YOU MATTER

Chapter -1

"Nila, wake up! It's already half past six. If you don't get up now, I won't call you again."

( Nila remained silent )

"Get up, Nila! You'll be late for school."

(This time, Nila responded.)

"Hey! You said you wouldn't call me again if I didn't get up, so why are you calling me now?"

Nila's voice was playful, lively, like a One-year-old who had just learned to say 'mama' for the first time.

"Nila, is that the only reason you weren't getting up?"

Nila burst into laughter, her mother, Manobi Begum, charmed by her laughter, couldn't help but smile too.

Nila's family consisted of just her mother.
Her father had passed away shortly after her birth. Manobi Begum had never remarried, fearing Nila might suffer neglect in a new household.
She had built her dreams around Nila, not the kind where her daughter would grow up to bring her fame, but a different one.She simply prayed day and night for Nila to survive in this harsh world.

Manobi urged Nila to get ready for school, but Nila didn't want to go.

"Ma, I'm not going to school."

Nila's once energetic voice had suddenly become calm and quiet, like the gentle flow of a river in a noisy world, or the sound of crickets on a silent night. Before Manobi could ask why, Nila began to speak.

"Ma, no one at school wants me there. They mock me, laugh at my disfigured face. Even the teachers avoid coming near me, and when I ask questions, they try to brush me off."

(Nila spoke without pausing for breath.)

Even when I wear a mask, they tear it off and laugh with a terrible glee, like I am the source of their amusement. No one wants me, Ma.

This time, Nila broke into tears. Manobi was at a loss for words, unable to find anything to comfort her daughter.
Suddenly, a brick flew through the open window of Nila's room. Fortunately, it didn't hit Nila or her mother, but the cruel laughter that followed struck deeper than any blow, leaving both of them wounded within.

Nila's broken voice rang out, "Ma, was it a sin for me to be born? I wasn't always like this. I didn't make myself like this."

Nila didn't go to school that day. It was now 5:23 in the afternoon.

Manobi brought a doctor home, planning to have Nila undergo plastic surgery.The doctor's name was Iqbal.
"How are you, Nila?"
"I'm fine."
"How's your studies going?"
"Fine."
"Have you had lunch?"
"Yes."
Doctor Iqbal, unsure of what to say, struggled to find the right words to continue the conversation.

A silence settled between them, lasting a few seconds or maybe more.

Finally, the doctor asked again,

"How did this happen to you?"

Usually, victims fear such questions, but not Nila. She spoke clearly, in more detail than expected.

"I was 16 at the time, just a year ago. I lived in Rajshahi, did well in my studies, and I was quite beautiful. But beauty doesn't last, just like the scent of spring flowers, the call of the cuckoo, the soft winter fog, or the gentle warmth of summer.
There was a boy named Nafi. He was feared by almost everyone, and I was no exception. I was afraid of him too.
I always kept my distance, never going near him. He was mentally unstable and obsessed with me. Standing outside my school, calling my name in the street, grabbing my hand-these were his habits. But I didn't like any of it. One day, on my way home from school, I ran into him. His sick mind pushed him towards me, but I shoved him away and ran.
That was my biggest mistake.
I stayed home for two days after that, thinking everything would go back to normal. After two days, I went out again. I still remember the time-it was 6 PM. I was heading to the library. Suddenly, I saw Nafi again. He had a steel bottle in his hand. I thought it was just water. When I tried to run, he threw a liquid at me.
Yes, it was acid.
The acid hit my hand, and I screamed, running blindly. I didn't know where I was going. Nafi chased me, and eventually, he caught me. He pushed me against a wall and-

(Nila paused for a moment.)

And he poured the rest of the bottle of acid over my head. I screamed in agony and then passed out. I don't know what happened after that. I don't know who took me to the hospital, who informed my mother. Perhaps a local passerby. When I regained consciousness, I found out that Nafi had died while driving under the influence, falling off a bridge.
After that, we moved from Rajshahi to Dhaka, and this is how I've been for the past year."

Dr. Iqbal didn't know what to say. Before leaving, he quietly informed Manobi that Nila's condition was too severe for plastic surgery to be a viable option.

Nila already knew this.

❕This part maybe a little boring. But believe me. Next parts will blow your mind❕