from previous

.....Fred was in his mid forties a blonde  , he sat beside him  to take down his statement with a serious sober face,  holding something in his lap that  made the other helplessly obedient,  , Linda was  an addict,  Fred stopped going out with her  for embarrassment  , she insisted  pleaded persuaded  but  Fred  didn't like getting  her drunk,  her ex boyfriend had dumped her, she already had a daughter  and wanted to raise her  properly   and proposed to him,  he was jobless  and refused     , he assured her he would definitely marry her when he gets a job, , she was ready to pay  for him  but  he didn't like the idea , , Fred smiled and repeated his line,  , the writer  turned to look at Fred,  the smile was replaced with his early soberness,  Fred asked him if he was tired 

The writer wasn't  tired 

Fred added he had read both of his famous novels,  he was  his blog follower  and admired his blogs for their  substance and  mood, he frequently  browsed his website,  his voice was  stable 

The writer thanked Fred for appreciation and promised him to write a story on him too

maawza

....Linda was  a very nice person,  he said  theirs was  a year long relationship  but  he didn't like her drinking  too much,  ,  drunk  sge changed  and became aggressive  breaking off things, sge stubbornly  went to the bar to get drunk,  he stopped going with her embarrassed  and couldn't afford  to buy himself anything,  but he couldn't leave her for  her  extraordinary beauty and  her exceptionally  good behavior to him,  her nature was  nice   just one bad habit of drinking  was  no reason to leave,  he would tell her not to scream  when drunk,  she always  made a  promise  and  soon after  go to the bar, , he sighed,  , the other  stopped typing on the keyboard  his narrative and picked up his coffee cup, the weather was pleasant,  , words danced in his mind,  , his mind was  impatient to type them down,  his laptop  was eagerly waiting for his story  but  instead he was    recording the man  s statements 

kinase khwab jo

....the weather was getting quite cold,  in such a weather  when all were  warmly tucked in their rooms  Abdul s going up on the terrace at that nightly hour could have   raised doubts  in many a minds,   and tonight his going there was very important,  he was trying  very hard for some time to get out of  a particular matter  and he knew this was his last chance and talking it over with bhabhi  was necessary  , he waited for  everyone to go to bed before he went up, in the first  glance  he couldn't see a thing in the dark,    and the moon too was missing,  within minutes he could see  his eyes adjusted  and he moved  forward slowly  , the sight   almost  was mind boggling,   shazya bhabhi s head was   tilted  against the wall with her  long hair loose  and waving  below  , her one arm was swinging   a strange  horrible scene,  he rushed to get a  ladder to climb up the wall he tried to gather her  calling out bhabhi   asking her what  had happened,  shazya with her half closed eyes looked at Adil and moaned in pain holding her head,  he in a state of shock  stood looking at her what exactly happened 

Sorry Adil, waiting for you  fell asleep 

Sleep, he looked even more surprised,  this was no place to go to sleep  like this 

She explained she took sleeping pills every day  

Adil pursed his lips, the woman  was incurable 

She added she had forgotten to mention the time and she was there for quite a long time,  had she gone away he would have felt bad

page 101

.... in Lahore  at seven  in the evening  in a two room  apartment  located in alama iqbal  town   the aroma of  cooking food was filled,  nabra azma saima  s hands in the  last  phase  were  moving  faster, , five minutes later  the  door knocked of the flat turned,  saima  quickly sprinkled  green spices over the  mutton  before  going to open the door 

Aslamalequm,  she like any other  woman  welcomed her husband  with a greeting  but  her husband   Hasan s  didn't  respond like other husbands,  it wasn't  just this time but  had been for a long time,,  giving his office bag to her he   without even  glancing at the little  pari sleeping in cot stepped into the washroom,  saima  watching him hung  a long face  twisting her fingers helplessly left standing there   for  quite long time  till  her little  girl s  waking cry drew her attention,  she placed the office bag  in its place  and began making  the feeded holding  the infant  followed by laying the  dinner table  simultaneously,  Hanan  as his  habit was to reach  the dining table    out from the washroom  swiftly,  saima  handed the feeder to anabya and  put her into the cot and turned to serve   dinner to Hanan asking him how was the day at the office  , it was  a casual opening line to start a conversation,  normal  he replied and bent over his food plate 

from previous

,,,,he clutched the  roof parapet  and with his feet firmly  rooted he peered inside the room through the  ventilator,  the scene before him   made him  release  a long deep sigh,  two guards equipped with swords  followed by daud whose hands were tied behind his back  were approaching  , his sixth sense alerted him 

page 83

....office manager to the clerk---   what's the matter with you,  the moment you come in you  fall asleep 

Clerk---  what to do sir,  the child at home has teething problems and every ten minutes sits up crying,  so unable to get proper rest  Office is the best place to get rest

Manager---  from tomorrow bring the child along to keep you awake 

A child was  asking for a toy, the mother spoke to the father   to get the toy for the  child , the father hesitated for the child will  play  loud  on the tmusical  toy disturbing every one ,, the child listening promised and assured his father he would play  musical toy only at night when all are sleeping 

Mother explained to her small son the boxes of sweets were shifted  farther away on the upper shelf  so he can't  sneak  steal them,  minutes later  the child's  voice rose from the kitchen store tell mom  he had found the  sweets and he was  sitting on father's  shoulder  , 

page 80

...amandlib   s cell phone  was kept  some feet away  on the side table  with her purse  but  unexpectedly as she was caught in  unusual situations  her mind was like dead not reacting,  she had turned to stone scared, , her feet felt  so heavy that she couldn't move them,  her phone close by  seemed  quite distant out of reach  finally she mustered courage to ask  the  armed man beside her  faltering who was he and what did he want 

The  man in a rough uncaring tone asked her to press the brakes first and not try to become an investigating officer,  he had reached  her by removing the guard, she need not be afraid of him for he was her true  protector  and all he wanted from her was her cooperation 

What did he do to the  guard  sardar Ali she sounded pathetic 

Didn't he tell her just now he was put to long peaceful sleep , he stretched his arm to pick the cell phone from the side table,  the guard won't disturb them anymore 

How can  he be her true well wishes she asked  in false boldness when he was holding her hostage on gun point,  that too had silencer on it

page 99

...she had to go towards the parking lot she mumbled   then smiled and  became silent,  that was their story,  walking   together  the two independent individuals  ,when  did  anibya become   life companion   to  Walid she  was unaware,  when did she fall in love with him  and  got emotionally attached  she didn't remember 

What would you like to have  

Her reverie was disrupted  by him asking her, he dragged another chair to put both their bags on it, she pulled another to sit herself watching the students  , smiling laughing  students  boys and girls  some of them holding hands,  some   maintaining distance  and she spotted the one  she was looking for..Alina javed, dressed in Abaya touching her feet and two eyes  peering through the mask,  coed institutions  were open minded  and not  conservative  rigid and  changed many girls outlook and outfit  except  Alina javed who from day one  had  come   clad in her  tent 

Walid placing a milkshake  and a juice  explained he really liked the attractive  personality of Alina  apparently he too had seen her

Anbya commented she disliked her completely 

He sipped his milkshake and stopped was anibya jealous 

Not at all,  she  stammered confused 

He loudly laughed out  watching her expression change , airing one's views about a girl  didn't mean he was interested in her

amli muzahra

..at an interview  for the job of a typist  a  candidate   was asked  what else  did he know besides typing 

Candidate said he could make fun

Interviewer asked him to give a demonstration 

Of course, Why not 

He went outside and announced to the waiting  crowd of candidates to go home for ge had been selected for the position 

page 73

...Rais  slipped back the gun  at the back of his jeans,    tidied his shirt before   lifting his leather jacket   and said in a serious note  khaliq must now get started  in arranging  five chores on the phone,  

But argued  khaliq  his phone was destroyed by Rais and  without  it how could he contact  outside world 

Landlines,  Rais pointed towards the phone,  but khaliq was informed that too  was  damaged,  Rais asked him to check it , the receiver  was  buzzing that peculiar  dial tone,  satisfied he put the receiver back,  khaliq asked if his room was bugged,  

Certainly  Rais answered,  leaving   , khaliq  must  not forget his young and beautiful daughter was kept hostage  by them  , she was at their mercy 

page 68

.....perhaps  Rais sahib was a relative of  khaliq s wife  she  overlooked introducing,  thinking over the matter he reached the  door leading to his room,  thankfully it was their family matter,  he patted himself for not showing too much surprise before the secretary,  it was strange yet he  had stayed  calm and in control  

Man is the only species in the entire universe  cunning and  unfaithful  opportunist , no other  living creature is so selfish and  over clever,  , cheating  comes naturally to human beings,  , sometimes to  make profit  he  would deceive  himself,  this was the time  khaliq doing the same,  , by not discussing his family matter with his secretary he was  trying to  convince himself all was fine  but the reality was absolutely different,  his wife was  settled deep into his mind stream, she possessed him , his thoughts and life,  he couldn't  speak up before her  , she never  allowed him  to air his views,  if rais sahib had not    name dropped  he was madam s relative  khaliq definitely would have  questioned the secretary why did she   let a total stranger  into his room,  

Khaliq entered the room  , Rais sahib  stood up,  both met each other  very warmly  before they sat down again,  casual conversation  began between them and then khaliq asked showing pleasant surprise  in his tone that the secretary had informed him he was a close relative of his wife just recently returned from abroad,  coincidentally  his wife never had mentioned Rais sahib to him 

Rais sahib  said it wasn't her fault at all because she didn't know him  at all 

azmaish

...she  finished her zehar namaz and  swept her hands in a salam over her face,  she looked around the university prayer hall had just a few girls  present,  after the namaz was over she  sentimentality  followed it with a dua and  keeping back the  stool in it's proper place she left

Outside he was there as always waiting for her  , he was  in his usuals..jeans and brown shirt, , a shoulder bag  and a smile  for her

Over with your namaz  she repeated  habitually 

Aniba lowering her head   bent to  put on her sandals on her rosy feet

Walid of course had also  done his  namaz,  she smiled at him  standing up straight now 

Would she  care to eat something  they began walking  away  from there, 

She had to reach home  for phuphu was coming,  she took the  car key out, 

Wasn't her  phuphi coming after long time this time 

Right,  her husband is gone out of town for four days 

She  realized they had reached the canteen 

Page 87

...Azar entering the room greeted anila who was  preparing dishes to serve her in laws, , hearing him her hands stopped,  she I a slowly  acknowledged his greeting,  

Curious he enquired what was she doing and how was she,  he carefully and closely watched  her expressions change on her face,  he came to stand there  , she looked quite nervous and frequently pulled her veil to wipe her  forehead  or was it to hide  her vacant eyes and  sadness  settled on her face  from him,  his warmth was enveloping her in entirety,  he  with his arms folded across his chest looked at her,  whom he l adored  for her without makeup  innocent look 

Did she dislike him  now  so much she couldn't  and wouldn't   share her  thoughts anymore with him 

The  door shuddered  and both turned to look at it but nobody came in , both confused turned to look towards the  kitchen door  but through the kitchen door,   also nobody came in

She  scared  twisted her fingers  someone  was there listening to  them talking,  he confidently explained they weren't discussing anything to be  secretive about,  Azar spoke so softly but she heard him , if he truly loved her he must  stay silent  and not  say another word 

ye dil Qurban tumharey

....in life many times  such  moments are presented when  the heart  provokes to rebel  and the heart  gets ready to cheat and turn unfaithful   setting fire to all sacrifices  but  sadly walls of helplessness  surround you  not letting you  jump off to reach out to grab your dreams 

Anila lay in her cot  looking up at the ceiling of her room.  She  engrossed in her own  thoughts  spoke  up to herself  the above 

Mahin on the other hand who was busy gossiping with friends on mobile  suddenly  turned to stare at her sister  over her recent  philosophical   comments  , making surveyed  the room  that had nobody  else except the two of them,  who was she speaking to then, , appi didn't  have a mobile  so after all who was  she talking to, , her eyes filled with  surprise 

She decided  to find out saying  appi  was too good  in philosophical  matters  but  was everything alright,  mahin  meaningfully  watched her appi,  making shut off her mobile  and   said  she always prayed  asking the almighty to grant her what was good for her not what she wanted 

pas sazish

...he stepped into  the office and began moving towards his room adjoining to it was his  secretary's cabin,  as he crossed the  cabin his secretary  shela in a sweet melodious  cooed a very good morning 

He  smiled and nodded his response 

She informed him someone was waiting for him called Rais sahib in his room,  the visitor was served tea and water 

Meanwhile he repeated quizzically  Rais sahib,,, perplexed  he asked her instead who was Rais sahib

Shela quickly caught the point the visitor in his room extended office hospitality  was nowhere located saved in  the boss's memory 

Shela explained Rais sahib had introduced himself as a close relative of madam 

page 60

...amjad had to return home earlier,  ulfat had on the phone asked him to come back quick for she wasn't feeling good he took leave and left the office,  she opened the door after several  times of door bells  and long wait  , he observed she was scared,   she explained on his asking why she was so frightened,  someone wanted to kill her,  shocked he asked who and why would someone want to kill her,  she narrated the entire episode  she had gone through  and that the  dagger was stuck in the terrace,  he ran upstairs to return within minutes  holding a very sharp  dagger,  his face was a picture of utter amazement and horror 

from previous

...it was  meher aunty  choking  cough sound,  she was  seen  following Yusuf,  , she looked   comparatively  happier and smarter in her brown  clothes  , right  behind her limping  shamma  ji was a surprise  because shamma ji was little  seen  outside her house  as her mood  rarely was right  but she smiled  before  exchanging greetings,  perhaps she was affected by amal s  contagious happiness,  she asked anmol how was she  adding it 2as a long time  they had met , her tone was casual and friendly 

Anmol  thought time and circumstances had  changed  shamma ji 

page 79

.....with universe of hurts they roam around 

Taking  beloved s sweet memories along 

Always  her thoughts  her talks  her remembrance 

Nestled in soul  is she all along 

Melodies of past  played on the harp of life 

With celebration of memoirs  they roam about 

His heart weeps at each  moment of joy 

Thus  bittitterness of life  enraptured all along 

Ages passed by without seeing each other 

Aimless they in false hopes roam about 

 Constant sorrow  descended on them by losing beloved 

What kind of event  weighs upon them 

Don't  let her unfaithfulness   ever 

Defeat you on the way of life along 

from previous

....three days after the accident ulfat was ready to move around  and  be able to work,  amjad resumed his duties in the hospital and she got busy in house keeping  till she  was  distracted by the shrieking bell, ulfat was in the kitchen then,  she started moving towards the main door without making  any sound,  she stopped by the door 

Again the screaming bell and she quickly asked who was it, there wasn't any answer  she asked again  without any response from outside,  but the door bell was persistent and she was scared,  she took off her shoes to reach the stairs,  her feet began to ache without shoes and  fast pace, , her body felt weak but she  climbed upstairs,  she opened the terrace door and slowly stepped forward,  she had barely reached the grill when the shrill door bell again  was heard  , she craned her neck and asked who was there,  , the boundary wall near the gate was lined up with trees  six feet tall,  she felt someone stood right behind them clad in red joggers visible through the foliage,  she mustered courage and asked in a loud voice who was there and why was he hiding 

from previous

...at that moment the mobile kept in her lap  vibrated,  anmol started and checked the screen  , her face was completely devoid of all expressions yet stressed 

She received the call  in a rough voice,  it was phuphi rafya jan on the line asking where is anmol  since so many times from morning she had tried to contact her but she wasn't available,  phuphi had  her personal grievances  rendered in her peculiar  complaining tone 

Anmol explained she was kept busy  and as phuphi must know housekeeping was such a tiring job,  she spoke perfunctorily

,

page 67

....fear factor broke  off journeying 

Fear factor  cut off wings of worries 

Homes  residing in heart are pulled down 

Dream  cities  in eyes are cracking 

Why scare is pressing down the whole world 

Has peace  forever  disappeared 

Sorrow has spread all around 

Wiped out are rivers of joys 

Glances that rubbed beauty  charmed

Those captivating beauties are lost

Light that  existed in the trial of heart 

For now those hopes are discarded 

from previous

....ulfat was worried and scared but remained completely silent on the matter and told nobody about the threatening phone call and Nawaz,  she was married and nothing unexpected happened,  she reached amjad  s house  after rukhsati  and  waited for something  unexpected to happen  , some days passed by  and sge calmed down and settled down  with amjad,  

That night both went out to dinner  in a hotel,  the dining hall was grand  and they both enjoyed their dinner together   , they left happily to drive back home,  amjad  turned to exit  the parking lot to reach the main road when a wagon top speed hit their car  and amjad did his best to  keep his  control on the vehicle it hit the pole and both were injured,  they were  rushed to the hospital,  amjad was not injured  as badly as ulfat,   who knew it wasn't an accident it was a conspiracy  that had links certainly to Nawaz  somewhere 

page 57

....began  the wedding function plans of  ulfat and amjad on a cheerful note,  ten days later they were to be married,  ulfat was extremely  happy,  amjad had got his house decorated,  just one  night  before the wedding day ulfat got a phone call from an unidentified number , she  received the call and put the phone to her ear and a voice  was heard  from the other side   that  the information was she was getting married 

Who was that asking she was a bit shaken 

The voice  said again  she better not  get married,  unable to get a ticket he couldn't reach before the wedding to prevent it or ge certainly would have  and if she really got married it will be intolerable to him his voice was  threatening 

Was that Nawaz she asked 

Of course he was Nawaz

Why are you talking like that 

He explained he wanted her to marry him  and nobody else  because he loved her

You are absolutely mad

He agreed he was madly in love with her and become crazy 

Just hang up and never call again 

He declared he was not to be taken lightly,  he would  exactly  do what  he just had told her,  the phone was  shut down 

Nawaz  stalked  her  but she never liked him and turned him down,  he was in Dubai these days 

She became worried and stressed after this phone call 

What if he reached her wedding scene  she couldn't imagine  what would happen 

La ilmi

....there was complete  silence in the room  and amjad sat changing  sides on a chair looking frequently at the  expensive wrist watch tied on his wrist,  for past  half hour he was hanging on uncomfortably  waiting   , when he had come to this house  the door was opened by unfathomable smiling  deliciously  and  brought him to this room,  she stood  a while  asking after him  then left him saying she will come back with brother and his wife , since then he was shifting  his feet  over the  flames of waiting 

Amjad was a doctor  in a government hospital,  he hailed from a village where his family lived,  theirs was a family of landlords,  he had  lived   and studied in the city   , after his  parents death  and partition of their shares ge had no reason to go back to the village 

Ulfat some days ago happened to visit the hospital with her brother,  their relative was admitted there, , Amjad was on his routine round taking  reports of the patient admitted  ulfat  had come to see,  a glance  over her and he forgot all about his  reports,  it was love at first sight  with ulfat  finding him very attractive  too, , just to be close to her he wasted longer time  checking the patient  

It was a wordless  communication  between the two through their eyes and they realized they were in love,  the next she visited the patient she stepped into  the cabin of the doctor to find out  the details  , from this point onwards they began seeing each other  regularly 

page 63

.....she gave her her own example  that she too had accepted her circumstances and  adjusted with all there 

Of course you did  because you are made of wax easily pressed  but she wasn't  a puppet like her to be string pulled  to dance on others  tunes, she was a living being  alive and  with a mind of her own,  she promised to take her rightful, she declared she can  change her circumstances,  she was carried away by her sentiments and in doing so ignored all the  nuances and details 

Amal said  anmol wasn't doing  it the right way  , she might get herself stressed and emotionally broken down,  all advice was turned down by anmol  s stony  manner 

At that very moment  rang her cell phone,  junaud was a sticky and irritated she cut off his  call,  amal was surprised at anmol  s attitude  and  kept on staring at her , by the evening  anmol   s mood worsened  , she was actively   reacting  negatively to Amal  s suggestions , sulking  over  Amal  being her sister had no sympathy  for her nor any sincere concern for her,  she was saddened and turned to look at her favorite  flowers,  she frequently sat beneath the growing  floral twine to look closely at the flowers because they  held captivating  colours of  her beautiful memories 

page 61

...staying awake long last night  she woke up quite late in the morning,   she felt tired though the bed was soft and comfortable,  with half open eyes she noticed the door was shut,  outside there seemed  noisy activities  were  happening,  perhaps  massive the domestic help had come  and  doing the dishes,  she  lazily stayed in bed, , in her mind s eye she saw the image of Yusuf and a sweet smile adorned her lips,   next moment  the smile  disappeared like   the sun behind dark clouds,  lightning   fell over her desires , she got your  after tossing and turning  for some more time,  , she gathered her  uncombed  unkempt hair and  tucked them in a catcher, , the room was filled with  the stale scent of  floral garlands  shriveled  on the side table,  she  shuddered looking at those dead flowers that were so attractive and vibrant till last night,  , who had put them  there  she wondered,   the blossoms had lost their freshness after use,  lost their looks and  value,  , they had  decorated branches  necks and arms and discarded,  unbelievable it was she got up, she looked at her reflection in the  wall mirror,  she touched her cheeks and looked carefully at herself,  her wrists were fine,  arms shapely,  neck gracefully long, her face  expressive,  all was  right and at that moment  amil opened the door to step in

Amil declared  it was action time for dearie who had overslept 

A mold argued  shouldn't she be given breakfast first 

It was lunchtime  , she must quickly reach the dining table   all freshened up 

When she was ready and saw the table it was laiden with food,  she stretched her hand to get fried egg parathas to go with  green spicy  gravy  and reheated leftovers all others were helping themselves with 

mein anmol

... as the night  rose to its youthfulness  the illuminations and  fun element  dazzled  the  surroundings,  amal sat  curled up shyly in the lounge sofa,  her face was reflecting  mixed feelings of new  strangely  pleasant  and nervous  expressions,  she wasn't  unsatisfied at all,  perhaps she had compromised with her circumstances,  she hoped for the best for herself,  she knew it those who failed to accept their  circumstances  always remained  unhappy,  all others sat talking  mostly  on fashion and fitness,  women and girls  commented on each other's  clothes  and  backbiting 

Rather bored she got up from the gathering,  for quite a long time she was getting bored,  she wasn't liking it, , she came out in the small veranda to sit down in one of the chairs,  the weather was  pleasant outside,  , she was finding it stifling inside,  , jasmine and gardenias grew luxuriously  around the boundary walls, the air was  heavily saturated with the floral scent,  those  floral blossoming  plants were freely  spreading their perfume 

A deep sigh released from her heart,  several memories  reflected shimmer in ber eyes,  floral perfumes,  monsoon,  colors and childhood to youth  good moments  spent  in life  lighted up her mind,  scared she stood up, she felt awfully thirsty,  right before her was placed a large cooler,  she poured herself a glass of water,  she was about to take a sip when aunty saima walked up towards her exclaiming  what was an old doing there 

from previous

....Mazur wasn't a decent locality,  she hated it, , residents of that locality were bad,  she also hated the house she was born in,  the color of the house was changed,  perhaps it was  freshly painted  yet she actively disliked it, she now sat down on the  grass in the park,  it was icy cold  ground,  she wanted to cry unreasonably,  , why did  destiny bring her back once again to mauzu, she never wished to return there,mummy was gone  and there was no  clue of her whereabouts,  all old familiar residents were gone,  now some new people lived there,  the house stood in the same place,  she dried up her tears from crying  long enough,  , she saw lights turned off  in the house in front of the park,  , curious she decided to take a peek through the window inside to check on the new residents,  she could see in the dark,  , she waited a while,   first let them all go to bed, ,  now it was  just right to take a round  around the house,  there was a basement  in tbe backyard lawn,   the window  of the basement was big like a ventilator,  yes, she spotted the window,  

page 21

.....run , quickly run away,  Harris  has got up to switch the lights on in the backyard lawn,  if  there is enough light he will definitely see her,  though not so much  troubled by the matter   because she could sprint  quite fast,  within seconds  she was in quite another place,  there too by the road side were thickly growing foliage and  canopy of trees, , she could  walk  taking cover  , it was  very surprising  Harris could  detect her presence,  every time she looked at him he reacted,   he had those  intuitive senses  that gave her hope he would definitely understand her but he thinks  she is a man,  for her own benefit she must  let him believe it,   it wasn't easy for her to explain herself to anyone 

The road she was walking on now was  covered in complete darkness,  houses are left far behind,  it seems a remote area  with  a forest  across the road,  she unexpectedly reached a park, ,  there wasn't anyone else besides her, ,  she liked the park,  she found it somewhat familiar,  oh yes sge recognized it and   with that the surroundings,  this was her birthplace,  , their house was exactly  in front of the park facing it, she could see the house still  standing there,  it had slightly changed  and looked renovated  but  certainly it was the same house  , she wondered who  lived there now 

page 53

...how long had he been seeing her disappointed and crying,  this wasn't the same Alina he knew, what happened after mamu  left she became so funky, still she wasn't happy. He looked at her  seriously and asked q

Of course,  she was having a great  enjoyable life  she wanted  because he wasn't  coming back for her  ,  yet still married to him, , did he ever  think of enquiring after her, , she words were mincing  

He spoke  Alina never gave him a chance to ask,  he was expecting khula  notice from her side,  he stopped the vehicle before mamu s house and  pressed the horn,  , she quickly opened the   door and got down,  aunty never liked him  but anyway  give her his  greetings he said,  on his this statement she turned to look at him,  saying aunty is no longer in any condition to express her feelings  , she said flatly and quickly entered the house 

gazal

....friends who are deciding  the ultimate destinations 

Unacceptable are these decisions of the  gatherings 

Friends  escaped  we alive  from the storms 

Though  the decisions  of the shores  were drastic 

Caged bird  broke away to fly away to freedom 

Leaving the killers to lick  the dust 

The rival  opponents appeared before  us  

who were  defying   our decisions 

Not feeling defeated   from heart and soul 

Some decisions of almighty are  touching 

from previous

....Malta, grape and  lemon  have  cooling  affect,   delicious and   sweet flavored are health boosters  and   their nutrients keep  one youthful  for longer time,  

Besides  fruit  summer vegetables are also  beneficial  for  staying  comfortably  cool,  cucumber for example  keeps   one's  temperature low  carrot and mint added to  meals  add water content   making blood thinner and  maintaining healthy   body temperature 

tarbooz

....water melon  is ninety percent water content  ,  the warmer the summer heat tge sweeter the melons become,  consuming  this fruit  keeps  one   cool  , stress-free  and  checks inner heat from increasing,   melons  are diuretic and  beneficial for digestive system 

page 46

...due to  global warming   several  climatic  changes are becoming more and more  severe  and  intolerable,   each living soul   does its best to keep himself  protected  from the  heat,  thirst  sweat and  nausea  common  symptoms amongst the  affected,  though sweat  is a good  detox  to humans  is also   quickly  drains up essential salts from  the body when  sweat is discharged  leaving  one feeling  awfully  weak,  it is very important to stay  hydrated   and  the first point is to give   proper attention to your diet   in which  fruit and vegetables must be included  with  extra  drinking water and cool  temperatures  to beat the heat 

from previous

...mehrunissa tightly hugged  Alina how  beautifully she had grown up, her tight hug was stragulating Alina,  mehrunissa liked the resemblance of her niece to Zahid sahib   who nodded and smiled happily,  nahid beghum  scowled 

Do you remember  when she was born  mehrunissa  had declared she was going to grow up an extraordinary beauty,  her prophecy  was so accurate,  sister  was delighted and her overwhelming joy  choked  Alina her patience gave up she removed  mehrunissa  s hands with a quick jerk from her face aside and  stepped a couple of steps backwards 

This action  was uncalled for  embarrassed  mehrunissa and   shavez  who  was  standing by her side looking  interestedly at Alina pursed his lips,  Alina moved towards the stairs to go up excused herself  , Zahir sahib felt bad and turned to speak to shavez how was the young man doing in life,  shavez quickly recovered and  affectionately  hugged mamu, it was warm and spontaneous 

page 15

...Alina   jan Saud nahud beghum patting her daughter on the shoulder  as she turned on her side mother observed her eyes were  blood red, she had been crying 

Mummy  moaned  Alina  papa canceled her trip over a useless  point,  

Dear  don't you  worry yourself  more on the matter  , your father's sister  has  emotionally blindfolded him,  mother  brushed her loving hand on Alina  s head ,  poor  girl will  have to spend the entire week amidst  tge backward villagers  because the chance to enjoy  with her friends was lost, she  finished her line with a deep soulful sigh that provoked  Alina fill up with a strong surge of rage 

That's enough Mummy  , fists clutched,  why didn't she stop him from coming here 

Mother explained she had no say , father never  allowed her to  speak up,  he himself invited his sister to  come and stay with us,  , he took decision and merely informed her, , mother did her best by getting him out of the dusty village  but  he couldn't change his mentality that he brought with him along  , very cleverly  mother was poisoning her daughter's mind  against her father  showing herself as quite helpless 

from previous

....she was thinking aloud  she had reached the detective Harris  s house  , she had had in the car dinky  when he stopped she waited  a long while  just to make sure  she wasn't seen, it was easy for her to get into the dikky  parked in the office  parking lot and for her getting out from the suffocating dinky wasn't any problem, 

She liked the pleasant  cool air, she quickly crossed to  the road to reach his house,  she decided to check  inside tge rooms from the windows,  it was dark  but she was accustomed to see in the dark 

Oh, there were two small children sleeping in that room,  she  must not  keep standing watching or they might wake up and scream scared in the other room  Harris and his wife sat facing each other across the dining table  but they weren't eating,  either they were talking or finished eating,  the woman  with Harris was definitely pretty but not that  beautiful as the women  she had killed,  looking at the food  sge realized she was starving, she hid behind a tree , Harris and his wife were talking  and it was Harris talking  mostly,  what a kind man he 8s, on the phone his voice sounds so   gentle,  , perhaps he  understands  things  , she was certain he would understand her matter,  she wasn't  extraordinary brilliant,  she couldn't express herself,  but  she won't have to explain it to him,  he will know it she was the serial killer of the beautiful faced women,  she wanted to stop going on killing  beautiful women but  she  couldn't,  perhaps Harris can help her  there 

page 18

...he left his office at seven and  reached home   half hour later,  Martha had  cooked the dinner  before  tucking her children  in bed, she had  helped them  change into their  night suits,  Harris kissed his both kids good night 

Martha  followed Harris  out of the  children's bedroom and watched him carefully  was he really that tired,  he was making a drink for himself and smiled at her trying hard not to look tired but she was a a shrewd and healthy woman,  golden blonde with blue eyes  she said  he need not  hide his   fatigue,  he truthfully  declared he was ready to collapse onto the floor,  she served  the dinner,  he ate in a lost manner,  she was kept updated  on the  case  telephonically and  thankfully didn't ask  questions as he ate his food after twenty hours , finally she asked him if he was  daydreaming,  Harris said he was thinking of Ann 

Martha bristled  who is Ann 

Ann he explained was his sister  dead  when she was five,  his family avoided speaking of her , though Martha knew his family for ages  Ann  was never mentioned  to anyone 

chah ki raah mein

...mehrunissa is coming tomorrow , said  Zahir sahib  casually  as he  lay down partially on the cot ,  nahid beghum who was sitting on the stool  before her dressing table mirror  cleansing her face  stopped   there

But why is she coming she questioned her husband's  reflected image in the mirror   in a hard tone 

Why do sisters visit their brothers houses,  asked Zahir sahib in reply that was enough to make her  nervous and confused just for a minute  but she quickly recovered her composure 

How come  she remembers her brother after soo many years, her sarcasm  made him  sigh a long sigh,  attitude and  circumstances  change people he explained,  they become helpless,  self respect  stops them but who can ever forget  their  loved ones 

achha libaas

... every woman desires to look good,  looking good  is a  natural right of woman  of all ages, but each woman is quite different and dresses up differently  , her taste and style is exclusively her personal choice,  this   personal choice makes each woman feel  good and comfortable,  better than others giving her her identity,  modern  fashion  trends  change rapidly,, it becomes difficult to  decide what outfit  one should wear  so tge best thing to do is to choose  something you are confident  in,  wear your attitude and  what suits you best  for example  if an elderly woman dressed in teenager's  trendy dress goes out will become a laughing stock 

aam

...come Indian summer and innumerable varieties of mango capture the market,   mango grow 8n abundance and are sent all over the world  ,  Europe  has a great demand and a big   market  for Indian mango,  the sweet taste  of mango pulp delights  every one,  , mango is popular for it's quality of  mixing  with other  foods and dishes to enhance their texture and flavor 

skin icing

...skin icing is  rubbing  ice cubes at no extra cost at home  in one's comfort zone  , it is specially  is  a meaningful  excerice for those women who cannot  find  any right  skin rub, this ice cube rub  not only  helps check wrinkles but increases blood circulation and removes blemishes and dark spots bringing a glow to the face 

page 8

...police officer and detective Harris  heard out hus assistant  Jacob on the phone,  he was sick,  he moaned  Jacob shouldn't be saying such things 

Jacob was helpless he had to tell him all  he sighed, one more same type of case has come up

Harris cried  where has this happened now 

Jacob gave him an address  in the  center of the city

Harris  would reach there in no time because  at this time there wasn't much traffic,  he assured his junior,  so far he had chosen to live on long Island  from where to reach the city was quite impossible  normally , he was offered  an  official residence in the city center that he didn't accept,  he loved his modern  secluded house , he liked living there,  the problem was he  himself had volunteered to solve  the cases,  whether he was on duty or not he was informed of specific cases and he had to come 

He was right  , it didn't take him very long to reach the  scene,  he was  ready to go to bed when he was informed of the latest  , Martha his wife was already  asleep,  she turned her  face towards him  if it was the same case 

He nodded 

,

from previous

... a candidate seeking a job approached the  firm owner,  the owner  said they needed someone who fulfilled  their requirements,   

The  candidate said he was the one they wanted  ,he had tolerance  diplomatic nature and  management skills  , to prove it he gave him  examples from his  own life 

He gad two wives 

Their mothers  came home  twice a week 

He had ten children 

His immediate neighbor  was trying  to become a classical vocalist  practicing  singing  for over past five years 

He was   undertrial for seven years 

bhanwar

....the weather was behaving like a beautiful mischievous young woman,  unpredictable and unstable,  early morning was bright andun a bit of faded but one hour later  the air seemed different,  it felt different and the  black road looked darker and the white painted dividers  seemed whiter and the traffic  multiplied four times,  shumaila alias shammi  sitting   behind Shahid on the bike  held on to him with her one arm around his waist, her second hand was trying to keep her  shoulder length  hair  from flying into her eyes  and sticking on her face , the bike was  speeding past leaving the traffic behind, the extraordinary fleeting  glimpse of  her beauty was   reflected  in the eyes of the drivers  of  the cars they crossed  in admiration 

Shammi was quite aware of her looks and  the affects  of her appearance,  sometimes she would simply smile back or thank others for admiring her, , her confidence level increased with  the realization of the power of attraction she possessed,  at thirty two  she  passed as twenty two,  Shahid twenty four  looked older , this was her last chance to take over full control of his life rightfully  , they were on their way  from Lahore to pindi

It wasn't hard to tell a lie or two at home,  amma abba were simple people and  easy  to convince,  , they would believe anything   but the younger brother suddenly had become a big man after he was married,  shammi knew exactly how to shut him up by telling him  he doubted girls because he  measured their characters  on the parameters of his wife's  character