The Orphans Of Karachi

CHAPTER 4

ANOUSHA

Dead leaves were crushing beneath my bare foot. My feet looked hideous. They were covered in what seemed like tar and had green fungus growing on my toe. I kept walking between the tall trees. I was sure they were touching the sky. My hair were tangled densely that my head was throbbing. I was desperate. A little fire of curiosity was in my heart but I did not know what it was for. I felt there was something waiting to be discovered. Something big was missing in that moment. I didn't know what that thing was but I needed it . My heart was beating faster and faster.

Ant then it stopped.

I saw an old lady sitting on a bench. Her back was facing me. As if there was a magnetic field around her, I was pulled towards her by my ugly feet. I saw her humming. 

A bizarre tune.

"So you are finally here. I have been calling you. Why don't you come to me?" Her voice was old like her age and shaky. She was talking to me. She was almost bald. 

I jumped a little when I saw her feet were not there. As if someone had freshly cut them because she was dripping thick blood.

"Oh my God , auntie are you okay? Do you need help? " 

"Yes I did once, but you turned your back on me. This is all your fault." She cried, wiping her teary eyes yet smiling.

"Mine? I don't even know you. We haven't met before" the cloud of confusion was over me.

" Don't you know yourself , Anousha?" She seemed angry now.

"Anousha. look at your feet! If you don't take a step back now, one day you will become me. People always complain to God asking them to somehow send them back to their past to warn them about the silly mistakes they would make. Here I am. and here are your legs. oops. Or what had remained." She chuckled. 

I was scared. Really really scared. So I ran back screaming as her laugh grew louder and louder.

x----------------------------------------x

Yahya heard a shrill from Anousha's room. He knew what this was about , so he casually walked up to her room and knocked on the door. 

"WAKE UP! YOU'RE DREAMING AGAIN!" He yelled, rolling eyes, stirring his coffee.

She yelled back in her shaking voice, " It's okay, I am awake now".

Yahya went to join Mr. Kamal, Aleeza and Zarwish on the dining table. It was a refreshing Saturday morning, blessed with the delicious halwa poori.

The morning chit chat was all about Mr. Kamal sharing his mischievous childhood experiences to the new girl Zarwish, trying to lighten up her mood. Zarwish occasionally faked laughs. Mr. Kamal then went to water his lifeless garden , hoping it would come back to life.

"So how long have you been here?" Zarwish crossed her arms and leaned forward.

"I don't keep track of it. Let's say I was really young when I first got here. "

"Umm.. Zarwish, I wanted to say sorry for what happened with your family and house. Your house was like this huge royal palace to us. I feel so sorry really" His eyes opened the window to sadness.

"Thanks. By the way, I can't help but notice, one of your glasses of your spectacles is missing" Zarwish pointed at his left eyes, laughing.

Yahya never noticed this. He never had a weak eye sight. He wanted to study really hard to change his fate and somehow wearing spectacles made him think he was a hard working young man. After all, we all get our motivations from mysterious ways.

He chuckled and took off his glasses. Unlike everybody else he was not embarrassed. 

Anousha joined them. Zarwish soon mentioned her concern to them. What she saw last night. She told Anousha, there were jinnat in this house and at night how they took her form. Her eyes were full of fear, and she kept explaining to them everything that happened and how this orphanage was really haunted. Zarwish knew they probably knew about this and were hiding since she had recently suffered a lot but she really wanted them to share their experiences and speak the truth. She told Anousha she did not need to lie anymore.

But they laughed.

"I..I don't understand. Why are you guys laughing? Do you believe I am hallucinating?" Zarwish was biting her nails now.

"No, no silly. You were definitely not hallucinating."Yahya said as Anousha squeezed her hand and assured her.

"That means this place is really haunted?"

"NOPE!" Yahya stated , popping the "P".

Zarwish was so confused. " So you're telling me what I saw was real, yet this place has no jinns. So who were all those people. And .. you? Was it really you Anousha?" Zarwish raised her voice demanding clear answers. Anousha smiled, raised her eyebrows. And shrugged. She then spoke,

"Don't worry Zarwish, you will know everything soon." With that being said , Anousha left.

Zarwish was left wondering. This was not the Anousha she knew till yesterday.  This Anousha was so strange. She felt like all those years they spent together were meaningless, she never really knew who or what Anousha truly was.