So you thought your life couldn’t get any worse? (Or maybe you don’t, but either way!)

Well, guess what? It can.

Tamal has failed his math for 5 years in a row, his parents broke up, he does not have any friends accept his cat, he has a 5-meter-long list of chores, he just got rejected by the most popular girl in school, and he just slipped over a banana peel in front of everyone. So, as you may imagine, Tamal is having a pretty rough day. PRETTY rough!

“Ugh! I hate my life!”, he yells as he stomps up the stairs and slams the door shut so hard that it might create an earthquake. It’s best to stay out of his way for now. Can you tell…?

He throws himself onto the bed and just lays there, face first on the bed, and does not move for a long time, until finally he gets up, grabs a bag of chips, flops back down on the bed, and takes out his phone and starts scrolling.

Hmm… I think it’s time this boy gets a little adventure… And luckily, as a writer, I can do whatever I want with this boy. Hmmm, let’s start with a little fire. Don’t worry, it’s all for the best!

Right… Okay, let’s start this adventure off like most adventures: “It started like a normal day for Tamal.” Shall I tell you a secret? It won’t end like a normal day for Tamal!

Actually, to start off, I think it’s a good idea to just follow him around for a day, and only after we’ve got to know him better will we start the adventure.

Yeah, I think that is a good idea, and, oh, look, his alarm is already going!

Hmm… Interesting: he wakes up quite early… 6 AM.

Okay, let’s note that down.

I am not sure if he is going to get up, though. He doesn’t seem to be doing much.

Tamal slowly turns around but does not open his eyes. In fact, he does not open them until his mom yells, “Tamal, get up! You need to get ready for school!”

“Ugh! Yes mom …”, he groans sleepily. He tries to close his eyes again, but after a while he gives in and gets up with a sigh.

He does not seem very excited to get up.

Note that down…

He puts on some simple clothes, stumbles down the stairs, and eats a sandwich. After that, he feeds his cat, puts on his backpack, and leaves for school.

He walks past Thanksgiving Road and onto Cheery Bush Best Street. And then he goes on to a little smaller road that goes over the Agial Meadows, and then he’s there.

Before he opens the doors and steps into the school, he takes a deep breath, closes his eyes for a moment, and then steps inside.

Whoo! It’s noisy in here, and Tamal seems to think the same, for he flinched the second he entered. But maybe that was because of a water bottle that was thrown at his head. Hmm.

“Hey loser, come over here for a second!”, one of the boys screams.

Tamal just ignores him and heads straight to class. He seems to be a little late for class because everyone is already seated. And then they start doing math equations… Boring…

One hour later…Oh what! Oh! This boring class is over! Phew! What? Have you never seen a writer sleep before?!

Anyway. Tamal walks out of the classroom and into the hallway. As he walks into the courtyard, he sits at a small table at the back. And then a girl of about his age with brown hair that reaches to around her shoulders, and wearing a simple, slightly cropped pink top, gives him a friendly smile and asks if she can sit with him. He stutters something that sounds like: “Wha-me? Err…pink donkeys…. Yeah s-sure… sit down…”.

Hmm, I wonder what this girl is called. Let’s see… [scanning through the brain].

Aha! She is called Amy! Nice name… Amy and Tamal… Hmm, I like the sound of that. I think we can definitely use this girl in Tamal’s story later on. But for now, I am wondering what Tamal‘s grades are. (We already know math.)

Let’s take a peek at his school books. English: 2, French: 2, Maths: 2.

Hmm, it looks like he’s not the smartest chick in the nest, or however you say it. He and the girl, Amy, talk for a little while (or better said, Tamal is just stuttering and Amy is speaking). But after a while, the bell goes and they have to part again. Tamal sighs and starts walking back into the school building. It seems like he has English now because he enters a door that has a sign on it saying “English.”

After that boring class, it’s time for lunch. Tamal produces the driest-looking sandwich ever that is spread with one tiny slice of cheese. Yum. Totally yum. But it isn’t so bad because he does get a milkshake to wash down the dry sandwich.

Some time later, the bell rings again, and he enters the school building. Damn, this job as a writer is pretty boring; I can’t wait till tomorrow. Because that is when things will actually get exciting!

And so, after a few more classes, it is finally over!

 

So, here are some things we have learned about Tamal so far:

• Tamal is horrible at school;
• He is shy;
• He has a crush on a girl named Amy;
• He gets bullied;
• He does not like getting out of bed;
• He gets horrible school lunches;
• He does not like loud noises;

 

And…

• He stutters [flashback of talking with Amy].

After he gets home, he goes straight to his room and, once again, falls down onto the bed face first. It’s quite a routine, I think.

After that, his mom calls him over for dinner, and he sighs, slowly gets up, and half walks and half falls down the stairs.

Hmm, they have pasta for dinner.

Tamal quickly eats his meal while answering his mom’s questions about school in the driest way possible: “So, honey, how did school go today?”

“Great.”

“How are your grades?”

“Hm.”

“What does ‘hm’ mean?”

“I dunno.”

“Do you like your pasta?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to clean your room today?”

“No.”

“Oh, okay.”

 

So yeah, pretty basic.

Anyway, after dinner, Tamal sits down at his desk and starts gaming. And he does not stop until 21:30, then he brushed his teeth and flopped in the bed and did not move until the next morning. On November 21st, 2024…

And Tamal wake up to the sound of the smoke alarm going off, and the smell of fire crepts up his nostrils. This is going to be a hard day for Tamal.

Mwuhahahahahhahahahaha!!!!!