Hit back hard

 

This is a realistic story, based on a real-life event.

This is a part of the series, “Stand up, do not be afraid” which is directed at children above 5 years.

This entire series is aimed at educating children about good and bad touch and encouraging them to speak up. Generally, children facing such situations are scared, confused and often times ashamed.

Through these stories and discussions after these, I try to encourage children to get over their discomfiture and anxiety. 

My father was a fearless person and his actions became my strength in my future life.

Through my stories, I hope these little scared individuals, find the strength to confide in their parents or someone else who will fight for them and with them.

“HIT BACK HARD”

Raksha and papa got on the train.

Way back in the 1980s, there used to be a ladies compartment with six berths. Raksha’s seat was in one of these. He looked inside the coupe and arranged the suitcases under the berth. There were four nuns who had already made up their beds and were ready to sleep. On one of the upper berths, someone was already asleep.

Papa settled Raksha on the upper berth and requested one of the Nuns to look after her. He told her that he would be sitting on the berth outside the door, in case Raksha needed him.

After assuring Papa, one of the Nuns closed the door and put off the lights but realised that the little girl might get scared. So, one of the lights was left on.

Raksha was very tired and soon fell asleep. She had a bad dream and felt the presence of a ghost. She could feel the covering sheet moving up her legs. Then for a while nothing happened.

 She mustered the courage to open her eyes and saw the well covered person sleeping on the opposite berth.

“Maybe she is the ghost”, Raksha wondered.

Nothing happened for a while, Raksha dismissed her dream and tried to sleep. But her sleep was disturbed and her eyes were only partially closed. Through her half-closed eyes, she looked at the interesting pattern on the covering sheet of the person sleeping opposite to her. Suddenly to her horror, a big crass hand came out of the sheet and moved swiftly under her sheet and began caressing her legs. She, instinctively, moved her legs away.

A vile looking narrow face appeared from under the sheet and sunken dark eyes glared at the little girl, challenging her.

Raksha was frozen.

Then he moved again towards her, this time more boldly. Raksha felt trapped and alone.

Papa was so far away.

At that point, one of the nuns got up and went out. Immediately, he covered his face and the terrifying spell cast by his dark eyes melted away.

Raksha saw her chance, recklessly jumped down and rushed to her father sitting on the berth outside, just as he had promised.

He was also tired and had dozed off. Raksha woke him and began sobbing uncontrollably, “I don’t want to sleep inside. Can I be with you?”

Through his sleep, papa sensed something,

“What happened?”, he asked.

She pointed to the upper berth and said in her tiny voice, “There is a man up there. He was doing something to me”

Papa’s anger knew no bounds, he shot like a rocket, grabbed the prostrate man by his collar and dragged him down. He thrashed the man black and blue.

The nuns were aghast and stood gaping.

A few other passengers woke up on hearing the commotion. Some of them encouraged papa to give it to him nice and proper. Some even joined him in kicking the culprit. While a few suggested that we hand him over to the police.

The man himself had had too much and begged papa to stop.

Finally, he relented, turned to Raksha and said, “Go and sleep but next time, someone tries to be nasty with you, do not be scared. Hit back hard.”