Lakshika Bista
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Riya. She joined Safe Haven Public School, but she didn’t know that the school had some boys who liked to bully others. On her second day, as she was walking to her class, a group of boys stopped her and asked, "Are you new to this school?" Excited, Riya said yes, but then they threw her bag and pushed her around. They even tried to pull her hair, but she ran away. Later, when she was waiting for her taxi to go home, the boys came back and pulled her hair again. Just then, her taxi arrived, and she quickly left.
At home, things weren't easy for Riya. Her father had been very sick for a while, and her mother had to take care of him all day. Riya’s mom was always busy helping her father, so she couldn’t pick her up from school. Instead, she would send a taxi to take Riya home after school. Riya didn’t mind the taxi, but sometimes, it made her feel lonely because her mom wasn’t there to take care of her like she used to. She would wait in the school gate for the taxi to arrive, often feeling sad and worried about her father. She felt so upset but didn’t tell anyone because she didn’t want to worry her mom, who was already dealing with so much at home.
The next day, Riya was scared. She thought, "I have to do something to make sure those boys Echoes of the Wonderful Mind 39 don’t recognize me." She decided to cut her hair. She thought if she chopped it off and changed her look, they wouldn't know who she was. So, late at night, with a pair of scissors in her hand, she started cutting her long hair. But she didn’t know how to cut hair properly, and by the time she was done, her hair was a mess. It looked raggedy, uneven, and far from how she imagined it would look.
The next morning, Riya was nervous as she looked in the mirror. Her hair was all over the place, but she still hoped it would be enough to fool the boys. She tied her messy hair up, put on her uniform, and left for school, feeling both embarrassed and hopeful.
When she arrived at school, she walked into the hallway, trying to avoid the boys. But just as she was walking past them, they spotted her. The leader of the group grinned and said, "Well, look at this! New look, huh?" They started laughing and pulled at her hair. One of the boys laughed even harder and said, "What happened to your hair? Did you cut it yourself?" The others joined in, making fun of her raggedy hair. "Looks like a bird’s nest!" one of them mocked.
Riya felt so embarrassed. She had hoped changing her hair would help, but instead, it made things worse. The boys weren’t done yet. They pulled at her hair again and laughed at how messy it looked. Riya tried to walk away quickly, but the laughter followed her, and others in the school started to laugh too.
In class, Riya couldn’t focus. All she could think about was her hair and how the boys had made fun of her. She tried to cover it with her hands, but it didn’t help. It was so hard to think about anything else. Later, one of the boys came into the class to get the duster, and as he looked at Riya, he gave her a strange smile. Riya quickly looked away, not wanting to face him, but she couldn’t escape the feeling of being humiliated.
When school ended, she was once again waiting for her taxi, hoping it would come quickly so she could escape. But just as she was about to leave, the boys showed up again, pointing at her hair and making more jokes. “Are you sure you didn’t cut it with a chainsaw?” one of them teased. Riya could feel the tears in her eyes, but she held them back. She wanted to run, but she knew it wouldn’t stop them from laughing.
The boys finally left, but Riya’s heart was heavy. She got into her taxi, feeling defeated. As she sat in the Echoes of the Wonderful Mind 41 car, she thought about what she could do next. She had tried to change her look to avoid the bullying, but nothing seemed to work.
When Riya got into the taxi, she was quiet, trying not to cry. The taxi driver, who always drove her, was quiet too. He had long hair like Lord Shiva and looked calm and wise. He never talked, but Riya always felt safe when she was in his taxi.
This time, the driver spoke, and his voice was deep and soft. "I saw everything," he said while driving.
Riya looked at him, surprised. "You saw? What did you see?" she asked.
"I saw those boys pulling your hair and making fun of you," he said. "They are cowards. But you don’t have to let them win."
Riya didn’t know what to say. No one had ever noticed before, and no one had ever offered to help her. "What can I do? They won’t stop," she said, her voice shaking.
The driver smiled a little. "You can do more than you think," he said. Then, he opened the glove box and took out a small purple hand band. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "This is special."
Riya took the band and looked at it. "Is this magical?" she asked. "You even look like Lord Shiva. Is this like a blessing or something?"
The driver laughed softly, and it made Riya feel a little better. "No," he said. "It’s not magic, and I’m not Shiva. This is just a hand band. But it’s supposed to remind you of something."
"Remind me of what?" Riya asked.
"That the strength you need is already inside you," he said. "This band won’t make the bullies go away. It won’t fight for you. But it will remind you that you can do it. You are stronger than you think."
Riya looked at the band again and then put it on her wrist. It felt nice, like it was holding her hand. "Will it really work?" she asked.
"It will work if you believe in yourself," the driver said. "Remember, the magic isn’t in this band. It’s in you. You just need to see it."
When they reached her house, Riya got out of the taxi. Before closing the door, she looked at the driver and said, "Thank you."
"Anytime," he said with a small smile. "Don’t forget, you’re not alone. You’ve got this."
The next day, Riya went to school wearing the purple band the taxi driver gave her. She kept touching it, feeling a little braver. When she saw the boys, instead of running, she walked straight to them. They were surprised and started laughing.
The leader of the boys smirked when he saw Riya walking toward them. “Oh, you came back? So Echoes of the Wonderful Mind 43 brave today, huh? Do you want us to pull your hair again?” he sneered.
But this time, Riya didn’t back away. She stood tall and shouted, “Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to you? Do you think it makes you look strong? You’re just mean, and it’s not okay!” Her voice cracked, and tears rolled down her cheeks, but she didn’t stop. “You’ve hurt me enough! I’m not scared of you anymore!”
The boys exchanged glances, caught off guard by her yelling. But the leader quickly recovered and picked up a dirty lollipop from the ground, covered in dirt and ants. He held it out to her with a cruel grin. “Here, princess, have a treat. Lick it, or we’ll make you,” he said, laughing with the other boys.
Riya stared at the lollipop, disgusted. Her hands clenched into fists, but then she took a deep breath. Before the boys could force it on her, she grabbed the lollipop out of his hand and threw it far away with all her strength.
The boys were startled. “What are you doing?” the leader shouted, his grin fading.
Riya glared at them, her voice shaking but firm. “I’m done letting you push me around! Go find someone else to mess with because I won’t take it anymore!”
The boys stood there, stunned. For a moment, none of them said anything. Riya didn’t wait for them 44 Imperial World School to recover; she turned and walked away, her heart pounding but her steps steady
At home time, Riya was waiting near the gate for her taxi. She kept looking at her purple band, thinking about how it gave her courage. Then she saw the boys coming toward her, and they looked angry. The leader picked up a rock and said, "You think you’re brave now? Let’s see how brave you are after this!" He swung the rock at her.
But just as he did, Riya suddenly felt a sharp, stinging bite on her wrist. "Ouch!" she shouted, jerking her hand instinctively to scratch the spot. The rock had missed her as she moved her body and instead hit the principal, who was walking by.
The boys froze in shock, their faces draining of color. “The principal!” one of them whispered, terrified. The leader dropped the rock, his hands trembling. The sound of the principal’s fall had already caught the attention of teachers and students nearby.
Within moments, teachers came rushing out. “What happened here? Who did this?” one of them demanded, kneeling beside the principal. The boys stammered, unable to explain themselves. “It was–uh– we didn’t mean–” But their excuses didn’t make sense, and soon they were dragged away by the teachers.
Riya stood there, still stunned, her heart racing. She touched her wrist where the ant had bitten her and looked down at the purple band. “Thank you,” she whispered softly, her voice trembling with relief.
Later that afternoon, Riya was in her classroom finishing her extra work. She looked out the window and saw a meeting happening in the principal’s office. The boys were there, along with their parents. Riya could see their parents yelling at them, some crying, while the boys sat with their heads hung low. Even the leader, who always looked so smug and confident, was wiping his tears. Their parents looked heartbroken, apologizing to the teachers repeatedly.
The school had apparently announced that the boys were permanently banned for hurting the principal. Everyone was shocked; whispers filled the hallways. Some students who had also been bullied by the boys seemed relieved, but others were still trying to process what had happened.
That evening, when Riya got into the taxi, she looked at the driver and said, "It was magical. This band saved me. It bit me right when the rock was coming, and I moved. It’s magic, isn’t it?"
The driver laughed, his deep voice filling the car. "No, Riya," he said. "It’s not magic. It’s just a band."
"But it bit me! How can it not be magic?" Riya said, confused.
The driver smiled and said, "It was probably an ant or something small that got inside. Didn't you say you snatched an ant infested lollipop earlier in the morning from the bully's hand? The band didn’t save you, Riya. You saved yourself."
Riya looked at him, still not convinced. "So, I’m not in some kind of Cinderella story? The taxi isn’t going to turn into a pumpkin or anything?"
The driver laughed again. "No, Riya. This isn’t a dream or a fairy tale. The magic is in you, not in the band, not in me, and not in the taxi. You’re stronger than you think."
Riya smiled a little, looking at the purple band on her wrist. "Maybe," she said softly, "but it still feels like magic to me."
