ILLITERATE

ILLITERATE EPISODE 34

A fresh figure emerges onto the bleak canvas of Muzammil’s life—a woman, enigmatic yet seemingly kind, claiming to be Zuhair’s cousin. Her presence introduces a momentary shift in the suffocating atmosphere of the household. With her warm smiles and soothing words, she offers Muzammil what he has long yearned for: an ally amidst the relentless cruelty. Muzammil, weary from his struggles, feels a flicker of hope. Perhaps she is different, a beacon of compassion in his dark world.

She begins to weave herself into Muzammil’s daily life, her kindness seemingly genuine. Her gestures are small but meaningful—an encouraging word here, a helping hand there. Muzammil, starved of even the smallest morsel of kindness, finds himself drawn to her presence. Slowly, cautiously, he allows himself to trust her. The walls he has built around his heart, fragile yet stubborn, begin to crack, letting in the possibility of relief.

But beneath her veneer of benevolence lies a darkness Muzammil cannot yet see. Her smiles, once disarming, begin to take on a sinister edge. Her words, once comforting, grow laced with subtle barbs. Muzammil feels the shift but cannot bring himself to believe it. He dismisses his unease as paranoia, a cruel trick of his overburdened mind. Surely, she cannot be like the others. Surely, she would not betray him.

The betrayal, when it comes, is swift and devastating. One evening, as the household buzzes with its usual disdain for Muzammil, the woman reveals her true nature. Her tone, once honeyed, turns venomous as she conspires with the family against him. She accuses him of insolence, of overstepping his bounds, painting him as an ungrateful burden. Her words, delivered with calculated precision, strike Muzammil like daggers, shattering the fragile trust he had placed in her.

"You really thought I was different?" she sneers, her voice dripping with mockery. Her words echo in Muzammil’s mind, their cruelty amplified by the betrayal they represent. He looks into her eyes, searching for the warmth that once resided there, but finds only cold malice. The realization crashes over him like a tidal wave: she had played him, her kindness a mask, her friendship a ruse.

The household, emboldened by her accusations, descends upon Muzammil with renewed fervor. His aunt’s reprimands grow sharper, his cousins’ mockery more relentless. Even Zuhair, who once stood at a distance, now joins the fray with cold amusement. Muzammil, already crushed under the weight of their cruelty, finds himself sinking deeper into despair, betrayed not just by her but by his own hope.

As the days pass, Muzammil struggles to reconcile this new betrayal. His mind replays every interaction with her, searching for clues he had missed, signs of her duplicity. The trust he had placed in her, so rare and so precious, now feels like a foolish mistake, a naivety he cannot afford. The pain of her betrayal cuts deeper than the family’s cruelty ever could, for it had come disguised as kindness.

Yet, even amidst this fresh wave of suffering, Muzammil resolves to endure. He realizes that trusting her was not his failing but hers, her betrayal a reflection of her character, not his worth. The lesson is a harsh one, but it steels his resolve. The world may conspire against him, but he will not let it destroy him. Each betrayal, each act of cruelty, only strengthens his determination to survive and, one day, rise above them all.