The Little Boy
Kevin, a weary salary man tired of his routine, boards the late-night train for his weekly commute back home.
Kevin chooses a seat near the exit, hoping for a quiet ride.
As he settles in, he notices a young boy sitting beside him. The boy has a dark aura about him.
He had pitch-black eyes, a blank expression, and visible marks of physical abuse on his face and neck.
Kevin feels a strange coming from the boy, compelled by an unspoken sadness in his gaze. Kevin approaches the little boy.
"Hey there" Kevin says softly to make the boy comfortable. "What’s your name?"
The boy doesn’t respond immediately, his gaze fixed on the floor. "Luck" he finally whispers, his voice barely audible.
Kevin notices Luck’s dark, emotionless demeanor and the bruises that covered his young face.
He senses a deep sorrow within the boy, hidden behind his blank expression.
As the train rumbles through the night, Kevin gently encourages Luck to share his story. Unexpectedly, Luck opens up about his life.
Luck explains that his name came from the time he almost didn’t make it into the world. During his birth, there were severe complications, and both he and his mother were at risk.
Miraculously, Luck survived, which then made the mother want to name him Luck. The mother was left weakened from the ordeal. She passed away when Luck was just a toddler.
Luck narrates the gradual shift in his father’s behavior. Initially, his father tried to manage, holding onto his job and caring for Luck as best as he could.
But the weight of the loss was too heavy.
Luck’s father, unable to cope with the loss, turned to alcohol. Over time, his grief morphed into anger, which he directed at Luck.
The first time his father hit him, it was out of sheer frustration of not being able to buy a bottle of whiskey.
Over time, the beatings became more frequent and severe. The emotional pain soon turned into numbness.
Luck stopped feeling the physical blows, his mind retreating into a blank state of indifference.
The train had once been a source of joy for the family —a place they would go together as a family when things were better.
But now, it’s where Luck seeks comfort, away from the relentless cycle of violence at home.
Kevin listens with a heavy heart, realizing the extent of Luck’s suffering and the depth of his isolation.
Every time Luck boarded the train, silence covered the carriage. They would glance at him.
Their eyes linger on the dark bruises on his face and strangle marks on his neck.
A few would whisper to each other, their voices being just enough for Luck to catch snippets of their conversations.
“Look at those bruises...poor kid." one woman murmured to her friend.
“Where are his parents?" a man would ask, but everyone would shake their head saying they don’t have an idea.
Some passengers, uncomfortable with the visible signs of abuse, would avert their eyes and pretend he wasn’t there.
Luck, with his blank expression and dark gaze, seemed to float through their midst like a shadow, unnoticed and ignored.
Even the staff, usually attentive to their passengers, averted their eyes once they noticed him, as if they couldn’t bear to acknowledge his existence.
One night, the abuse escalated to a horrifying level.
In a drunken rage, Luck’s father began to strangle him harder than usual.
Luck felt his consciousness slipping away. Just when he thought it was the end, his father stopped.
Maybe he realized the gravity of his actions or fearing the consequences of his rage. With his father going out to his night shift, Luck sneaked out of the house.
He headed to the train station, his happy place — an escape from hell called his home.
Kevin continues to talk to him on the train. They sit together, with him giving head pats, trying to comfort the boy.
As the train nears Kevin’s stop, he decides to take Luck to his friend Sarah, a compassionate nurse, can help.
"We’ll get off together, okay? I’ll help you” Kevin says, holding Luck’s hand. Kevin was surprised by Luck’s cold hands and thought to himself to buy him a pair of gloves.
They step off the train and head to the nearby hospital where Sarah works. At the reception desk, Kevin speaks to the nurse.
Kevin says urgently, "Can you help him? He’s been hurt." The nurse looks puzzled. "Luck who?" she asks.
Kevin turns to Luck. But after he turned around the boy was gone.
Panic sets in as Kevin searches frantically around the hospital lobby.
“Luck? Luck!" he calls out, but there is no response.
A doctor, overhearing the ruckus, approaches Kevin. "Are you talking about Luck Voltia?" she asked.
Kevin nods, still confused from the sudden disappearance.
The doctor continues, "Luck collapsed on the street; he seemed to be going to the train station. A passerby saw him collapsing and called for help, but it was too late. Luck was taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and exhaustion."
Kevin’s breath catches in his throat. "But... he was with me just now" he stammers, struggling to comprehend what he’s hearing.
The doctor looks at him with a mix of sympathy and sorrow. "I’m sorry. Sometimes, the souls of those who have suffered greatly find a way to reach out, seeking closure."
As reality sets in, Kevin realizes that Luck’s presence was that of a lost soul. He sought closure and peace.
The bruises, the empty gaze—all remnants of a life cut short by cruelty and neglect.
“He was real” John whispers to himself, grappling with the profound sadness of Luck’s story.
He vows to honor Luck’s memory, to ensure that his voice is heard and his pain acknowledged. John becomes an advocate for victims of abuse, sharing Luck’s story.
He raised awareness, created campaigns, and ensured that Luck’s life, however brief, leaves an indelible mark on those who hear it.
Kevin returns to the train station each year on the anniversary of that night, placing a small bouquet of flowers on the platform, ensuring that the little boy, Luck is never forgotten.
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