The Nearest Heaven

Part 8 -Disaster Strikes

Part 8 -Disaster Strikes

"To Allah do we belong, and to Him is our return."

~ Surah Baqarah, verse 156.

The storm was in full force. It was raining so hard that it had started flooding the streets outsides. Gale winds caused the windows to rattle and shake, making Fadiyah feel sorry for anyone caught out in the horrible weather. Fadiyah along with Faraaz, Waqqaar and Jacob were stuck in the house with no electricity. Thankfully, Faraaz was fully stocked with candles and a gas stove, and a gas heater that she refused to use. She told them that she was afraid that it would blow up, and despite their assurances, she still didn't allow it.

Although, they all moaned about the lack of heat, but Waqqaar and Jacob were silenced with one look from Faraaz. He had seen how she cowered with each crack of thunder and he didn't want added stress on her by letting them light the gas heater. Even if he felt like an ice cube, he didn't want to guilt her into feeling even more uncomfortable. She was a decent girl, with high morals, and he could only imagine how awkward it must be for her to be alone with three grown men in a room, in the dark and no way to go home.

As the thunderstorm raged on, Fadiyah, Jacob and Waqqaar sat around Faraaz eating the cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies she baked earlier under the orange glow of ten candles. They had kept the few torches that they had nearby, if they had to use the bathroom since it would be more luminous and less dangerous.

For several hours they sat talking and joking with one another, but then Fadiyah felt around her looking for her cell phone. The storm was making her edgy, each strike of thunder making her shake to her core. Not even wrapping her arms around herself helped her to keep the thoughts of that night away. It was too difficult for her to ask Faraaz if she could stay on her own, in a different room. She was too afraid to be alone.

"Do you want to go into a room and sleep?" Jacob asked her when she stood up. "There's two other rooms besides Faraaz's room. Waqqaar and I can crash in one room, it's fine."

She shook her head. "No," she smiled at him. "I don't want to be alone in this storm," she admitted blushing.

"So, where are you going to then?" Faraaz questioned. The others could see his concern for her, it was so bad it could be stifling for her.

"I think I left my cell phone downstairs. I'm going to go and get it," she replied and grabbed a candle.

"It's probably already dead by now," Jacob pitched unhelpfully. He could see that her going downstairs was only to get away from the storm that was frightening her, but it wouldn't help her to go alone downstairs. "But, if you're that desperate for it, I'll go and get it."

"No, thank you for offering but I just need a moment to clear my head. I'll be fine. It's just downstairs. Nothing will happen." She nodded towards him, indicating that she is okay. "But, if it makes you feel better, I'll be quick about it."

"Please," Jacob pleaded. The three men watched her with bated breath as she slipped downstairs into eternal darkness. They strained their ears, listening for any sound that something was wrong with her. "Do you think we should move to a different room?" Faraaz asked. "Somewhere warmer, where we will be protected from the elements because I am freezing."

"No," Jacob answered quickly. "You can see that Fadiyah is visibly afraid of the storm, perhaps if we move to a different room she will be afraid and uncomfortable with all three of us in the room. You never know, because the dark can prey on your fears and twist it into something much worse."