TRIALS (Completed)

Twenty-eight

There was something strange about the day. Kauthar couldn't tell what it was. Maybe it was because she hadn’t missed her alarm. 

"Hoor!" she called from the kitchen, as she hurriedly stuffed Hoor’s plate of noodles.

" Hoorul' ain!" She shouted, rushed to the fridge, grabbed a pack of Capri-Sun and threw it into the lunch box. Closing it shut, she made her way to the living room and grabbed her black hijab hanging at the back of the sofa. She threw a glance at the wall clock: 07: 54 a.m.

"Mummy!" Hoor shouted from the stairs, face scrunched, school bag dangling in one arm.
Kauthar turned towards her, taking in her dressing, then her eyes landed on Hoor's bare legs.
"Socks din knife?"

Hoor's face scrunched some more, “Dee not see it." She cried. 

Kauthar sighed and climbed up the stairs. "Wait here." She entered the girls' room, ignoring the clothes and toys littered on Hoor's bed. She went straight to the drawer beneath the wardrobe, checked, found nothing. Then the one beside it, also nothing. 

Hey God, she scratched her head in frustration, wondering where she had kept Hoor's favourite socks. She knew Hoor would refuse to go to school without it. 
She glanced at the wardrobe, where she had painstakingly ironed and arranged the clothes last night. She groaned loudly, opened the wardrobe. 

A few minutes into her search, she heard a thud, then, "Mummy!" then more thud, like something was bouncing.

Hoor? She ran out of the room, stood at the bannister, before letting out another "Hoor!" 

•••
Oh, God. Kauthar chanted as she matched from one end of the hallway to another. 

She wasn't the only one outside the children's ward, but she was the only one standing. 

"Madam calm down." The lady behind her, seated, holding a wool and knitting thread said. 

Kauthar glanced at her, shook her head. "I can't."

The lady sighed, rolled the wool around the pin." You need to be okay for her, at least." She said without looking up. 

Kauthar pursed her lips then plopped beside the lady. "I have a question." 

The lady looked up and nodded. 

"Do you know that kind of feeling you get, that you can't describe it, but you also can't get rid of it?"

The lady raised her carved brows. "I'm not trying to be superstitious here." Kauthar quickly shook her head. "But I feel…" she shook her hand and faced the white wall across her. 

"That something bad is about to happen?" The lady asked. 

Kauthar looked down, noticing that she had worn two different types of slippers. She let out a laugh. "Something bad has already happened." She said in a low voice. "I feel it's about to get worse." She faced the lady, who watched her quietly. 

"Perhaps," the lady nodded, "it'll get better after this." 

The double doors opened, revealing a lady in a knee-length gown, with a lab coat covering it.
Kauthar rushed to meet her. The doctor smiled, "She’s okay, just a sprained ankle." 

Kauthar sighed in relief. "Can I see her?" 

She shook her head, "Not yet. We gave her something to sleep the pain out." 

"Okay. Thank you." 

The doctor smiled again and moved to the knitting lady. As they spoke in hushed tones, Kauthar glanced at the double doors,  tempted to go in. It reminded her about the time she went to see Barakah for the first time.