As the leader of the whip-wielding men thrashed the boy who had spoken to me, the onlookers burst into laughter.
One of the overly enthusiastic thugs said, "Oh boy, you're so arrogant! Are you really going to beat the poor kid to a pulp? Your phrasing is very catchy. How do you come up with such words?" He was clearly praising the leader.
Another thug beside him chimed in, "Our boss should be a dialogue writer or a movie director. I think his pen would be even more powerful than his whip!"
At this, everyone laughed even harder.
Just as they were reveling in their amusement, a whip lashed across one of the thugs. There were countless thugs surrounding the leader, all of whom feared him.
"How does my whip feel?" the leader asked, staring at the thug who had made the remark about the whip.
"It's really hard, boss. Even harder than my girl's heart," the thug groaned, rubbing his back.
The crowd erupted into laughter again, further enraging the leader. He kicked some of them, thrashed others, and whipped many more. Meanwhile, the other children and I stood there, waiting anxiously to see what would happen to us.
For about five minutes, chaos reigned as the leader beat his own men to a pulp. The children held their breath, frozen in place.
Eventually, the commotion died down, and the leader spoke again.
"Listen up, you idiots! If we entertain them like this, they'll start holding meetings and wasting time. We're on a schedule. If things don't go according to plan, I'll have to answer to the boss. And trust me, when that happens, he'll beat us worse than I just did," he growled, cracking his whip before leading everyone toward the resting area.
As they walked, one of the thugs who had been badly beaten muttered to the others, "Why did the boss beat me so badly? I actually liked the spontaneous dialogue he came up with."
The leader had already walked ahead, out of earshot.
"Maybe he didn't like his own dialogue and wanted to come up with a new one," another thug suggested.
The beaten thug rubbed his head in confusion as he trudged forward, still unsure of what had gone wrong.
Meanwhile, the whip-wielders led us children to the sleeping area. We lay down in a daze, exhausted from the ordeal.
*****
I suddenly woke up in the night. I could hear everyone's breathing and the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore.
By tomorrow, we would all lose the ability to speak. From then on, we would be forced to live here, using those tools, trapped forever.
We had to escape somehow, otherwise, this would be the end of my life. But I didn't even know where I was or how to get out.
If I could find that boy I had spoken to earlier and touch him again, maybe I could find a way to escape with his help. I immediately started searching the area around me. After ten minutes of feeling my way in the dark, my wish came true. I found the bodies of two boys. As soon as I touched them, they flinched and let out small noises. Even though we couldn't see each other, we understood each other through touch. The three of us sat up.
"We won't even have a chance to talk like this tomorrow morning. They're going to remove our tongues through surgery," I said, preparing them for what was to come.
"You're the one I've been thinking about all this time," one of the boys said. I was surprised—he must have recognized me from our earlier conversation.
"Yes, I'm the one who wants to escape," I replied directly.
"We have arms and legs, but we're helpless. They have too many weapons. We don't stand a chance against them," the second boy said.
"Even if we do escape, we're blind. Where would we even go? That's why we're here in the first place."
His fear disappointed me. Fear is the greatest obstacle to progress. The moment we take a step back, we'll keep retreating for the rest of our lives. The society we live in today is built by those who refused to give in to fear. There's no place for the fearful in such a world. A man can only gain full control over his life when he conquers his inner fears. That's one of the most important lessons I've learned. If I had listened to the second boy's fearful words that day, I would have been trapped here forever.
"If we had our sight, we could escape from here. Am I right?" I asked them.
"Yes," they both answered in unison.
"Then tomorrow, do exactly as I say. I will find a way to get us out of here," I assured them.
"What's your plan?" the first boy asked.
"I overheard the whip people, the ones who wake us up every day, talking. Tomorrow, they'll bring more boys like us and leave them here. A doctor is coming to remove the eyes of some boys who can still see. If we can take control of him, he'll be our way to regain sight."
"Why would he help us? He's one of them," the second boy objected.
"He wouldn't help us willingly. That's why we have to force him," I said. "For that, we need weapons. I know where they keep them, we pass by that place every day when we work. We need to go there now."
"This is too dangerous," the first boy said. "They patrol with whips all night. Even if we take the same path we use during the day, we'll never make it without being able to see. We need someone who knows the way."
"I've been secretly marking a path every day as we walk. With that, it will be easier for us to navigate. Trust me," I assured them.
"But if we use their weapons against them, what's the difference between us and them?" the second boy asked.
"If we stay here and obey them, there's no difference between us and them. But if we escape, at least we have a chance to change our fate. The only way out is to steal their weapons. Otherwise, we'll spend the rest of our lives being beaten and forced to do things we don't even understand," I said firmly, raising my voice.
When no one knows what to do, someone must step up and try something new. Only then can change happen. I could tell that my words had a strong effect on them. Both of them fell silent for a while.
Finally, the first boy asked, "What's your name?"
I hesitated, then asked in return, "What's yours?"
"My name is Adam," he replied.
The second boy remained silent. He seemed scared but didn't say anything.
"My name is King. Let's go."
The name slipped from my mouth unexpectedly. I didn't even know where I had heard it before, but it felt right. A strange strength filled me as I repeated it in my mind.
"My name is King."
The three of us held each other's hands and walked along the hidden path I had prepared.