“Hey! Stop! Don’t move!” A voice boomed at us, and we all froze in our tracks. It was Mr. C. O. Johnson, our Senior Housemaster, and he had caught us red-handed. I felt my heart pounding against my chest, and I knew there was no way out of this one. As the flashlight shone in our faces, I couldn’t help but wonder how we had gotten caught. “Where are you four coming from?” Mr. Johnson bellowed, his eyes scanning our faces for any sign of guilt. One of the seniors tried to lie, but it was a weak attempt. It was a Friday evening, and I had been invited along by my seniors to watch an Italian actioncomedy movie outside of campus. But as a first-year student, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea we were “breaking bounds.” By the time Mr. Johnson was done with us, we were all confessing, telling him that we had sneaked out of campus to watch the latest movie in town “The Three Fantastic Supermen.” It was a movie about three extraordinary men who used their powers to fight crime and save the day, and we had risked punishment to see it. FANTASTIC ANTA The next day, punishments were doled out to the seniors by the Assistant Headmaster. But I was the one who was singled out for my reckless behavior as a freshman. “And you,” he said, pointing a finger at me, “look at his face. A common Form 1 boy, and you have already started sneaking out of campus.” I couldn’t utter a word. As I walked back to class, I heard a voice shout, “Fantaaastic!” And then another, and another. It caught on quickly, and soon everyone was shouting “Fanta! Fantaaastic!” From that day, “Fantaaastic” became my nickname for life, later shortened to “Fanta.” It was a reminder of that fateful night when we got caught sneaking out to see a fantastic movie. And over the years, the name has stuck with me. Some friends even call me “Fantastic Fanta.” And you know what? I’ve done pretty well for myself. I’ve lived up to my fantastic name and achieved great things in life. 4 The Birthday Journal
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