Bangladesh, July 18, 2009. It was a Friday night when I was born.
"Saim bhai! Wake up!"
I suddenly shot awake from my sleep, rubbing my eyes as I looked around in confusion. For a moment, my vision was blurry, but then I saw her standing right in front of me with a stern, angry gaze. My mother… or more specifically, Miss Shanaz Khan, my school teacher. The moment I saw that expression on her face, my mind went blank. A chill ran down my spine, and in fear I stuttered, "Amaa…"
That was a mistake.
The next moment, I was getting beaten right there in the classroom. She kept hitting me while scolding me non-stop, her voice filled with anger as the other teachers tried to calm her down. The whole situation was beyond embarrassing. The reason? I had done badly in my exams. At that time, I was only in 3rd grade. It wasn't like my mother didn't love me—she did, more than anything—but as a teacher, she couldn't accept it. Still, that didn't make the beating any less painful.
Anyway, that was something that happened five years ago.
Now, in 2026, at Bulbul High School, I found myself in a very familiar situation again.
"Saim!"
I jerked awake once more, startled, realizing I had fallen asleep in class again. Looking around, I saw my 8th grade classroom. I turned to my right and saw a skinny guy with a slightly pale complexion and a face that honestly reminded me of a monkey. That was Al Sabir, the so-called "cool boy" of our class.
"Hey, why did you wake me?" I whispered. "Did the teacher arrive?"
He grinned widely, clearly enjoying this moment. "Not the teacher… someone more special. Look."
He pointed toward the classroom door. I frowned and turned to look, and the moment I did, I saw her. Sadia. Roll number 1. Calm, quiet, and… yeah, beautiful.
I sighed under my breath. Because two weeks ago, we were just normal classmates. Good classmates, actually. But one small mistake ruined everything.
It was around 10 AM on a Sunday morning. I was sitting on my bench, doing nothing as usual, with my two idiot friends—Al Sabir and Samir. I still don't know what was going through my head that day. For some reason, I looked at Sadia and casually said, "Oh, Sadia, you are looking pretty today." That was it. No hidden meaning, no intention, just a simple compliment. But the moment those words left my mouth, everything went downhill.
The entire classroom reacted like I had just said something unbelievable. People started shouting, laughing, and making noise like crazy. My friends? They completely lost it. Al Sabir and Samir were hugging each other, whistling, and acting like I had just pulled off something legendary. Meanwhile, I sat there completely confused. In my mind, it was just a normal compliment. Nothing more.
But for them, it was something else entirely.
I looked at Sadia. At first, she was blushing a little, clearly embarrassed. But then the teasing started to get worse. Both the boys and girls in the class kept pushing it further and further, making it more awkward than it already was. My head started heating up, and I could feel my patience reaching its limit. I was about to lose my temper when suddenly, someone stood up.
It was Sadia.
Her voice was shaking as she said, "There's nothing between us…" and then she broke down into tears.
The entire class went silent instantly. Just like that, everything stopped. No more laughter, no more teasing. But the damage had already been done.
Since that day, she started avoiding me completely. If I was coming up the stairs, she would look down and avoid eye contact. If I was nearby, she would leave. It was like I didn't exist anymore.
Back in the present, I looked at Al Sabir and called him over. "Come here for a second."
He leaned in, confused, and without warning, I grabbed him and gave him a hard knuckle punch on his back.
"OW! Bro! Sorry, sorry!" he yelled, immediately backing away.
"Idiot…" I muttered.
Two hours later, the school bell rang, signaling the end of classes. As I was leaving, I accidentally bumped into someone. I froze instantly.
"…Sorry," I said quietly.
It was Sadia.
She didn't respond. Didn't even look at me properly. She just walked past me like I wasn't there.
A heavy feeling settled in my chest. Guilt.
After leaving school, I didn't feel like going home. Not today. Instead, I went to a place near our area called Pal Para, a quiet lake spot. I sat there, staring at the water, thinking about everything—about what I said, about how things turned out.
"Why did I even say that…" I muttered to myself.
Just then, something moved in a nearby bush. I noticed it and looked closer. The bush rustled again, and suddenly, a small white bunny jumped out.
"…A rabbit?"
It looked at me for a moment, then turned and started heading toward the nearby forest.
I don't know why, but something inside me told me to follow it.
"…What am I even doing…" I muttered, but I still got up and followed it.
Step by step, I went deeper into the forest. The surroundings became quieter, almost unnaturally silent. The bunny didn't stop and eventually disappeared into a cave.
I hesitated for a moment, then followed it inside.
After taking a few steps in, I suddenly stopped.
"…Wait."
What am I even doing here?
That's when I saw it.
My blood ran cold.
Inside the cave, leaning against the wall, was a human skeleton.
And in that moment, I realized… something was very, very wrong.