James

James is an eight year old with a near perfect life.

He has a set of extremely caring, affectionate and loving parents. He has always lived a life of luxury and ease. He is extremely close to his parents and enjoys spending time with them, bonding over the tiniest of activities.

Every summer, the three of them take a week off to go on holiday.

One such trip, however, turns from a dream into a nightmare for little James.

They're on holiday in Switzerland. James and his father love skiing, this is their second trip to the Alps.

After a particularly long and tiring, though extremely satisfying day, the three are returning to their hotel in the car they've rented. Snow is pelting down on the roof of the car unrelentingly. His father is driving, while his mum is sitting beside him, playing navigator in the passenger seat.

None of them notice the oncoming set of headlights in the blizzard.

The truck pummels into the tiny car, pushing it off the road and almost off the edge..

“Jump James, jump!” yells his mother and James somehow manages to jump out of the backseat of the car, tumbling onto the road.

The very next moment, the car tips over and rolls off the edge of the road. James can do nothing but watch as the car falls off the cliff and explodes right before his eyes, taking with it the two people who mean the world to him.

A severely traumatized James returns to England, only to find that his parents never created a new will after he was born.

He loses everything.

He is soon transferred to a local orphanage.

The caretakers describe him as a quiet, secretive child with an overactive imagination and a penchant for getting into fights.

He shows a great level of loyalty to a particular group of kids.

These kids behave like the peacekeepers in the orphanage. They help in sorting out fights and resolving disputes. 

They’re led by a girl two years older than James, called Emily.

However, while these kids are only trying to maintain peace in the orphanage, James appears delusional as he claims he is making the world a safer place one ‘mission’ at a time.

James acts like a bodyguard to Em, to the extent of putting himself in harm’s way to defend her.

Nine years have passed since James first came to the orphanage.

He has now becoming increasingly violent and unstable.

He is bordering on depression and severe paranoia.

He thinks everyone is his enemy and trusts nobody anymore.

Ever since Em left the orphanage a year ago, having achieved majority at the age of eighteen, he has developed an extremely disturbing new habit of regularly consuming alcohol.

The caretakers are very worried.

They call a psychiatrist to have a session with James.

Now at an age of seventeen, he isn't at all like the other kids.

He drinks like an adult, pouring his drink out in finite, measured quantities.

Mixing and shaking his liquor like a seasoned drinker.

The psychiatrist sits James down in front of him.

James looks at the psychiatrist square in the eyes.

Unblinking.

Unflinching.

An unforgiving emptiness in his eyes that makes the old man extremely uneasy, forcing him to lower his gaze.

James sits there, not stirring an inch, daring him to make the first move.

The psychiatrist looks up at him.

“What is your name, son?”

He looks at the old man through icy eyes as he replies,

“The name's Bond, James Bond.”

Note: I know it wasn't humor, it wasn't even poetry, it was quite unlike anything I've ever written.

Do comment, I'd really like feedback on this post as I've got a new idea brewing around this style of writing.

Credits: Aditi, for the brainstorming behind the article.