Silent Downfall

Chapter Nine

The enigmatic night whispered words from a long-lost lullaby. The euphony nevertheless seemed to be bereaved of its magnificence by a broken yet stubborn soul. As Mayank revealed his eyes, the adventure from several hours ago appeared to be an excerpt from an insignificant tale to him. His eyes were in peace with the darkness in no time. With mild perplexity sticking to his mind, he turned his head to the side, only to find an empty space.

He got up to sit on the bed and brushed his eyes all over the place. The kid, however, was nowhere to be seen. Mayank took in a deep breath. With a jogging heart, he got down from the bed and headed toward the torch on the small table kept by the window. As he looked outside, the scene caught his eye.

A little figure sat still before the stairs of the pond. It had to be Fayzan. Mayank stood in silence as he continued to observe him. It was the last of all places he was expecting the boy to be.

A couple of minutes later, he found himself standing right beside the child, who was still immersed in a realm unknown. Following a few moments of quietness, he gently claimed a seat beside the boy. Fayzan turned his head to the intruder in a rather blank fashion, as if Mayank was meant to be there by his side all along, and the late arrival deserved to be pardoned. In no time, the kid's eyes were once again placed upon the water of the pond that trembled with the shy breeze. The world around appeared to be shrouded in a delicate veil of fantasy; although the door stood right before the eyes, none could find a way out of the dream.

"Don't tell me that you were crying for those worms the whole day."

"They are my family," Fayzan replied, his eyes still lost in the show.

"Where's your real one?"

"Family?" The boy's lips quivered. "I have no one except Waseef Bhaiya."

Mayank's eyebrows went up. "Parents?"

"Dead."

"Oh."

"So, you live with that worm?" asked Mayank, following a moment of silence.

"Waseef Bhaiya is not a worm. He is the best brother in the world."

"He can't always bring you along, can he?"

Fayzan sighed. "No. He leaves me behind with a weird creature when he is away on tours."

"A weird creature?"

The boy nodded lightly. "Yes. Papa's son from his previous marriage."

"That makes you his brother."

"He has never treated me like one." The boy wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and threw his gaze up at the star-studded sky.

"What about you?" Fayzan carried on. "Who are there in your family?"

Mayank's face grew stern, but only for a second. After a brief pause, he set a few words free. "Mom," he uttered in an unnaturally fragile tone. "And—and a little brother."

"You have a baby brother? How old is he?"

"Of your age."

"I can't believe you left him behind. He must be missing you."

Mayank smirked. "Who would miss a terrible creature like me?"

"You know what, Mayank?"

"What?"

Fayzan thought for a while. "Nothing. Leave it."

"Okay."

"But tell me one thing."

"You better ask something that's worth responding to."

The boy paid the threat back with indifference. "What made you choose this way?"