When Time Is Against You

 When Time Is Against You

When time turns against you, everything seems to go wrong. Amaya was going through one such phase—haunted by unanswered questions.

Why did her cousin brother do that to her?

Why did he threaten her?

Why didn’t she raise her voice against her cousin?

These thoughts swirled in her mind, unanswered and heavy. The incident had left a deep mark on her behavior and her studies. Teachers began complaining about her falling performance, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t improve. Something inside her was broken.

One morning, Amaya was cycling to school, which was about 2 to 3 kilometers from her home. The road was busy, her mind even busier. She missed checking the road before turning, and suddenly, something unexpected happened—a bike crashed into her. The bicycle handle hit her leg badly, sending a sharp wave of pain through her.

But Amaya stood up, holding back tears. She picked up her bent bicycle and limped to a roadside cycle repair shop. With a quiet request, she asked the repairman to fix it. Then she walked the rest of the way to school on foot.

Once there, she cleaned her wounds, wiped the blood from her hands, and went back to class—as if nothing had happened.

When the final bell rang, students poured out of the building, laughing and chatting. Amaya collected her damaged bicycle and went home quietly. But again—she didn’t say a word to her mother.

But why?

Why Do Children Stay Silent?

I believe there are many children like Amaya—carrying heavy, silent stories within them. They hide bruises, both on the body and on the heart. But why do they stay quiet?

Who taught them to zip up their feelings?

Is it fear? Shame? Guilt?

Or is it the environment around them that makes them believe they won’t be heard—or worse, won’t be believed?

Maybe they’ve observed too many moments of silence in place of support. Maybe they’ve seen that sharing only brings more pain, blame, or denial. So, they learn to keep their mouths shut and their hearts full—of hurt.

This is not just Amaya’s story. It’s the story of many unseen voices. And it’s time we start listening—not just to what children say, but to what they don’t say.

The Scars She Carries -1

Amaya was a girl living in a small city, belonging to a middle-class family. Her father worked in a factory, and her mother was a homemaker. This story takes place when Amaya was in Class 5. She was an average student with low confidence.

One day, her mother took her to her paternal house for 15 days. Everything was going well initially, but one night, when Amaya was sleeping on the roof with all her cousins, mother, and aunt, her cousin Ketu called her to sleep near him. With innocent thoughts, she went and slept there. At midnight, she felt an unusual touch on her body. It was Ketu. She pushed him away and positioned herself so that he wouldn't be able to touch her again.

Ketu woke up the next morning and warned Amaya not to tell anything to anybody, otherwise the results would be adverse. Amaya was scared of that warning and didn't tell anyone anything, not even her mother.

Now, Ketu was confident that she wouldn't tell anyone, and driven by his strong desires, he kept touching her body in a way that appeared accidental. This incident, unreported, profoundly affected her, bringing her spirits low. She was unaware of the miserable conditions she would face just by not raising her voice.

 

To be continued……