I was never fond of writing essays and would avoid them as long as I could help it. I was neither able to organize my thoughts, nor had any writing skills. During the class whatever assignments were given, I felt them to be a most boring job and would just do them as a mere formality. The teachers also found my essays to be so so, as I never paid much attention to them. It was thus no wonder that I was much scared of the essay paper for my High School examination. Only one essay was to be written in full three hours. Three hours was a long period and the examiner would certainly want some thing special from the students for which I did not consider myself capable. Looking back, I think those fears were all imaginary. Yet they were there and I could do nothing about them. Even now I have not been able to get completely rid of those fears.

In any case if I had to pass the examination, I had to appear for the essay paper. There was no escape from it and I had no alternative, except to wait for the doom's day, which soon arrived. Not knowing how I would be able to manage it, I reached the the place where examination was to be held and was handed the examination paper. There were three topics from which one was to be selected. I do not remember all the topics but do remember the one I selected to write and that was "The most interesting thing or event you have seen". Immediately on seeing the topic it flashed in my mind that I could write about a dream, without having to exercise my imagination or labor myself to organize into any process of real thinking. So I picked up my pen and started to write and continued . The thoughts kept on flowing as if someone else had taken over and was making me write.

I wrote, "The most interesting thing I have seen is a dream." The essay continued thus, "I had hardly gone to sleep when I was suddenly woken up and found a fairy standing by my bedside. She was very beautiful and I was charmed by her. But I could not know what she wanted? On my raising a questioning eye, she told me that she had been sent by God to take me on a trip to heaven. She further said that God had decided to grant a trip to heaven to the most truthful boy of the year and I was selected and she had come to take me there.

I was so happy to hear about it. She asked me to sit on a nearby settee which was lying there. I did whatever I was told and then she also sat beside me and manipulated some buttons attached to the settee. As soon as she did that, the settee started flying up in the air. Up and up it went and continued soaring high up in the sky. Gradually we were getting farther and farther from the earth. First the objects on the earth started becoming smaller and smaller, gradually merging into each other. We could now see the earth as a big shining sphere, which soon became the size of a moon. Shortly thereafter, it was seen to be the size of a tennis ball, and soon shrunk to become one of the stars.

And lo! I was now in the land of stars. I saw different stars scattered all round me, like diamonds and I was tempted to pick up a few and put them in my pocket. But when I tried to do so, I was shaken up from my reverie to find that they were stars and not diamonds and could not be picked up. We continued flying higher and higher when all of a sudden it turned into complete darkness. Where did all the stars disappear? I was puzzled. We continued flying in the darkness for some time till I saw in front of me a brightly illuminated Gate. There were two angels guarding it. They stopped us to prove our bonafides when the fairy gave her secret code. As regards me she showed them the God's order giving another code number. Immediately the gates were opened wide for us to enter.

Aah! What a sight to see? the entire area was illuminated with a special transcendental hue, the sight of which has never been seen on this earth. Even the colors cannot be named as they were different from what is seen here. We got down from our flying settee and boarded the gliding vehicles moving all over the place. There were parks, gardens and boulevards, with flora spreading exotic fragrance. It indeed gave a wonderful feeling. I was, then, taken to a ceremonial Hall where all the gods and goddesses had collected to honor me. In the hall there was a raised dais with two thrones, one of which was occupied by God and the other was for me to sit.

This was followed by formal speeches, giving the history of the award and the benefits of being truthful, a way to reach 'Sacchidanand' (the ultimate truth). I was complemented for my truthfulness and encouraged to keep it up so that I could visit Heaven again. My happiness knew no bounds.

After the ceremony, I was taken to a reception party, where eats and drinks were served. It is difficult to describe those, as again there are no words for them in the dictionary here, which could serve the purpose. One has only to visit that place to be able to have the experience. I think this should give sufficient incentive to speak truth and qualify for the trip.

All good things must come to an end at some point of time. People there had tremendously liked me and wanted me to stay. But that was not permitted and the time for my return approached. So with a heavy heart, I had to leave with the fairy as my escort. We returned to the gate, shifted to the settee and started our return journey. Again we had to pass the darkness, the stars and saw the earth as a star, gradually getting bigger and bigger. As we were approaching the earth, there was a earsplitting and shattering sound. The flying contraption on which we were seated, started falling at great speed. The speed was increasing every moment and did we did not know where it will fall? Then I heard a crash and we hit a tree.

At the same time I heard my father yelling at me, "Won't you go for your examination? It is already getting late."

So it was all a dream and I did not actually go for a trip to heaven. Immediately I got up, got ready and have come here. As the dream was fresh in my mind, I have narrated it verbatim.

A couple of years later, a friend of my father, who was a teacher and had come from another town, to stay at our place for a few days. I was narrating to him what I had done in my highschool examination in the English essay paper and narrated my dream. On hearing my story, he told me, "Was it your essay? In fact your answer book had come to me for evaluation. I thoroughly enjoyed that essay and awarded the highest marks to it".

What a strange coincidence it was that the same teacher who examined my paper should come and tell me so? Or was it just that he was making a story as I had made up my dream for my essay. Who knows the Truth!