Greentext · 3 minThe Man Behind Me

>be me, class 7

>tuition at a master's house

>six to eight in the evening

>fifteen minutes walk from home

>through the main road, then the lane behind the rice mill

>then our street

>i walk alone

>everyone walks alone, it is a small town

>the lane behind the rice mill is dark

>one street light, half working

>dogs there

>that is the only problem

>a new family shifted into the house opposite ours that month

>a man, his wife, no children

>the man is tall, thin, moustache

>he nods at nanna, that is all

>first day i notice him

>i come out of the master's house

>he is standing at the tea shop on the main road

>drinking tea

>he looks at me

>i walk

>at the turn i look back

>he is walking

>behind me

>twenty steps back

>i walk faster

>he walks faster

>i take the lane behind the rice mill

>he takes the lane

>i reach our street

>he reaches our street

>he goes into his house

>i go into mine

>i think, ok, he is going home

>second day

>same

>tea shop

>look

>twenty steps

>same turns

>third day i try something

>i stop at the cycle shop

>pretend to look at the cycles

>i look from the side of my eye

>he stops too

>at the lamp post

>does nothing

>waits

>i start walking

>he starts walking

>my stomach goes cold

>fourth day i do not go through the rice mill lane

>i go the long way, by the temple

>i look back at the temple

>he is there

>at the temple gate

>twenty steps

>i run

>i run the whole way

>i reach home and i cannot breathe

>amma asks what happened

>i say nothing

>i do not know how to say it

>who will believe me

>he is nanna's friend now, they talk in the evenings

>fifth day

>sixth day

>he is always there

>never closer

>never farther

>he never says anything

>he never smiles

>i stop looking back

>that is worse

>i hear his chappals

>in the lane, in the dark, the sound of his chappals

>i start making mistakes in tuition

>the master asks what happened

>i say nothing

>seventh day i cannot

>i come out of the master's house

>he is at the tea shop

>i walk till the turn

>then i run

>crying

>i do not stop at the turn

>i do not stop at the lane

>i reach home crying and fall on amma

>amma is shouting what happened what happened

>i say "that uncle"

>"he follows me"

>"every day"

>"from the tea shop to the house"

>amma looks at nanna

>nanna looks at the floor

>then nanna goes out

>comes back with the man

>the man is standing in our hall

>i am behind amma

>nanna says "tell him"

>the man says it to me

>slowly

>"your nanna asked me"

>"the rice mill lane has dogs"

>"one bit a boy last month"

>"your nanna said walk behind him till the street, do not tell him, he will feel small"

>"i take my tea at that time anyway"

>he looks at nanna

>"i told you he will notice"

>nanna says "i thought in two days the dogs will go"

>amma does not say anything

>that is her way of saying everything

>next day the man says "come, walk with me"

>we walk together

>he talks about his village

>in one week i am going to his house for tea

>the dogs are still there in the lane

>but nanna never told me about the biting

>he thought i would be scared