Chapter 27 Zaleed unlocked the gate. At this hour of the night the house was clothed in darkness.‘Mama Jan never kept the house dark,’ Mariam thought as she stepped into the courtyard. The light from the street lamp outside cast deep shadows in the courtyard keeping it from being totally dark. She stood there, her [...]
Chapter 26 The rain had stopped. The wind died down. All was quiet again. For a few minutes the fear left her. She lay on the floor breathing deeply. A delicate scent filled the air. She tried to identify the fragrance. As before she failed again. Then a pebble hit her; and another and yet [...]
Chapter 25 Driving fast he reached Mama Jan’s house. The front door was locked. Worried, he knocked on the neighbor’s door.‘Soraiya and Shafiq have taken her to the hospital,’ the neighbor said. ‘I went this morning to see her. The front door was open so I walked in. She had difficulty breathing. Her chest was [...]
Chapter 24 Shuja was the most unusual man to have come into Khadija Noor’s life. Generous to a fault, humble, and self sacrificing, were the best way to describe him. His daily routine was simple. Up at four in the morning, he would say his prayers before leaving for the mandi to buy fresh fruit [...]
Chapter 23 Looking down frightened her. The rain was hammering on the marble floor. The gale-force winds whipped around her making it very difficult for her to stand. She tried to look at the sky but visibility was near zero. It was impossible to keep her balance. The marble floor was slick with rain. She [...]
Chapter 22 The day after Mazhar left her, Khadija left London. She felt she could not bear to live in the house with her memories. She needed to get away. She saw what bitterness and resentment had done to her mother and she did not want to live out her life in the same painful [...]
Chapter 21 The staircase had vanished. What she had thought to be the roof of a house was really the peak of a mountain. The mountain was surrounded on all sides by deep crevices and ravines. The dim light from the stars was not enough to show her the depth she could fall to. ∞∞∞∞∞Soon [...]
Chapter 20 She heard footsteps outside the door. All her senses alert, she stood up. A key was inserted into the lock and the door opened. Mazhar walked in. Without a word he took off his coat and hung it on the hook behind the door. Khadija stood watching him. He glanced at her but [...]
Chapter 19 The wind was gusting more now. The rain was no longer the gentle drizzle it had been. Her clothes were soaked and clung to her body. She opened her eyes. It was becoming difficult to stand in the torrential downpour. The peaceful silence of a little while ago had been replaced by the [...]
Chapter 18 ‘Khadija, make something special for dinner tonight,’ Mazhar asked her over breakfast.‘Why? What’s the special occasion?’ Khadija asked.‘I am meeting a friend of mine today, Asim. He is here from Pakistan and I would like to ask him over for dinner,’ Mazhar replied.‘I have never heard you mention this friend before.’ ‘No, you’ve [...]
Umera Ahmed
