Sa'eed - The Warrior

An accidental discovery

After my last lesson, I make my way to Gharib Kothri to Hakeem Hamid's Apothecary. On my way I see an old man chopping wood for heating water. His bent figure and frail hands quiver in the heat. He puts down the axe tired. Wiping his brow he goes into his hut, maybe for a glass of water. I immediately walk over and chop the wood as fast as I can all the time asking Allah to delay the reappearance of the old man. Soon I am done chopping the small pile of wood. I quickly walk away and hide behind a tree on the opposite side of the street. After a few minutes the old man slowly walks out and stands aghast in front of the chopped wood. He rubs his eyes to make sure he isn't dreaming and raises his hands towards the heaven.

"O Allah! You are truly merciful" he shouts, gratefulness written all over his face. I smile from where I am hiding. I had made someone happy today and that made me happy!

I reach the Apothecary and knock at the door. Hakeem Hamid's wife, Seher opens it for me.

"Assalamualaikum warahmathullahi wabarakatuh Seher khala" I say.

"Walaikumassalam warahmathullahi wabarakatuh my child", she replies.

"I came to collect herbs for Maa's tincture" I tell her.

"Come on in sweetheart, I'll get them for you", she says pointing towards a stool on which I sit. As usual the smell of herbs is soothing and I take in deep breaths. I look around taking in all the rows and rows of glass jars which contain roots, leaves, flowers, barks and fruits. Hanging from the roof are more herbs tied with the help of strings to dry them up. On one side are jars that contain animal parts that are frequently used in preparations and on the other side are jars of different types of sands and stones which are also used in making medicines. One shelf holds a number of mortar pestles made from different materials and long rows of bottles containing different liquids.

Seher Khala reaches out for different jars and puts the herbs in a bag for me. I used to spend a lot of time here when I was young learning the names and uses of different drugs. Not because I was interested but because Hammad Chachu wanted me to learn as much as I could about the art of healing. I had picked up a little information on poisons as well.

"How's your Maa faring?",  asks Seher khala.

"Her condition is gradually deteriorating" I tell her with a sigh.

"Don't be disheartened child, Hamid is researching on new herbs that might cure her. He is also trying to get in touch with the Hakeem of neighboring Kingdom, the Waraqi Sultanath" she says giving me a hug.

"I hope she gets better Seher khala, it's been months since I saw her moving about the house, I miss her bustling figure that used to cook, clean and give me tight hugs".

"Sweetheart, though I know a mother's hug can never be replaced, I am here to give you all the hugs you want". She gives me another hug.

I smile at her and replace my veil over my face, pick up my bag and bid her goodbye. She stands at the door and watches me walk away. According to my planned schedule I should be going home now for food and rest before I enter the palace again tonight. But I can't resist the urge to walk over to the Shahi housing. Maybe it was the memories with Abbuji and our previous house that pulled me there. As usual there are guards at the entrance. I make my way to the right side of the gates which are bordered by walls, I walk along the wall looking for the crack through which I could see my old home. Here I peep through and gaze at the house within whose walls I had felt the care, love and affection of a doting father. As I look at it I can hear faint moaning. I listen hard to confirm and there it is again. It sounds like as if someone is in great pain. I should run for help I know, but whom do I inform? Those scruff guards? No way. Who would believe my story anyway? I should try and help myself. I look around and find a tree whose  branches are hanging within the walls. I carry my bag of herbs and climb up. Climbing is difficult in my female gown for I am not dressed for my nightly ventures yet. I quickly jump inside before I am spotted. I press myself against the wall and listen hard to follow the sound.