The boy's body tensed as the beautiful, delicate young lady reposed alongside him. The lights extinguished, and the movie began. Shivers of excitement coursed through his entire frame. Someone of the opposite sex abutting him was unusual.
Nervous, he perched upright as rigid as a mummy while she lowered her shapely form into the padded space next to him. Afterwards, he regretted not initiating any contact, like asking her how she liked the film or trying to hold her hand.
"Wow, I'm so lucky to have a female close to me," he said to himself.
He always hoped for an event like this. Each time he took a seat on a bus or on a park bench, he prayed for a woman, beautiful or ugly, seated close to him.
Now it happened, and what does he do? Sits shut up and unmoving like a clam.
Once he started talking, mentioning the weather to start a conversation, she got up and went.
Girls never chose him at parries to dance with. Parties took place weekly, and he suffered hope and despair every time.
Twice in his life, he took the initiative and formed a firm friendship bond, which led to love.
A Boy's Life
"The kid lies in bed until all hours of the morning." This is one of the mildest of all the false assertions levelled at him.
He fought off untrue descriptions of himself with anger considered out of proportion by others, resulting in people accusing him of being an irritable child and, therefore, somebody to keep away from associating with.
The boy's mother starts the ball of erroneous designation rolling, and like a snowball, it grows bigger by the day.
"You are lazy," "You don't pay attention," "You don't think before you act," "You are a spendthrift," You don't wash behind your ears" You broke the dish to annoy me," "You are a bully and raise your hand against your brother."
However, certain descriptions which his mother never levelled at him but he wished she would because he considered them to be true, like "You are stupid," would have removed responsibility for all the other faults.
But she only accused him of behaviour which his innate intelligence gave him the possibility of avoiding if he so desired.
The mother is a hefty woman with frameless spectacles perched on the narrow bridge of her drooping hooked nose, which resembles the proboscis shown in pictures of sorceresses.
Witches aren't real live creatures like people or animals. However, drawings of these enchantresses have been passed down from one generation to another through the ages, so much so some people think that they exist and can be recognized.
But a witch is a fictitious character. The story of witches flying through the air on broomsticks, having hooked snouts, and wearing flowing black cloaks and high, long, pointed hats requires a vivid imagination. Also, the idea of witches casting spells to turn children who are naughty into frogs, cats, or mice is a fiction of the distant past.
Can anyone say they have seen a witch? Nobody can say such a thing.
On the one hand, girls who reminded him of witches attracted him, and, on the other hand, frightened him.
He wanted to make a date with a witch, but where would he find one? Let's say that an amiable and happy individual emerges as a witch, while a person with the physical features of a witch, as described in folk tales materializes into lovely and charming.
This boy's fear of ending up with a witch for a friend led him to exercise caution in choosing a girl who appeared to be sweet and innocent, causing him to end up with witches for girlfriends.
Long fingernails frightened him most of all. He examined the fingers of damsels he dated without being aware of doing this. He never tried to connect with skinny ladies or girls with hooked noses. Fairytales always depict witches as being slim.
The question is, where would he go to find a witch? I mean a real witch, not one out of a fairy tale like the witch in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, capable of changing herself into any sort of character she desired to be, tricking people into thinking her an amenable, agreeable human being.
The witch in Hansel and Gretel showed witches to be skilled cooks. At least the young man ate well.
Being a witch attracted him so much he wished to be one. Then, he could turn himself into someone people trusted and considered sympathetic. Such a man is most successful in attracting members of the opposite sex.
At the moment, the youth appears to be a witch, "untrustworthy", they say and can injure them. He just conveys the appearance of a creature intending to hurt his fellow man.
He is Georgie Porgy, from the nursery rhyme, who kissed the girls and made them cry.
Throughout his life, he has been dedicated to persuading people that he is an easy going and pleasant individual. He wants them to think he's reliable, trustworthy and considerate.
People never considered the boy to possess any of these characteristics; quite the opposite, he's regarded as a ravager.
He's never been able to change the image of his childhood: bad-tempered, a spoiler of objects and events, a provocateur, a nuisance, somebody who others chase away like a pestering fly, or else he'll harm decent people.
It's as if he bears a placard round his neck saying, "Beware of me; I'm a destroyer."
He carries the sign but isn't aware of holding it.
The lad entered a room, and everyone got up and walked out, leaving him by himself. He's a monster; keep away from him.
Peace of mind came to him only when he was solitary, but sadness at being alone disturbed him. and made him wish for the impossible, for friends. He dreamed of entering a room and hearing: "Welcome. It's wonderful that you have come to join us; pull up a chair."
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