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And then, naturally there isn’t any time to do anything but cram everything in anyhow.
With the result, neither my friends inside nor I am happy.’

‘Your Honour!’ piped a small voice, ‘I also want to say something.’

Justice Mathematics looked carefully and found that the voice belonged to a small
notebook, much in the same condition as others.
‘All right,’ he nodded, ‘please come to the witness box.’

The young Master Notebook marched to the witness box and took the oath, ‘Your

Honour, it has become a regular practice and I don’t know how long I will be able to bear
it...’ he stopped, all choked up.
‘Do go on!’ prompted Justice Mathematics gently.

The Master Notebook got hold over himself and continued, ‘It started a few weeks back.

Manu was solving some problems in Mathematics, one of them was tougher than others
and he failed to solve it. Can you imagine how he vented his anger? Well, he threw me
against the wall!’

A shock wave rent the courtroom and everybody started talking at once. Justice
Mathematics went red with anger as he banged the hammer loudly, and you could see
that he was wishing that the table were Manu. Manu, meanwhile, stared at his boots.
Was he really that cruel? He felt really ashamed of himself.

‘I intensely dislike such children who do not take proper care of their books,’ Justice
Mathematics said in a serious voice, all the while eyeing Manu sternly. ‘However, this
court is different from the other courts. Here the punishment is decided by the victims
and we decide by majority if the verdicts are more than one.’

He looked at all the bedraggled books and notebooks, pencils and pencil box, and the
school bag in the court. They, in turn looked at Manu, each and every one of them in

terrible anger. Manu trembled in
his shoes.

‘Let us thrash him first and then
throw him against the wall as he
threw me!’ this was the Master
Notebook, his voice shrill
with fury.

oath: formally promised to tell the truth
choked: turned speechless due to
strong emotions
verdicts: judgements
bedraggled: messy and untidy

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