Manhole Of Life

(9 days ago)

Bracer was different- he was just so sure of it. However hard he tried, never really was he able to mix with the hoard of students in his school.

Though it didn't stop just at the students, the teachers too had a pointy elbow for him whenever he showed up.

His hand went up to his hair as he brushed them away from his soft brown eyes. His cheek was bruised due to the fight, he had gotten into the day earlier. Still, his condition was way better than the guy he beat-

Looking at Bracer you'd probably not expect him to put up a fight- well, you're wrong. Since a young age he had been trained in three different forms of martial arts and by now his technique was flawless, to say the least.

He walked down the road and pushed the gate open. The construction was old and worn out but refused to just, dropdown. The dull and worn out stone tickled on thin the sole of his shoes as he slid, almost as if skating along the corridor.

"Oh Bracer", an old lady looked up from the table.

Her grey hair was pretty invisible in the grey background, " Inspector Taylor, came today. He gave his thanks for saving the boy from the kidnapper and left some money for you".

"Use them for the repair of the orphanage", Bracer said softly, as he opened a creaky wooden door and proceeded towards his room.

"Bracer", the lady chirped, raising her neck.

"Yeah?", Bracer said peeking through the door.

"Thank you", she smiled at him, "I got your room cleaned Bracer".

He looked back at her, through his sunken eyes. He did not say a word, just nodded at her and walked away.

Bracer kicked the door of room number, 'seventeen'.

"Do not kick the door!", the caretaker yelled from another corridor

"I have paid for the repairs in advance, okay!", he yelled back as he stepped into the room.

He heard the caretaker yell 'idiot boy', but it did not matter to him.

So much for a cleaned room, it looked pretty much the same to him. Then again, he was pretty sure his mirror would be sparkling because somehow it was the only thing in his cell that used to be cleaned.

All he had was just a small rickety green cot at one end of the room which broke, every second day.

There was a ridiculously small suitcase below the cot which contained his clothes, he had just three pairs of them. And that stupid school uniform which he had borrowed from a kid four years elder to him.

He placed his ring on the side drawer which had been held together by the medical tape. Which he used to get from the school medical room- the ring was given to him by his father and he simply wasn't supposed to lose it, ever.

He picked up the family photo and kept it close to his heart. It was vacation time, ten years ago.

His mother's almond-shaped soft brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and were partially covered by her long blond hair, he did not remember much about his mother, he was just four years old when she vanished, never to be seen again. His father had told Bracer about her, describing her as an angel.

After his mother vanished they had shifted, from Delhi to New York, two months later to Amsterdam, a year later to Honduras and finally to Himachal Pradesh back in India.

Bracer had spent most of his life in India and had come to terms with the rules and regulations around. His father had black hair that came down till his nose, one could guess where Bracer got his looks from, he grinned widely showing his sparkling white teeth. His arms were around seven years old George, who leaned onto his father hugging him tightly, and the three-year-old Bracer was throned on his father's shoulder.

It was his father and brother he remembered properly, years he had lived with them, they were his only family, other than his aunt and uncle who hated them.

Four years ago, Bracer's father and brother also vanished without a trace. They had gone out to buy some groceries, Bracer stayed back to watch his favourite movie.

He waited three days for them to return before he asked his neighbours for help. His brother's body was found a week later in the sewer with cuts all over it, his father was- well, never found. The police never figured out what happened.

All the land and money had been handed to his uncle, who had kicked Bracer out the minute he entered the house.

That was- sort of, his story.