The two kids were lying on their backs under the shade of the big willow tree, looking towards the skies and imagining various shapes of the clouds.
"Look Ara, that looks like our rabbit Tooba! Look right there, don't you see it?" cried Meqbool. Ara stared hard to where he was pointing and said, "No Meqbool, it looks like your crooked nose!" She got up and had a fit of laughter. She ran down the hill, laughing all the way, her curly black hair swaying behind her and every once a while she turned to look back with those dazzling blue eyes. Meqbool just started dumbfounded. He too chased after her, holding his skull cap from flying away.
The two eight year olds were running through the streets, laughing and chasing each other, completely ignorant to all the shattered houses,broken window panes, the bullet holes on the compounds,the limb beggars, the mortar shells lying around and the grey look of the city.
Ara and Meqbool reached over to Ara's house where her mother was just serving tea to her uncle. He smiled at the two,took a sip and gravely put it down. Both the kids rushed upstairs and hid behind the balustrade on the landing trying to eavesdrop every word her uncle was conveying to her mother regarding the on going war. Apparently his son's kebab restaurant down south was hit by a rocket propelled grenade. She let out a gasp, and he raised his hand to tell her there was nothing to worry, that her son was not present there at the moment. But a lot of people from the neighbourhood were caught in the cross fires.
Ara went to her room and sat on the edge of her bed, head hung down in silence. Meqbool followed and knelt before her and wiped away her tears.
"I just want this war to end. I don't want any more people hurting or dying. I don't want Kakajaan to come here and give us bad news everyday.Ever since the school explosion, I have not had the courage to look at my books. Ever since Ms. Nila died I cannot take a pen in my hand and write.I don't..." she began to sob.
"I promised you that I would always protect you from any harm. I will not let them lay a finger on you or hurt you in any way. And now as you promised me, please stop crying."
Meqbool got up,went over to window,removed Tooba the rabbit from its cage and placed it on her lap. She immediately stopped crying and started stroking its white fur. It was their teacher's pet rabbit. They had found it trapped under the debris near the school one day. Ara and Meqbool brought it home and took care of it.
She looked up and smiled at him. He smiled back through his broken tooth. They then went down, into the garden and played with the rabbit. Sometimes they pretended they were pirates, taking on the big seas. Sometimes she was the princess and it was his duty to fulfil her highness' wishes. They continued so till sundown and it was time for Meqbool to go home. Ara mother's called out to them and Meqbool gave his broken toothed smile and waved a goodbye to both of them and went home.
Her father was running late, so Ara and her mother dined together. Ara told her mother about all she and Meqbool did today, what games they played, what they saw from the hill top, how many fruits they ate...but her mother's eyes kept fluctuating to the window behind her.
Ara was now lying in bed, the moonlight streaking through her window and a cool breeze blowing the curtains. For some reason, she felt uneasy. Then she heard voices downstairs. Wondering who it could be at this hour she tip toed out of her bedroom and again hid behind the balustrade. She heard her father speaking very softly to her mother in the living room. He had come from work,she could tell because he still had his work clothes on. She bent a little further to get a proper view and hear him out clearly.
He told her that there was a missile fired by the enemy into their region.He paused. She looked at him asking him to go on. He took a breath and said that Meqbool and his family's house had been charred to the ground. None made it out alive. She clutched her heart and collapsed on the sofa. There was a minute of silence and she clutching her burqa looked up to her husband all teary eyed and uttered the word Ara. They both looked towards the stairs and saw her clutching the rails so tightly that her knuckles were white. Her blue eyes frozen through the rails. In a swift moment Ara realised that her parents were looking at her and she rushed back into her room.
That night she just lay her head on her mother's lap and did not say a single word. Her mother was gently stroking her hair while she continued to stare out the window silently.
Days and months passed by. Ara did not say or ask anything about Meqbool. She quietly played with Tooba in their garden.Or went to the hill and sat under the willow tree looking at the sky, trying to figure out which cloud looked like Meqbool's crooked nose. She would heave a deep sigh and just walk back home.
One day, her uncle came and told her that the town committee was deciding to rebuild the school again. She was asked to be present there for the foundation laying ceremony. She did attend it with her parents. She saw some of her classmates. Some of them waved at her and some even wanted to talk to her. Her friend Leila was the only one she smiled back at.
Later that evening, when she was in her room, playing with Tooba, she suddenly heard a loud bang. Her heart skipping a beat, she rushed out only to see half her living room shattered. Then another loud bang right behind her. She screamed, "Mamma" and was flung off the first floor landing down on the crumpled living room floor. She fell right beside her mother's torn body. She screamed her lungs out and began crying. Trying to get up, she turned towards her right and saw her father's hand under a huge plank. Another loud bang. She ran out of the house, but she barely made it to the front door all wounded and leg fractured, that there was another loud bang.
She was lying in the garden. She couldn't open her eyes because the sun rays were stinging them. She opened them slowly and saw a silhouette above her. It was speaking. She could barely hear its voice. She tried to lift her hand, but she couldn't feel anything. She strained her ears and could hear the faint whisper..."And now as you promised me, please stop crying."Then everything went black.
"Look Ara, that looks like our rabbit Tooba! Look right there, don't you see it?" cried Meqbool. Ara stared hard to where he was pointing and said, "No Meqbool, it looks like your crooked nose!" She got up and had a fit of laughter. She ran down the hill, laughing all the way, her curly black hair swaying behind her and every once a while she turned to look back with those dazzling blue eyes. Meqbool just started dumbfounded. He too chased after her, holding his skull cap from flying away.
The two eight year olds were running through the streets, laughing and chasing each other, completely ignorant to all the shattered houses,broken window panes, the bullet holes on the compounds,the limb beggars, the mortar shells lying around and the grey look of the city.
Ara and Meqbool reached over to Ara's house where her mother was just serving tea to her uncle. He smiled at the two,took a sip and gravely put it down. Both the kids rushed upstairs and hid behind the balustrade on the landing trying to eavesdrop every word her uncle was conveying to her mother regarding the on going war. Apparently his son's kebab restaurant down south was hit by a rocket propelled grenade. She let out a gasp, and he raised his hand to tell her there was nothing to worry, that her son was not present there at the moment. But a lot of people from the neighbourhood were caught in the cross fires.
Ara went to her room and sat on the edge of her bed, head hung down in silence. Meqbool followed and knelt before her and wiped away her tears.
"I just want this war to end. I don't want any more people hurting or dying. I don't want Kakajaan to come here and give us bad news everyday.Ever since the school explosion, I have not had the courage to look at my books. Ever since Ms. Nila died I cannot take a pen in my hand and write.I don't..." she began to sob.
"I promised you that I would always protect you from any harm. I will not let them lay a finger on you or hurt you in any way. And now as you promised me, please stop crying."
Meqbool got up,went over to window,removed Tooba the rabbit from its cage and placed it on her lap. She immediately stopped crying and started stroking its white fur. It was their teacher's pet rabbit. They had found it trapped under the debris near the school one day. Ara and Meqbool brought it home and took care of it.
She looked up and smiled at him. He smiled back through his broken tooth. They then went down, into the garden and played with the rabbit. Sometimes they pretended they were pirates, taking on the big seas. Sometimes she was the princess and it was his duty to fulfil her highness' wishes. They continued so till sundown and it was time for Meqbool to go home. Ara mother's called out to them and Meqbool gave his broken toothed smile and waved a goodbye to both of them and went home.
Her father was running late, so Ara and her mother dined together. Ara told her mother about all she and Meqbool did today, what games they played, what they saw from the hill top, how many fruits they ate...but her mother's eyes kept fluctuating to the window behind her.
Ara was now lying in bed, the moonlight streaking through her window and a cool breeze blowing the curtains. For some reason, she felt uneasy. Then she heard voices downstairs. Wondering who it could be at this hour she tip toed out of her bedroom and again hid behind the balustrade. She heard her father speaking very softly to her mother in the living room. He had come from work,she could tell because he still had his work clothes on. She bent a little further to get a proper view and hear him out clearly.
He told her that there was a missile fired by the enemy into their region.He paused. She looked at him asking him to go on. He took a breath and said that Meqbool and his family's house had been charred to the ground. None made it out alive. She clutched her heart and collapsed on the sofa. There was a minute of silence and she clutching her burqa looked up to her husband all teary eyed and uttered the word Ara. They both looked towards the stairs and saw her clutching the rails so tightly that her knuckles were white. Her blue eyes frozen through the rails. In a swift moment Ara realised that her parents were looking at her and she rushed back into her room.
That night she just lay her head on her mother's lap and did not say a single word. Her mother was gently stroking her hair while she continued to stare out the window silently.
Days and months passed by. Ara did not say or ask anything about Meqbool. She quietly played with Tooba in their garden.Or went to the hill and sat under the willow tree looking at the sky, trying to figure out which cloud looked like Meqbool's crooked nose. She would heave a deep sigh and just walk back home.
One day, her uncle came and told her that the town committee was deciding to rebuild the school again. She was asked to be present there for the foundation laying ceremony. She did attend it with her parents. She saw some of her classmates. Some of them waved at her and some even wanted to talk to her. Her friend Leila was the only one she smiled back at.
Later that evening, when she was in her room, playing with Tooba, she suddenly heard a loud bang. Her heart skipping a beat, she rushed out only to see half her living room shattered. Then another loud bang right behind her. She screamed, "Mamma" and was flung off the first floor landing down on the crumpled living room floor. She fell right beside her mother's torn body. She screamed her lungs out and began crying. Trying to get up, she turned towards her right and saw her father's hand under a huge plank. Another loud bang. She ran out of the house, but she barely made it to the front door all wounded and leg fractured, that there was another loud bang.
She was lying in the garden. She couldn't open her eyes because the sun rays were stinging them. She opened them slowly and saw a silhouette above her. It was speaking. She could barely hear its voice. She tried to lift her hand, but she couldn't feel anything. She strained her ears and could hear the faint whisper..."And now as you promised me, please stop crying."Then everything went black.
