A Year of Shame- by raghav agrawal

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Man, it was the worst. We were all stuck in this house, bored outta our minds. You know how cousins are, always messing with each other. But this time, it went too far.

Our parents were out of station, so we were alone in the house. My older cousins, Rohan, Nikhil, and Yash, took advantage of the situation. They started with jokes, teasing me about my hair. I had finally grown it out after months of begging my parents. I was really proud of it. But they didn't care.

They barged into my room while I was in my online class, pulled me away from my computer and dragged me to the balcony. They forced me to sit down, removed my shirt, and held me down while Rohan buzzed my head aggressively. I struggled, I yelled, I bit them, I kicked them, I went crazy, but they were too strong. All the while, Nikhil and Yash were laughing, enjoying every moment of my misery.

After they were done, they locked me outside on the balcony for an hour, just for fun. I was shivering, scared, and humiliated. I felt violated, like they had stolen a part of me.

When they finally let me in, I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize myself. I felt so ashamed, so humiliated. I couldn't face anyone, not even my own reflection.

When my parents came back, my cousins had already spun a different story, painting me as the villain. They said I had shaved my head myself and was threatening to shave all their heads. They even suggested to my father that as a punishment, I should keep my head shaved for the next few years. My father, believing their lies, agreed to their suggestion and punished me.

For the entire year, my father shaved my head every month as punishment. He never believed me, no matter how many times I tried to explain. I felt trapped, helpless, and alone.

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