30-Day Writing Challenge — April with Keeley

Quite Likely My First Ever Epic Prank!

Day 1. The funniest prank you’ve ever played on someone

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles

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Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles

3 min readApr 1, 2023

I must have been nine years old. Fifth grade. And I had no idea I had pranked my uncle. In the brahmin community men wear the sacred thread. I had this habit of playing with my uncles’ sacred thread as he relaxed in his easy chair. I would separate the six threads and often plait the strands.

One day, after I got tired of doing this, I picked up a comb and combed his hair. He was bald on top with white hair only on the sides of his head. After a while, I plaited the hair and tied it with colored thread. Soon I had multiple tiny braids tied up with multicolored threads. And…bored with this I took off to the garden to check the plants and water them with the hose.

Anyway, a little while later, my uncle left for an inspection. He dropped by his office on the way back.

He was the boss, by the way. When he walked into the office, his colleagues greeted him. Took a second look at him and couldn’t control their laughter..but they didn't have the guts to tell him why.

He shrugged it off and came home, all the time wondering why people on the bus were staring at him and smiling, then pretending not to and looking away when he caught their eye.

When he got home, he left his footwear at the door as usual, put his bag on the table and went to wash his feet. At the time, my aunt (his wife), his daughter, my mom and I were at home.

My aunt, who was in the kitchen, turned to acknowledge his presence and took one look and him and burst into laughter. Of course, the rest of us wanted to know what was going on, and well, saw him and could not control ourselves.

Now truly annoyed, my uncle shhhhhhed us all and asked what was going on. By this time, his son walked in and of course, grinning, brought him a mirror.

To his credit, my uncle laughed his head off now. All those thin colorful braids in his hair.

Talk about showing up for work with his hair in a braid…nay, braids!

Who knew I was an epic prankster!

Well, I’ve grown up to be a pretty good one and I refused to list all the occasions when I pranked my family, my friends. What can I say? I am young at heart!

Now I can’t wait to hear your story!