Destiny - مقدر

1 - Welcome to Kashmir - کشمیر میں خوش آمدید

"Kashmir has always been more than a mere place. It has the quality of an experience, or a state of mind, or perhaps an ideal." - Jan Morris

I watched, with my dupatta over my face, as the sun rose from the east, it's burning intensity almost scorching my watery, hazel eyes. I pulled my light blue shalwar kameez below my knees so that I could watch the brightening sky with upmost peace and pulled my pearl-coloured dupatta back so it hung low on my shoulders. My dark brown hair hung in coiled ringlets just below my shoulders, like waves falling onto a sandy bay. With the glow of an angry sunrise, I watched the skies fill bright orange and pink. It was so beautiful, like dropping a yellow bath bomb into a pool of bright blue water and watching it disperse and merge. The blazing red sun shone with the gleam of a thousand spotlights, making the whole of Pakistan seem like a house on fire as it rose, merging with the pale blue sky.

In the early hours of a warm morning all I could do was watch the sunrise. With it's tempting beams shining through the gaps in my curtains, calling me to come outside and watch it. I was practically perspiring my own body weight in sweat, staying in bed would do me nothing but damage. Sitting on the flat maroon roof of our meagre abode in my wrinkled white kameez, I felt so at peace with myself. Like not even the birds could touch me. Time grew longer and the sun came higher in the sky, but I remained in the same position on top of the heated, stone roof. I fell into a sleep-like state, dazing off at the sight of the gleaming sun rising higher as my head rose lower.

Suddenly, amidst the sedative sound of birds chirping and the remote sound of cars on the horizon, I heard someone calling me from below the roof. It was a low, husky voice calling my name, echoing around the isolated streets and jolting me awake. I looked up, rather abruptly, and saw a boy that lived on my street, Daniyal Aziz, smiling up at me. I looked around house after house woke up, the street immediately illuminating with a burst of colour. Pakistan was waking up and I loved to watch it happen. The streets slowly filling with students and workers, the market stools being set up with mehndi and brightly coloured churhi.

"Hello Aqsa! What are you doing on the roof?"

Ignoring his rather amusing questions, I clambered off of the stone rooftop, that had become so incredibly hot with the heat from the sun that you could fry an egg on it. I dangled my legs down the side of the rooftop so that my orange leather sandals touched the window sill below. "Do you need help, Aqsa? Wait, I'm coming."
Before I could resist, Daniyal was directly below me, with one hand on the gutter and the other ready to assist me in climbing down. Looking up at the round yellow sun with great satisfaction, I ambled down the side of the house and stood on the gutter, lifting my brown leather satchel around my neck. Daniyal held under my arm, carefully helping me down with utmost concentration and respect. Once my feet had finally reached the floor, he repeated his question once more.

"I don't know. I was watching the sun."
He nodded slowly, though he didn't really understand what I was trying to say. "Would you like to walk to school with me?" He pointed to the direction of our school and I nodded, reluctantly. Daniyal was just another boy in my school, there was no harm in walking together, surely. "Ammi Jee ! I'm going to school now!" I called, walking down the dusty pavement with Daniyal closely beside me. "So, have you done your exams yet?" Daniyal asked dodging a large white goat that was tied up to a gate with muddy, disbanded rope. "Mrs Khan said that we will do them today." I replied, nodding to myself nervously.

"Arithmetic?"
"And Literature."

We continued our journey down the street and reached the school just before hearing the sound of shrill bells echoing around the courtyard. Daniyal smiled, "See you after school then?" I thought about his offer, carefully. "Okay, sure." I nodded waving at him as he dispatched and joined with his group of friends.
"Aqsa! Hello!"
I looked up and saw one of my best friends, Sarafina staggering towards me with a spring in her step. "Hello, Sarafina." I smiled.