Should I Let Down My Hijab? A Rapunzel Retelling

Reyhana lingered on the windowsill of an old unfamiliar house. It offered her a sizeable view of the worn out houses. She remained squatted for a few minutes, her toes wailing in pain as she scanned the area like a telescope. They had to be back before sunset before her mother got worried and sent someone to look for them, but Fajr was nowhere to be found.

Something caught her eye. It was through a window several houses down. Reyhana lunged forward into a balcony, hugging her body close like a turtle hiding in its shell. From balcony to balcony she went until she climbed up a brick wall of the many buildings she shortly visited, onto a wide rooftop. Once on the edge, she realised she was trapped by a dead end. Every direction she looked, there was no way out.

Her only hope was a dangerously thin rope, suspended in the air and connecting the roof she stood on to the next. She curled her lips. Reyhana knew this was a bad idea, a very bad one. She was going to do it anyway.

She wiped off the sweat that had collected on her forehead and fanned her sweatshirt free from being stuck to her body. One foot after the other, and she was walking across the straw rope. Thinking it’d get easier as she walked was a mistake. Walking a rope thinner than her finger was anything but easy.

Without warning, her right foot slid on the slippery slope, and she instinctively tasked her arms to the rescue. Her wrist scraped a stray piece of straw, ripping a straight line of blood into her long sleeve.

"Ouch," she gasped.

Reyhana looked down to reassure herself that she did not in fact fall, but her heartbeat only sped up. She held on for dear life, her fingers straining around the untamed rope and leaving red marks on her skin. A single tear trickled down her cheek.

Forcing her eyes away from the haunting sight of the far ground, Reyhana regained her balance and continued her mission. She breathed out a quick alhamdulillah when she made it to the other house almost unharmed. 

She hopped inside the trap door that was located in the middle of the rooftop, expecting an attic. To her surprise, she was in the kitchen. What an odd place for a kitchen.

Bellow the yellow ladder of the next trapdoor was a living room. She hid behind the back of a tall wooden drawer, sliding against it to catch her breath. A faux fireplace was set by the beige wall, pretending to warm the room but leaving no trace of burns on the logs. Above it was a chimney, connected to the outside world.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the air. Reyhana whipped her head left and right to pinpoint the source. To no avail. Please let it not be the owners. Please.

They stopped for a moment and Reyhana held her breath. Did they find her? Were they going to send her to jail for trespassing?

The steps returned, relieving Reyhana for some reason. The echoes indicated they were coming from an enclosed place. She listened in closer, making herself as small as possible, hoping whoever was walking wouldn’t look behind the drawer. Who hid behind a drawer? Reyhana asked herself. She would be found in seconds had it been a game of hide and seek. 

She pulled a knife out of her waist bag, ready to defend, or attack if needed. A silent thump reverberated within the room, followed by a cry of pain. Reyhana's heart was beating twenty miles an hour, the adrenaline forcing her eyes wide open. 

Risking a peek in the direction of the sound, she discovered a slender figure laying on the ground, creosote staining his clothes and face. He scratched the back of his head and their eyes met.

“Fajr! For God’s sake! Where were you? I’ve been looking for you for hours! Heck, the sun is almost down.” Reyhana whispered, scolding him as she pointed out the window to the purple orange sky, hoping her displeased tone would get across to him. Her brother turned around, giving her his back.

“How did you climb down that? I heard footsteps.” He didn’t budge. 

“Fajr, look at me. I am speaking to you.” Reyhana reached for his shoulders but he stepped forward. She followed, now standing in front of him.

“What do you want?” he asked, irritated.

“I asked you a question. Communicate with me like a normal person would.”

“You can’t walk on a chimney, genius. I used my hands.” He raised his dirty hands for her to see. “There, do you have your answer?”

“Why are you being like this?”

“Because you’re asking a stupid question?”

“We’re leaving now,” Reyhana asserted, ignoring his remark. She walked in a squatted position towards the nearest room, signaling for her brother to follow her. There was a large window in the centre of the room. “Let's jump down. Else we risk getting caught.”

“Don’t tell me what to do. I know.” He marched towards the opening and spared a look down. “Never mind. There is no way I’m dying here.” He laughed, backing away.

“Do you have a better plan?”

“I don’t, but yours sucks.” 

She rolled her eyes. “We would not be here if you were a little more responsible.”

“Responsible? Are you being serious?”

“Does it look like I’m laughing?” She gestured at her face dramatically. “I’m tired of chasing after you just because you want to rebel.”

“So that’s what you think this is,” he said calmly. She expected him to argue back, but he just gave in. Fajr never gave in.

Reyhana paused. “Is something wrong? You’re acting weird today.”

“No. Why would it be?” Reyhana noticed his chest was heaving rapidly. He was panting loudly, his hand to his chest in an attempt to calm himself down. If Reyhana knew anything about her brother, it was that he grew quiet when fear got the best of him. Would he ever admit it? No. He had his own pride to uphold. And she respected that.

“Stop looking at me like that. I told you I’m fine.” He looked away. “Worry about yourself.”

“I’m afraid.” Fajr stared at her, stunned at her confession. “I admit it. But I also know that this will pass. It always does. And it helps to never forget that–”

“We are not alone.” 

Reyhana grinned. “Exactly. Allah SWT is with us.”

He nodded, his breath now silent and restful. He recited Ayat al Kursi under his breath, encouraging Reyhana to follow suit.

“And what now? Must we jump?” He asked. She didn’t have an answer. All she knew was that they needed to leave immediately.

“Come down!”

Both siblings stared at each other with wide eyes. They simultaneously looked down, detecting a tall man standing at least thirty metres down, a big smile plastered on his face as he waved in their direction.

“What are you doing here, man?” Fajr cupped his hands around his mouth as he spoke.

“I trust you, love, but not with this,” she called out to her husband, hoping he would make out her words despite the wind that rustled his soft hazelnut hair in various directions.

“What?” Ramzi asked, confused. “I can’t hear you. Just jump!”

“I can’t!” Reyhana crossed out her arms for him to understand. “Fajr, forgive me, but you have to go first.” He glanced at her hesitantly. 

“It’s the only way.” The words stumbled out of her quivering lips. “Ramzi will catch you.” 

Reyhana couldn’t make out what Fajr said after that. The background noise of the world around her had faded. Her ears zeroed in on the only voice they could pick up: a high-pitched one, stable with its speech, smooth with its words. It was calling her name. Reyhana, Reyhana. Allow me to help you.

She turned to Fajr for help, but he was moving in slow motion. Her hands were trembling, her head blank. She had no idea what to do.

Reyhana. She examined her surroundings but no physical figure was to be found. Was it all just in her head? She wondered. 

If you don’t do it, I will. The sound chimed with a beautiful melody, infusing Reyhana’s ears with warmth.

Reyhana watched in awe as the end of her hijab extended into a length only possible in a fantastical daydream. Her bright pink hijab flew in Ramzi’s direction like it was set free; never escaping, just working magically with its owner. She convinced herself she was only imagining the sparkles that surrounded it as it grew a mind of its own. The flowers that had been intricately sewn were now spread onto the entire length of the hijab, like rocks on a stone path, bulges on the wall of a rock climbing competition.

The world returned to normal, the natural sounds of rustling leaves and the whistling wind filling her ears. Fajr’s uncontinued response was cut off once again, this time by his horror. He simply blinked at the flying hijab, completely unaware about what had just happened. “What on Earth is going on? You didn’t tell me Rapunzel was your cousin.”

“You’re seeing this too? It can’t be real, right?”

Fajr arched his back straight like an arrow, chin held high. “Oh please, Reyhana, there is no need to be scared.” Typical of Fajr to regain his confidence in the blink of an eye.

A woman’s voice rang from somewhere within the building, muffled in the distance. A deep voice belonging to another cursing, her voice creeping closer.

“Okay, now we really jump,” Fajr said.

Reyhana swung open the window. Her brother was out the enclosed room before she could utter a word, barely taking into account what he was about to do. He would never jump if he overthought it. Reyhana’s bones jolted at the heavy pull on her head, and she pushed her hands on either side of the wall with full force.

“You could have at least warned me, damn it!” He was descending, his legs crossed around the fabric dangling down the large window. The pain was worse than getting your hair pulled.

"This isn't as hard as I thought it'd be!" he called out, laughing nervously.

“I can’t hold on any longer, hurry up!”

“Remove it from your head, Reyhana!” Ramzi yelped.

“You’re right!”

With shaking hands, Reyhana unwrapped the satin fabric from her head, grappling with the force Fajr’s recklessness had generated. All the weight lifted off her head when she removed the pink material, the pain on her neck dissipating like a train crashing a wall. A feeling of complete peace washed over her. 

There was no hair blowing in her face, no air cooling her skin. She was still covered, her undercap doing the job.

“What am I supposed to do now? Let down my hijab?” she called out to Ramzi but he couldn’t hear her.

She only had herself. Reyhana looked around for a hanger on the wall, anything a hijab could be tied around. Nothing. 

Nothing except for a balustrade, built into the walls outside the window. Perfect. She tied a strong knot around the white railing, pulling at her end of the fabric to ensure the string wouldn’t rip before Fajr made it to safety. Mere seconds passed before he was on the ground. Thank God. She readied herself mentally to be next.

“What have you done to the young boy?” A voice hissed from behind. Reyhana jumped, turning around to witness The Worst Thing That Could Happen come true.

Two middle-aged women stood in the doorway, quizzical anger loitering their faces. A blonde and a brunette wearing complete opposite styles of clothing, yet having almost identical faces. Brunette wore a full face of bold makeup that made her look like a madwoman. Blonde didn’t wear makeup, but her eyes shone a blinding red under the beaming lights. The smirk on her face was that of a blood-thirsty shark searching for its next meal.

"Tell me where he is right now," Brunette ordered.

Reyhana tossed herself out the window, using her hijab to her advantage as she neared freedom. Thirty metres turned to twenty and soon there were barely ten to go. Of course they would let her climb down, it’s not like they would try to kill her.

“You’re almost there!” Ramzi cheered from below.

Reyhana felt better for a second before her pulsing heartbeat returned in her ears. She looked up and noticed she was facing the front side of the house. The sisters were standing by the only window of the three stories, on the highest floor of the residence. Reyhana could barely make out the evil smirk that formed on Brunette’s face, but she was sure it was the only warning she was going to get that the Game Was On.

“You’ve got it coming you duck,” Blonde spat, in a volume loudspeakers couldn’t compete with.

“She’s not wrong about the last part but get your butt down here quickly, man.” Fajr bellowed.

“You are not helping!”

Reyhana felt a sudden tug and when she looked up again, her face filled with terror a nightmare couldn’t ignite. This was real life. And she was about to get tossed into a fight with gravity. One of the women held up the untied end of the hijab for Reyhana to see. 

“Please don’t. Please.” I’m too young to die. Tears erupted from her eyes, streaming down her flushed cheeks. She shouldn’t cry, it only elevated her panic into greater altitudes. But she couldn’t stop either.

"Sister knows best." The other woman cackled before her sister flung the satin across the air, leaving Reyhana’s fate to God’s hands. The hijab collected air like a parachute, taking Reyhana on a flight. She hugged her body close, praying for the littlest impact. It won’t be long until it was over. It’ll be okay. Bismillah. Bismillah.



Reyhana came crashing into Ramzi, sending him falling to the ground. He grasped her waist tight.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” Reyhana whimpered.

“Yes, yes, I am completely fine. But can you please get off–”

“Oh yes, of course! I’m so sorry.” She flung herself off him. Fajr, who was standing aside, helped her up.

“Nice to see you are capable of being helpful,” she teased.

“I can also prove to be unhelpful and push you back on the floor,” he mumbled, making her laugh.

Reyhana offered her hand to Ramzi. He took his time, holding his back in the process. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need a hospital?” Reyhana tried again.

“It was merely a few metres, don’t worry about me.” He groaned.

There was, however, someone who wasn’t pretending to be okay. “Damn you, imbeciles!” Blonde squealed. “We’ll make you suffer.”

“We’ll see about that, ugly duckling,” Fajr retorted.

Reyhana held back a snort. “Hey, don’t. Let’s go before they catch up to us.” 

The trio left the cursed place, ignoring the screams and insults being hurled their way until they could no longer hear them.

“Thank you, Ramzi. You saved us back there,” she said as she put her normal length hijab back on.

“He saved you.” Fajr intervened.

“It is my duty, my lovely wife.” She blushed. “But you, you were amazing back there. You’re so clever yourself.” He linked their fingers together, rubbing the back of her thumb. “And your hijab, I had no idea it could do that. It was like a fairytale coming true. Did you?” He exclaimed eagerly.

“I am just as shocked as you are. Tete gave it to me before she passed away. I wish I could ask her about it.”

“Do you think she knows?”

“Probably.” And she trusted her with it. Reyhana twirled around, ecstatic. Ramzi outstretched his arms in the air, guiding her.

“Ooh, how mysterious.” Fajr said, making a miserable attempt at ghost noises. “And the myth of the magical shayla comes to life.”

“Oh you little sunrise!” She said, playing on the meaning of his name. “How did you get yourself tangled into this mess?” She unlinked their hands, slowing her pace to stride beside Fajr. Ramzi walked ahead, allowing them privacy.

“Promise me you won’t tell Mama.” Reyhana’s eyebrows rose in confusion, but she agreed. She needed to hear what he had to say.

“Don’t just say you won’t. Say wallah.” 

“Please tell me what truly happened, I will believe you.” He knew she wouldn’t swear to God no matter what.

“It’s not like I care if you will, but you can’t wrongly accuse me like that.”

She said nothing, but her eyes softened, all ears for what her brother was about to say. 

“Remember how I cleaned houses last week for some extra pocket money?” Reyhana nodded. “Yeah, those sisters gave me triple the money. I was trying to return what I didn’t earn. I was sure it was an accident, but now I realise it wasn’t.”

 She froze in place, unable to process her brother’s words. Any joy Reyhana felt before was now sucked from her, guilt sinking into her heart. She was disappointed with herself. Disappointed that she couldn’t be a better sister.

“Fajr, you have no idea how sorry I am. The whole time, I–” She paused, sighing. “I’m glad you made it out safely, but I should have–”

“It’s okay, Reyhana. I understand.” Fajr shrugged.

“Yes, but I shouldn’t have–”

“I said it’s fine. I just wanted you to know.” 

She blinked twice, speechless. She threw her arms around her little brother, enveloping him in a warm bear hug.

“Thank you, Fajr, for telling me. Thank you.” To her relief, he squeezed her back as he rested his chin on her shoulder. Then, her brother whispered something in her ear. Something she would never forget.

You are a good big sister.