“This has to be the hottest day of the month! I just hope it starts raining soon,” said 14-year-old Salman to his best friend, Farid, who nodded in agreement.

It was late June and summer was at its absolute peak in the city. Temperatures were almost always above 40 degrees Celsius, and many people, like Salman and Farid, were tired of it.

A day later, nature seemed to have answered their prayers, as rain started to fall in Karachi. Everyone was happy and began enjoying it. But soon, the rain grew intense. Within an hour, it had turned fierce and battered the city’s poor infrastructure.

Salman and Farid saw many kids playing in the rain, having the time of their lives, but unfortunately for them, their parents were not allowing them to join in.

Salman pleaded with his mother, “I want to go and play outside, Mum! Please, I’ll be very careful.”

Salman’s mother finally gave in, but only on the condition that he remained cautious. Farid also had to employ similar persuasive skills, and managed to convince his parents too. Both boys were warned to stay away from wires and electric poles, to watch out for open manholes and were given other general precautions to follow. However, too excited to enjoy the rain, they didn’t really pay heed to these words of caution.

The rain continued to fall ferociously, and along with it came incredibly powerful winds that uprooted electricity poles and trees, causing chaos everywhere. Salman and Farid had never seen such heavy rain in their lives. Roads had turned into rivers, with knee-deep water. Just as the two friends began a game of hide and seek with the neighbourhood boys, they heard frantic, desperate screams for help.

“Who is screaming?” Farid asked, looking around.

“The sound seems to be coming from another street,” a boy replied.

They, along with others who had heard the cries, went in the direction of the voice. Soon they discovered an elderly man struggling against the rushing floodwater. The worst part was that he was trapped inside his car. The only relief was that the car had become wedged between a tree and the wall of a house, so there was little chance of it being swept away.

All the boys decided to save the old man’s life, no matter what. They stepped on stones, clung to nearby trees and held hands to reach the car safely without getting swept away by the dangerously flowing water. They came within a few feet of the car, but it was surrounded by fast-flowing water from all sides, like an island.

“Help! Please help!” the man’s shrill cries had intensified, but then his body gave up and he lost consciousness. Even though they had been warned by their parents to be careful, the boys decided to act immediately, as a life was at stake and time was short.

“I know how to swim; I’ll try to reach the car,” said Farid, as he jumped into the water and swam toward it. He managed to open the door and bring the unconscious man out. By then, a couple of other boys had also reached him, and together they brought the old man to safety.

In that moment, however, Farid rested his hand on the nearby electric pole and was electrocuted. He remained conscious, but was jolted by strong currents. Everyone panicked, unsure how to help him. Then Salman remembered something his teacher had once told him: to free someone being electrocuted from a live pole, you must use something that does not conduct electricity. Thankfully, he spotted a wooden stick lying nearby.

Salman used it to separate Farid from the pole, finally ending his ordeal. Farid collapsed and passers-by quickly rushed to his aid. Someone even offered his car to take Farid and the old man to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Salman, still reeling from watching his friend get electrocuted, felt shock and exhaustion overwhelm him, and he lost consciousness too. He was also put in the same car, which rushed off to a nearby hospital.

When Salman regained consciousness, he immediately asked, “Where is Farid?”

“Right next to you,” replied his mother.

Salman turned to his right and felt relief when he saw Farid alive, only unconscious, and that single fact filled everyone with comfort.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 13th, 2025