“Here we are, home sweet home”, Maira entered her living room with a hand carry from her front wooden door. Her house was on the fourth floor of 100 sq ft apartment building. Sarah followed her with a luggage bag. The living room was neatly furnished with old furniture. A brown colored wooden three seater foldout couch, a round carved wooden table in the centre and oppositely facing two small one seater sofas of the same color. The room was diminutive so there was no other furniture but Maira’s hygiene could wholly be observed.
“Aania”, Maira shouted out the name loudly.
A girl in blue jeans and colorful embroidered white shirt came out from the wooden door at the corner.
“Aania”, exclaimed Sarah and gave a big smile.
Aania observed her cousin admiringly. She had seen many snapshots of her on Facebook but felt her beauty more in person. Straight nose, sharp features, broad brows. She couldn’t say anything but, “Handsome”.
“Handsome? Who are you calling that?” Sarah’s expressions changed to confusion but her smile remained the same.
“You”, Aania replied by making her way through the center table to get close to Sarah.
“Oh”, Sarah gave a slight laugh then they both hugged.
“Show Sarah her room!” maira ordered along with handing her daughter Sarah’s hand carry.
Aania nodded
………………………………………………………………………………….......
A big marbled floor hall, furnished with old style furniture of Chiniot* walnut wood crowded with people. Their low voiced conversations were creating a humming sound all over the place. All of them had a grieved facial expression.
At one corner of the hall near a grey marbled eagle statue, stood two men. One was younger looking in his twenties had a red shirt on and the other was in a black suit and purple tie.
“She was wonderful lady, a saint I must say”, the older one said.
The younger one looked downwards and nodded.
“I don’t know why anyone would do such thing”, the older one commented again
“You are right”
“Now all I can say is”, the older one looked at a big golden framed picture of a woman near him, took a deep breath and said “Rest in piece!”
…………………………………………………………………………………………
“Good morning”, Aania came out from her room in her blue night suit and sat on the dining table near the kitchen where Sarah was having her breakfast of boiled eggs.
“Good morning” Sarah replied
“So, is today the big day?”
“Yes”
“Are you nervous?”
“I don’t know”
“What do you mean ‘you don’t know’?”
“I mean, I am confused”.
“After listening to you, so am I” Aania mocked
“Ok” maira came out of the kitchen with a water bottle and a lunch box.
“I have prepared a sandwich for you and here is your juice” placed it in front of her niece on the table.
“Wow mom you have made all the preparations for her first day of school” Aania mocked again.
“Dear, I know hospitals. If you stay there for more than an hour the pharmaceutical smell will make you dizzy.” Maira said
“Alright” Sarah stood up, determined. ”it’s time to go”.
................................................................................................................................................................................
*CHINIOT = A city in Pakistan famous for it's good qualitiy varieties of wood .
YOU ARE READING
IN CHAINS.
Mystery / ThrillerIs man in chains? Or is it just 'woman' who has been chained? A young psychologist, started her career and found herself in a world full of mysteries, miseries and danger.As she unravels the brutality of 'feudal life',she must protect herself from i...
