Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The Oath of Honor
The boy was short and chubby for his age. Ladies always pinched his chubby cheeks and he hated it! He preferred the comfort of comics over playing games. In school, his mates called him a sissy and he felt like an outcast. He wondered if he'd ever grow a beard and attract girls.
His mother said "it's part of growing up" when he complained to her. His father said "you must stand up to bullies bravely". He sensed his father's disappointment at his lack of courage. He longed to be like the heroes in his comics. To be like Blackbeard the pirate chief or like Superboy the boy of steel.
One birthday, his cousin presented him with a pocket knife, which he hid from his mother fearing confiscation. School recess was almost over when the same cousin came to stay for a week.
The older cousin did not tease him. Instead, he told exciting stories of schoolboy heroes and boy detectives. The stories enthralled him. The perceptive cousin sensed what the boy needed and gave him some advice a day before he left.
"All you need" said the cousin "is a sacred oath of honor to be really brave. You must do it in secret, and there must be the blood of a sacrifice. Above all, you must not flinch". He added, "The knife I gave you is perfect. You must draw blood and with the blood, swear an oath to be heroic". Seeing the boy's hesitation, the cousin added, "You'll get over the squeamishness. Just be steadfast."
It made the boy ponder long and deep. The next morning, the boy wondered, "What about the sacrifice?" He hadn't thought of it yesterday, and now the cousin had already gone. He was in a quandry till he thought of his pet rabbit. He remembered how excited he was when he got the rabbit a couple of years ago. He had spent a lot of time with it, looking up about its diet, need for exercise, need for hiding places, and a litter box.
But now the rabbit was quite tame, foraging for itself. It lived in the back garden. It did not need him any more and the boy and rabbit had grown apart.
The rabbit had been a beloved pet. He demurred at first, then he decided that his valor was more important than the life of a rabbit. But for the sacrifice, he had to wait till the house was empty. Opportunity came his way the very next evening.
His parent left for a grown-up party in the city. The coast will be clear for hours, the boy thought gleefully. Hardly had the car left the driveway when he went looking for the rabbit. In the kitchen garden, he searched under each bush, a carrot in one hand and the knife in the other. But the rabbit was nowhere to be found.
Then he looked all along the boundary fence behind the house. Suddenly, in the shadows, he saw the rabbit. He chased it around the garden till he thought his heart would burst. He had to shut out memories of his feeding the rabbit for they diverted him from his quest. After a few minutes, he did manage to corner the rabbit. Dropping the carrot, he grasped his pen knife firmly and jumped forward.
The rabbit was swifter. It dodged adroitly and escaped through a small hole in the fence. The boy fell heavily, and the open knife gashed his palm.
With tears streaming down his face, he watched the blood welling out in his palm. He realized that the rabbit was gone! No matter, thought the boy. He had his own blood! So with his bloody hand held high, he swore to be a true knight and never be afraid again. He told himself, "This is actually better! Human blood will surely create a stronger spell!"
Then, overcome with emotion and smarting from the cut, he went indoors to find a sticking plaster. As he patched up his hand, his mind was busy thinking up a plausible story to explain the wound.
His mother got the entire story out of him eventually. Next morning, the boy was summoned into his father's study. To him, his father was a remote Olympian whose approval he craved but seldom got. He felt unease as he entered, since visits to the study usually meant strong punishment.
Fearing the worst, he walked up to the large desk where his father sat. For a minute, he cringed as he imagined some dreadful punishment, and his lips quivered. But then he remembered his blood oath. He had sworn to be brave.
He looked up at his father with his face set. Although his heart was going like a trip hammer, and the cut on his palm throbbed painfully, he was ready to take whatever punishment that came his way. His heart swelled with pride, for he was no longer afraid, not even of his father.
