"All the best!" wished her parents, seated in the car. Acknowledging it, she waved to them as she entered the school. Having working parents might give the impression that they did not have enough time for her. But they always managed to squeeze in time for her and especially her studies.

Her parents being brilliant academicians themselves; they understood very well that proper guidance could make the difference. She had been an above-average student with a great passion for dance. Her parents recognized and appreciated it too.

Today, while writing the last paper of her ninth standard final term exams, she knew she had done a decent job. Yet she had perceived that that's not the answer her parents would be expecting, so she assured them she did great. She sensed that she was setting their expectations high. She hoped that they would understand the efforts she had put.

Soon the results were out; she had managed to score a decent 65%. She was satisfied with her results, in fact, quite happy with them. Her eyelids twitched when she saw her parent's aghast reaction. To ensure she did not have any distractions, her parents disconnected the wi-fi connection and discontinued her dance classes.

As the days passed, she felt suffocated. She felt as if she were locked in an invisible cage. She knew her parents wanted to push her beyond her boundaries. Yet could not come to terms with it; also, she couldn't complain about this to anyone.

Sometimes, she would feel like packing her bags and running away. Within moments, the harsh reality of the world would hit her. Then she would try to sit and memorize.

She didn't feel a moment of respite anywhere. The school added to her pressure as they wanted their students to give them great results. Gradually, she started losing her appetite and sleep.

The days passed into months; each day became painstakingly difficult for her. Very soon, the day of her tenth board exams arrived. Her parents dropped her in front of the school. Shivering, she looked at them. They warned her, "All the best!"

***

So the story prompt was to start with a sentence having good intent and ending it with the same intent but having exactly the opposite meaning. This story idea struck me instantly but it took me quite a good amount of time to write it. Hopefully the idea was conveyed.

I have seen many of my friends/cousins experiencing this constant fear of scoring good marks. Trapping the child in an invisible cage during high school exams and especially board exams is a favourite hobby of parents. Also, there is the parent pressure (like peer pressure), which is influenced by which parent curbed what. Mind you this is not the case in India, but also in many Asian households. Again, schools might not be helpful because they have to maintain their reputation.

The child ends up losing their self-confidence and sadly, sometimes pushed to depression. If you have read it carefully, you might have observed that I have added some signs of depression. I wanted to address this topic for a really long time. Because, I have known people who have committed suicides because they were 'weak' or 'average' students.