A New Name

It had been 8 years now, since that horrible day. Karim recalled. Exactly eight year ago, when he'd been a small kid, two people had tried to jump out of the train leaving the platform, sadly enough they had jumped into the distribution post, the long metallic pole that carried the over head power cables for the trains. The trains velocity, combined with the impact upon the collision of the pole on the man's skull hadn't left much for the doctor to do. The lady had been better off, well relatively; her dead body had a head. This was the first time Karim had seen death, and it had shaken him. The violence of it, the gory images till this day had stayed in his mind.

He had been running away terrified by what he'd seen, running past his home Platform no. 23 Howrah Junction. He had been born there, and still lived near the water taps, with his mother, he'd never known his father. His eyes fell on a small child, he could not have been more than an year old,he looked so puny. There was something in that moment, in those tear streaked eyes, that told him that the kid needed help, he seemed to be terrified of the crowd. It was in no way possible that he'd seen the accident or its outcome, but if he left the kid there, he would either be pushed by the crowd to the accident site or be trampled by them. He decided to take him along with him.

He reached his mother, she was folding up some scrap newspaper that people had thrown around. "What's that?" she asked in a rough voice, pointing at the kid. "He's....Boontoo" Karim said. It was the first word he could think of, he wasn't even sure if it was a word at all. "And what am I supposed to do with him?" his mother asked now folding her arms. Karim sensed danger, usually this meant, that her mother was about to start screaming.

"I...thought that he..he could...stay with..." he stopped short, under his mother's glowering look.

"Get rid of him, I can't feed another stomach off garbage."

It didn't even occur to him to argue, his mother was a strict disciplinarian. Any hint of rebellion, and he'd have to spend the night hungry, not to mention the beating he would get. Frankly, his 9 year old dignity would take a hit if it got to that. Solemnly he walked back to bench where he'd found the kid.

"Go. Go away." he said

The kid merely looked up with his reddened eyes.

"Shoo! Go, you cant stay with us!!" this was getting frustrating, why wasn't this thing getting the point.

"Sit there." he said pointing to the bench.

The kid looked at the bench, and obediently sat on it.

Relatively happy with himself, Karim turned his back on the kid, and started to walk away. He had walked some 50 meters, from the bench, when he had a distinct feeling something was following him, he turned around suddenly, something bumped into his midriff and fell over backwards. Upon falling the kid started crying, the child had been walking on his heels.

Karim shook his head. Boontoo it appeared would be staying with him for a while.