The Lonely Boy - Chapter 2

The Fall, The Crush And The Well

Photo by Nina Deschères on Unsplash

The Fall

Arman fell down the stairs but as luck would have it, he fit snugly into the step he landed on. His height happened to be exactly equal to the narrow width of the staircase.

He tumbled down a step at a time as if in slow motion, each step he tumbled down was a petrifying experience that seemed to go on and on till he at last tumbled down the last step and came to a halt.

Damini and Geeta scrambled to his aid but the damage was done. The trauma of this incident was so much that it would make him feel the onset of vertigo marked by a tightening of his balls every time he would go near a height like a staircase, a balcony, a terrace or a ladder. Climbing a ladder would become impossible.

This episode would also make him experience agoraphobia because his subconscious mind learnt that if he were to venture out towards a staircase or anything else that led to the wider world, bad things might happen to him. He would always feel safe at home. He would venture out if he had to but he would never enjoy the experience.

The Cousin

Nanda’s brother brought his wife and son for a visit. Arman’s cousin, Bhavesh, was a couple of years older than him.

He loved to show off his meagre toys, which were novelties for Arman. He just wanted to hold them once, but Bhavesh never let him touch them and never stopped displaying them either.

This pissed off Arman because he was a careful kid and never damaged anything. When that was the case, it seemed especially mean that Bhavesh wouldn’t let him handle his toys. It looked like he was doing this only to upset Arman.

After a whole day of torture, it was too much for Arman. He picked a small, thick, dense bottle of Amrutanjan balm and considered what would happen to Bhavesh if the bottle hit him.

Would he die or only get hurt? Either option seemed what he deserved. He didn’t stop to think what would happen to him if he hit Bhavesh.

Aiming as carefully as he could, he threw the bottle when Bhavesh was running around in circles around him.