That Evening

Arun got poor marks on monthly tests once again. Last time his father scolded him for getting poor marks. This time he was surely beaten by his father. When he reached home, he found his father was waiting for him with a cane to beat him. 

Seeing him, his father spoke with anger, "here he came home getting poor marks in the exam." His father was already informed by the school administration about his poor performance in the exams. 

Hearing this his mother came from the kitchen and said to his father, "Vinay's mother was saying tomorrow that Arun bullies other children in the school."

Hearing this his father cried in anger, "bully! so he is going to be a goon. This is too much. I will mend him today." Saying so he began to beat him with the cane.

His mother was so angry with him that she did not stop his father from beating him.

Arun's parents loved him but they had no other option except to punish him. They tried hard to make him understand but Arun was such a nasty boy that all their attempt went in vain. Today his father lost his control and beat him with a cane. 

Arun was thirteen years old boy studying in middle school in a small town named Rajnagar. His father was a clerk in a bank. He was worried about his son. He felt guilty after beating his son. 

 Arun was sitting alone on a bench in a corner of the park that evening. Sun was about to set. He was sad for his father had beaten him. All of a sudden, someone put his hand on his shoulder. He turned and find a stranger standing behind him. The stranger was looking at him and was smiling. Arun asked, "who are you? What do you want?"

The stranger replied, "I am a Time Traveller and want to take you to your future."

Arun knew a little about time travelling. He read some stories and watched a television serial about time travelling. He replied, "I don't want to go to my future. My father says that I would be a beggar or a thief in the future. By the way, there is nothing like time travel in reality." 

The stranger said, "so your father thinks so about you." Arun replied, "yes he always thinks and says so."

The stranger asked, "why does he think so?"

Arun had no answer to this question. 

The stranger said, "perhaps your behaviour and activities made him think so."

Arun remained silent. The stranger was right. 

The stranger said, "what do you think about yourself is more important. Tell me what do you think about yourself and what would you like to do when you grow young?"

Arun had no answer. He never thought about this. Always indulging in bullying and mischief he had no time to think about this vital matter. He began to think something. 

"Stop thinking and come with me." Saying so the stranger held his hand. Arun could not resist. 

On that evening, they began their time travelling. The time traveller took him to a truck that was parked along the road. They got on the truck. The time traveller offered him a seat and switched on some machines and said, "now we are ready to go to the future." All of a sudden Arun felt a shock and then all around them got white. After some moments they were in the future. The time traveller opened the door of the truck and said to Arun, "welcome to the future." 

Arun got off the truck and looked around and found that all had been changed. He looked at him and asked, "where are we?"

Time traveller replied, "We are in the future time in your town Rajnagar. Let's see your future. I would like to start with your parents." 

On the way home he found instead of the park, there were houses, buildings, and shops. It took him time to find out his home. Now his home was old and required repairing. He got sad seeing the plight of his home. He opened the rusty front gate and entered the home. When he was about to knock at the door, the traveller stopped him and said, "you don't need to go before your parents. Let's move to the window." They moved to the window. It was ajar. The window glasses were broken and the grill was rusty. Arun looked inside through the ajar window. The dim light in the room and the plaster was falling off walls and ceiling.

Through the ajar window, he saw his father was lying on a bed and coughing frequently. He then saw his mother through the window who was now old, sick and was with a walking stick. All this was depressive for Arun. 

She was saying, "Arun was going to be released from the jail next week."

His father got angry, "why is he being released from jail? He should not be released until he mends his ways." 

His mother began to weep. His parents were sick and alone and he was in jail.

Arun got shocked seeing this. His eyes filled with tears. He could not see all this. He moved away from the window. His father began to cough loudly and continuously and within a minute he fell on the floor. The sound of coughing was entering his ears like boiling oil. He could not hear his father's coughing sound and he put his hands on his ears and closed his eyes. Tears were falling from his eyes. The time traveller called a doctor on a mobile phone. 

The traveller said to him, "don't worry, a doctor will come to treat them."

Arun was trembling. The time traveller said, "this is your future and you are responsible for it."

A run said, "I could not see it. Please go back to my present time.

The time traveller said, "you must stay in your future time and see your future version before returning to your present."

Arun saw his determined face. It was no use to beg him for returning. So he had to stay here in the future. There was a lot to see and many things were available to entertain Arun, but he was sad. A question of how would he face all these troubles when he grew young was eating his brain. 

They remained in the future time for a week. During this time Arun tried to find out the whereabouts of his classmates and he found that some of them were still in this town involved in various occupations. Someone was a teacher. Someone was a clerk. Someone was a shopkeeper and so on. But no one was spoiled and in jail like him.

And a day came when his future version was to release from jail. Arun and the time traveller were waiting at some distance from the jail. They saw a shabby and fat man coming out of the jail. Arun looked at him for some moments and found that he was no one else than his future version. Arun was sad seeing his future version. He was ashamed of himself. 

On the way to the inn, he asked the time traveller, "have you any method to make my future life correct?" 

Time traveller looked at him and said, "Sorry boy, I have no such method." He paused for a while and then said, "it is lunchtime. Let's have lunch and then I will tell you a way to make your future life right and happy."

Arun said, "really! Have you such a way!" And looked at him.

Time traveller looked at him and said with a smile, "really." This word and a smile were enough to bring a ray of hope in Arun's dark life.

They took lunch in the inn. After lunch, the time traveller said to Arun, "listen to me boy. Your future depends on you. What you do in the present time decides what will you be in the future. You are a spoiled child in your present so your future is spoiled. Be a good boy in your present, your future will be good."

Arun began to think something. Time traveller said, "Be a good boy and study diligently in your present time. I am sure that you will be a good man in the future. Your parents have some dreams about you, try to make their dreams true."

Arun said, "but it is late."

Time traveller said, "of course, it is late but not too late. You still have time. Don't miss your time."

Arun thought for a while and said, "yes I am not too late. I will become a good boy." 

Time traveller said, "if so I should not waste your time. Let's be ready for going to your present time." 

They rushed to the time machine. Within some moments the machine was ready. Arun cried with joy, "goodbye future, see you again."

And within some minutes he was in his present time. He got off from the truck and said to the time traveller, "I am so grateful to you to give me a chance to look into my future and mend my ways. I will always remember your precious advice." 

Time traveller smiled and said, "have a good present and future." Then he started his truck. Soon the truck got out of his eyesight.

Here his parents were searching for him in the park. When he saw his parents he began to weep and rushed to them. His mother embraced him. 

Since that evening, he changed his attitude and began to behave well. He began to study hard and get good marks in exams. Nobody knew how an obstinate and bully boy became a good boy in an evening.