Narration (Nanav):
Two months…
Aman hadn't spoken a word to anyone.
Not to his mother.
Not to his teachers.
Not even to himself.
And then one day…
Something changed.
---
[Scene: The Playground – Late Afternoon]
A group of boys were pushing Aman around again.
Shouting. Laughing.
He didn't resist. He just stood there, arms limp.
It wasn't pain on his face.
It was nothing.
Like he had stopped feeling.
Then —
A voice. Loud. Sharp.
Neha:
"What's wrong with you guys? Leave him!"
Neha.
Classmate. Quiet girl.
She had never talked to Aman before.
She stood between him and the boys like a wall.
And for the first time,
I saw a flicker in Aman's eyes.
Not hope.
But confusion.
---
Narration (Nanav):
She started talking to him the next day.
In the corridor.
At lunch.
Sharing her tiffin.
He didn't talk much… but he nodded.
And that was enough.
I thought—
Maybe now, Aman wasn't alone.
Maybe… I could stop watching.
---
[Scene: Nanav's Room – Nighttime]
I sat quietly in the corner, as a moth on the ceiling.
Outside the window, I saw Neha climbing the stairs.
She stood at the door.
Neha:
"I want to see the stars."
Aman opened the door and led her to the terrace.
And I… followed.
---
[Scene: Terrace – Starry Sky]
They didn't talk much.
Just lay there under the sky.
But then—
Neha whispered something.
Too quiet. Too fast.
I moved closer.
Neha (whispers):
"They said you were cursed."
"That everyone around you changes."
"That your dad disappeared because of you."
I felt the air shift.
Aman froze.
His eyes wide.
And then… he stood up.
Without a word, he went downstairs.
---
[A Few Moments Later – Back on the Terrace]
He came back.
Carrying something — maybe a drawing, maybe a toy.
Neha didn't say anything.
Then, as the silence returned,
She looked up at the stars and softly said:
Neha:
"Your home… it's so quiet."
"At mine… my dad…"
She didn't finish her sentence.
She just stood up and left.
---
[Scene: School – Days Later]
Aman began to notice.
Little scars on Neha's arms.
Barely visible.
But they were there.
A different mark every day.
Near her wrist.
On her collarbone.
Back of her neck.
Tiny bruises.
Scratches.
Too small to notice from afar.
But up close… they told a story.
---
Narration (Nanav):
I wasn't the only one watching anymore.
Aman was watching too.
But some truths are too dark to speak out loud.
And some scars…
never fully heal.