Salim Arimatis - Short story

Salim Arimatis

He truly believed.

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"Three, Two..." Roared the referee over the shouting crowd as he slapped his palm on the mat. He was about mouth 'one' as he reached his arm over his head in order to slap his palm down on the mat again.

Salim Arimatis had always been a small fragile boy. He was born small. This characteristic constantly made him different to his siblings and classmates. Even his younger kin was much bigger, stronger and intimidating than he was.

Salim was a 'mummy's boy' although he wasn't the youngest born. The treatment his mother gave him was respectable because of Salim's tiny stature. She was just worried about him. Everyday she would give Salim a slice of cake with milk. He always looked forward to it. He didn't know if he got the special treat in order to shape him up or to reward him for the long and tiring day that he always had to endure. Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter because when Salim became ten years old, it became a tradition that his brothers would cruely take his chocolate cake when his their mother wasn't watching. His brothers were always kind enough to leave him the crumbs. "Small boys get tiny pieces of cake" they would say referring it the crumbs on the plate. Salim never told his mother. He wished his mother would drop treating him like a child. It only gave his siblings a reason to torture him, but he had to accept it. They were all giants. He was too small to tackle it.

Salim was bullied in school. Everyone was much bigger than him. He wasn't allowed to play with the other boys his age. He could either okay with the junior classes or sit with the teachers at lunch. Salim's teacher thought it was her responsibility to protect Salim from the cruel words and actions that came from his peers. Salim always chose to sit with by himself because even the junior class would call him names in reference to his height and small demeanour. He never say beside his teacher because it made the situation worse. Classmates would slip him notes stating that he was the 'teachers pet' and they never forgot to mention his shortness. He didn't like like to be picked on, but he hated when people fought his battle for him so he he kept quiet about the incidents in school. It was better that way. They were all giants. He was too small to tackle it.

Salim has decided to skip school one day. He instead wanted to visit the stadium he heard people talk about the day before. He walked inside the dark lobby. Salim was fifteen years old and he still had never gone anywhere without his mother by his side. Salim came face to face with a large room. A wrestling ring took most of the room's space. Salim was mesmerised by the sight. He then noticed a banner. "Anything is possible in the kickboxing academy" Salim said out loud as he read the banner. He was confused. Surely not everything was possible.

It was only then that Salim noticed people in the ring. A tall man fighting against a slim woman who jacked in height, just like Salim. Salim recognised the woman. She was Gretta. Salim had watched her fight on his television set. People constantly laughed at Gretta. According to them, it was wrong for a female to fight. The two fighters circled each other before the tall man punched Gretta straight in the the face but Gretta was quick and dodged the attack. they circled each other once again. This time Gretta was the first to move. She lunged herself into the man while kicking him. Gretta held out her hands up in achievement while the fell down. The man groaned in frustration. Salim was confused for the second time that day. Salim always thought the bigger people were the better. Wasn't that true?

Salim came to the stadium everyday after school. He wanted to tackle giants as Gretta had. Salim soon discovered that Gretta may have been small but that she was quick. Gretta was able to move at a impossible speed to people as big as her components. It was an advantage that Salim soon discovered that he had. He would train non-stop, using his stature to his advantage. Salim was ashamed of his stature but that was before because now it is all he has to live for. He wanted to fight against people twice his size. He dreamed of nothing more. He craved it. He never won a match before but he continued to train because he could and would one day.

"One" finally roared the referee as he slapped his hand on the mat for the last time. Never once had Salim won a match but this time it wasn't him pinned down. The winner had been announced and it was his name, Salim Arimatis. Salim's brothers were giants. His bullies and and classmates were giants. Even his mother and teachers who tried to protect him from pain were giants to him. Salim was bruised and he had a couple of scratches. He had taken a few pouches to the face and his right arm ached with pain but Salim knew that all those people would never be giants again. He no longer had to accept it. He was no longer too small to tackle it. Today, Salim was the giant.