It was a beautiful day with a light breeze, the sky was clear, the birds chirping and the trees and flowers dancing with joy. Just perfect for a special day and it was a special day indeed -- my first day of college!

Both excitement and nervousness gripped my senses, it was a new place and a lot of new people too. Everything was going smoothly until lunchtime.

As my tummy was demanding food, I decided to make a visit to the cafeteria. As I reached the door, I heard a peculiar sound. Instinctively, my head turned and I discovered five senior girls urging me to enter the storeroom. Had I known then what trouble awaited me in the dark chambers of the enclosed walls, I would never have stepped inside.

I went in and four of them backed me up against the back wall whilst the fourth closed the door. They had a cunning smile on their faces and their eyes were as cold as ice. They snatched my bag, took my money, broke my things and tore my notebook into pieces. I was too scared and stunned to stop or stand up to those tall and cold-hearted seniors.

They returned my bag with a piece of paper on which was written: “If you tell anyone about what we did to you, you will regret it.”

The seniors bid me a terrifying farewell, “See you tomorrow, our precious junior.” Malice saturated their tones and I felt more threatened as I had no idea what worse they could do to me the next day. Because of this, I made up my mind to bid this college a farewell and take the next day off.

When I went home, I did not even greet my parents, locked myself in my room and cried my heart out. As the day turned into night, darkness spread its deep, velvet cloak on the clear, blue sky and I drifted off to sleep. During my deep slumber, I had a dream. A dream I could never forget.

It circled around a child being bullied by some teenagers. However, the child was not scared of them like I had been. He was retaliating, he was looking them in the eye and forcing them not to bully him. The teenagers got scared, gave up and left.

“If a child can do it, why can’t I?” was my first and only thought after waking up the next morning.

I got ready and went to college. I was ready to face those girls. That day too, it happened at recess. They gathered around me and took me back to that storeroom. They brought their hands closer for my bag and I was about to hand it to them when I remembered my dream. I built up my courage and refused to give it to them. They were very persistent and even slapped me several times, but I did not give in. Finally they gave up and left.

I was afraid that they might find another weak prey, so I informed the principal about them. The principal called the girls and had a talk with them, and after coming out they glared at me but dared not to say a word to me. By the next day, security cameras were fixed everywhere and those four seniors appeared quite afraid and distressed.

Dear readers, how do you tackle the nemesis called bullying —teach them a lesson or run away? It is time to make a stand. A very simple act of defiance from you might make a huge difference, not just for yourself but for everyone else as well.

Published in Dawn, Young World, August 25th, 2018