NON DISTANCE

Alim, a sixteen-year-old boy from a residential neighborhood, lives a quiet life as a nerd. He whitewashes trees, fixes whatever he can, and tries not to make eye contact. After another run-in with a group of bullies, he meets Ela who has recently moved from a village. She is carrying a withered ficus, and Alim offers to try to save it. A quiet connection begins to grow between them. A friendship.

Things are tense at Ela’s home: her father, stepmother, and an atmosphere filled with old resentments. Alim witnesses an argument and feels like an outsider, but he doesn’t leave. It matters to him to stay by her side. Later that night, they sit on the swings and talk about life. Alim promises her that the ficus will survive.

On his way home, Alim is confronted by the bullies again. For the first time, he doesn’t run. He tries to fight back, but he isn’t strong enough. After they leave him behind, Alim notices his broken glasses. He stares at them for a long moment, then steps on them.

The glass cracks, as if something inside him does too.