A journey into a strange book

A journey into a strange book – Urooj Aslam

The sun shone through the clouds after the heavy rain. Still the water on the roads gave a feeling of swimming in the pool. It had been raining for three days constantly and the roads of Islamabad could not be without a view of a pool in different areas.

It was seven in the morning and traffic on the roads was like a maniac, the December winter of 2021 with its cold was trying to lay its covers of mist all over the city. The schools in every sector of Islamabad were to start at eight. One could imagine the rush and the anxiety caused by the traffic jams on the flood roads.

In that chaotic moment, three girls holding each other’s hands crossed the road in a hurry as if afraid that they would not get another chance to pass in such messy traffic. Mia, a girl of thirteen was looking at them through the window of white Suzuki Swift getting dropped by her dad to the school. Her sister Nina, one year younger than her, was not with her today for she was suffering with cold. Her eyes followed these young girls until they turned to the footpath leading to the school. She found them strangely interesting. Their clean fair pretty faces with tiny eyes & purple hairs astonished her. Usually the girls and boys at school were not allowed to dye their hair or wear any fashionable stuff. But these girls were not afraid at all. And most amazingly that was the fourth time she was seeing them.

They were always alone with no friends except themselves. Nobody came to pick them up from school. Mia never saw their parents coming to school not even on last week’s parent teacher meeting. In fact, they themselves didn’t attend the school the very next day. They were weird yet unique. In these little observations Mia developed a strange likeness for these girls. She wished she could be friends with them. She was one year junior to these girls who were all in their 10^th grade. But nobody ever talked to them.

One Monday morning when Mia was entering the gates of the school, she saw those girls standing by the old cottage right in the very corner of the school building. This little cottage belonged to the gatekeeper. Both he and his wife were the only inhabitants of this place. All the students assumed that gatekeeper’s wife was a witch. A middle-aged woman with strangled hair like if a storm had visited them, never combed it seemed, with a pointy nose and deep yet strange looking eyes. The look of these eyes were like if they could cast a spell on whoever crosses the boundary of her cottage.

Though she was a quiet woman and never said anything to the students until and unless they were in the red zone of her cottage which was rare. Only the basketball court was the nearest thing to this mysterious place.

“What are they doing here”, Mia’s monologue begins as curiosity touched the level where she could not resist her thoughts. She wanted to know. Maybe the emotions of sympathy had taken a new form in her. She was a sensitive girl. All the sympathy that was gradually flowing turned into something that irritated her. Even in the class it affected her level of concentration. She wanted to tell her sister Nina, her two friends Ria and Sarah, but something stopped her.

They might dislike them or, it all might turn into a gossip, and she didn’t want that. She had only one solution to talk to them no matter what her friends would say, or she would become a topic to talk in the whole school. She had to take the risk. Somehow, she cared for those girls.

Courage is something more of an action rather than words and thoughts. Just becoming a talk of the school isn’t that easy. It was not a populated one. A building with thirteen small rooms hardly accommodating 10 to 15 students in one class. Yet it was a lovely place. With a big play ground at the front and a basketball court. It was a new school opened on the main road in F8 sector of Islamabad four years ago.

At the end of the day, she left her friends in the class after the final lesson was over and every one was leaving. She almost ran to the second floor, climbing stairs in a rush, making her way through many groups of students coming downstairs. Some gave her an annoying look, some laughed at her crazy rush. But she didn’t bother. It was just the beginning of such stares and talks.

As she reached the floor she went to the class for 10^th graders. She can hear her heart beating fast and her short hairs all messy on her forehead. The sweat on her face gave the look as if she had been running for hours. She thought to herself that she had never felt so nervous even when she talked to any boy. It was strange to herself as well. But then what she found was an empty class with no one inside. The disappointment was starting to show on her face. They might have left early and she was late. With her head down she went back to her class, with thoughts giving a boost to her disappointment.

Meanwhile, her friends with her bag and books were waiting with frowning faces at the end of the stairs.

“Are you crazy, what happened, where did you vanish in such a haste? The questions of those curious faces were bombarding, but her mind was somewhere else.

“Let’s go, my dad will be waiting outside, and he will be curious more than you all are. We’ll talk about it later.” They rushed towards the gate. Her father’s car was parked a little farther from the entrance of school. She waved them goodbye and ran to the car.

“What took you long child, were you doing your assignment in the class?” Her father’s red face in the heated car seemed funny to Mia, but she was able to manage her laugh somehow.

“Yeah, just trying to understand a Math problem, sorry Baba.” Her innocent eyes made him smile.

Evening just passed in a jiffy. Mia stayed busy with solving Math problems while her sister who was feeling better now completed her English essay which she had to submit tomorrow.

The delicious aroma of Chicken stew rice made by Mia’s mom Mrs. Shah aroused the hunger of every one at home. Mr. Shah and the girls were all at the table in no time with their plates ready to be filled with delicious rice. A little conversation was always there with a hearty dinner.

“Have you prepared your Math test?” Mia’s mom asked a question which didn’t suit the time and place.

Mia with mouth full of rice nodded a yes with astonishing eyes looking at her mother. “I went to Mrs. Akhtar yesterday”. She now addressed, the whole audience at the table. Mrs. Akhtar was an old lady in their neighbor who was her great friend, and she had all the news of people in their street and the school even, because her grandson was in 10^th grade in Mia’s school.

“Her grandson told her about three strange girls in his class, very strange looking. Never spoke a word to anyone except answering questions if being asked. I was thinking why the headmaster had to admit such students who create suspicion by their attitude among others. Maybe they got some problem at home. They must be supported with some counselling by the teachers of 10^th grade.”

Mrs. Shah as usual with her concluded remarks waited for some comments from the rest who with their heads down preferred not to enter any argument. They all kept having their dinner, spoon after spoon of rice, eating rather hurriedly than before as if it was a competition and the time was going to end soon.

However, when dinner was over. Mrs. Shah without a word and a disappointing face went to the kitchen to clean up. Mr. Shah followed her for some comforting word that may support her conclusive talk. As for Mia and Nina they went straight to their rooms. Nina slept early while Mia couldn’t. She kept thinking what would her mom say when she would become talk of the school. Mrs. Akhtar would not spare a chance to tell her mom. In those struggling thoughts she fell asleep.

*

The morning was freezing cold and the traffic was a usual mess. While been dropped to school, Mia and her sister kept quiet. Both absorbed in their worlds. It is said that when something is going to happen, the chances are created which could lead to an incident. And it did this time. Her dad’s car stopped while taking turn towards the school road. Somehow, it refused to start again. Maybe the cold had affected the engine. Even repeatedly turning the ignition didn’t wake it up. It was almost 7:15 am. Her dad knew that they had no choice but to walk to school. He had to take the car to the mechanic, so he asked the girls to hold each other’s hand & continue walking on footpath which led to the school gate. Mia was a courageous girl and understood the situation. She nodded to her father and climbed to the footpath holding her sister’s hand.

Waving their father goodbye, both the girls started with their ten minutes journey on foot. The cold weather had even silenced the birds. There was a cold breeze and it was freezing their faces yet they kept moving. None talked to each other. They might be paying attention to the road and fighting the cold breeze at the same time. But then Mia’s scarf around her neck blew and she tried to get hold of it. Yet it kept falling from shoulder because of the wind. And then somebody helped her from the back in placing it on her shoulder again. She got scared and turned to look who it was. To her surprise, it was one of those girls. She was taken back and couldn’t say a word. That girl smiled and kept walking behind them with her companions.

Mia felt a little uncomfortable with that encounter. Her sister was half scared. Nina now understood, these were the girls her mom was talking about last night. Mia with her bowed head too started to walk. There was a strange warmth in the breeze now. It might be in Mia’s head. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She wanted to chat with them all these days and now she got a chance, it was then and there. It was 7:30 am and a little distance was left. The school gates were almost in sight.

Nina was looking at the changing expressions on her sister’s face like someone is going through multiple feelings at one time. She knew that her sister was about to do something weird and she was getting ready for it. Meanwhile, Mia decided to take advantage of the situation. She turned her head back to the girl who helped her.

“Thank you.” She smiled at them. The girl nodded with an acceptance and smiled back the same way as before but said nothing.

Though Mia was determined and didn’t want to give up. “Do you live nearby? She asked.

Again she received a nod as a yes in response.

“What’s your name? Mia continued with a smile on her face.

Suddenly the girl’s smile vanished and she turned her face to her companions who looked at her with strange expressions as if forbidding her, not to speak another word.

But the girl seemed like she wanted to. “Ana”, she said with a fainted smile, half scared and after that immediately bowed her head.

“Nice to meet you Ana.” Mia smiled back but resisted from throwing another question towards them. She had to be patient with her questioning. She said nothing after that and kept walking.

They were almost at the gates of the school and it was 7: 40 am. The assembling was to start at eight so both she and her sister rushed towards the gate. They stopped before entering the school and looked back. The girls didn’t rush at all. They walked as calmly as doves swimming in the pool. Mia waved them goodbye without giving much thought and Ana smiled radiantly which was enough for Mia’s one day achievement.

Mia stayed in a good mood all day. Her friends were a little surprised to see her so cheerful though it was unusual with a Maths test after the recess, circling on their heads. She was not tensed at all.

“Have you met a boy or what, your face looks so radiant though it’s freezing outside.” Sarah asked with astonished eyes piercing in Mia’s face.

“It’s nothing, you people are just over thinking.” She turned her face, getting ready for the next class before the recess. Her desk was in front of her two friends.

The forty five minutes class didn’t even seem to tire Mia. She was feeling refreshed and a strange joy hovers her heart. The recess was full of stories from her friends, some of neighbors, some of aunts and uncles and a lot of it about boys. Mia preferred to listen and ate her lunch. The chicken burger her mom made for her and her friends was delicious. They all enjoyed it. Mia asked them to come over to her home that coming weekend because there was no test and they were light with burden of studies.

The test was difficult but Mia somehow managed to perform well for she practiced a lot. Rest of the day passed quickly or it was just her who felt like that. When the last period was over, she waited for her sister to come out from the eighth grade class right next to hers. Her friends waited with her for five minutes. Then they had to leave for they had to catch the school bus.

Meanwhile, while she was standing alone outside her sister’s class waiting for her to come out, the three mysterious girls came downstairs. They all looked at her and surprisingly all of them smiled to her this time. She was astonished. She smiled and waved at them which was certainly noticed by other students but she didn’t care.

Days went by and it happened that she was successful in gaining their trust. Her sister wasn’t much comfortable at first but then she also enjoyed their company as sometimes they met after the school. Mia’s friends were jealous in the beginning but then they also gradually understood. As time passed all of Mia’s friends became friends with those girls.

Eventually, she came to know who they were and what their names were. What made them act so strangely and away from other people? They were gatekeeper’s first wife’s daughters. They live with their mother in a nearby small home, more like a cottage. Their mother got separated from her husband two years ago. They were a happy family before. The girls liked to update themselves with fashionable stuff and they did when they lived as a happy family. But it happened that their mother couldn’t give their father any son so he remarried but that also turned out to be a misfortune itself.

No child came from his second wife and now he regretted leaving his happy family. But what was done was done. The girl’s mother was a maid in school’s headmaster’s home. She worked hard all day and couldn’t pick the girls. They had to walk to school themselves. They didn’t like to talk to people. Even it was painful for them to see their father on the gate every day. The headmaster admitted the girls in his school on less fee, as a kindness to that woman. As for the gatekeeper he was already employed before his second marriage and was a responsible man. All this sad story opened up when Mia invited them to her home to meet her parents. These girls Ana, Maria and Jia didn’t accept readily and hesitated with excuses. But after much insisting they visited her home with their mother. That was how it all happened.

Mia was grateful to her parents for being kind and understanding towards them. Moreover there was no gossip in school as some of the students already knew about them and others didn’t care. So it was only fear’s that tried to stop her all that time.

Life, always full of surprises. Sometimes we got to meet people who at first could appear like a strange book from outside but after one had opened the book and read it, it might change one’s perspective. Mia, was scared at first but then when she took that courageous step every path for her opened up. She did good to them and found amazing and joyful unique friends in the end. It had been a year. The girls graduated from the school and Mia was in the 10^th grade. Yet they were best friends. They and their mother stayed with Mia’s family in one of their guest rooms. Girl’s mother had become Mia and Nina’s dear housemaid Aunt Tayyaba.