In Arko's house, his grandfather had one big treasure — a shiny old TV. It wasn't too big or too small, but for Arko, it was the greatest thing in the whole world. Because through that TV, an entire universe of heroes and colors came alive — cartoons!
Whenever his grandfather wasn't in the room or went outside to feed the cows, Arko would sneak in like a little thief, grab the remote, and quickly turn on his favorite channels. He would sit cross-legged, eyes wide open, watching everything from Courage the Cowardly Dog, Oggy and the Cockroaches, The Powerpuff Girls, and of course, his all-time favorite — Power Rangers!
Whenever the intro music blasted —
Go Go Power Rangers! —
Arko would jump up, striking hero poses and pretending to morph.
He didn't just like Power Rangers. He lived for them. He loved watching Power Rangers Dino Charge, Power Rangers S.P.D., Power Rangers Jungle Fury, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, and Power Rangers Dino Thunder. Every time he watched them, he imagined himself fighting monsters with glowing armor and shouting,
"Power Rangers, Dino Thunder — Ready! Hyaaah!"
Sometimes his grandfather was in the room too, half-sleeping with the TV playing the news. His loud snoring mixed with the reporter's voice made Arko laugh quietly. He'd tiptoe closer, staring at the remote clutched tightly in his grandfather's hand. It was like a secret mission. Slowly, carefully, Arko would try to pull it out — inch by inch.
Sometimes he succeeded, and victory music played in his mind. But other times, his grandfather would suddenly wake up and shout,
"Hey! What are you doing there? I was watching the news!"
Arko would freeze like a statue, holding the remote halfway in the air.
"Grandpa, I just wanted to lower the volume… It was too loud," he'd say quickly.
"Too loud? The TV was on mute!" his grandfather would reply, and then start watching the news again, leaving Arko staring at the screen like a defeated soldier.
Arko didn't like the news at all. "Why does Grandpa watch boring news every day?" he would grumble, pouting. "So many good shows are waiting, and he wants to watch people shouting about onions and petrol prices!"
Back in those days, not many families had a TV in the village. So, whenever Arko's grandfather turned it on, a few neighborhood boys came running to watch. They were only a few years older than Arko, but they acted like big uncles. They'd sit down and demand,
> "Arko, put on a movie! Enough of your cartoons!"
But Arko would fold his arms and declare,
"No! It's Power Rangers time! Movies later!"
One of those boys was named Tushar Kanti Roy, or simply Kanti. Kanti loved movies — action, songs, and fights — but Arko was always faster with the remote. Every time Kanti came to watch something, Arko already had the channel set to Power Rangers.
"Arko, please, just one movie song!" Kanti would beg.
"No! After this episode!" Arko would reply firmly.
"That's what you said one hour ago!" Kanti would yell, waving his hands in frustration.
One day, Kanti finally lost his patience. When Arko ignored him again, Kanti lightly hit Arko on the shoulder — not too hard, but enough to make Arko mad.
"Hey! Why did you hit me?" Arko shouted.
"Because you're not letting anyone else watch!" Kanti snapped back and ran away laughing.
Arko grabbed the TV remote and shouted,
"Stop right there, villain Kanti! Power Ranger Arko is coming for you!"
Then — whack! — he threw the remote like a superhero weapon.
It flew straight toward the door… and missed.
The remote hit the wall and broke into two sad pieces.
Everyone froze. The Power Rangers theme song stopped. The TV screen went black.
A few seconds later, his grandfather entered the room. He looked at the broken remote, then at Arko's guilty face.
"Arko… what did you do this time?"
Arko quickly pointed at the wall.
"Grandpa, it wasn't me! The wall attacked the remote!"
His grandfather stared at him for a moment and said,
"The wall attacked it? Should I call the police then?"
Arko's mother came in after hearing the noise.
"Every time something breaks, you say it's an accident! Do accidents only happen when you're around?"
His grandfather sighed and said,
"This boy will become a stuntman one day — throwing remotes instead of balls!"
The neighborhood boys couldn't stop laughing, especially Kanti. "Nice aim, Arko! Next time, try to hit me properly!" he joked while running out of the house.
That evening, Arko sat quietly, feeling a little sad. He looked at the broken remote, then at the silent TV. But after a moment, he smiled and said softly,
"Power Rangers never give up… and neither will I."
And with that, the little village boy made a promise to himself — next time, he would find a way to watch his heroes again, no matter what.