Of Bolts and Man

It happened to me.
There was this series on tinkle called 'it happened to me' where kids wrote to tinkle about bizarre stuff tat had happened in their life. And it was published... This is one such thing.
It was after i returned from the kerala trip tat i realised i was locked out
of my house. It was the first time. I usually use a local padlock to the grill door... And i had lost or forgotten it somewhere on the trip. I had used some help from security guys to break it open. i learnt how it shud be done.

THAT happened again, when i returned from the chickmagalur trip, i realised that i had once again left my keys back there. This time, i was determined to use the skills i had learnt before. So, i go down to the basement looking for something strong to break open the lock.

First i find an aluminium rod. knew it wouldnt work... Tried. And it just bent, like many of us.

Then i found a wooden stick... it seemed pretty strong... It helped me do some damage... But that gave away too.

Then i found a steel rod. The trick is to apply force to separate the shackle from the body. Yes, with enough force and repeated attempts, it will give away.

You might ask, is using a padlock even worth it? maybe. cos it creates enough fuss for people to know that somebody is breaking in! (Maybe there are better, silent, efficient methods to break the padlock, but i wudnt know cos i'm not trained :P)

Once i was in my house, i just slept! Next day, i woke up and rushed to the bathroom. (dont worry, it wont get ugly) as i entered the bathroom, i just slammed the door shut. And the door spoke back to me, making a distinct sound... My Bathroom Door, Never Talks To Me. I observe things in detail. i focus on sounds, expressions, reactions... from people and stuff. like my bike/car or TV/Comp... anything for that matter...

This sound didnt sound nice. It indicated war. Man Vs Man-Made-DeadBolt-Gone-Crazy. I didnt lose it... cos i had more pressing demands from myself... after i relieved myself, i analysed the situation. The Deadbolt was rusty and had been suspicious for quite sometime. The damn thing was of poor quality. it had just snapped! Resulting in me being locked inside the bathroom, inside my house.

I couldnt call for help. I thought of an escape route. The window panes wudnt allow me to get out. And there wasnt really a FIRE EXIT planned for a bathroom!!!
I needed something sharp and thin. i looked at my beloved toothbrush and what i could do to it to make it sharp and thin. Prison Break gave some ideas. Move on!!! Man Vs MMDGC (0-1)

i thought, 'Laathon ke bhooth baathon se nahin maanthe'. And i used all the power my biceps wud allow. and bang! the knob was hanging around loose in my hands... But the deadbolt wudnt unlock itself. it had obviously lost all friction that was necessary to unlock!!! Rust can do that to locks. Man Vs MMDGC (0-2)

I then thought, 'i shud be using skill to overcome this challenge and not strength'. I located a carefully placed sheet of steel that was used for mixing and applying white cement, while the bathroom tiles were laid a year ago!!! After some breathtaking manoeuvers, and extensive skilled labor, i cud slide the latch bar into the deadbolt and open the door! Man Vs MMDGC (3-2)

No wonder, 3 is my lucky number. ;)