Tale Of Two Sisters

The Run and The Traveller

"Brothers, look the bride and her sister are trying to escape"

The Mirzas' eyes widened. A goon had seen them trying to escape. The girls ran faster, as fast their legs could.

A group of goons started chasing them. The girls ran towards the huge gate, they opened it and ran faster. The only option was the forest since they couldn't run anywhere else.

They ran as fast they could, they reached the gate, opened it and dared to look back.

A group of about six goons were chasing them. With no time to even breath, they ran. Ran until their legs could give up, but would still be on the move until their breath could give up too. The girls were determined to escape and not let these goons get them.

It was dark, the soil was wet, puddles all around but the girls remain unfazed.

The sounds of the goons were still echoing.

With fear in hearts and sweat on foreheads, they ran.

They lost track of time, but the sky grew even more dark, and the night sky looked like a blanket of black velvet.

When the girls slowed down only when they felt the eerie silence with only crickets noise enveloping them.

Their minds were blank, feet numb and eyes dry as deserts.

"What just happened?" Muttered a numb Zara

They found a small lake, even in the middle of nowhere, they quenched their parched throats, sat down beneath the canopy of a large tree.

Sleep long forgotten, their tired eyes now started to water. Like a hard slap, the reality was right in front.

Questions jumbled around in their minds. 

"What happens now? what do we do now?" asked an extremely tired Zara. 

"I wish I had an answer..." said an equally exhausted Zoya.

Zoya's eyes dropped down to her hands who was clutching her mother's diary with her dear life. Her eyes clouded and she had no more control on her tears now.

"Why is this happening to us? Why Mere Maula? Why? What have we ever done wrong? Why are you testing us? How can me and my sister stay away from our own parents without even knowing how they are? Why did you have to burden our parents with so much pain? Why..." 

"Shh Zoe, Remember Allah does not burden us with giving us the power to fight through it. Don't question Him and His decisions Zoe, Let's pray that we fight this and get our lives sorted, we need to be each others strengths Zoya, we cannot let this situation get to us, stay strong Zoya" with that even Zara broke down. The sisters raised their palms to the sky and prayed for safety of their parents and brother and sister in law. 

Almost an hour passed by, their eyes drooping with exhaustion and sleep, but they both were too frightened to sleep. 

"Zara, sleep for a while, I'll stay awake, we can take turns ok?" Zoya cooed her sister in a polite way. "Ok..." said Zara and dosed off instantly.

Leaning against the tree, Zara slept but a peaceful sleep was far away from her eyes. Zoya decided to get up and quench her thirst with the water from the lake. The sound of her anklets echoed across the forest, this silence scared her the most. Once at the lake, as she drank the water, she heard some shuffling behind her. She jerked in fright and looked behind, all she could was Zara still leaning on the tree and taking a nap. She decided to ignore the noise and continued to drink. This time the shuffling was more prominently heard, she couldn't ignore it this time.

She panicked even more and ran towards Zara and woke her up. Zara groggily got up and asked her. Zoya shushed her and asked her remain silent. The shuffling occurred again and all traces of sleep left Zara instantly, her eyes widened in horror.

Zoya looked around and found a long wooden branch that they could use as a protection, she grabbed onto it and the girls stilled with baited breath for any possible threat occurrence. The wild bushes moved right in front of them, the girls were now up on their feet.

Amidst the dark appeared an old man. He was dressed in white all over. He had an old backpack hunched up on his shoulder and he also had a stick in his hand that would help him to walk. His face was wrinkled and he had an unkempt white long beard. His eyes were bright blue which the girls could make out even in the darkest period of the night. He had a polite smile on his lips as he looked at the girls and their confused expressions. His face had a kind of Noor  that the girls couldn't put a finger on.

"The world is a cruel place dear ones, every step of the good will have the evils lurking around them. Were you never careful, and the darkness shall invade you. But fear yourselves not, shall you both be one another's candle bringing forth light in each others' lives. Today's pain shall be tomorrows joy." he  said while settling down near the lake. 

The girls now, were even more confused by his words but curiosity got the best of them. They saw him pulling his bag down his shoulder and rummaging through it. He pulled out a small makeshift bowl made of leaves, he dipped the bowl inside the lake and took out some water to drink it. 

"Who are you sire?" asked a confused Zoya

"A traveller you you can presume lady, someone who has home not, but whole world shall be my home" he replied after taking a sip of the water.

" A traveller? At this part of the jungles?" asked a suspicious Zara

"Why not? I believe Allah shall guide me through the parts of the world where he knows someone is in need of my piece of advice, Praise to be upon him" He answered Zara

The girls eyes dropped down to the ground and the sense of threat they felt vanished in thin air and an unpredictable feeling of hope invaded their hearts. They sat down and looked at the man again.

"Sir, do you know this area, can u help us find a way out?" asked a hopeful Zoya.

"You both have ran from the south, don't trace back, follow the west, you shall be safe" the old man got up, pulled up is backpack and said

"Trust Him, Trust yourselves and what your hearts guide, may you both be blessed, Praises upon him...." 

And with that the old man turned around and walked away. 

As if on cue, the sun raised, the dawn became more evident painting the sky in beautiful orange and red hue. And then the girls heard it, the distance sound of Azaaan  going off from the west direction indicating a mosque nearby. The girls turned their heads to the direction which the old man went, however, there were no signs of him, like he was some angel who came to them only for them to be guided. 

The girls got up, held each others hands and walked towards the west. Even though they had no clue of what life had for them in the future they were ready to support each other, to fight against the odds and get their lives back in order.

//End of Chapter 9//

Maula : A word used to address God

Noor : A hopeful kind of brightness, Light

Azaan : The Call to prayer given by Mosques 

I have no words to thank all my readers for being so patient. Thank for the 500 reads, means a lot honestly. Hope this Chapter was worth the wait. 

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