Aman

Ch 1: A Second Chance

There he laid. Dying. Beaten up like to this state by those goons.

“–Life is indeed full of suffering–” he thought, as he looked at the sky.

He was feeling thirsty now in his last moments. As his eyes were closing, his pain eased. At the last moment he saw many rooks descending towards him from the skies.

His life was miserable. He lived as a beggar in the streets of Mumbai, the biggest city in India, begging for money to make a living, to survive till the end. Till he grows up and somehow get a job for himself, he had to survive like this. But it all changed today.

The goons returned to stomp on him. These goons always forcefully take all, even sometimes just an ounce of money, from this boy, leaving nothing for him. The boy never rebelled as he felt grave danger if he ever provoked them.

Later did he get to know that these goons take money from all the beggars in all the streets of Mumbai. That was when he argued them over his money, telling them that they can take it from someone else but not him.

“Aman! You piece of crap!” a goon yelled, as he looked at the boy with bloodshot eyes. “You beggars don't even bring enough money for us, and you refuse to give us all your money?! Fuck! Die!”

“But—” Before the boy, Aman, could say anything, the goons started beating him up. Aman cried for help, but no help came. Aman pleaded these goons to stop, but they never stopped.

This was how he ended up like this today.

Dying. Beaten up.

“–Is this how my unjust life gonna end?–” Aman thought, as his eyes were finally closed.

Aman wanted to live more. He wanted to grow to become a man. But all those dreams gone. He couldn't even say goodbye to his other beggar-friends before he left this world.

“–Goodbye, my friends–” he thought, as he felt relaxed, ready to die. But then suddenly his pain returned as his blood boiled in anger.

Hatred. Extreme hatred. He, before he died, cursed the goons who killed him and cursed himself for being so weak to fight, so weak to even defend himself. If he were strong, then these goons couldn't have even touched him today. But no, that wasn't the case.

Power. Strength. That was how he lost his life in regret today. All because he lacked these two most important things. The things which helped to survive. And that's why the fittest always survive. And the weaklings die.

“–I wish that I were very strong and powerful, that such things as today never occur again!–” That was his finally thought before his breathing stopped along with his heart.

☆★☆★☆

Aman felt calm and confused as he found himself in a tunnel of light. His previous hatred gone due to the voices he was hearing.

This voice was trying to say him something, but it seemed like the voices were muffled by an obstruction... Amam didn't know what to do for now, so he decided to walk through this tunnel of light.

This tunnel of light was like a vortex that he was traveling, with black lines that stretched like snakes towards the end of the tunnel. But it didn't seem like there was an end eventually as Aman had walked for hours now.

Aman was confused. Just what was going on with him?!

But then suddenly the tunnel moved and tilted itself, making Aman fall and slide down to the ‘end’ of the tunnel.

(Splash!)

Aman fell into water as he drowned deeper. He wanted to swim towards the surface but it seemed like his legs and arms didn't listen to him. And as he was drowning, he saw images. No, memories...

Memories of how he used to have escapades with his beggar-friends in the streets of Mumbai, how he used to laugh at the joke of his friend Kali. And how he was beaten up to death. His life was so small and he couldn’t even enjoy it to its fullest.

That was his regret. A regret that threatened to eat him alive, consume him like a spreading epidemic, a plague, and its insidious nature was something he couldn't control. For there is no medicine to regret.

His hands finally listen to him, but he didn't use it to swim out as he discovered that he could breathe inside this choking water. He used his hands to join them together as he prayed the gods.

“Oh lords those who listen to me,” Aman said, “I plead thee all for a second chance, for I want to live again. My life was taken from me before I could even see my future. My bright future, where I am able to accomplish my goals, where I get that serene feeling of safety. Where I feel no lack of parents, where I feel that there's always someone with me to take care of me. That was how I wanted my future... but now it's all shattered... taken away from me as I lay dead. I don't even know if they will give me a proper cremation or a proper burial. Or even will they find my body?”

The thought of his body rotting in the dark alleyway made his skin crawl.

“I... I just want a second chance to live.” Those were final words as he closed his eyes: “I give in to you.”

Then suddenly a bright light flashed before him as he abruptly opened his eyes again to see what it was.

“Come my child,” a booming yet pleasant voice of a woman said, as Aman hovered out of the water. “I have given you a second chance...”

Aman, who was yet again confused now, was blinded by the light as it's brightness increased. The light completely consumed Aman.