GYM VISIONS

Childhood Horror

But the worst part was that after he woke up his eyes turned towards the door half ajar. There for a moment he thought he saw a little girl standing. And only for a moment, for a moment when he saw her face his worst horror seemed to turn true. 

He felt his blood freeze literally as his past was reawakened after so so many years.

9 years to be exact.

The class went on for 5 minutes while barely anyone noticing that he took a nap between the time. When the bell was hit, he ran for the library as it was the only place where he could stay by himself without feeling insecure or disturbed.
He went there. It was like always, empty.

He took a book and sat with it so that he wont be asked what he was doing by the librarian. And sitting there, he began digging the things that has been buried, digging his past. From long long ago. Unburying the girl.

He was 8 years old turning 9. He waited for his parents to return. He kept his eyes glued to the window pane waiting for them. They said they would be bringing something for Hrikesh which he is going to like, but Hrikesh had no idea what that thing is.

Soon a car pulled over the driveway and Hrikesh recognized as his parent's. He left the window and ran to the door and waited for his parents to open it with the key.

Soon the door was open and Hrikesh found what his gift was. It was a girl. A girl who seemed younger than Hrikesh and whose height was a little smaller than Hrikesh.

"Hrikesh, this is your new sister" his mom said.

Hrikesh was dumbstruck to really say anything The girl looked up at his mom whose hand she was holding. Than looked back at Hrikesh. She was however too shy to let go o his mother's hand or say something at all. 

Hrikesh felt a twinge of jealousy in him, seeing the girl whoever she was holding his mother's hand.

Hrikesh never knew even tho he asked only a few times where or how she came from. He just wasnt told anything, any of that shit. But they played together. Her name was Eli. 

She knew so many games, card games, board games, that Hrikesh stayed always busy playing something or the other with her.

But with the temporary end of his boredom came about his anger issues and insecurity. He was insecure of her winning and angry whenever she won in a game. After like 6-7 months he started hitting her. Slowly and than a bit hardly.

She sometimes cried and if she told his mom or dad, they scolded Hrikesh so Hrikesh was also a bit jealous of that too, them supporting her and not him.

So one day, he was in a bad mood. Somebody ate his tiffin in his school and coming home playing a card game with her, she won 3 of 3 matches they played and she began celebrating saying 'I won, I won'

At that moment, Hrikesh lost it. He hit her bad in her stomach. She looked back straight face at Hrikesh for a moment and fell down unconscious. 

At that moment, his parents weren't at home and Hrikesh was just 9 years old. Fear engulfed him quickly as he dint know what to do.
He ran and got some water and threw it on her face.

Than he massaged her stomach, all the while tears falling off his eyes, and he crying "Im sorry Eli. Im so sorry. I will never hit you. Never. Im so sorry. Im.."

As he repeated this for like 5 minutes massaging her stomach where he hit and washing her face and head she opened her eyes slowly. 

He stopped and asked, "Are you okay? Im sorry"

Eli's eyes were watery and she said in a broken voice. "It-it...hurts" pointing to her stomach.

He massaged harder and she pushed him away.

She cried that time a lot clutching her stomach and as Hrikesh got up with fear he said, "Please...Please dont tell mom"

She looked up and more tears came off her eyes. She didnt reply anything.

When mom and dad came later, he was scared as hell. But to his utter surprise she didnt say anything to them and he was relieved.

But after that things were never the same. The next day she told mom she was having stomach ache and dad ignored it saying it must be gas or something and gave her gas tablets.

Eli said it worked so he thought this must be just gas but than again 2 days late she said same pain occurred. This time she was taken to a doctor, by his dad.

Eli was than admitted to a hospital and stayed there for 2 nights. They went to visit her the second night and she looked kind of relived with straws attached to her. 

Hrikesh never thought it was such severe. He felt quite guilty but she smiled when she saw them. The nurse told them not to talk as her constitution of body was very weak right now, so they left.

She died that very night.

Things were never the same for Hrikesh. The doctors gave the case away as an unusual kind of stomach pain. But in his guilty heart he knew it was him who was responsible for all this. 

He never had the courage to tell mom or dad but he cried for days, and weeks on end.
Mom and dad thought he missed her. Sure he did but more than that, he felt guilty. Really really guilty of what he has done.

Today, after he woke up from that nap, standing on the half-open door, for a moment he saw her.