Perspectives

The One with the Shame

I laughed and drank as my friends and I played with the little girl. It was almost pitiful how easily we had managed to break her. I can recall how easily she had believed me, her 'Ravi Uncle', when I told her that her mother wasn't home and took her to the abandoned floor in the building. When I gave her the spiked drink, she did not even hesitate for a second before drinking it. In a matter of minutes, she was at my mercy. The smile with which I had offered her the drink never left my face. She may or may not have been conscious but I did not care. I was going to have my way with her and there was nothing that she could do to stop me.
After a couple of hours, when the drugs wore off, I dropped her off but not without a warning that she was to tell no one of this. After that day, it became almost a daily occurrence to bring her to the abandoned floor. Sometimes, the other elevator operators would be there along with the gardener and some other friends of mine. In all we were 22 people. We paid no mind to the fact that she was an 11 year old girl. We took what we were entitled to. Sometimes, we used injections on her while other times we made her sniff powders. It has been going on for nearly 7 months now. It seems that she has resigned herself to her fate.

The next day

Me and my companions impatiently wait for our plaything to arrive. After a while, Murugesh, the security guard comes up to us and says, "She won't be coming today. Her akka has come home."

2 days later

She still hasn't shown up. We are starting to get worried.
"What if she squealed?"I ask the others.
"Even if she does, how does it matter? It is not as if anyone will do anything to us", one of them replies. He tries to make it sound convincing but I can hear the doubt in his voice.
"Yeah," I reply nonetheless.
An hour later, as I am operating the lift, someone calls the lift to the abandoned floor. I am instantly suspicious as this this isn't a regular occurrence. Despite that, I go along. When the lift opens, I see two police officers standing outside. Panicked, I try to make a break for it but they manage to catch me. Looking around, I see that many of my companions have already been caught.
They take us downstairs. A crowd is gathered to watch the arrest. The girl is there, along with her family. When I make eye contact with her, she flinches. For the first time, the impact of what I have done hits me. The shame and regret is almost unbearable. And now, I'm left to live with it for the rest of my life, short as it may be.

-Rtr.Deval Savla