The Thinker

Reporter asks “so how do you feel about your son getting the world record in solving the Rubik’s cube?” 

Maya replies “i don’t know what to tell, whether to be happy to be the mother of a genius or worried that he is different from others of his age.”

 “Every child is different from the other, in fact that’s what makes each child special, don’t you agree?” reporter nudges..

 “Now that you say it that way, guess I have no choice but to agree.” Maya though not convinced obviously has no choice but to agree.

Reporter having nothing else to ask Maya decides upon finally serving the purpose of her visit, thus starts asking for her son “Mam, could we get to hear few words from Ashura?”

Maya worried, but still not giving up her dignity speaks “I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible.”

Confused, reporter asks “What’s the issue mam, why?”

 Maya (muttering to herself) “He’s not here,”

 “Sorry, Mam?” 

"he’s…… not here! Now can you all please leave?! I’m exhausted, please.” Maya repeats, no, she yells this time.

The interview ends, with a show of hands by the reporter.

The team packs up with thoughts like, “The women’s gone crazy, why yell all of a sudden,” “I guess she’s hiding something” “that was strange!” etc. 

Infact one couldn't call it as just thoughts as they spoke about it out loud. This was pretty obvious as the person standing by the door heard it all. He enters the house once people steered away from the living room. 

“what’s with all the mess, Maya?” asks the new comer

Maya replying with disinterest “Hmmm, I don’t know where to begin, Ashura has made a new record,”

Seriously impressed, or atleast pretending to do so, he replies “wow, another one added to the collection, now let me help you to take it to its place.” He takes the award from maya’s hand and goes to the store room, opens a dirty, rusty trunk box and stashes the award with the hundreds of other old ones, all of them in the name of Ashura.

 He stares at them all for a little more time, jealous of the kid, at the same time annoyed at feeling the same. After all, he himself had seen the kid only twice over the past decade of being closely related to Maya and her family. 

He then bangs the trunk shut and returns to Maya, “So? How’s is Ashura doing these days? Is he good?”

Maya replies with sheer ignorance “Who knows, all I know is that he eats what’s given to him as the tray returns empty within few minutes of supplying food, he keeps himself entertained with different puzzles from morning to night.”

Mr self-righteous responds “You are his mother; you have to keep a check on him”

Maya snaps back, sounding desperate for support “I know! But you know him, I can’t impose things on him as he’d go berserk, then no one can stop him.”

 “Hmm, I understand. I was the one who stopped him with one of my cases.” He said so and thought to himself, thanks to him I solved it with ease, in fact I even got a raise for it.

 Maya, gaining his attention continues, “Let him be. So, how’s work?” 

“As usual, hard, suffocating, and sufficient to keep me occupied over the weekends” he replies

 Maya thinks- good thing, he doesn’t have time to cry over Ria.

************

Darkest of all rooms with minimal furnitures, and no windows, seemingly empty and silent was what sounded apt to describe Ashura's  room.

One could easily think that the room was unoccupied, but upon keen observation one can find a shadow of a thin lanky adolescent pacing around the room, murmuring some phrase that goes like… “the time has come, this time it will all be over, no one knows how many, no one knows who, but I do, i… do….”

 Now, sobbing, “get out! get it out! Can someone help? help! My brain is being eaten, I’m…. dying, I’m dying! Someone……” thud!

************

Downstairs, Maya locks the main door when she hears the thud, rushes towards Ashura’s room. Finds him unconscious then makes a call.

“Doctor, it’s happened again, he fainted” over the phone a male voice is heard, “I’m on my way”

************

 Ashura wakes noticing IV line in his hand, no sign of human presence seen in the room, he is impressed by the dim lighting in the surrounding, with a weak smile goes back to sleep again. 

After some time, the ECG suddenly peaks 140, and still raising, he’s in REM sleep, but seems to be struggling in his sleep. As his heart rate continues to increase, there is a beep from his metallic collar, followed by a stapling sound and the ECG reverts back to normal. He then relaxes.

For anyone who could see him now would find it amusing to see how peaceful a person can be when he sleeps, even though he is a child who is psychologically affected.