ALTAB NAGARI-Since 1952

5

"Oh no, not again!" said the furious Ashraf sir.

When he looked at the front, he found nothing, except Hablu and Arhan ran away like a lunatic. To be fair, Ashraf's red face melted and muttered "incorrigible!"

On the other hand, Ashraf was a bit saddened of something that would unveil. Maybe some dark truth, or maybe something that might be a bit of an unfortunate event. Is it a secret that has been kept? Or more than that? Let's see...

Ehsaan's boring class did get on and on. Until, class dismissed, the bell rang, he sighed with relief and wiped his sweat on the forehead. Walking slowly, four bunch of goons: Saad, Bablu, Anthony and Farazul just blocked the gate.

"Are you the new stammering kid?" asked Anthony.

Anthony has a bucked teeth that was yellow. It seemed that, he didn't brush his teeth for a while. His curly hair had full of dandruff that disgusted him. But his eyes had a chunk of mysteries that some secrets were deeply necessary. Fairly, he was the leader of the gang.

"Y-Yes" stammered Ehsaan.

"Still stammering? Huh! Are you going home to see your mommy?" teased Saad.

Saad was tall, lean and wore uniform dirty. His eyes were of a vengeful tiger that lied on the disgust of a hunt. Even though they were kids, their aggression only could be seen in the eyes.

But the rest of the two bouncing a yoyo that scared Ehsaan to death. Flashbacks of his past triggered him for real. He was nine years old. Just washed his face. Until, he saw two aggressive guys, similar to the present 'bullies' in the mirror, he looked back and ran. They commanded him to go to the commode, but he smashed them violently. It was when the Principal hit him with the stick.

Getting back to the present, his hand was trembling with fear and his muscles almost led to an anxiety attack.

"Hey, I saw you and Hablu on the tea stall during the rainy time, while we were passing by! Is he scared?" teased Anthony.

"I..I don't know, maybe he was" stammered Ehsaan, scared.

The bully gang grabbed his collar. Their eyes turned wild. Anthony pushed him to the wall that almost heavily hit his spine. It shook Ehsaan's body to the abyss that has a strong rock and a lot of thorns. It was a grasp of epilepsy that he was about to witness. Anthony just was about to forcefully pick some pennies from his pocket, as a part of their hunting.

Until,

"Let him go, you son of a bitch! Leave the new guy alone!" screamed Arhan.

Hablu, Arhan, Ikhon and George assembled as a gang. Other than Anthony and Saad, the other two were petrified of their ferocious eyes, just as the mongoose were about to eat the snake. Anthony gently removed Ehsaan's collar with the distraction. It seemed that their rivalry has a shorter history than the rest of the earlier generations of the 'Altab Nagari'.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you'll just beat the shit out of us and save the day. Now it's time to go and run. Take a chill pill" said Anthony sarcastically.

"Stop this utter crap! You always steal pocket money from the new and the weaklings, aren't you? I think, you're more of a scaredy cat than our Hablu Da. So we're not chilled and the pill is in your arse. Let's get these bullies to the vet. Shall we?" replied Arhan sarcastically.

"I'm not afraid of you! Fight me!" screamed Anthony.

He and Saad were closing their palm with a pressure of about to punch them.

"De La Grande, Mephistopheles! Yak Yak!"

They charged and ran over them by Hablu and the gang. While Hablu was using his martial arts skill on them, though it looked cartoony, Anthony, Saad, Bablu and Fazarul ran into the toilet. The rest of the gang chased Bablu and Fazarul by hitting them like a regular brawl in the marketplace. Arhan and Hablu hit the stones with their slingshots and dirt from the bins, whereas Anthony and Saad were running outside school by crying plus sucking their fingers like a toddler 'mommy!'

Hablu and the gang laughed with uproar. Until he found Ehsaan, laid petrified on the floor. The duo-Hablu and Arhan looked at him with a pity of his soul. Poor Ehsan, who was on his way home, facing some more aggressive bullies than the ones in Alta Dighi! Both Arhan and Hablu carried Ehsaan to Altab's Tea Stall. Whereas Ikhon and George captured Bablu and Fazarul to the principal's office.

Ehsaan was almost in fever with a trembling shake on his body-between dead and alive. Sazed was shocked to see him in such a condition.

"Uncle Sazed, please call Fardeen bro, immediately" said Hablu.

Hence, he went a near pharmacy store. It was labelled, 'Fardeen Pharmacy'. He got into it and called a young-aged bearded man "Fardeen, we have a patient to help!"

Fardeen, the pharmacist took his stethoscope and pressure machine with few meds to look at the patient. Looking at him, lying and shaking cold, he declared that the patient got traumatized. Hablu gave Ehsaan a glass of water and after drinking it, he got partly recovered.