Paderthi Vijay

I don’t remember exactly how old I was when this happened—probably nine years old. We used to live in a small house, a single big room where everything—our beds, kitchen, and living space—was in one place. There were no separate bedrooms.

That night, the room was shrouded in darkness. The only sound came from the old table fan, its steady hum pushing warm air around in slow, lazy circles. The