Social Issue Short Story – Fighting The Monster
Photo credit: Carool from morguefile.com
The floor on which Akashi was standing slowly started to tilt at an angle and everything in the house began to slip. The house was situated very up in the mountains and was supported only at the center. “Akashi beta hold my hand for god’s sake” her mother pleaded who was holding a pillar for support along with papa and her siblings.
Mumma please save me, cried Akashi but she was unable to reach her as the house started to shake more crazily at different angles. Akashi tumbled and fell out from the main door but somehow managed to get hold of the door. Now she was hanging in between, somewhere at middle of clouds. Neither getting to move up… nor falling…
“Mummaaa.”….Akashi woke up screaming, drenched in sweat. Its been weeks she is seeing these kind of dreams. Every dream worse than the other. In one of her dream she was laying at ground and a giant truck was about to crush her but she was not able to move. she was not tied or anything but still her brain signals were unable to reach her legs and hands, Her voice too was betraying her as she wanted to scream but no voice came when she tried to.
Akashi closed her eyes and remembered what her Mumma had said “You need to teach him a lesson beta” She decided that today she wont tolerate. Today she will fight.
Akashi was a 15 years old girl. She always had a stressed childhood where her father was an alcoholic and never respected her Mumma, even beat her sometimes and Mumma in return would cry loudly and reply with all kinds of filthy words. This was like a daily routine and Akashi would hide somewhere in terror seeing all this.
She pained seeing her mother cry always. School was no different, no one liked her as she was the dumb girl who was the subject of everyone’s joke. She hated school because of this and moreover she didn’t had any friends. Her family experiences had broken all her confidence and so she never resisted any ragging from her classmates, never spoke a harsh word to anyone.
Living was a struggle for her but now even sleep could not provide her comfort since that “Demon” came in her life….
She first saw him first time near the station bridge which she crossed daily at 6.30 AM in the morning to reach school. She was walking as usual lost in her thinking mixed with sadness to go to school, long day was ahead her.
Suddenly she felt a blow of pain in her breast. Extreme pain……. Someone had groped her harshly for a second and gone ahead without looking at her.
She felt embarrassed and angry at the same time. Why would someone do that? She was crying from within…. the whole day. That crappy feeling was adamant to not leave her mind.
The next day again that monster came and did the same thing. This time she watched him but she was so used to ragging and disrespect from everyone that she allowed him to do that cruel thing again to her. She felt intense pain but more than that she felt rage and utter disgrace. She walked ahead and was sobbing continuously…… breaking within.
This continued for a few days and her rage became terror. Her Living became a burden. Finally she told about this to her Mumma.
“Next time if he came slap him. You cannot hide every time. people in this world are cruel. You need to teach him a lesson beta” Mumma replied.
But what can she do, she never even shouted at someone all her life. She was a good girl…..Why cant Mumma help her…..Why don’t he just disappear on his own…she thought…She wished….
She saw him again today…at same place…Monster….As usual he came near her walking fast…….She knew what he’ll do…..He pinched her breasts and moved ahead….like nothing happened.
…..but today Akashi was a different girl…..every bit of blood in her body came rushing up to her head, She felt as if she was floating. Her body was moving on its own. Some spirit had possessed her body. She didn’t realized when she turned, ran behind him in full speed and with all her power gave him a big blow on his back….he shook but didn’t turn back…He kept walking ahead..
She stood there watching him going, feeling relieved, feeling free….
She fought both her inner and outer Monster bravely.
Her Trance was broken by a voice “Tichya Mayla” Someone whispered from a group of boys standing besides. They were obviously amused by the scene they just witnessed.
She never saw him from that day on wards…
She won this battle but a lot other battles are yet remaining to be won…..
__END__
