Burning energy of Shadows

1. THE CART

At Ladheke
(On the ouskirts of lahore)

Another usual morning took place in that strange world. Everything was poise even the wind was blowing with great serenity daring not to awake anyone. Most of the people were still sleeping knowing not that the morning sun has risen. The streets were tranquil like an old witch from sleeping beauty has cursed the whole town.
In that street was a young boy wandering from one place to another with a cart in his hands and shouting on the top of his voice his usual slogans that have become the background music of the people of this town. He was still strolling happy in his own company when the women with her son in the gallery summoned him to stop, she came down with a bag so heavy that it seemed to burst any time. She placed it on his cart.
"These are some old books , give me reasonable prize for them"
"Ahh, don't you worry ma'am" After few rounds of bargaining the books were now belonged to Abbas. He was used to of these things selling, buying and wandering on every street of Ladheke with a cart in his hands.

*******

When he reached his home -the small shack having little furniture and several wasps and beetles, Fareeda greeted him ,her eyes checking the items on the cart. Glad to see more than usual things. The young girl came and began to check the items he had collected on his cart
"Yamha ,what are you doing ?Go and fetch water for your brother. She nodded reluctantly and came with a glass of water her eyes were still stucked on the books
"Is she gone mad."Abbas said wearily
"What?" her tone was challenging
"I don't know what kind of sins I have committed that Allah has given me such a girl." Fareeda smirked like Yamha has not challenged her but the rule of skies and earth
"Stop this nonsense"
Abbas admonished and furiously went inside where two rooms were separated with the help of big piece of cloth, torn from various sides but it didn't bother any of them.
She looked toward the cart where cover pages of books were torn apart, pages curled from the sides but the word still there waiting for some one to read them
"If you are enough with this trash come and help me out" Fareeda yelled

********

At night, laying on the shabby sheets,waiting for everyone to fall asleep she heard Fareeda talking to Khalid "she might have gone lunatic "
Khalid mumbled something which Yamha couldn't interpret.
After a hour when all the voices vanished away replaced with snors and grunts.
She managed to get outside and open a book _a new world which seemed reachable and unreachable at the same time. It was another story that how she had managed to escape from the house and went to the girl in the neighbours who was graduated and considered the most educated girl of the town , taught her few things about how to write and read then she started reading some books given to her by that girl or came to her in that cart.
It was all that had made her who she was...

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