Numb Inside

Beads of sweat stain his forehead as pesky flies hover about his head. Next to him is a heap of trash from which stench is emanating continuously. He has been standing at the same spot for the past four gruesome hours. His throat hurts with an unbearable thirst and his stomach rumbles with an intense hunger. His shirt is torn around the left shoulder. He seems to be 8-10 years old. He digs deep into his pocket and fishes out a few coins. He becomes crestfallen as he realizes that four hours of loathsome humiliation have earned him no more than a few worthless coins. He wonders whether he'll get to kill his hunger tonight or he'll have to sleep on an empty growling stomach yet again.

The traffic signal turns red and he become attentive. He advances towards the first car that screeches to a halt at the light. He knocks at the door of the car. The surface of the car feels smooth and cool underneath his fingers. He cadges for money. After some gruesome moments of absolute silence the man behind the wheel rolls down the window, gives him a sympathetic smile and hands over some coins. The woman on the passenger seat has a baby girl sleeping on her lap. The baby has a toy car in her hand and the tiny fingers of the other hand clutches her mother’s forefinger. He observes this with a hurtful yearning as he pockets the coins in his hand. The light turns green and the car speeds away leaving behind nothing but a cloud of dust and smoke.

Different people in different cars speed by him but he stands there. His life remains stagnant. Every minute is the same as the other. Every year is the same as the previous ones. To him whose eyes have seen nothing but despair and misery, time does not matter. He stands there not knowing his own identity. He does not know whether there was a reason behind his creation or he was just born to inherit hardships. He does not believe that there is a divine power above him. For if there was one, he would not have been leading a life worth nothing. His heart has turned to stone….devoid of emotions, devoid of faith. His young mind is a little too innocent to understand the unfairness of life. He stands there and waits….waits for some other car to stop.