The Sun also Shines In Pakistan.

Chapter 4, part 2: More than just stars in the sky

As I walked back to my cell after having spent the third night in this hell-hole, I returned from my dinner to find my confined cell open.

The guard standing outside for reasons I yet hadn't discovered was staring at me as if the president itself had come inside. I peeped in to see a young girl, in her mid-billions sitting on my lumpy bed.

She was awkwardly trying to limp from one side to another while her brown chestnut hair swayed. As her hazelnut brown eyes lifted up from one corner of the room, she lifted her gaze and averted it to me.

"There's really no comfortable side, Ms. Moon." , I mocked her with humour curtaining my voice. I sat on the wooden log at the edge of my room and turned to face her.

She replied to my comment with an unequal sense of friendliness.

"Nice to finally talk to you, Saul." , she spoke as if we had known each other all our lives.

She went on about how she was a counsellor and had left a really important meeting to come meet me, the legendary Sun itself.

As I went on to tell her how I didn't need her help and how I felt comfortably capable in my 'homely abode', the less convinced she looked.

"..And it's not even a jail, Moon, it's a medicinal, social and physical place of ca--"

"We both know it isn't.", she interrupted my monologue.

"There are prisoners who judge you left and right, beds which are barely labelled as furniture so much that I can not as much as sit on your bed without feeling sorry for my bones for two minutes.

I also know how much you've suffered Saul, how you finally were going to get a plea until the care committee came up with a solution, how your hopes must've been crushed as you signed that piece of paper. I'm human too, I understand how you feel."

I snickered because the idea that the Moon would even remotely comprehend or empathize what i was going through was like saying a billionaire knew how the poor must suffer deciding which brand of cereal to buy for breakfast.

Utter rubbish.

"You may be human, but in this world religion comes before humanity

but you, well-respected American Mia Moon knows all about suffering, bitter-hardship and pain? Oh yes.", I continued with my voice booming off the bare walls.

"This white woman knows all about people spitting and abusing her just because her skin isn't beautiful, fair white.

This American knows all about being hated, repulsed and detested just because of her culture, her traditions and practices.

Of course, this well-loved woman would know how one is cursed, how babies are kept away from some and mutterings heard in every corner because they stand out." I had stood up from my chair now and was making my back slowly to my seat again.

"Of course, the Moon! the Moon would understand all about turning into a criminal just so she could be a part of this community,

if not as one then against one. Just so she could fit in and feel accepted, even behind bars for some."

Tears now swelled up my eyes and I tried wiping them, Mia walked and sat down to me. "Of course you would now, you--", I started again.

"Mia.", she announced. "Not American or the Moon or a woman. Just Mia, that's who I am."

She bought her hands to touch my shoulders as she embraced me in a hug. I won't lie, it was very awkward and i won't tell the truth, it was very comforting.

"I'm only here to help you, Saul because the world may not understand you right now but there are some who do. Give those some a chance. It's really important that you do that right now because it's not just you who you're putting in pain with this never-ending misery but it's also the entire planet.

The sun's power keeps getting higher day by day on the planet because your rage is so strong.

The planet is heating up and scientists are predicting that earth will burn up in flames in a couple of years if we don't get the matter in hand.

People have started to tell each other to clean up the streets, don't burn plastic and some other myths they believe but I don't.

This temperature won't even go down one Celsius until you give up your rage and make peace with everyone.

There are creatures dying all over this planet, and species are going extinct every other day.", she said while staring at the corner of the room the whole time.

"I'm sure they're fine, just give them more food.", I spoke being the idiot I was.

"You're sure they're fine? Are you crazy Saul? They're dying left and right and humans aren't making it any better. The ice in Greenland, and anywhere in the world in fact in running out faster than it has in the past 360 years.

Fish in rivers, oceans and even little ponds have started to die because the water has become so scarce in some areas and in the other there are major floods due to the melting of ice.", she spoke with her trembling lips, she was as emotional about fish as...

"Did you say ponds?", I asked unable to form these words in my head

"Yes, yeah not that you were listening."

"And there are goldfish in these polluted ponds?", I asked forgetting how stupid I sounded.

"Um, yeah I guess, goldfish must be getting affected too.", she replied giving me a strange look.

I digested that slowly and without realizing my own words, I spoke, "Fine, I'll talk to you, I'll do it.

She now looked up from her hands, "What? Really? That speech really helped? I didn't know you were so sensitive to the environment I mean you've done your share of harming hundreds of forests while bombing your buildings and I'm sure hundreds of animals must've died too so how.."

"I'm only doing it for the goldfish.", I replied to her and I could see she had begun to believe I was crazy.

She should've given me pills or prescriptions maybe even some threats instead she did something that no other would've expected.

She treated me as a human.

"I'm your therapist now, tell me all that you've done, the ones you've killed, the lives you've taken and the stars you've destroyed. Take that worm out of your head, liberate yourself.", she spoke gently.

Then it was my turn to be shocking as I turned back and said the one word that had been most declined to me.

"Yes. Okay."

And maybe it was the fact that it was maybe the few rare times that I had been hugged or perhaps something to do with how she spoke but for that entire day all I thought was,

Maybe there are more than stars in the sky as I looked at my ceiling above

and for that entire day I believed it to be true.