Monday | 7 October 2024 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Monday | 7 October 2024 | Epaper

Short Story

A day in the asylum

Published : Saturday, 31 December, 2016 at 12:00 AM  Count : 601
Samir Hussain Khan
I sat down to adjust the bandages covering the linear wounds over my arm then suddenly a small jingling caught my attention. I frowned upon the sight of my identity card, hung around my neck like a cursed amulet. I took some time to growl at it before I heard the bell ring which meant that the labour was about to begin.
It was the same ritual everyday; we sat at long, untidy desks and answered when we were called out by number, not by name, since that would be too confusing. And each of our individual role numbers were imprinted on our identity cards thus we memorised them.
Then the second bell rang to indicate the beginning of our educational labour. It was the same procedure everyday; we would sit at those elongated tables and have bits of data delivered orally into our brains only to duplicate them visually into our notebooks.
Sometime during midday, the bell rang for lunchtime. A variety of chaotic creatures swarmed into the small cafeteria and gathered themselves around the tables they designated themselves into. They preferred to segregate themselves with the so called 'tough guys' and 'cool girls' on one end and the weaker ones cowered in fear on the other end, sometimes watching one of their peers get beaten up by the tougher ones.
I was one of the weaker ones.
I would sit at an isolated table at the corner, and look out a broken window, savouring one of the numerous apples I used to pick from the orchard close to home. I would harbour a black eye, a bloody nose or another bruise of some sort from one of my various encounters with the tough kids. Thus it was unsurprising that my aunt allowed me to carry my own personal first aid kit wherever I went. Sometimes, a few other 'victims' would arrive at my table and I would tend to their injuries. We seldom spoke; only exchanging a few sayings such as "thank you" and "hi".
Lunchtime was brief and another lesson was present before the final bell rang and I dragged myself home.
It was half an hour's walk between home and school along a poorly built road. Sometimes it was muddy and sometimes it was sunny but I still walked along the road to reach my destination.

Samir Hussain Khan  is schooling with
Delhi International School





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