The Old Man - By Harith Hatadi Bin Norhadis

Written By: Harith Hatadi Bin Norhadis

Category: Short Story

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

In the poignant short story "The Old Man," Harith Hatadi Bin Norhadis invites readers to explore themes of connection, mystery, and the unseen ties that bind communities. Submitted as part of the esteemed Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, this narrative delves into the life of a misunderstood recluse and the young boy who ventures into uncovering the truth behind neighborhood whispers. The story unfolds in a suburban setting where appearances often mask deeper truths, resonating with themes of loneliness and unexpected friendship.

About the Work

Harith Hatadi Bin Norhadis crafts a narrative rich with intrigue and emotional depth in "The Old Man." The story is imbued with a sense of mystery, exploring the contrasting perceptions and realities of a seemingly grumpy old man. Through vivid imagery and a child's curiosity, the work reflects on themes of empathy, fear, and the simple gestures that can bridge the gap between generations. It is a touching exploration of how innocence and persistence can reveal hidden stories and foster unlikely friendships.

The OId Man

Original Submission by Harith Hatadi Bin Norhadis

The Old Man

None knew his name, and none dared to ask. It was as if merely being near him would invite death or some other horrible, unspeakable fate. His wrinkly hands approaching from the shadows was a common feature in the nightmares of the neighbourhood’s children. Even the bravest amongst them, Little Mark, a boy who at just 12 had already displayed significant feats of courage such as slaying any spider that dared terrorize his friends and heroically accepts any dare to enter a haunted room, even he knew not to approach the Grumpy Old Man from down the street. Some kids say he’s a war veteran that lost his mind, some say he’s actually a cultist that was responsible for the neighbourhood’s missing pets, and one less than popular theory was that he was secretly a dinosaur in human skin, the kid who thought that one up not being very smart. Something everybody agreed on however, was that this man was to be avoided at all costs. His unkempt lawn, broken window and tendency to steal the kids toys that ended up on his property left every child and teenager wary of ever setting foot near him and his home.

It was a beautiful day outside when the Tan’s moved next door to the man, birds were singing and the flowers were blooming and the area was a breath of fresh air. Mr. Tan’s new job meant they could finally buy a house of their own, and sure, it wasn’t the most expensive place, nor was it the prettiest, but Mrs. Tan was sure they could make it a real home. Their son Huy, a boy of 10 years, was less than optimistic however as this meant he couldn’t see his friends back home anymore, which was especially rough for him as friends were very hard to make. This was a strange new place with less trees for him to climb and less animals to befriend, and worst of all was the lack of his favourite river he and his dad used to play in. A boy his age didn’t care for the reasons, the explanations his parents gave fell on deaf ears.

After a few days of settling in, the Tan’s slowly but surely grew accustomed to the area, getting to know the nearby shops, the roads and even some of the people. Strangely enough though, the house right next door remained an enigma. Nobody from that house ever went to greet them or make themselves known, they would’ve never guessed somebody even lived there if it weren’t for the lights going on and off every now and again. While Mr. and Mrs. Tan were simply unbothered, Huy was filled with a curiosity only a 10 year old boy could have. The disheveled look of the house reminded him of home, his real home. Days passed as his curiosity grew, and while his father was at work and his mother was busy buying groceries, Huy climbed the fence, desperate to solve the mystery.

With his little nose pressed upon the window, he didn’t see much of interest. The house reminded him of his own from the outside, but from the inside it couldn’t have been more different. The place was filled with foreign looking furniture and the walls had the ugliest beige coloured wallpaper he had ever seen. He snuck around and tried looking through other windows and was met with disappointment each time as the house kept falling short of his expectations. The most interesting thing he could make out was a shelf of old and used balls or kids toys. “This was just a stinky old house” he thought to himself. With how secretive and private this neighbour was being, he half expected the house to belong to a secret millionaire, or better yet a wizard. As his excitement dissipated however, he noticed a family photo on a nearby coffee table. Whoever these people were, they seemed happy.

But suddenly as he was staring through the window, an old man came down the stairs and quickly spotted him, and boy did he look angry. The man was mouthing what could only be assumed to be rather harsh swear words and quickly speed walked to his front door. And while at first Huy was caught by surprise and was tempted to run for it, he remembered he lived right next door and that it’d be pretty hard to actually lose the guy that way, so he did what he did back at home when he accidentally broke old Mr. Tho’s window with a ball, he’d go and apologize.

As the Grumpy Old Man opened his door, fully ready to chase off this little hoodlum he saw by his window obviously there to vandalize the place like the last kid, he was surprised to see the young boy already standing there waiting for him. The boy stood there with his hands on his sides and started bowing in what could only be interpreted as an apology. He knew better than to fall for these tricks though and started shouting and cussing at the boy, determined to teach him a lesson. But the strange thing was, this boy didn’t so much as flinch. He took pride in his voice and its ability to scare off any punk that tried their luck, it was one of the only things he still had in his old age that wasn’t taken from him. But this boy, who couldn’t have been older than 10 years old just stood there bowing, not moving an inch. This only frustrated him more and caused him to yell louder and louder. As his face reddened and his lungs started getting out of breath, the boy suddenly looked back up at him and his face finally showed signs of fear. Before he could relish in the fact the boy was finally reacting to him, the boy desperately started making circular motions on his chest with a closed right hand. The old man was stunned and before he knew it, his own hands moved on their own to ask this boy “Are you deaf?”.

After letting the boy in and learning his name was Huy Tan, the old man found himself making tea for the boy. He didn’t know what he was doing, the shock of the situation left him unsure of what to do. The boy was ecstatic after the old man let slip he knew sign language and practically begged to be let in, it’d be rude to refuse after all and its not like the boy lived far away. He’d only keep the boy company until his mother came home with the groceries and that’d be that. As he walked into the living room with the tea, he was met with Huy sitting politely on the couch ogling at all his furniture and decorations. It was a strange sight for the man, to see a child not scared of him for once. So far, the only kids he’d actually seen in the neighborhood were all either too little and afraid to even come close or big enough to be annoying and try to mess with him as if he was a bear to be poked with a stick. After setting down the tea and watching the boy take a few sips, the old man, unsure of what to do, tried to just focus on the tv and wait this out. Huy was not satisfied with this however and started signing to the old man asking questions such as “How did you learn to sign” or “What’s your name” or “Do you live here alone”. The old man was reluctant though and merely told the boy it wasn’t his business and that he should probably leave.

Huy didn’t want to leave so soon though, in his mind, it was unbelievably lucky that they lived right next door to someone who could actually communicate with him. Even his few friends back home could only say bits and pieces, and here there was somebody who could actually be fluent. After more prodding from Huy, he looked at the clock and realized that his mom would be back any time now. Finishing his tea and rushing to leave, he looked back at the old man who signed at him “Don’t come back”.

Unsurprisingly however, even aside from being deaf, Huy was not a good listener. As the days went by, he’d constantly show up at the old man’s house and try to get information about the man. He’d already told his parents at this point and while they were worried at first, hearing he could actually communicate with Huy filled them with relief that their son wouldn’t be as lonely as they’d thought. After checking him out themselves and deeming him safe enough, they allowed Huy to go as long as he told them first and Mrs. Tan was still at home so she could rush on over if anything happened.

The old man wasn’t happy about it, or at least he seemed to not be happy about it. He’d put on this angry face and keep telling Huy to leave him alone, but he never actually forced him out. Even when Huy’s parents showed up to say hi, the old man couldn’t really bring himself to tell them to leave him alone. Instead of telling them to shove off, he made them tea, and now he has to deal with the consequences of that kindness every day. He was disappointed in himself, he’s usually a lot tougher than this.

As the days turned to weeks, Huy and the Old Man had a new routine. Huy would show up and follow the old man around his house and the old man would tell him to leave, when not helping him with chores, he’d pester him into conversations about Huy’s favourite tv shows or his favourite foods. Huy thought if he shared more information about himself, the old man would have to relent and open up, even going so far as buying the old man a tiny potted plant he could place by the window, but the old coot wouldn’t budge. That was until Huy asked him about the broken window.

“Teenagers threw a brick through it and I cant be bothered to fix it since its not my bedroom window, besides, it being broken helps scare people away” he said casually.

Huy was shocked, “why would anyone want to do that?”.

“Because people around here don’t like me.” His hands declared. “And I don’t like them either.”

After a month or so of the Tan’s living there, the old man finally stopped telling Huy to leave him alone, instead just grumbling with a sour face whenever he’d show up. It wasn’t a warm welcome but it was definitely an improvement. Huy finally gathered the courage to ask the man the question that had been bothering him from the very start, “Where’s your family?”. Huy, being 10, had no concept in his mind of what could have happened, but even he knew not to ask that question too soon, and now he was silently praying that it didn’t ruffle any feathers.

At first, the old man did get wide eyed, and said something under his breath that Huy couldn’t hear. And after looking up at the ceiling for a second, he sighed and looked back at the boy before moving his slow wrinkly hands. “My son was deaf like you”. While this would’ve usually been the moment when Huy got excited, the solemn expression on the man’s face caused Huy to suppress it.

“He didn’t hear me calling out to him, and he didn’t hear the car-“ The old man stopped, realizing he was saying too much for a child to hear.

“He went off to college…and started a family far from here…and my wife joined him soon after. And now I’m waiting for them to invite me next” The old man signed with shaky hands.

Huy was satisfied with this answer and smiled at the man before having to leave as it was getting late that day. Huy went home that day excited, telling his parents over dinner what he had learned about the man. He could see from their faces that they were just as surprised as him.

“Has he told you his name yet?” Mrs. Tan asked. Which led to Huy feeling like a fool. Out of everything he could’ve asked the man, he realized he had never asked for his name. Huy went to bed that night with an immeasurable excitement. “If he told me all that, I’ll definitely be able to find out his name” He thought to himself.

But Huy never got the chance. As he awoke, he was met with his parents telling him he couldn’t leave, their sad faces not making sense to him at the time. They hugged him tight that day and kept him away from all the windows. They kept him from seeing the ambulance and the police cars, surrounding a house with a newly broken window and a frail old man on the ground beside it.

“Apparently he was watering a plant when the rock was thrown, unfortunate” one officer said to the other.

“Didn’t you live around here? Was he someone you knew?”

“Knew him? Hah, nope, he’s always just been the grumpy old man from down the street”

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar is a prestigious platform celebrating the art of storytelling. This annual competition invites writers from around the world to share their unique voices and narratives. It provides a global stage for talent to shine, encouraging a blend of traditional and innovative literary expressions. Participants engage with a diverse audience, contributing to a vibrant literary community.

Thank you, Harith Hatadi Bin Norhadis, for your thoughtful contribution to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 with "The Old Man." Your exploration of connection and community through the eyes of a child and an elderly man offers rich insights into human nature. We look forward to seeing more of your engaging storytelling in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.