Aman's world was small.
One room… one table… and dozens of paper stars taped to the ceiling.
Those stars were his only friends.
They spoke to him in silence.
After school, he threw his bag on the floor.
Dust clung to his shirt, and his shoes were muddy.
His mother, busy in the kitchen, only said one thing:
"Change your clothes. Then do your homework."
Aman quietly walked to his room.
On the table lay colorful papers, a tiny scissor, and glue.
He carefully cut another small paper star, climbed on the stool,
and stuck it to the ceiling.
"Just one more star…" he whispered.
"Now it's forty-one."
At night, lying on his bed, he stared at the ceiling.
Those paper stars seemed to whisper stories only he could hear.
They were his sky. His secret world.
---
The next day, during school recess, Aman stood in a corner.
Two older boys snatched his bag, tore the chain,
and his notebooks scattered on the ground.
"This kid is like a statue!" one bully laughed.
"He doesn't even talk. So weird!" said the other.
Aman quietly picked up his books.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted them:
"Leave him alone!"
It was Neha, an 11-year-old girl.
She picked up Aman's bag and softly asked,
"Why don't you ever say anything?"
Aman just shrugged and walked away.
Words were never enough for him.
---
In the following days, Neha began sitting near him during lunch.
Sometimes she shared half a sandwich,
sometimes she lent him a pencil.
Aman slowly developed a tiny habit—
When Neha was around,
he would draw little stars on paper and show them to her.
"You like stars?" she asked.
Aman silently nodded.
"My room… is full of stars," he said softly.
Neha was quiet for a moment.
"My room… isn't quiet at all.
At night… all I hear is shouting."
Aman just stared at her, unable to speak.
---
A few days later, one evening,
Aman was sticking another star to his ceiling
when he heard a tap-tap on the window.
He looked down—Neha was there, holding a small notebook.
"I… wanted to see your stars," she whispered.
Aman let her in.
She stood there, looking at dozens of paper stars glued to the ceiling—
a secret sky in a silent room.
"These… are beautiful," she said, a small smile on her face.
That night, Aman felt like
his lonely sky wasn't his alone anymore.
But he didn't know…
One day, these very stars
would turn into darkness.
*(Episode 1 End)*