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Zoha
My heart had been leaping at an insane speed in my chest when I had stepped into the flight after being showered with blessings and kisses on my hair by my father.
My heart was pummelling between the ceiling and floor incessantly. It seemed as if the surface had a string attached that caused it to jump up and down constantly. Butterflies forayed into my lungs, tickling me as they stroked their wings in the inner flesh of my lungs at a painfully slow pace. I felt antsy. My body turned cold even though it was summer and the warm, honey-like light coming from the sun wrapped the earth into its blanket.
I felt cold and sick like I always felt all those years when visited school on the day of my result or when I couldn't finish the exam on time while the teacher brutally pulled sheets out of students's grasp as they desperately tried to write as much as they could in those last two minutes.
A feeling of excitement had rippled inside me coupled with the emptiness that made a home in my heart. I couldn't contain the thrill that flooded into my senses just on the thought but I also couldn't shake the hollowness that snaked around my lungs. I was leaving everything behind so I could move ahead. I was leaving the hands that fed me in the past so I could become the hands that would feed me in the future. I was leaving my parents ' home so I could make a home of my own.
I just have a hope that in the end, it would all be worth it, hopefully!
"Ladies & Gentlemen, now We're approaching Istanbul where the local time is 7:25 pm. At this stage, you should be in your seat with your seatbelt firmly, fastened. Personal television screens, footrests and seat tables must be stowed away and all hand luggage stored either in the overhead lockers or under the seat in front. Please ensure all electronic devices including laptop computers and computer games are turned off"
The captain's robotic voice reverberated into the plane, successfully catching my and all the other passengers' attention
A rush of checking of things mentioned in the announcement then began in the plane. Some did it by themselves while few took the help of the crew. I, once again, cross-checked my position and belt before sinking back into my window seat which allowed a breathtakingly beautiful view of entwined cotton candy clouds.
The world from here appeared so tiny, like the small patterns we would draw while drawing the scenery of the city in the school. From here, the world seemed placid and houses looked home only. They all stood aligned with each other. No difference, no religion, no caste, no gender separated them. The small home appeared to be hugging all together, cajoling each other from the wounds that its residents now and then inflicted upon it. The world from above didn't seem as separated as the people living inside had made it appear. It looked like one.
