Glory of the Midnight Sun √

Nine

Open your heart too much and it tears you apart
Keep it closed enough and it chokes you to death

Fariya

Life is unpredictable. One moment you think that everything is under control and the next, you are in a deep mess, struggling to stay above the water.

Fariya's life had become achingly erratic over the past few days. It had been two weeks; two weeks since her father died, two weeks since she had started living in Lashari House.

These past two weeks had given her plenty of time to reflect upon life and its strange behaviour. And she was able to conclude only one thing: it kills you when you least expect it, where you least expect it.

Finally deciding to recover from her father's sudden death, she had started talking to the people of the house as she had become awfully silent since she came here.

Although she was always the quiet one, but this time, her silence was different kind of silence. It was the kind which tear you into pieces and yet you can not do anything about it, the kind which screamed pain but the lips were always sealed.

But now, after two weeks had passed and the pain had subsided a little, she had started talking to the residents of Lashari House.

The first person who tackled and crossed the large walls she had surrounded herself with was Urwa. She used to sit with Fariya and tell her about her life and everything. About her studies, her goals, her inspirations, her hobbies.

Without caring that Fariya was even listening to her or not, she would talk endlessly. And Fariya did not have a stone heart, neither she wanted to cry for the rest of her life.

So resultantly, she softened up a bit to Urwa, talking to her occasionally and telling her about her own life and things.

The next person with whom Fariya formed a friendly bond was Saad. He was the most cheerful man she had ever seen, cracking jokes which made her laugh so hard that her stomach hurt.

Fariya liked their company and instantly let down her walls to let them in, a decision she didn't regret for a second.

She was lying down on the bed in her grandmother's room, her head placed in Dado's lap when the door of the room opened and both Urwa and Saad walked in.

Fariya's opened her one eye to see who the intruder was but closed it again on seeing her cousins.

"My eyes are becoming wet. What an emotional scene."

Saad's voice held so much emotions that even Fariya for moment thought that he was serious but only when she opened her eyes again and looked at him did she notice how much dramatic he was.

Dado laughed a bit and stopped her hand which was running in Fariya's hair. Fariya got up from the bed, collected her long, lustrous hair in her palms and turned it three times around the centre. Securing it with a hair band, she made a bun with strands of hair falling carelessly on her face.

"Dado, you never loved me the way you are loving Fari. This is unfair."

Urwa's sad voice made Fariya laugh and reflexively, every eye turned towards her. Hearing her laugh was a sign that she was finally getting out of the shock, her heart healing a little.

Sensing everybody's eye on her, Fariya's laugh suddenly ceased and a shy smile took over her face.

"Well, anyways. We are going out. Fari, get ready."

Fariya looked at Saad and parted her lips to mouth a no but Saad was fast. Before even the words got out of her mouth, he read her expressions and instantly raised his hand, a gesture for her to not say a word.