"Whatever you want," Assef unbuttoned his coat, unbuttoned it, folded
it slowly, and set it against the wall. I looked at him and didn't
understand what he was trying to do.
Assef waved, and the other two boys spread out, forming a semicircle,
surrounding me in the alley.
I felt like my heart was about to jump out of my mouth.
"I've changed my mind," Assef said. "I won't take your kite, Hazara.
You'll keep it so that it can always remind you of what I'm about to do."
Nervous and bullied, I threw the stone and hit Assef on the forehead.
Assef screamed and lunged at me, all I felt was a slap in the face, and I
went straight down, with Vari and Kamo swarming up.
I struggled with all my might, but to no avail, they were too strong.
In the struggle, I only had one idea to run, run with a kite, but I couldn't
do it, they wrapped my arms tightly, Assef grabbed my pants, pulled
them down, and was caught by Assef The husband threw it on a pile of
broken bricks. The alley is now full of scrap metal, discarded bicycle
tires, glass bottles with peeling labels, rolled-edge magazines, yellowed
newspapers, all scattered among a pile of bricks and cement boards.
There was a rusted iron stove by the wall, and the hole opened like a
bloodbath. But among the rubbish, there was a blue kite, leaning against
the wall, a symbol of Master Amir's honour, next to the iron stove; the
other was my brown corduroy pants, thrown on the pile of broken bricks
.
Suddenly, I understood what they were going to do.
"I don't know," Varri said. "My dad said it was a crime." His voice was
full of suspicion, excitement, fear.
I was lying on the ground, I only felt the cold ground against my face,
and Assef, although I couldn't see what he was doing, I imagined that
he must be stepping on my head and facing his with great power. The
younger brother gives orders. Kamo and Wari each grabbed my hand,
twisted it from the elbow, and pressed it behind my back.
"Your father won't find out," Assef said. "Teach this rude ass a lesson.
What does it have to do with crime?"
"I don't know," Ware muttered.
"Whatever you want," Assef said, to Kamo, "what do you say?"
"I... well..."
"He's just a Hazara," Assef said. Camo didn't speak.