The Greatest Villain of All Time

Chapter 5: Onkar

"We'll die, you idiot!" Biju held us all back.

"C'mon, it's fun." I tried to push both Kartik and Biju into the river down the hilltop. But both my cowardly friends refused to jump.

"You think dying is fun?" Karik screeched and stepped back.

I huffed and folded my arms. "First of all, we're not going to die. Secondly, even if we die, we die together." I said the last part as a joke but Biju takes it seriously.

"We've our whole life ahead of us. We're just fifteen."

"So let's stop talking about death?"

"Ok, let's jump together then," Kartik suggested.

Biju whined. "Guys, c'mon!"

I laugh and put him in the middle, between us. We held each other's hands and Biju finally gave up.

"Y'all are going to kill me one day." He shakes his head.

Kartik chuckled. "Don't worry, we won't. Without you, our life will be so boring."

I looked at them, grinning. "Indeed, after all, we need someone to scare like this–" I take a leap and take them with me. Biju's scream was the loudest among us.

After that day, Biju's and Kartik's fear of heights vanished. Because we had jumped in together.

We were together.

But now, we aren't.

I don't know how to process the... death of Biju. As I stared at the burning pyre of Biju's body, not a tear escaped from my eyes. But the pain grapples my chest like vines growing on old poles.

The early morning chirps of birds are silenced by Biju's family's wailing. Kartik snuggles in his mother's embrace as he sobs over her shoulder. Biju's mother looks completely broken, her eyes not stopping the endless tears. She almost fell to her knees if she hadn't had her husband beside her to hold her.

Appa comes around me and wraps my cold body in his warm arms. "Why?" I look at him. He knows what I'm talking about. "How could you not tell me about this?" I push him away.

Appa looks down, conflicted. "I didn't know either Onkar. I-I just didn't–"

"I'd told you!" I shout. "I'd told you something was wrong."

"Onkar, I know but–"

"You didn't believe me." I shake my head in dismay. "No one believed me."

Seeing guilt take over Appa's face makes my blood boil. He looks away and mumbles a small sorry. My nails pierce my skin as I clench my fists. I can't watch Biju's burning pyre. I don't even know if the tears that are pricking my eyes are a result of anger or grief.

I can't be here. I can't bear all the agony around me. I can't...

So I run.

I run the speedest I ever have, barefoot. Stones prickle my feet as I steam out the anger inside me through sweat and pain.

If only I had rescued Biju at the proper time, if only I had inquired more, and maybe if I had pestered the physician and my Appa to be more serious... then maybe Biju would have been saved. Maybe Biju would have been here with us today.

I reach home but can't muster the strength to step inside, falling on the doorstep instead. My chest falls down as fast as it goes up, and my legs go numb.

"Anna..." I look at Deepti who walks to me with small steps. We didn't take her along with us to the funeral.

But she knows... even when we didn't tell her what happened, she knows something's wrong.

And maybe, I shouldn't have told her everything. I shouldn't have broken down in front of her.

But when she asks, "Are you okay?" I let the tears flow. I let them free as I hug Deepti.

"I-I should've done s-s-something. It's all my fault. I should've saved him." I weep.

"What happened Anna? Why're you crying?"

"I lost a friend."

***