Taibor was a very shy boy. Because he was shy and quiet some of his school mates would make fun of him or would bully him. He studied in a very good school in Shillong, which had three or four playing fields. Moreover the scenery around the school was very beautiful, with pine trees surrounding it.

Taibor would often sit by the shade of the trees and simply think - or dream. He loved to day dream. He loved to conjure pictures in his mind. What if I could be a successful sports person? he thought. Sometimes he would walk around the fields, lazily during lunch break. It was of one hour and Taibor would take time off to saunter around, or sit under the beautiful shade of a tree.

Basically he was a loner. He liked to keep to himself.

There was another boy with large expressive eyes, Shyam was his name. Taibor quite liked him and the two would get along pretty well. Shyam perhaps was his only friend. The two took to each other, perhaps their individual silences helped in creating a bond among themselves.

'Sissy' Rana the bully said and interrupted Taibor's reverie one day.
'You are a sissy, a girl. Why don't you play football? Come kick the ball. Be a Man!'.

Taibor winced. He was frail, and didn't like the muscle man Rana. He simply kept quiet. Rana walked away muttering to himself. Soon a group of boys arrived.

'Come on' they said impishly, 'why don't you take part in the sports events? Tomorrow we will have the heats'.
'Want to challenge Rana?' one of them smirked.

But Taibor had a secret. Almost all the boys in the school knew him, and most of them genuinely liked him. His shy, taciturn nature stood out. The juniors would wriggle up to him, and the seniors would smile affably. That night Taibor was determined. He would take part in the 200 metres heats, and if he stood first he would represent the middle school in Sports day, competing with other schools.

Next evening was the momentous day. The whistle blew and off they were. Taibor's wind like body simply took off and swerved with flurry on the undulating terrain on the field. Very soon he found the boys supporting him and cheering him in the 200 metres race. Suddenly there was hush and disbelief. Rana had fallen down and limped his way to the ropes. The sound reached a deafening crescendo. The boys were actually cheering Taibor, almost the whole school. Taibor chested the ropes with an unassuming smile. Rana never bothered him after that day.