Abhineet looked above at the stars shining in the dark night sky.
"You're such a loser. Don't try to act innocent. You could have made it had you moved your lazy ass around a bit."
Tears stung his eyes as these words echoed in his ears. He clenched his fists till his nails dug into his moist palms- he had to hold back those tears. Else he will prove himself to be the weakling his mother thought him to be. That must NEVER happen!
Abhineet took a deep breath and tried to ignore the pain that throbbed inside his chest. "You loser... Get out of this house!" The words kept coming back to him. He looked at the skies, wondering whether God was looking at him from behind the dark curtains that hid him from this grief-stricken world. In his exasperation, he shouted. "Why, me? Even my mother hates me! Was anyone ever so unfortunate?"
But no one answered him. He did not expect an answer anyway. He just sat there alone looking down from the terrace at the streets that were now completely solitary. Just like him. Again a sob shook him. A tear slowly trickled down his tender cheeks. Why did he flunk his JEE entrance? He had not slept well for the last three years, studying for that one day. Everyone had hoped that he, the topper of his class, would definitely get a good rank. His father had boasted to all his relatives. And yet, here he was- discarded as trash by his own mother. He had let his parents down. His father's most cherished dream had crashed into pieces! Abhineet felt like jumping off from the terrace. He walked towards the railing.
"Sri Krishna Govind Hare Murari...."
From far off, the devout strains of this bhajan floated in the night air. What temple could be open at this time? It was strange...
"Hey nath narayan vaasudeva.."
Abhineet stopped listening to these melodies. No, he will not let these people take him down. His spirit will not surrender. True, he had hurt his parents and others, but did they not realize that it is he who ached the most. They could blame him atleast, but what was he supposed to do. How can he leave himself like they had left him?
He looked up at the stars again and held out his hands to them, as if making an oath over those divine candles. "I will never let anyone hurt myself again. I will one day make them proud. I will funfill all there dreams. But never will I forget this day. No one will ever hurt me again." He closed his eyes and remained like that uttering the Gayatri Mantra. Slowly he opened his eyes. His mind was blank now- blank of all his pain. Those screaming words were gone and left behind them a peace that was so rejuvenating.
Thus, Abhineet, like his hero Alexander, made his first conquest at the age of sixteen, and built a fort around his heart that no one ever was allowed enter.
