A Dreadful Miracle

•prologue•

Sam was an extraordinary student in academics. He was the highest achiever of the grade, was a favorite of the teachers, could do any given job, and was expected to achieve the highest marks in the upcoming exams. He didn't like sports, and that was fine with everyone. 

But, there was one thing he couldn't keep up with ---- the expectations on him. Everyone had expectations of him; his parents and the teachers expected him to achieve academic greatness, his peers wanted to learn from him, but he wanted to find satisfaction. 

He chose to specialize in a subject that he thought was the driest of all because he didn't want to disappoint his parents and teachers. He didn't want to disappoint anyone. He wanted others to be happy. He was a quiet person, though he would raise his voice from time to time. He was known for bottling up his feelings rather than opening up. His thoughts were that he would be weighing the others down by talking about them.

 He was doing well in his studies even through these situations, but his defenses broke down when his parents decided to supervise them. This was the start of the end. He started doing less well in internal tests by the school, was feeling tired all the time, and slowly started losing interest in what he was being taught. He started losing sleep, one of the main components of a healthy mind. He tried telling his parents, but that effort was in vain since they refused to pay attention to it, though they listened to his complaint. He didn't have enough confidence to talk to his teachers about this; he didn't even feel that this was the right time. But, he didn't give up hope. He always hoped that someone would be willing to listen to him, and help him. 

He was always depressed, thinking about the time he would become what he thought he should become. He would constantly be lost in his thoughts, his fantasies, which depicted him leading a life which he chose for himself, without caring for others' thoughts. But that time never came, until it was too late. It was too late for almost anything to be done. 

It was a few weeks before a big exam, and big it was. Students from all over the country would be writing it. His peers and elders were pressuring him to study harder, telling him that his future depended on him, again and again. Those words haunted him day and night for two weeks, but he didn't lose hope that anything could happen. 

Then, the third week started with a huge explosion. His parents reiterated those foreboding words, words that had never left his psyche for the last two weeks. He finally snapped. He told them to shut up, but when they didn't, he tried twice again. But, they didn't listen. He then yelled at them to stop. They were shocked, for their golden child had never lost his cool. Sam continued yelling at them, opening up in a colossal release of fury. He then stormed off and locked himself in his room. Though his parents begged, he didn't come out. After a few days, they got worried. They called a locksmith and made him open the door. 

All they found was a dead body.