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chapter 1,That fatefull day

Astaughfirulah hal azzim ( I seek forgiveness from Allah)For the last time! NO, we are not getting another toy truck! " I rolled my eyes as I starred daggers at Hassan through the rear view mirror.

"But ummi-" Hassan protested
(Ummi- mother in Arabic)

"No!" - I hissed as I gripped the steering wheel tighter. There was no point recalling the number of times hassan would sandwiched a toy truck between groceries in the cart, hoping to not be noticed by me. Hassan younger brother, Hussain seemed to have picked up some of his bad habits from Hassan.

They both knew the best thing to do when caught red handed was to look angelic and stare longingly at the toy truck until I feel bad enough to buy it . (Yes, I'm weak against thier puppy eyes )

Cars were a tactile experience for Hassan. His obsession towards cars has become apparent when he was a baby. Our outings were devoted to attending racing cars as well as answering what colour was the car Hassan pointed to during car rides.

Whenever I take Hassan out in his stroller for a walk, he'd flail his chubby arms around, each time a car pass by his stroller.

So it came to the surprise of none when his first words were: " cwarsh! ".

I was slapped by the harsh hands of reality when my eyes caught the blinding fairy lights of the mall through my peripheral vision,passed by the car. Putting the car to an abrupt U-turn, I quickly made my way back to the mall before Hussain notice.

I was too late.

"Ummi, you missed the mall this time as well? " Hussain giggled , putting down his book. Aged 6, four years younger than his older sibling, hussain displayed deep interest in reading books. He could finish a dictionary-worth-of-pages in 2 days!

I huffed in defeat just as I parked the cars nicely in the emptied space among the columns of cars. I made a mental note to be prepared to get teased by Hussain for missing the mall for the 3rd time. I guess I did not learned my lesson from the previous time, getting teased by him for the whole week.

Holding Hassan in one hand and Hussain the other, we pushed through the crowds.

Raising 2 pairs of boys proved harder than I imagined back when I was a schoolgirl watching "The returned of superman" a south korean reality TV show airing bently and William, about dads talking care of the children for 48 hours while thier wives are away.

If there were to be an Olympic medal for young mother's naivety, I would have definitely scored a gold. Married at 20, Reality struck me at Hassan's birth. Fortunately for me though, older mothers had taken pity on me and they mentored me through motherhood 101. Through motherhood I came to learn that a mother is as happy as her saddest child and that sleep is a luxury.

My train of thoughts yet once again was cut of off when I spotted a shiny plastic object, snuggly hidden between the sack of rice and the milk carton. Picking it up with 2 fingers , I shifted my gaze towards the kids, raising one eyebrow.

" I told you that was a terrible hiding spot! " nudged Hussain at Hassan with a whisper loud enough for me to hear. Hassan smiled sheepishly at me with pleading eyes.

I sigh as I watched Hassan fiddle with the new plastic car in his tiny hands. Hassan agreed to behave better and score higher results in his oncoming exams. I was going to buy a something for Hussain as well when he tugged at the hem of my kurta ( a shirt that can be worn by man and women ) and gave me a reassuring look. He instead pleaded for the a new book series called "diary of a wimpy kid " his friends had been telling him about. I agreed to get it the next time we went to a book store. In returned, he pledge to stop drawing on the walls at the back of our house.

" YOU HAVE BEEN DRAWING ON THE WALL AT THE BACK OF THE HOUSE ?!?!? "

"Idiot! " Hassan mocked, rolling his eyes and jabbing Hussain with his elbow.

My eyes buldge wider, mimicking two hot air balloons

" nauzubillah min zalik! ( I seek refuge from Allah against evil ) when have I taught you such faulty words?! " it was Hassan's turn to get an earful.

~time skip ~
After shopping, we decided to settle for some ice cream while taking a walk by the river.The breeze rustles the leaves making them fall to the solid ground one by one. The trees danced away, blown by the wind. Red,orange and yellow leaves littered the green grass. The air was warm, the beams of sunlight glowing on my skin. Flowers are vast, and they conceal the freshly cut green grass. The pathway beside the river is nothing more than dirt littered with random rocks.

The two wide eyed troublemaker were playing by the river. Hassan's hair typically fluffy, was flatten down by the water being splashed at him. His bangs covered his eyes like a sheepdog. The river is a place where Hassan and Hussain grew attached to since we come here often.

I watched them from a bench I had claimed as mine. I decided to check my messages since I had not been online the whole day.
My heart skipped a beat.I recieved an emergency alert for a sudden flood in this area at 4:30. Goodness! The time read 4:29. Without battling an eye, I rushed to where the two boys were playing.

"Take that ! " Hassan said, pushing Hussain into the river. The river was shallow, safe for the kids, however not on that fateful day. A huge current swoop Hussain in its arms.

The flood was no longer just water. It was a twisted vile shape that tore down lives and homes. Its icy teeth bit away at the unprotected ankles that where submerge in its glory. To say it was human would be horrific and most of all wrong. It was a beast something with no care at all. Something so demonic its surface seemed not to shimmer like the deep oceans but ooze into a dark core, torn to shreds by itself.

It tore down everything that stood in its way, leaving millions of shards, as if broken hope had become visible. Deprived village had longed for a few droplets of precious water to bless their fields of wheat. However, even the smallest child could tell that they were not on grounds to neither celebrate such fortune nor let loose a smile - the fear darkened like the low clouds. The flood carries the trash that usually adorns the sidewalks, turning the brown water into a slight green.

Darkness enveloped hussain. The water closed in around him, filling him with a deep dread. He held his breath as long as he could, too long in fact. Red and black splotches danced in front of him and he couldn't remember if his eyes were opened or closed. The coldness he had felt upon entering the water was completely gone. A desperate hot wave had come over him, warming even his frosted toes. His heart was beating rapidly in panic. The urgency for air was more apparent than ever. There weren't red blotches in his field of vision anymore. It was all black.

He opened his mouth, gasping for air.
His head is pounding, every cell in his body was screaming for oxygen. He kept fighting until he felt like his head was about to explode. He begun to fell. He fell further and further into the darkness until it threatens to swallow him whole. He had held his breath in a pool before, but this isn't like that. This is like having a gun to his head and being told not to let his heart beat. Of course it will beat. And just like the heart must go on his lungs will inhale whether it is air or briny water.