The boy and the Bully

Once upon a time, in a land where everything was possible and where wishes came true exactly as uttered, lived a poor boy who, oddly, did not wish for very much for himself. He was content to pass his days playing marbles and throwing stones at dogs whilst dreaming of becoming grand, rich and popular one day. This boy — the unlikely hero of our story — was lonely because others, more interested in building their lives, shunned him. There was, however, an old fakir who reminded the boy, every day, of the many possibilities open to him, if only he would sincerely make a wish and then work towards fulfilling it. But the fakir was even poorer than the boy and the boy turned his face away in scorn each time he spoke to him.

Whilst his inability to hold a wish was unfortunate for the boy, who seemed perpetually to be a victim of chance, it was a boon for one older, taller and bigger boy, whose ambition was to achieve domination of the entire land. To achieve this purpose, the second boy — let’s call him the Bully — needed minions who belonged to him, mind, body and soul, and carried out his bidding unquestioningly. When the Bully came across our hero, he realised that he had met the person who would help him achieve complete land domination — because a person who does not have a focused wish of his own, may be easily manipulated by others.

The Bully laid his trap systematically and slowly. He invited our hero to his house — which was the largest on the street — and greeted him at the door, helped him settle against silk and chintz pillows such as our hero had never seen and fed him grapes so sweet and poured him tea so aromatic that our hero was soon in a blissful stupor. When our hero was finally ready to leave, the Bully sent luxurious gifts after him, as a token, he said, of his sincere friendship.


Over the next few months the Bully regularly invited our hero. As the food became more delicious, the presents grander and the handouts larger, our hero found himself thinking that he and the Bully were friends, indeed allies. He basked in the protection of the Bully and imagined that everybody envied his sudden rise and snubbed the tattered fakir who still asked him to change his ways. Also to show the Bully that he wasn’t entirely a freeloader, and to keep the luxuries coming, our hero started running small errands for the Bully.

One day in late autumn, the Bully handed a small bundle to our hero and asked him to guard it with his life and never to tell anyone how he had found it. Our hero was overjoyed at the thought that his friend and benefactor trusted him. He hid the bundle in a safe place and went to sleep. That same night, he was woken by angry voices outside his door, demanding their jewels. When he opened the door, he saw the Bully at the head of the mob. He relaxed at the sight of him but, in the same instant, was attacked with sticks and fell unconscious.

When he regained consciousness, he was lying in a puddle of blood and the bundle was gone. Our hero’s first thoughts were that he had betrayed the Bully. Just then he heard the Bully’s voice on a loudspeaker: “Tonight, I can report that I have conducted an operation that destroyed the biggest thief that lived on this street and who was responsible for stealing from the innocent.” He then heard the cheering of the crowd, “Long live our saviour.” Our hero knew in that instant that he had not betrayed the Bully at all — he had betrayed himself. Because he had made no wish and had expected to find status, wealth and fame by riding on the shoulders of another rather than through his own sweat and toil, he had today become a pariah. Just then he heard the cry of the fakir: This is the land where everything is possible and where wishes come true exactly as they are uttered. The boy, our sad hero, wondered, perhaps, if it was not too late for him.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2011.