The Sun's Light

•آگاہِ جاناں•

ایسابننا سورنا مبارک تمہیں
کم سے کم اتنا کہنا ہمارا کرو
چاند شرماۓ گا چاندنی رات میں
یوں نہ زلفوں کو اپنی سنوارا کرو
جانُِ جان اپنا صدقہ اتارا کرو

A while later, it was chaos. They could not find Mirha anywhere in the carnival. The loud music, the crowd of people and the loud roar of laughter was suddenly very irritating as they were sure that Mirha could not hear them, wherever she was.

They asked the shopkeepers, asked every person they could find but she had disappeared. Two hours later, Minal was crying and Ahmed was nearly ready to kill someone in frustration. In immense worry that she could have been kidnapped, he called his brother.

" Bhai... there's a problem. We were at the carnival, um- I took the girls and now we can't find Mirha."

He winced slightly, moving his phone a little bit far from his ear, expecting the loud yelling. After cursing him a few times, his brother told him to continue searching while he came there.

Searching was fruitless, but then Shehryaar arrived long with a dozen of their men, all armed. Ahmed's eyebrows raised but he was too worried to make any joke out of it.

" Shehryaar bhai, Mirha nahi mil rahi. Wo kitna darr gayi hogi please ussay dhoondain.."
( We can't find Mirha. She must be so scared, please find her.)
Minal was nearly crying as Shehryaar patted her head.

"Aap kyun ro rahi ho? Abhi mil jaye gi. Jao aap gaari mey ja kar intezaar karo, shabash."
( Why are you crying? We'll find her soon enough. Go and wait in the car, come on.)

They had come with proper planning and started doing their work soon. Ahmed could not even look at his brother but he felt his glare. Whatever the situation may be, he had lost his wife. That too, in a large crowd of people. He became busy in searching with people while Shehryaar went to search the place they left her last time.

Rubbing his beard with his fingers, he looked everywhere. Dark eyes worried and frustrated as he talked on his phone to the other men. They had stopped the music now and now only the loud noise of people talking vibrated in the air.

It had been nearly an hour since Shehryaar had come and he was getting frustrated now. He had searched everywhere possible, his men had searched every corner but all in vain. People had started to leave now, it getting nearly dark.

The first few words of the Azzan vibrated in the air, the call for prayer calling people to prostrate in front of their Lord. Shehryaar sat down on a bench, eyes looking around to get a glimpse of her somehow.

People had quietened for the Azzan and silence was extended throughout the air when he heard a low sob. His ears became alert, trying to hear more clearly. It sounded like a someone like a child was sobbing nearby. He stood up and looked around a little when he saw a white piece of fabric peeking from under a stall. He quickly walked over, lifted the blue clothe that covered the stall and sighed with relief. He felt like he had come back from the dead when he saw her, face covered with hands and body wrecking with sobs.

His throat closed, his voice as light as a whisper as he spoke her name.
" Hoor."

With an unknown feeling in the air, Mirha stilled, slowly pulling her hands down so that only her glassy eyes were visible, shattered like broken glass.The fear and hurt in them astounded Shehryaar and he called her again.
" Hoor, it's me."

A few loud sobs left her chest and she quickly came out of the stall she was sitting under, the Azzan continuing as a spell was casted in the air. She came running to him, her angelic white dress and dupatta stained with dirt as she collided against his chest, arms going around him tightly as she sobbed in his chest.