The Orphan Child

Chapter 12

Harris who had stumbled upon a large rectangular table took delight in his finding since his sense of smell had not betrayed him. Indeed he had found food that was set outside by the male servants as the lady servant's segregated themselves by keeping busy in the kitchen. The kitchen was a mess of dirty dishes and stained clothes with drops of curry and sauce that kept them all busy and scrubbing.

At last the sound of Azaan rang out loud calming the atmosphere as the men flocked in groups to the masjid including their male servants.

This was the chance for the ladies to come out into the open and set the table up to standards with all the arrangements of food and drinks as they had done so many a time before.

The chiefs and nobles usually gathered when discussing an important issue which crops up every few week's, Zahra's father being one of them.

The last it had been was of a man who had started an argument in the masjid right before Salatul Maghrib. At least Seven men had involved themselves and one had ended up with a nose bleed.

This was seen as a disrespect to the Masjid and to their Lord and most of them got their share of punishment while one resided in the pit for at least 3 days.

Harris who listened to his stomach had followed the amazing smell and found a feast ready with at least 10 chairs and enough food to suffice 5 families. His eyes had gone wild while his mouth watered at the sight of some delicious boiled eggs.

He took a step forward until he realized what he was about to do. He knew it wasn't right to take food off the table that wasn't his, but the devil whispered and he obeyed.

Nobody is watching. Take just a small amount so they won't notice.

However the better part of his mind reminded him that it was wrong no matter how much he took even if it was a grain of rice. He would surely be questioned if not in this world then certainly in the next by the Lord himself.

His stomach let out a growl as if on cue because what the devil whispers next makes him take a daring step towards haram.

Allah knows you are hungry and desperate. This is his way of taking care of you. It's not a coincidence that you are found alone with no one in sight to see you. He has made this all possible just for you!

Before Harris could even realise, he had taken a spoonful of rice into his mouth and grabbed the egg which was warm in his hand.

He balanced it between his hands before bringing it crashing against his teeth. He was much more hungry than he had realized and still not a soul in sight. This was definitely the right thing to do Harris thought. Harris thanked Allah for this opportunity whilst failing to realize it was a trickery and thus a salah was missed.

A few footsteps approached but Harris was far too busy munching to notice as the bodies making their way back from the Masjid were all moving fast to feed their almost empty stomachs.

"Do you think we need to take action for the number of people attending Masjid these days. It's getting less and less."

"I'm sure people have their reasons and we can't force anyone to come because that is between them and Allah." Zahra's father answered. Although the men were not happy about this answer they didn't speak out any further leaving it at that.

Harris who had finally swallowed down his food only now heard some sounds to his right. He noticed the familiar white clothes standing out against the green and brown of the nature and panicked as his eyes went left and right until he without thinking, sunk down in his chair and crawled under the table.