Aarav sat in his room, playing a game on his mobile. The only thing illuminating the room was the glow from his phone screen. The house was unusually quiet. His mom hadn't returned home from work yet. Aarav glanced at the clock. "Maybe there's traffic..." he thought, refocusing on the game.
Suddenly, the phone rang. An unknown number. Aarav answered it casually.
"Hello?"
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. Then, a serious voice spoke.
"Hello... am I speaking to Aarav's residence?"
"Yes..."
Aarav's attention was now fully on the call. In the next moment, the words he heard... changed everything.
"His mother has met with an accident."
Aarav's hands trembled slightly. The room suddenly felt even more silent.
"Wh... what?" Aarav could barely speak.
The voice on the other end continued, "The accident happened on the flyover. Can you come to City Hospital immediately?"
After the call disconnected, Aarav froze for a few seconds. He still felt like it might be a misunderstanding. But he had no idea... that this call was going to be the biggest turning point of his life.
Aarav's mind was still in shock. He quickly grabbed his hoodie and rushed out of the house. The night air on the road was cold, but he couldn't feel anything. Only one thing was spinning in his mind—"Mom's accident..."
He took a taxi and headed straight to City Hospital. The hospital's white lights were stinging his eyes. A few police officers were standing outside the emergency ward. Aarav approached them slowly.
"Excuse me... my mom met with an accident... she was brought here..."
A doctor and a police officer looked at each other. The doctor remained silent for a moment... then spoke softly,
"I'm sorry... we couldn't save her."
In that moment, Aarav felt as if the entire world had come to a standstill. His breathing became heavy. The hospital noises slowly began to fade away. And then... flashbacks.
His mother's smile. Her saying while sending him to school in the morning—"Don't be late." His childhood... when he was 6 years old and couldn't play outside, his mom was the one who played games with him in his room. "Come on Aarav, I'm going to beat you," she would say, laughing.
The flashback images froze in his mind for a few seconds. Then, everything suddenly snapped back to reality. His legs felt weak, and he collapsed into a nearby chair. That night, Aarav felt for the first time—just how helpless a human can be.
Flyover Investigation
The next morning, the police provided basic information about the accident. The accident had occurred on the city's Eastern Flyover. According to the report, the road suddenly merged from two lanes into one. The warning signs were almost invisible. The street lights weren't working properly either.
A police officer closed the file and said, "Technically it's an accident... but there could be negligence in the road construction."
Aarav listened to everything in silence. Only one thought was running through his mind: "If the road had been built properly... Mom would be alive."
He looked at the photo of the flyover. Broken barriers. Poor markings. And a board for a government project. Aarav slowly clenched his fist.
In that moment, an emotion was born within him that he had never felt before. Rage. Rage against corruption. Against negligence. And against the system that treats people's lives as something cheap. That night, Aarav made a silent promise to himself.
"One day... I will change this system."
And he had no idea... that this promise would take him down a path from which there would be no turning back.