The Crown Of Agony

3

Melodious and soft feminine voice was twirling around the environment and the birds sitting on the branch of the neem tree were trying to imitate the sweet tone of the lady, who was reciting the nasheed, while sweeping through the dried leaves spread over the open verandah of her house. The screeching sound broke the trance of sweet vocals as the wooden gate of the verandah was pushed open and a teenager girl stepped in.

Rabiya turned her gaze to the gate and found the pretty girl moving towards her with confident strides.

"AssalamuAlaikum Chachi!" A small smile broked on the lips of the lady as her niece engulfed her in a tight hug.
She put down the broom on the ground, which was holding in her right hand and stroked Zara's chubby cheeks with her left hand lovingly and greeted her,"WaalaikumAsSalam Zara."

"Masha Allah! You are looking very pretty." Rabiya complimented her, who was wearing a black color pakistani dress, with a light pink tint on her lips. Zara smiled widely at the compliment.

"Where is Noor?" Zara questioned walking towards the door, which was closed.

"She is getting ready in her room." Her aunt replied, putting the empty bucket under the water outlet of the hand pump and begin drawing water from it. Zara nodded at her, pushing the door of Zarnoor's room.

A medium height girl with a petite figure was cladded in a cherry red outfit with her long black hairs freely spread over her back and shoulder was standing opposite to the mirror, applying the cherry red color lip balm on her lips. The girl spared a glance towards Zara, and again resumed her work of getting reading for today's programme which was specially organized for her, for all the meritorious students of her village.

Zara sat on the cot, by the mirror looking at Zarnoor, who was now combing her partly wet hair.

"Don't make the ponytail, make the fishtail braid it will look nice." Zara said, and Zarnoor nodded, calling her mother.

"Oh no! Don't call Chachi. I will braid your hair, come here." Zarnoor hummed in response, and handed over the comb to her cousin, she sat on the rug spread on the floor. Zarnoor braided her lustrous long black hairs into a beautiful fishtail as they both chatted.

"Thank you Zar." Zarnoor said mischievously to Zara, admiring herself in the mirror. Zara's face turned red in anger on the word Zar.

"How many times I have told you to not call me Zar but you are too dumb to listen to me. From which angle I look like Tsar, huh? If in any way I was like that cruel King Tsar, you would have been crying taking the cutted braid of yours in your hand." Zarnoor gasped at her words and quickly put her braid in front, on her right shoulder securely holding it with her both hands. Zara bursted into a loud guffaw at her action. She walked towards her and tried to keep her hand on Zarnoor's shoulder but she jerked it away, running out of her room to her mother. Again, Zara begin to laugh like a mad at her cousin's reaction and went after her.

"Zara, what you said to your sister?" Rabiya asked to her niece who has just entered into the kitchen like space after Zarnoor.

"Asked this to your beloved daughter." Zara said with a poker face, sitting next to Zarnoor and took a morsel of Aloo Paratha with some tangy chutney from Zarnoor's plate and stuffed it in her mouth, she moaned at the delicious taste, saying Yummy licking her lips. Ignoring the glare her dear cousin was passing to her.

"Ammi, it is mine. Give her another one." Zarnoor whined and Zara rolled her eyes at her cousin. Rabiya chuckled at her little girl and put a hot paratha with some chutney on the plate and forwarded it to Zara. She quickly dig in on the paratha, as soon as she took hold of the plate. Zarnoor took a morsel from Zara's plate, showing her tongue like a kid, she stuffed it quickly in her mouth saying, "You have also taken a morsel from my paratha, so now its all equal." Zara's mouth got opened with shock, she tried to take a piece of paratha from Zarnoor's plate but she was quick to pull her plate away from Zara's reach.