Stories of the unseen (Part I)

Chapter 1

I was born with her on 18 June,1992 in Karachi.It was hot summer day.My mother said when she woke up she had a taste of blood in her mouth.She spit in the near by dustbin but there was no blood.She remembers a heavy sensation next to her left foot,as if someone was sitting there.After a while the nurse brought us in and my mother held us both for the very first time.She told me that heavy sensation next to her left foot never left.Even over the years we changed many houses and my mother exchanged her side of the bed with my father.

When I was two my father died for reasons my mother refused to tell us till the day she died.

She married Ahmed uncle when we were four under the pressure of her in laws and parents.He was a kind man..He is a kind man.Ahmed was a psychiatrist by profession,so he always had an understanding of our circumstances.Although he came from an orthodox muslim family but he always was the liberal one.Always kept an open mind.My mother never knew much about him and never bothered to do so.She was always focused on us.She was always paranoid always worried for our safety.

Sophia was sick.For the longest time I never knew what was wrong with her but Mama would never let her get out of sight not even to school.Over the years whenever we would visit our grand parents Mama would end up fighting with them and after a while we stopped visiting.

I was not allowed to bring any friends home nor discuss home with friends.I remember one time Mama told me that if I disobeyed her she will know and she will punish me.Whenever Ahmed would make plans to go out Mama would always stay behind with Sophia.

When I turned fourteen, my mother's attention towards Sophia started to bother me.Her day would start with Sophia and end with fighting with either me or Ahmed.My only safe haven was my step father.But even he would never dare to say anything against them to me.

When I turned sixteen I remember getting into a huge fight with my mother.Her obsessive behavior towards Sophia had gotten so bad that I became invisible to her.

My relationship with Sophia also started to deteriorate.Everything about her would get under my skin.Her voice , her face ,her presence.I would start arguments with her and she would end up crying which would cause my mother to be angry with me for weeks.Even when she was not angry with me we would barely talk.At first the fights were just verbal but as I grew up they became physical.

When I finished my inter Ahmed got a job in Rawalpindi.We moved there.It was a big house and it had a beautiful garden.

From that day forward things were never the same again.

Ahmed would be at his clinic all day and I would be at university.Sophia and Mama would be at home and whenever we would enter the house..it was as we were walking into a trap.The feeling of being caged would sometime over whelm us.Sometimes I thought maybe it was me but then one I talked to my step father about and realized except my mother and sister we were the only one who felt it.

For the first time in many years Sophia and I had separate rooms.Which to be honest was relief as I wanted my privacy.

Over the years as I became distant towards my mother and my only sibling, my relationship with my step father got stronger.We would share our insecurities and fears with eachother.My mother on the other hand had completely stopped talking to me and she would barely talk to Ahmed unless and until it was extremely necessary.

Sometimes I would wonder why they didn't just get divorced but I could not dare to ask any of them.I knew love was not the reason for their union, nor was it the reason for staying together all these years..atleast not her.

Sophia had changed too.All our lives she was the meek one in the relationship.I was the dominant and confident one.But since we had moved to Pindi ..it was as if she was not who we thought.She would come up to my room every night and would stand beside my bed till fajr.First few weeks I was unaware but then one night I had a fever which kept me up till late.I was in an attempt to force myself into a slumber when I noticed the wooden door to my room open slowly.I ignored thinking it was probably the air.But then I saw her coming.I decided to ignore her entirely as I had very little energy to fight with her.She walked to my bed and stood there.I was creeped out a little bit but didnt give it much thought.Then I heard her breathing so loudly that I could barely think.I could smell a nasty smell in the room.I could not for the life of me figure out what was it.At first I ignored her because I was not in the mood to fight but after a while I was genuinely scared.I tried my very best to go back to sleep but this looming presence over my head would not let me do so.I wanted to move but I couldn't.I didn't want to give an impression that I was awake.I figured that if I do that she would go away.I thought she was trying to prank me.But seeing her stand over there for more than a while had me thinking this wasnt what I thought.Then I heard her move closer to me and putting her hand on my head board.I heard her speak what I was not expecting. ' I know you are awake Anum..I can hear you think!' ..she gave out an unsettling chuckle and moved away from the bed.I could hear my heart beat rising.My palms were sweating.Before I could gather my senses I heard the Fajr azan and with that she left the room.But even after she had left I could not bring myself to move.