Surprise version:

'I'll show them' Raj thought as he set the pan on heat. Ever since he expressed his desire to be a chef to his parents, they were strictly against that. They wanted him to be a doctor or a lawyer.

Today he was determined to show them his passion and skills. He decided to prepare Sabzi - a vegetable meal he was very familiar with and was confident he could never go wrong. He was planning to make this ordinary dish extraordinary with his unique blend of spices and aromatics.

Everything was going great. He had cooked the veggies and was going to prepare the sauce. He saw his household cat 'Karuppi' snooping around on the counter and shooed her away. The cat leapt off the counter, hissed at him and walked away.

The oil was heated. He added the aromatics, and the aroma was magnificent. Just as he was about to add the spices, his cat accidently knocked down the cleaner bottle on the cabinet above the stove. The cleaning liquid spilled from the cabinet and on to the heated oil. The hot oil instantly vaporised the liquid. The hot gases caught fire filling the room with acrid-smelling, dense white smoke. The frightened cat knocked over a few more bottles on its way out.

Raj managed to switch off the stove and go out to the backyard. He was coughing voilently for more than a minute. By then, his parents were in the backyard as well. The smoke crept into the other rooms and was pouring out through all the windows. Raj looked at the dense smoke coming from the kitchen window, going up and dispersing above the roof, just as his dreams.

Suspense Version

Raj was crouching and coughing in his backyard. His eyes were filled with tears. For more than a minute, he couldn't stop coughing. His parents were also in the backyard by then. They were terrified as well. They were asking him about what happened. But Raj was searching for someone or something. He was looking for Karuppi, his cat. The cat, however, was nowhere to be found.

Even just a few minutes ago, everything appeared fine, even terrific.

Half an hour earlier...

'I'll show them' Raj thought as he set the pan on heat. Ever since he expressed his desire to be a chef to his parents, they were strictly against that. They wanted him to be a doctor or a lawyer.

Today he was determined to show them his passion and skills. He decided to prepare Sabzi - a vegetable meal he was very familiar with and was confident he could never go wrong. He was planning to make this ordinary dish extraordinary with his unique blend of spices and aromatics. He had cooked the veggies and was going to prepare the sauce. He saw his household cat 'Karuppi' snooping around on the counter and shooed her away. The cat leapt off the counter, hissed at him and walked away. The oil was heated. He added the aromatics, and the aroma was magnificent.

The mouthwatering smell drew the cat back to the kitchen. It hopped onto a chair, climbed the cupboard behind Raj, and made its way around to above the stove.

Just as he was about to add the spices, his cat accidentally knocked down the cleaner bottle on the cabinet above the stove. The cleaning liquid spilled from the cabinet and on to the heated oil. The hot oil instantly vaporised the liquid. The hot gases caught fire filling the room with acrid-smelling, dense white smoke. The frightened cat knocked over a few more bottles on its way out.

Stupid Cat. . - image 1 - student project Raj managed to switch off the stove and go out to the backyard. The smoke crept into the other rooms and was pouring out through all the windows.

Raj looked at the dense smoke coming from the kitchen window, going up and dispersing above the roof, just as his dreams.

Siva

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