The Nameless’ Despair

The nameless man escapes the burning pyre he had been set in and dodges the
pitchfork armed crowd into the woods.This person, whose name had been forgotten and
memory tarnished, was now reduced to the colour of his skin and his leprosy. In the
desolate solitude of the woods, he forgets his own dreams, his ideals, his motivations
and everything he ever held dear.

Taken over by the primal desire to live, he survived on whatever was available to him in
the woods. Fruits, roots,stems,flowers,leftover hunt, nothing was beyond him. At times,
he felt like ending it all, to give up hope and put a stop to his suffering and everytime he
did, either his fear of death or his growling stomach stopped him.

Somehow he managed to survive in the woods for sometime. While scavenging the
forest floor, he comes across a trail which leads to his village. On the trail, a beautiful
young woman carrying food which smelled like something this person could never even
imagine in his current state. This person, a shell of his former self, asks the Young Lady
for food. Very repulsed, she curses at him and runs away. The person tries to chase her
down but eventually loses track of her. Despite all his bad fortune, he felt as though the
fates smiled upon him, for he stumbled upon a home and saw the young woman
approaching the house from far away. He tries to search the empty house for some food
but comes up with naught. After only being able to rest in the muddy embrace of mother
earth, he is very tempted to rest in a bed, be it only for a moment, just so he can
remember what it's like.

The young lady sees him in her house and yells for help. A hunter hears her cries and
rushes to her aide. The man tries to explain his situation to the lady, to the hunter. He
begs, he pleads, he cries but to no avail. Much like everyone in his life, they turn a
deeaf ear to his cries. The hunter raises his axe with murderous intent. In his final
moments, the man tries to think of happier times in his life. It’s said that at death’s
doorstep, you see your life before crossing your threshold. For this man, all he saw was
pain, hatred, suffering and sorrow. “I was put through this grief for the simple sin of
existing. I didn’t ask to be dark-skinned nor did I ask to be diseased. The world is filled
with hate and and I leave mine behind for you to remember, remember in your moments
of suffering. When the lights of your happiness are put out, know that it will be because
the shadow of my hatred engulfed it.”, He thought to himself as he accepted his fate.

The Young woman returned home to her mother to explain to her what happened. “A
Little Red riding hood! You are back so soon dear!”,the mother exclaimed after spotting
the lady. “Mother you’ll never believe what happened. I was attacked by a beast.
Seemed a lot like…………. A Wolf”.

-Aditya Kappla
M.O.O.P.S.OY.
Vibgyor High