as Bottom ? with her flair for comedy. And yes, Seema you?re nice and tall. I think the role of Oberon will suit you.?

To be continued

Deepa Agarwal’s short story, The Tough Decision, first appeared in the children’s magazine Target, edited by Rosalind Wilson. It was later published in the short story collection, The Carpenter’s Apprentice, by Katha, a Delhi-based non-profit organisation and publishing house