Short Story: Brother on the Spectrum by Ranju

Ranju shares a powerful story about two brothers caught in the frenzy of teenage desire, which threatens to swallow their peace as adults.

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While standing under the coconut tree in the backyard to relieve himself at night Victor feels the presence of another soul. He turns around in darkness to see his elder brother Vincent behind him. Bewildered, he asks: “What are you doing here? It’s past midnight!”

Vincent grins. “Like a dunce…,” mutters Victor in disdain. He bites his nail and stands aloof, biding his time for Victor’s retreat from his midnight mission.

Victor suffers from ‘sugar disease,’ a neologism for diabetes among the villagers. As usual, he wakes up at night to pee, a routine of frequenting the backyard to relieve himself, but it leads him to an implausible encounter with his autistic brother.