tajmahal

...fountains  at tajmahal are significant  for their complex design anesthetical and functional,  copper pots were  used to maintain pressure based  operating system 

from previous

..the lady of the house  angrily   told the new young domestic maid , every time  she came to the kitchen sge saw the maid doing nothing but read magazines 

The maid accusingly  said  she should not walk in  noiseless shoes 

page 51

....a man  reached  the director of health department and complained  they were four brothers  and lived a terrible life in one room  apartment,  one brother  had kept six cats second brother had his eight pet dogs  living with him  the third  lived with his  goats and it was so suffocating  inside  he couldn't breathe  properly , he was   longing to feel the fresh air  and breathe  morning  air so he needed help from the department 

The director asked if there were any windows 

Oh yes of course 

Then just  open the windows  and let the fresh air in 

What !!!screamed the man and let my one dozen pigeons fly away 

page 29

....I know very well what you mean  inspector  spoke up Hamid, everyone knows shumaila was getting  threat mails,  we also know why are we gathered here,  if you want to investigate  further get straight to the point instead of going round in  crooked manner  and  please  be quick 

Thanks Hamid  , I really intended to ask  things  in pretext of playing games  so let me start from you  , now do explain why did you  prepare  fake papers  , what was the purpose behind   it

This is absolutely  untrue,   both sikander and shumaila  signed tge papers 

Inspector sgehaz turned to shumaila  did you sign tge papers 

No

Sge us lying  shouted  Hamid 

Sgehaz asked sikander  what he had to say about the matter 

I never signed those  papers 

Hamid flared up  sikander was  lying too  but why

Perhaps  he was trying to hide his relationship with sonia

Sikander screamed it was   a terrible lie 

What kind of relationship asked shehaz  from Hamid 

Illicit  relationship,,,,one day,,,

Sikander cut hum short  

Don't stop him sikander  spoke shehaz, he gestured Hamid to go on

One day  I reached sikander  s place without telephonically informing him 

page 21

...it's okay,,,you are so tired today,   even otherwise  a long time  that  I didn't see aunty,  come along please sit down with me,  tasmina  s tone was    insisting,  she  took  a long thoughtful moment to decide before sitting down 

Sarlat appi has arrived home too , she spoke sitting by tasmina  s side , the car a c cooled her   temperature  soothingly,  what a blessing ac car is  in such sizzling heat  in summers,  thinking this  she suddenly experienced her self esteem falling low 

That is really good,  appi  has not met ne for several months,  tasmina  turned the car from chaurangi  happily expressing her wish to see aunty and appi

What do you say,  let's  buy cake on the way 

What for,  whose birthday is it today  at my house  , namin  spoke nit understanding 

Fool, we both have passed the exams  so it is imperative we  offered both aunty and appi something sweet and nice to celebrate  laughing happily tasmina explained her point 

Allright then get one 

Coffee cake  ,,,

No she shook her head  because appi loved chocolate cakes 

page 19

....where have you been since morning , you know b .com result has arrived

, she reached college after missing one full period,  tasmina stopped her in the corridor 

What,  really,  this was unexpected 

Of course   miss shamina,  sahiba,  we thought  you were scared to come to college,  in fact   darya should be under great strain fir getting one supplementary, 

Poor soul,  , now she will be court martialed 

Ever since this bad news was received  she is  crying  constantly 

Where is everyone 

In the library 

She slept late last,  in the morning could not get time to see the news paper,  forgot all about the result,  anyway,  we other four folks have cleared all the subjects haven't we

Right,  by the way,  why are your eyes  so unusually red curiosity asked tasmina walking along  with her 

I just told you,  I slept late last night,  all night  I was  sewing  a new suit 

What was this emergency that you had to stay awake all night to stitch your suit,  just look at you 

I have to put it on today,  we are attending  a party at mamu  s  tonight 

sabab

....naved bought a brand new car,  in the evening   he drove off on the highway enjoying himself,  he was thrilled  speeding up,  when he was going over eighty  he noticed a police car chasing him flashing red  blue lights and honking  and  screaming sirens,  he increased his speed,  he thought he would make it and easily escape from the police  but instead the distance between them kept on  closing in  finally  he was stopped on the road side 

The sergeant  quickly  seized his license,  scowling the sergeant  spoke it was a long tiring day  he was doing double shift  , it was a weekend and he didn't want to spoil  it so if naved  gave  him one good excuse for speeding up he would let him go without fining him 

Naved  stroking his chin explained he was well speeding up because last month his wife eloped with a police officer,  thinking it was him chasing him to return him his wife 

The sergeant rolled out with laughter and both happily left to have good weekend 

arzu

...if  desires became horses,  every fool will be a rider , but desires don't become horses  because desire is an elusive butterfly,  to catch it and hold it  one loses way,  desires reside  happily in each person's  captive mind in complete isolation  

From dil darya samunder 

pyar..parvin Shakir in khushbu

....the spring skies

Looked at the  bloom 

Clutched it tight 

To  embrace it

All sorrows of 

The bloom 

Filled the air

Exotic scented

page 17

....shehaz turned to look,  a seventy year old man stood behind him,  whose gaze was fixed on shehaz,  he flung his cigarette and  crushed it beneath his foot,  and said he was  just  stopping by

Is your any known buried here  asked the old man 

No, I was  passing from this place,  the cemetery looked green and silent and clean so I  came to have a look around 

I am the caretaker of this cemetery,  after the demise of my daughter I have  made this my life 

Perhaps you are afzal Sandhu  the watchman  a hotel waiter told me about you  shehaz explained 

For past ten years nobody addressed me as Mr afzal sandhu  , everyone calls me bade Mia here 

page 13

,,, next morning exactly at nine  inspector shehaz was knocking at the door of room number  one zero two  of green hotel,  the door opened and a shaggy man dressed in a sleeping suit  appeared  and looked at him questioningly,  he asked the host if he was Hamid jamrani 

That's right 

Inspector sgehaz here to Asa few questions 

Come in  he clung to the door to give him way

, apparently he was having his breakfast, 

He poured a cup of tea for him and asked him what did he want to know 

Do you know  sonia  the secretary to shumaila was murdered 

Yes he muttered before swallowing the whole  toast 

Sikander informed me at two  at night  and that you would be coming to investigate,  Sikander had come at nine and approximately left at ten thirty,  is that what you want to confirm 

Is Sikander your friend 

Friend and partner  in my next film Sikander and shumaila are in the main lead roles  as hero heroine 

page 11

...when she was dying  she looked at me,   at that moment a pained sigh escaped from her lips,  shehaz read the  lines and  looked at shumaila  , in her eyes  passed  shadows of fright,  her voice  trembled as she spoke  ,,is this some kind of threat,  shehaz didn't reply  on the other piece of paper  received from the second envelope  was written this 

I have   shut off her frightened etes for ever by stabbing her to death 

What unusual  type of writing it is  shumaila thought aloud 

The third letter contained a longer message,,

She will be buried in the cemetery in her native fatahpur,  the spot is reserved for her grave  between  aliza and khawarshah s Graves,  on her tomb will be written  here is buried  shumaila  a once upon a time friend of Anita and shazya,  no bird will  chirp there  only sharing will mourn 

Shehaz turned to ask shumaila if this text meant something to her 

Yes,  these letters have stolen my peace of mind,  all the names in the last letter are real , my birth place is actually fatahpur,  both animals and  shazya were my greatest friends 

page 17

...for a man   importance of a newly wedded wife is exactly the same as it is for a rich boy  on eid getting a new pair of clothes  , the little boy  very carefully  keeps   tge new suit  from the day it is bought  till the  day of eid arrives  , he  takes a peek frequently  to check on his  clothes   and  rejoices  to have it in his possession,  the day arrives  and on eid day he puts on his new clothes  very happily  and proudly shows off   every one around  but the next day  the same  pair 8s thrown  onto the pile of dirty laundry  thereafter  it loses its  importance and  usefulness 

kaatab bakht ke ishare pe

Wao,  amazing 

Tasmina bent over the cell phone,  the three if them quite attentively were watching the screen  on which  a most handsome man's  picture was showing,  first comment  was shot y Darya  , what an amazing looking man,  her comment was absolutely bold frank and straight  the other three  glared  collectively at her in response 

Behave yourself  he us tasmina s would be life companion fiance 

And your expected  brother in law,  reminded shamina  and Iman added a rejoinder  you are always like this  ready to grab  what belongs to others,  tasting laughed and took her cell phone from her hands 

My dear tasmina I am not jealous but an admirer of good things  my taste is far better than you all have  and I am very  sincere  I always speak up my mind 

from previous

....shehzad  himself opened the door on the musical bell,  his assistant  stood there at the door,  shehzad couldn't  control his annoyance,  what kept you away so long 

The vehicle  got a flat tire on the way 

The dead body is lying  by the swimming pool 

Where is the swimming pool 

To escape  answering too many questions shehzad asked him to follow him,  yawar and two photographers  followed shehzad through the three walled room , yawar pointed towards the dead body  so this is shumaila  khatoon 

No , shumaila is this  one  sitting in the sofa and alive 

Impossible,  she is breathing   and nit dead 

Shehzad  asked  yawar to be quiet and listen carefully,  this woman  is shumaila  well and alive  the body is of her secretary sonia  now  go closer to take a proper look at the  scene 

You mean   check out sand and water

Everything of course,  that is how investigation is done  to find out from where did the killer approach 

roposh chehra

....a few years ago it was  a secluded place  , only  sand and shrubs   existed there  but now  a posh colony of multimillionaire had flourished,  nicely made roads,  ornamental palms grew instead of wild  shrubs,  only  the wealthy people  had their bungalows built here  , they  got just less than a fortnight to stay there  annually  otherwise they were kept busy  minting money 

Sikander khan was one such wealthy man,  his villa was  built  in  marble and other precious stones  with mirror work 

Dusk had descended,  sea shore presented a strange  sad scene,  inspector  shehzad  s car was  rapidly  moving forward on the roads,  it was long journey  within next few minutes he reached his destination 

Inspector shehzad stopped his car before  sikander villa  behind a parado  , he got down and pressed the  door bell  on the gate,  it was a musical  bell heard inside,  the porch light was turned on,  the hall door was opened, someone came out,  when  the gate was opened  shehzad was shocked to see  shumaila khatoon standing before him,  who was murdered  at   mukhtyar  shah s

What is it officer 

Is it April fools day today 

Some time ago  someone reported you were murdered  but you are alive and well 

page 109

...then  abba fell sick  badly,  both elder and younger brothers  gave him  full attention and  the best treatment,  doctors also tried their best to save his life,  but his lungs had collapsed,  no hope  was seen  of his surviving,  there was a dissertation in the college that day 

Abba s condition had worsened  from the Last night  yet you left uncaringly,  Abba s gaze was fixed on the door,  he wanted to see you for the last time  but you deliberately returned  later than usual  because you were  partying with your friends on your victory,  Abba  s eyes were filled with  waiting for you  then the waiting eyes closed for ever,  his wish of seeing you stopped throbbing as his heart 

from previous

....when  you  would see  a magnificent car with an ordinary looking woman in the window you would  draw my attention 

Look noshi what an ugly face  do tell truthfully  if she really deserves to be in there 

Your tone  drenched with desire   desperation  covered up wishing you owned  such a life  , instead of that useless woman you were driving it,  because you possessed  an attractive  personality and pretty face  you  thought you were worthy  of it ,  befitting  and  perfect,  but life wasn't happening that way,  poor you  the world  didn't want to take instructions from you,   you were  struggling  to exhaust your previous  unknown  sins 

Strange it was  I thought  why your arrogance  added  more dynamic charm  to your personality  instead of making you incredibly repelling,  you seemed more unpredictable  and exciting  than  egoistic,  perhaps  it was because we all had taken you for granted  and as a better off

from previous

....it was the final  year of medical  of elder brother,  he was working very hard,  he gave home tuitions to raise funds to pay his fees, Maa ji was  restricted  to abba mian  s  nursing and  became a dedicated  care giver,  giving him medicines on time  , giving him food punctually,  spoon feeding him citrus  and apple juice  frequently,  helping him to swallow  smoothies and soups to keep him hydrated  , changing  abba s bedsheets  pillow covers and clothes  every day,  , sge did all the washing  herself with her own hands,  washing tge s7ck room  twice a day  with   disinfectant phenyl water 

The whole family was   affected by abba  s  illness,  only you remained  aloof and not  involved,  abba Mia  constantly coughed all night,  both elder and younger appas would  religiously get up to check on him   ignoring amma ji  , standing by the bedside  holding  a glass of water,  to give him pills,  sometimes  waiting to  give him glucose water , I was full two years younger to you  also would get up  to look at abba ji nervously,  amma  would rub his back gently so he could  breath better  but abba  s  cough  never reached your ears,

Abba would become breathless panting heavily coughing  but you  enjoyed   listening to the music  cassettes,  engrossed in reading,  bent on books  writing something  , your head   regal y  sunk in soft pillows  dreaming of some prince to arrive  to wake you up 

pas aina

....and I have to write down a story 

Your story,,,but look  I am waiting  ready with a pen in hand  but  words simply  slip out of hand  before I can catch them  , how easy it was for you to  write down stories,  stories that were just heart touching,  imaginative   true and all sorts  just now you  said you would write a story on me sometime

 certainly , and perhaps you will when I am dead on me 

Dozakhi,, something on that  pattern  a reality  theme  asnat chughtai  spun a narrative  a mixture of truth  and falsehood 

Story of younger appa  elder brother  tales you could  write yourself  before I am dead 

You have  always been doing so  when you are in rage  and annoyed  you  quickly write a story about it  covering up a small  truth  with  lots of  pretentious  vocabulary  giving it a fake outfit  a false  appearance  to present it  attractive 

teen cheezein

....never ignore three following things 

Farz qarz marz

Duty  loan  sickness 

.

..the following three once  in a lifetime 

Waldeen husn jawani

Parents  beauty  youth 

.

...the  three unique things each one has 

Maut seerat qismat

Death  nature  destiny 

.

Be sincere in the following three 

Rehem karam dua

mercy  work prayers 

.

.three things  bring shame 

Chori chughli  jhooth

Cheating  backbiting  untruthfulness 

.

always remember three following 

Sacchai faraiz  maut

Reality  duties  life ends 

.

.

tanhai

....pitch dark grave night 

Complete silence prevailing all around 

Deadly  silent  stillness  everywhere 

Sorrowful  air

And 

Then 

This solitude 

From nowhere 

Gradually 

Tiptoing

Your memory 

Aboard 

In the sailing mind

Arrived 

And 

In the seas of my desiring heart 

Me

Began actively working 

in the noisy  memory 

It happened like this 

It became enjoyable 

And 

I wasn't alone anymore 

from previous

...why are you here  Hamid asked faridi 

For the same reason   for the woman you are following 

What!!!!exclaimed Hamid  confused,  goodness gracious  aren't you a true wizard 

Not at all,  just that I am more experienced than you are 

I happened to learn that from your attire 

How is that 

Simple,  had you started from home for this place you would have been dressed in an evening suit,  perhaps you spotted the woman  and  started following her as is your bad habit 

Hamid remained silent 

Faridi puffed on his cigar relishing it and smiling  added  he was certain Hamid didn't even know  who the woman was 

Hamid argued  how can you say that 

Your suit says that of course,  if you knew her you would be dressed in the evening suit 

I don't understand 

Let me explain 

Sarcastically Hamid waived off he will understand  it  but your hardship  since when have you   started chasing women 

My answe to  that r is  that  I find some women are very interesting 

tareek saye

...the  sun set  quickly the entire  city was covered by  fog  , the harsh chilling  air was biting,  the people walking on the  streets  shivered  and their teeth  chattered uncontrollably,  Hamid  had no clue the winter would suddenly turn so freezing,  he rushed out of the office  at mid afternoon,  he was clad in grayish suit,  to keep  himself warm he was humming a sonnet  it sounded  more like  yelping  and shivering  in the cold

The problem was simple,  he didn't want to go home  so early,  he was following an attractive woman,  the woman was driving ahead  Hamid was following her in a taxi thinking what was so attractive about her that he found himself following her , he was following her for past several days  , so far he couldn't get any chance of meeting her and introduce himself and know who was she,  he noticed her at random in various places and different times  and then he would start following her,  now too he spotted her and  started following her 

The  mysterious woman's car took many turns and routes around the city before  taking a secluded section leading to Niagara hotel 

page 291

,....on that mission he wanted to work alone  he explained looking at the other 

Drop this foolish idea,  always  work as a team  it's better  than being alone, don't underestimate  raja taimur  it will be a mistake  his tone was   filled with finality 

He was certain  he would  follow him anyway  and the situation could get worse and out of control,  he gave his consent unwillingly 

They left after paying the bills for their tea , he too was dressed up in trousers  shirt and a muffler around his neck  he hadn't changed a bit in years , he was just the same  cautious and alert 

They must walk from there to the house  he mumbled  walking on the pavement  without directly speaking to him,   he had  found  out  all about the location from kabir during  naghat and wsim case 

page 290

....I am following you,   you can't  point  at Seth raja taimur alone  spoke Salim  the other looked at him  intently  he didn't like being followed by him   and interfering  but carefully  controlling himself he spoke in a serious manner 

What is meant by difficult and easy  unfortunately from the beginning  he never learnt  these terms 

I know he smiled 

He found his smile  lacerated  with  wickedness 

But he wanted to add further  but ge cut him short 

I don't like your  behavior  he was annoyed with himself  because he didn't realize he was being followed  he wasn't cautious enough  though he was trained to stay alert  but Salim was equally matching  , in the past both were together  going through their training  otgers couldn't  reach level b but Salim and he had  rapidly risen to level a  in the  training camp that is why he  secretly admired Salim for his  extraordinary skills 

Friend,  why do you get annoyed so easily,  I want to just help you,  he took a short pause and  spoke more informally  to get  steaming  hot tea for him 

He added  he was quite close to raja taimur  and  he stressed  on explaining  the importance of being close to his target 

Now it was his turn to show his own importance  if  Salim and his group were so  important  wasn't it surprising they hired him to fight the black wave

page 90

....inner heat was increased and became burning  fever,  she lay her face covered in the pillow,  she had taken pills but the fever was stubbornly not leaving 

A cool hand  touched her burning forehead 

My brave girl,  don't give up so soon  this is life 

Her eyes flowed warm rivers 

Always remember  sorrows attack  from unexpected sides , the most trusted  cheats on you,  the nearest dearest  care giver gives pain  but you shouldn't  give up hope,  

Abbu  s voice  was soothing like cool water on burning sand  Abad should have arrived  by now   , her mind was stuck on just one point 

Abbu you don't know  fathers  and brothers are the main strength of girls,  if fathers  hands are on their heads and brothers full support given to women  then women emerge winners 

page 83

.... oh dear I can't find my socks  wrapping his necktie  Abad came out   extremely  irritated,   and  I can't find the eggs said fazal  searching   the kitchen,  didn't I bring them last night,  how could they disappear  

I am talking about my missing socks 

I of my eggs,  he couldn't speak of socks because his socks were on his feet 

Since when have you started giving eggs 

Ever since you turned pauper 

Just go away,  Abad  didn't  like  the joke   so he came to sit down in a sofa in the lounge,  his mobile was there ringing 

Something weird happened  he got up as quickly as he had sat down  a current had passed through him,  but the mishap was done,  all the eggs in the shopper cracked and  spilled out 

He screamed on top of his voice for fazal 

What happened  appeared fazal  scared for him

Your eggs are found 

jungbaaz

..as if time was dead the world  came to a standstill,  the universe  froze  all was  still except  someone sobbing,  it was madam,  sajad was  left by the sofa,  all dispersed  except him 

He was Salim  whose gaze was  glued on her,  he wasn't alone because another man  emerged from  behind him  he was known to him,  he was guggal representative of the chaudhary,  perhaps the rest of them were waiting outside  anyhow  tgeir presence was unexpected and unwanted,  Salim felt insecure   certain the two men were there to give him a spin , why else  there couldn't be any other reason 

Nobody will move,  this time  roared guggal , put down all your weapons  he meant  the madam sajad and jawari 

Sehram come out  you 

, today  we will prove your supporters  not opposers 

Salim  spoke to him,  his inner  turbulence  stopped and he was startled sehrab  give yourself up or it will be  not good for you,  you are dangerous  surrounded by enemy  and we are here just for you  taking so much risk 

page 271

...Salim s wedding  function   was on its superlative swing  , all the girls were impatiently waiting for gori  because  she was the best singer  around the entire village,  her voice  was soulful  and unbeatable,  her beautiful voice   lent a typical folk    aroma to the melodies  the listeners  simply remained unsatisfied , sge was  one of the best  native dancers,  gori s arrival was eagerly awaited,  a couple of small girls were sent to find he and bring her  but the girls  turned back  from halfway because it was scary  dark 

On the other hand  gori was extremely happy because the man she loved had looked at her  for quite some time attentively, admiringly  , those who are in love understand this look  and appreciate it , she was alone walking   lost completely in Farhan  s thoughts  a strange smile  decorated her lips 

She was  so  much   unaware of her surroundings that she failed to notice someone was watching her movements,  she reached a secluded place  on the outside of the  colony 

page 269

....sajadil  stopped  gori  from going to the college,  she felt miserable like a bird in a cage  her wings clipped off , she pleaded  sorry for all her mistakes but to  let her attend classes,  not to  prevent her from  enjoying her rights to education but he refused  he didn't give his consent because he was given a thorough brainwash,  gori shed streams of tears  but who cared about her,  only her mother cared but in this case she too was completely powerless 

It was a Friday,  gori was not keeping well for a while,  unhappiness  and headaches   constantly  kept her head spinning,  heavy discomfort and distressed mind definitely make anyone  sick,  her health  started to get worse 

Sajadil was in a hurry,  he carried a shopper  that contained a bridal  red  outfit 

Where is gori amma  he enquired 

Sleeping inside,  what happened why are you so alarmed  halima  didn't like her son's  behavior,  since morning she was  intuitively  expecting something bad to happen 

page 256

....sherkhan didn't turn up even the next day,  he spoke to him on his phone 

Oh, babu ji  sherkhan explained the work wasn't done for what he had come for,  he was delayed  a couple of days more  he must stay away,  he sounded put off apparently he was helpless 

Allright  take care and do your best and make it happen quick,  he spoke  sincerely  it was true  sherkhan was a good company,  they spent time  gossiping  exploring  sightseeing  without him  he was bored,  he was restricted at home, he wasn't prohibited from going anywhere  it was just that he found himself lonely without sherkhan 

That day gori didn't make her appearance,  perhaps  what had occurred the night before  made her hesitant,  anyhow  two days passed somehow,  night fell and khala  again suggested he slept up on the terrace  but he refused to comply smoothly 

He lay down to sleep and   his mind  filled with  gori s images,  was it really possible to get attracted by someone so fast,  he   tried to go through each and every detail  but couldn't find a single   thing that would  give  gori  that he was interested in her,  he had not  shown or done anything to give her that impression 

So it meant  it was her erroneous mind,  he was not guilty,  he had to stop  her from walking that dangerous  path of imagination

page 252

...beds  were arranged on the terrace  and when they reached  he again  experienced a surprise  , in the background  the mysterious silence of the hills soaked in darkness  , the open sky full of shimmering stars  perhaps on such an occasion some poet must have  said  one could talk  his heart to the  stars directly ,  he was ready to go to bed and missed shumaila  he wished she was with him,  they would have  counted the stars together,  he missed her scowling  her frowning  his teasing her, they could have  admired the surroundings together 

He slept well  that night,  pleasantly cooling breezes,  there was also a fan placed   which wasn't really necessary at all,  in fact  later during the night he had to cover himself  with a sheet to keep himself warm 

He woke up at daybreak  hearing the chirpings of the birds,  he was amazingly refreshed and rested,  surroundings grow on  one's mind  and  believe it very strongly it influences  one's mind,  so was he,  the strong impact of the  remote divine  village  was  very deep  he appreciated  being there  enjoying every moment of it   , it was soul nourishing  stay 

from previous

....when he reached home  it was  after,  his neck was slightly stiff  , his eyes heavy with sleep,  opening the door to the house  his gaze fell directly on the person sitting in the lawn dusky shadows had spread,  his eyes were tired and a faint smile appeared on his face,  round frame on big etes , a few count of hair strand on the head,  quite old washed several times  woollen sweater  and wrinkled hands  unable to hold  the newspaper,  the dirt covered on the newspaper suggested it was old one 

Abdullah had messaged him and left,  he was delayed by the traffic  otherwise they usually met at the gate,  as he approached  the echoing footsteps  drew his attention and he lifted his head,  there wasn't any sign of recognition in them 

He greeted gently  before picking up the clutter on the table,  

He replied in a somewhat sober manner  to his greeting  , then turned to look at the door wondering how did the young man managed to come in 

Who are you,  how did you get into my house  he asked him in a surprised voice 

kahaniyon wala pyar

.... the moment the first  drop of rain  touched the ground   within some minutes  the rain   began    its opera  but the melody held a note of sadness   in its tenor,  pitter patter fell  rain drops  in its simplest  form , people  walking on the footpaths  holding their open umbrellas  over themselves,  traffic jam on the roads,  dusky evening  light  slightly mixed in nocturnal  shade  , lined up street lights burning a soft golden glow,  taxi window  glass   presented an intricate watery pattern  intriguing  as the outside street lights   shone on to it

The   traffic signal turned green  and suddenly  the taxi door was  burst open  on the drive,  he  looked at  the  girl with  surprise,  she was soaked  completely in the outpour,  her  tresses  were sticking on to her face,  she was trying to tuck the tresses behind her ears,  her eyes   were scared , fear showed  in them,  , she  placed  lots of things on the seat  her hands  quivered,  he stared at her startled  , now the driver too turned around and spoke o bibi get down quickly,  this iis special   ride

The girl  had settled herself comfortably and arranged all her things  by her side before looking at the annoyed driver 

The driver looked at the man and  promised to get rid of the unwanted passenger  who had just gate crashed 

The driver  rudely asked her to step down 

The girl began  to converse in sign language,  opened her mobile notes and  typed something 

from previous

....sherkhan sitting with him  started   gossiping,  the  hardness in his nature some time ago  had disappeared,  he looked into the backview mirror,  gori sat  watching out of the window looking upset,  anyway it was her own fault,  she ought not to have sat down in the front seat with a stranger  in a vehicle,  he and sherkhan kept on talking  lightly,  but gori remained muted all throughout the journey 

Reaching the bazaar he desperately searched for the camera  shop that sold appliances,  soon he found one in a back lane  in a narrow corner  , the lense was poor quality but at least  workable  for next twelve to fifteen days,  both sherkhan and gori had gone their way shopping for themselves,  both came back when he also was finished with his shopping,  he  observed  sherkhan looked  stressed and gori annoyed,  he couldn't speculate what had gone wrong with them when they were shopping,  he  thought it would be  improper to ask  but if they wanted they would tell him themselves,  she held a few  shoppers and woman's  magazines  in her hands 

Free from shopping they decided to have snacks,  their gaze fell on the nearby burger shop , he ordered three burgers and cold drinks for them,  he felt  gori watching him  when sherkhan was busy eating,  they still had three hours before returning home 

page 247

...next morning early  he realized hus camera lens wasn't working,  , he git goosebumps  all his work depended  on it alone,  this was sudden and unexpected  problem,  unseen  and he wasn't prepared for it, he didn't want to travel back to Lahore  , jauhrabaad was still not  as developed as Lahore,  he had to  do everything staying there,  he  discussed his matter with Sher khan  who mocked his fears away saying  jauharabaad was more advanced than khushab which  was still twenty years behind slowly lagging  , everything was available in jauharabaad,  then he began narrating untold tales of yore,  he stopped him and asked if it was possible to get what he wanted to make his gadgets functional 

page 245

 ..  meantime a soft knock on the I inner door was heard  , sherkhan called out loudly to khala to come in 

The other  sat upright,  definitely this was family  woman   who was asking for permission to enter the room,  his  thinking proved  correct,  a woman's face  appeared  , her whole being was covered in a sheet , her presence  evoked  almighty s  radiance  full of affection and purity,  she was surely  sajadil  s mother  khala  halima  , she held a food tray  certainly only for the him the  visitor,   the   small nervous shy  shrinking   person behind khala  stood   in her early twenties  very young  , she too was tightly wrapped up entirely  in a sheet,  only her shy face was hardly visible ,  he liked her invisible smile,  he greeted khala he stood up to present his shoulder  to her who lovingly patted it  and  showered on him lots of prayers 

How did you spend the last night,  was there any problem,  she spoke informally  affectionately and sincerely,  she placed the food tray on the table before him  before turning to the shy girl  and presenting her before him , introducing her , she is my daughter,  her name is gori,  he gently greeted her and she slightly moving her jet black eye lashes  replied , what does she do  he pointed towards the shy  package and asked halima khala dear son  she goes to college  Halima  khala  spoke with pride 

Now he decided to directly speak to gori , perhaps she didn't expect it  she became nervous  what class 

  Lowering her eyes  shyly she explained  b a 

Good  casual tone  he used 

from previous

....and then he began speaking  slowly 

You know  I was  so passionate about  traveling different places  during  university days  he smiled   blandly  shumaila also gave an equally  matching smile 

Of course I know she said  I also remember very clearly  I  asked you to stop  that,  I still believe it is a useless  passttime  you were wasting your time,  her eyes brightened up speaking of their memorable experiences 

You  prevented me from  following my passion  because it was  for you a waste of time  , instead  I should  lend a helping hand  in my abbu  s business,  his  smiling gaze was   glued on her face 

And uncle needed you by his side  she emphatically  stressed her point 

You  were more considerate because you were in love with me  and not because you really  cared about abbu,  you didn't like my roaming about from place to place  pounding dust , he affectionately looked at his loving wife  who was also faithful   who wasn't even touched by the  passing time, 

She lowered her eyes  before his admiring gaze 

I swear what  awesome days they were,  I couldn't  stay without you  not even for a moment,  shirt time  absence seemed  lifelong  tragic  moments,  a strange fear had settled into my heart,  that these  small time  separations won't  become frequent and for ever

sehra ka phool

....27th January 

Aah one more twenty seventh January,  another   sorrowful night,  another   test of life, 

Sighing heavily he drew the window curtains aside,  outside the  night was  soaked  half way,  continuous  steady pouring since last evening  had turned tge dry January winter  suddenly  cold,  outside weather wasn't  different from his inner  complexion of his emotions,  in fact  the inner    emotional  canvas was   extremely    difficult,  outside the window  there was  a soft gentle  rhythm  of pouring rain  but inside his mindset  there was  an outstanding outpour  absolutely  different experience because of  the burning  sorrow   that had nestled  there for years giving him pain  and sleepless nights,  a feeling of guilt  was   cutting  his  soul to pieces 

Tears  spilled out  trailing down his cheeks leaving  their   traces  to  get absorbed into his outfit  somewhere,  these tears are like   companions  always present to share your  secluded sorrow  drowning  your fuming  hurt  to  lessen it to half  dividing all your painful experiences 

He  heard a sound  beside him,  he turned to see  shumaila  standing there with a coffee tray

from previous

....both were married off soon,  then they started living a life of the perfect couple, 

He helped in the kitchen,  , kneading the wheat flour dough with his hands in the sweltering heat , , sometimes  also made chapatis,  on alternate days cleaned up and  did the laundry,  scowling  all the time but that's what he had asked for,  he wanted   such a modern wife  who worked outside to earn and share financial responsibilities,  who won't depend on husband  and be a liability 

She too on the other hand  was  completely trapped into a vicious  circle of over work  to stay awake all night with the infant to leave for work early morning,  every task was challenging,   alternate  nights turn by turn  Farakh and she   took care of the infant,  naturally mothers spend sleepless nights Farakh  mostly  shirked  , going to bed uncaring of the child,  she was forced to take care of the child 

She had become a robot  working mechanically,  he had to iron his own  outfits,  he prepared his breakfast himself both were tired of this lifestyle  but now their ego was pushing them on, neither of them was ready to withdraw or give up , both  were determined to marry their  dream life partner,  both were  regretting  but the world believed  they were made for each other  ,,,perfect couple 

page 40

...she was a modern  young woman  , her personal opinion was  that she wasn't born to merely have children and spend  domestic life,, her dreams  were too many,  to fulfill them she  had worked very hard  day and night  and overtime,  she  excelled in studies  and obtained  the   top position,  she  applied  for the job of a professor in a government organization,  her  main problem was ber marriage  her family wanted her to get married while she was still young but she was focused on making a career 

Ammi invited her married friend mahira  to  discuss the matter  frankly,    that she ought to  get married when she is still marriageable , once  her youth was gone she won't be able to find suitable match,     then she will be   forgotten    by the society,  right now   mahira and she were  arguing on the topic 

Have you noticed what all demands  boys have,  the wife should be home bound  and  bear children and just be a housewife,  men want to work outside  to gain power and return home and renjoy domestic  bliss resting and taken full  control of the service of the housewife  and give orders  and expect  to be respected  , husband is completely  selfish and self centered  person  , therefore she  didn't want to get married  the idea of marriage  was annoying 

Are we all mad people who get married,  we are also educated  yet we  are subordinate  to our husbands,  mahira gave her own example 

But I don't want to be like you  , that lifestyle  I don't like at all  she was quite straightforward 

Is some angel going to fall down from  the skies just for you intervened ammi

page 231

....the family  consisted of four members  lived in the old fashioned house  , maxvill and jerry  s father  was dead  , he was unhappy about just one thing  the diamonds  he had obtained   he couldn't  enjoy  them , , maxvill  s father died regretting  , three years ago  unable to pass the diamonds to his sons and  grandsons  but he  transferred his dreams before dying into  maxvill  s eyes 

Jerry was completely  uncaring about  the diamonds he had only heard of  , ,  kristi  never believed in their  existence,  shamm was quite a kid but maxvill  always  intended intensely to find the diamonds 

Maxvill and his wife worked on a vegetable farm,  the owner of the  vegetable farm was the rudest man  maxvill had ever come across,  the owner was always ready to cut daily allowance  of workers on some  pretext  or the other ,,Jerry worked in a restaurant,  in fact  he he worked in several restaurants  to make more money,  he was  an aggressive young man  or perhaps he overreacted to the proprietors,  he didn't  stay long enough  anywhere,   jumping from first to second to third  ,  leaving  the  jobs  quickly    getting nowhere,  he was a drop out  by choice  because he wanted the best of education in the best of the institution,  heart broken  on dreams unfulfilled he merely roamed around,  sometimes he   helped his parents on the farm,  but  tge owner's attitude and parents poor condition  disheartened him , he wondered what kind of life he would have 

asap daulat

....they...they look diamonds  spoke shamm whispering 

They don't look like diamonds but are real diamonds,   real genuine diamonds declared maxvil  his gaze fixed on the diamonds on his palm

Real diamonds  exclaimed  sgamm kneeling down on the floor  ,

Absolutely real and very expensive too my son  smiled maxvil  deeply 

Whose are they  asked shamm to confirm his doubts  that they belonged to them 

These are ours , our possessions  confessed  maxvil  explosively 

What are you saying daddy, shamm looked at him in utter disbelief,  there was no reason to believe,   humble lifestyle  frugal earnings    poorly people   suddenly find  in their forgotten  store full of abandoned broken  things  real diamonds  , all of them their own  , it was hard to believe  shamm thought it incredible 

Of course you heard  it right,  that's what I said  explained  maxvil seriously 

page 235

....she had smiled faintly  and spoken  it would be a complete lie if they said the breakfast wasn't good 

Bhai  explained that was to be discussed after  the breakfast  Bhai remained silent,  phuphi  served the breakfast  on the table,  they still had not started eating  and the door bell rang,  Bhai walked towards the door to open it   he returned followed by amjadalla,  she and Bhai invited him to join them at their breakfast table  ,

He replied  sur I have had my breakfast  there was no space for more,  Bhai  cheerfully  said sister had prepared it all herself,  amjadalla  then accepted to take just two bites to taste the food,  he took  his first  morsel and began praising  , Bhai asked him what brought him so early 

There was a big problem 

Bhai looked at him questioningly,  hadayatalla  explained    goats from shehnaz  s brothers   ran into zamyar s field,  so he shot the giants down  and beat the brothers of shehnaz  badly  that they were admitted into the hospital 

arzu

...arzu  became aware before growing up that her parents were murdered  , that  she   had only one  relative  alive in this cruel world her phuphi  saira,  , it was her first  birthday,  her both maternal uncles  came in and shot down her parents dead 

Saira phuphi   answered  and  explained  all her questions,  her parents were wonderful persons  , extremely brilliant in studies  , they aspired to become highly qualified  government officials,  to fulfill their dreams they worked very hard  , they had earned o level and a level  positions,  they  were  outstanding,  their interviews were  highlighted in newspapers,  they appeared for competitive  exams,  they topped the merit list,  clearing all tests  bhai was posted at abatabad,  parents  were  told by faras bhai  the candidates were not given  home postings,  rules were rules  , first they should  gain experience and then take charge of district  postings,  father was silent, bhai left for duty  and joined his office at havelia 

Two months later a  school teacher was made hostage by a politician  s son , the girl s father  filled a report,  faras bhai  called him to his office  and  started questioning him  to find out if the female teacher willingly had gone with the abductor or was it really a genuine case of abduction 

page 194

....tge extremely  injured policemen were  moved out of the crime scene  as the ambulance rushed towards the hospital,   , the  investigation began,  the senior officer who was following jasim  gave his statement,  that jasim  stole a car to escape,  he pointed towards the car  his tone was strange,  they chased him , the crazy man   left his lane and  reached    the oil tanker 

Just a minute,  who are you talking about  , who is the car robber,  there  is no burnt body inside the crushed car

Sir , it's disappeared  I have no clue about it, he looked around in sheer disbelief,  his tone now was  worried,  when we were chasing him he was  driving the car,  he was present in the  driving seat,  we were all shocked  why did he commit suicide  after all he was fleeing  away 

page 40

..look here  dear brother  God made man to do outdoors  duties  and protect woman and family  , woman was made to work indoors  take care of family needs and bear children  raise them  its  a responsibility their duties are different and they are different from each other,  look at me  I am your elder sister would you  say the same for me 

I knew it the moment I will share my thoughts  you all will humiliate me  but when I was not speaking nobody let ne remain silent  you all provoked me , appi you  just tell me what is my  fault  if I am a male , why have all the  stress and struggles of life  burdened onto me , women enjoy more  the journey of life than I do,  she desires social status and  stability as much as I do  then  why doesn't she  support me and  together  we work to achieve our goals , she is ready to enjoy status  but nit ready to share responsibility 

perfect couple

.... amma  put down   the tea cup on the table  and Farakh quickly  picked up the hot steaming cup to take a sip

All that the parents wish is to see their son  do well in life  to become qualified and responsible  followed by another dream of his getting married,  raising him was a lifetime  achievement,  parents want to retire and keep their life peacefully,  daughter in kaw would take over  the entire household chores,  she us expected to take care of the elderly,  tgey would also  be able to relax for the rest of their life,  amma speaking her mind  out sat down  supporting her paining knees with her hands  beside him 

No amma I am not going to get married he banged tge tea cup down on the table 

Why not dear son why don't you want to get married fir heavens sake amma looked at him  worried 

It wasn't the first time  the topic had come up,  every time amma  spoke of marriage   he would   get annoyed 

Because amma you won't let ne choose my bride,   so why should I  

Now just look at this   is this any good reason  you tell me about your  choice  I will let you marry anyone  you want just let me know and  you will be married to her  amma managed to find the solution in seconds 

Amma you wrongly think I have selected someone it's not like that,  I have spent all my life  studying and eating I never got a chance to like any girl  it's final I simply don't want to marry anyone of your choice  that's it

page 181

....amen said was an intelligent  and clever girl,  she was busy studying in her college,  Ahmed  hasn her class fellow was also there with her,  their finals were near,  he was now and then also  looking at his messages on the mobile,  amen  scolded him fir being distracted  but he always found  a way to receive and read the messages,  both were good friends besides classmates  , most likely they  were compatible and like minded  drawn to each other,  this could  certainly lead to their marriage,   but his  circle of friends  were not good,  they weren't serious about their career  and future  , they enjoyed  loafing around  getting drunk and   drugged,  after college they liked  wasting their time  on the road,  their bad habits    lead them to meet more of their types and  quickly they became addicts,  amen tried to convince him out if this Nasty  web , she wanted to protect him from the wicked world,  but he refused to  listen to her , he was the only son of his mother,  if he didn't bother about his mother  who was amen  to her , simply nobody   , all the addicts were sending him messages  he was   looking at,  they were calling him to join the squad , amen  had some  power to control him  but he made some excuses and left,  she  accused his rascally friends  for his uncaring  behavior 

zehrrnak

...mahim was in her cabin scribbling on a pile of paper,  on one side of her  files were kept  on the other side a laptop,  m looking  at the texts on both sides  sge was  quickly taking down notes , she was so busy she was not aware her boss abrar s presence,  he  coughed to catch her attention,  sunk  deep into her work sge looked up startled 

What  happened 

Sir, I am working on drug smuggling 

page 175

....fragrant is forest  in bloom where are you 

Boughs  green laden in spring  where are you 

Tales innumerable in books where are you 

World follows  faiths  where are you 

Nestled on the blossoms are tears of dew

First  Sunrays are casted where are you 

Disheartened by the wicked world where are you 

Merciful  Master  of ruthful  speech where are you 

The world is divided 

Where do we belong 

page 162

....now what is going to happen  asked  ghulam Muhammed  s wife  

It will happen like this  answered he  those who have to make allotments will  go to higher courts 

Then 

Inshalla  everything will work out in our favor 

How long 

Let's see 

In this  case of allotments  a most suitable  match  for Samna  slipped away  spoke  mona  unhappily 

Don't you worry,  let's wait for the plot , after selling   half  of it off  we would have sufficient amount  to find even better  match 

Marriage proposals are not kept on sale  that you can buy when you have money 

I will  use newspapers  to catch a match,  after all Sam and will be  the bride to be from a well off well to do family with money,  just wait and watch  long lines of  suitors 

What hopes  let's see 

Of course  modern marriages are  made thus people don't have time  to look for  life companions for their children  door to door 

page 161

...you did say didn't you 

I will always be there for you 

Putting your hands on my eyes 

You will  fight the world for me 

Never will you change  l

ike unpredictable weathers 

I shall constantly protect you 

Trust me wait for me I will come back to you 

Helplessly  I believed in your words 

Trusted you  unmindful of consequences 

Believing you were mine 

Invested complete faith in you 

But my dear foe of life

Your lies defeated  false weathers 

You never came back as promised 

But seasons did return  once again 

On the new year  you declared 

I will come back 

You didn't  but see

Another new year has arrived 

shaka

... during the ceremony  the  warrior  dancer entered the  thick forest  where he met shaka   who on the first glance asked him who was he 

Clad in leather outfit   braids hanging on his shoulders,   a garland of ivory beads  round his neck  and one metal  dagger ,  long and rounded  ear rings , nose was pierced  cheek  tattoo  showed a half moon  crescent , weird appearance  suggested  he was not a natural  native   above all his height and heavy built  body was completely different 

Shaka not answering  moved forward 

Wait my friend,  today  because of you  I am alive 

The man  stretched his arm  forward,  shaka stared for a while at the outstretched hand  before  holding it

from previous

....this happened  just before  aslam arrived,  when barkat  bibi came to her room,  she who wasn't  getting out of her room  because she was so scared  seeing her instantly jumped  up  to stand  attention 

Why didn't you  send for me instead of climbing upstairs on your paining knees 

Doesn't matter much,  I had to speak to you urgently,  her face  looked  serious,  she sat down  on the bed  supporting her knees  , sge also sat down  quietly next to her with her eyes lowered 

Amma I am not lying  I tell the truth,  I am   innocent,  she choked on her words , something salty stuck inside her throat 

Whatever you said I have heard it carefully,  you know why,  her tone was questioning,  she  lifted her head to look at bibi 

Because I know you are truthful,  when you went into the room with Ahmed  I went out shopping  necessary  things,  not to disturb Ahmed  I didn't tell you,  today ashraf was home,  he didn't go to work,  I told him and left for the market,  half way  through I realized I had forgotten the money  home,  the purse I carried was empty,  without money  it was useless going any further  so I decided to go back,  one duplicate key to the door is always inside my  purse,  of course you know it but ashraf doesn't 

page 33

...when aslam  stepped into the room  bano was packing  her luggage,  her hands were moving  fast  ,  it was  unexpected and sudden  trip,  so many  small little things  for manna  she was repeating  the list mentally over and over  again and again  as she  put them   aside 

Aren't you ready 

Almost done,  all necessary  things are put together,  small  not so important   ones that  were sill  not  arranged are also  packed up  she explained without looking at him  in a matter of factly manner 

She was trying to avoid looking at him  to hide her feelings  her eyes swollen from crying  could reveal  , therefore she was  acting  busy 

I still can't believe it amma herself asked me to take you with me  because she was never in favor of  sending you with me,  speaking  so his voice  brightened up as his face 

He had arrived just two hours ago  when amma had called for him  , amma just few minutes ago  decided and declared  bano was going with him,  he was so  happy  he always wanted bano to live with him  but amma  lived alone  so he remained silent 

Bano if left with him  amma would be left behind all alone , ashram was a mill worker,  his working hours kept him away from dawn to dusk outside 

from previous

.... in his early youth  farid was  drawn towards  shakila ,  both didn't take long to get married,  both had similar  middle class family backgrounds,  shakila  had to face opposition from her unwilling parents  who were  against this  marriage  but she remained   quite adamant  and refused to change her mind,   finally parents  gave in and the lovers were  able to get married,  initially  it was  a most pleasant experience and life was filled with love and joy,  sgakila proved it to her parents her decision was perfect  it was  a successful marriage 

To increase  family income  shakila  began  giving tuitions at home  ,to groups of small  school students,  it was a private academy,  they  still had no bloom   in their family  , yet they maintained a healthy lifestyle for more than two years,  as luck would have it, farid  s mother   became sick  and  had to go through  severe treatment  for months   before  her death,  both brothers gad  jointly  taken care of their dying mother and  expenses were shared equally,  farid  had  slightly spent  a little more than his elder brother ,  shakika was expecting  , financial  status was low  expenses were increasing,   stressful life  and unaffordablity  go hand in hand together 

pukar

.... job seekers are taken to place to place  , he was a government school teacher,  just recently  he along with his  wife and two children  moved to Lahore from rawalpindi  , he was allotted a rented house  in a colony,  it was a middle class locality,  it was fifth  day  after they had shifted  there when during the night he heard  the  voice for the first time,  wife and children were  fast asleep,  he was in that half  waking state  , from the street  a  strange voice rose  ,    the voice  belonged to an elderly person  asking to be let in , tge tonal  quality  had an odd sounding  throatiness  and  a mysterious  impatience, tge voice hit his midstream  before getting down deep into his system,  this person was  telling someone he had arrived  but why

A couple of nights later again  this voice  rise  but it wasn't night time  exactly  , it was just after  sunset,  he and his wife were watching television,  similar  themes all soap  dramas   revolve around,  romance,  love stories,  engagement,  marriage  divorce   legal arguments  , on hearing the mysterious voice  he lowered the television volume   and turned to look at his wife 

She explained it must be some beggar,  she woke up   last night to drink water  and heard the same voice  

page 112

..it was  one of the most  important  modern and clean residential area located on Tariq road,  he  lived in a flat alone,   he had arranged  his rooms  in such a way  that   to others it appeared  a small family setup,  master bedroom  for the children  was  fully furnished and equipped for children,  expensive comfortable  sofas in the lounge  were  present,  after all  why not   , it was a doctor's house 

basat had  on several occasions  spoken  lies to the  village couple  it was  professionally correct though,  he was surprised to know even they had nit been  truthful to him entirely,  it must have been definitely their  helplessness,  before going to bed  the previous night he gad sent the reports to his partner 

Today when basat opened his eyes  he found  rabanda sitting in the lounge sofa,  the three had spent the night  gossiping lightly,  then he realized she wasn't  a stupid village  woman  but Salim certainly was  a fool,  tabada  dropped her  naive shy  behavior  and became  more frank 

Salim wasn't seen around,  exchanging  polite courtesies  basat glanced around  and asked for  Salim 

He is gone out   for a smoke 

page 103

....no doubt  fear is a reality  but he had never witnessed such a frightening scene in his entire life before 

Rana Salim was an experienced  police station master,   posted in that station for two years  , he had  seen many strange cases  but a swinging head still attracted to the body was absolutely different,  headless body  was found  I the  cot on the floor  , looking from a distance it appeared  the body lay in a dried up pool of blood  and  the head was replaced by a helmet 

A shiver ran down his spine  on the first glance  shudders followed,  he froze   but he remembered  he was there to investigate  very carefully he stepped into the  crime scene   not wishing to unwittingly  destroy any evidence 

He  scanned  the surroundings  professionally,  for furniture in the room there was just one cot   placed on the right  next to the entrance door  , the room was otherwise bare

from previous

... in the city center  jahangir  mirza s  grand majestic   house  was situated,  he stopped his car  near the gate  and pressed a finger on the vell button,  a servant opened the door,  mentioning  afzal sahib he asked to see  jahangir mirza  and  walked in , what a regal lifestyle  scene   that room presented,  what could  gave  been the reason he was called,   why was he alone  selected  , some time later he emerged  and asked him to bring the car inside  there was a  hard road through the  trees leading to the house  , he brought the car onto the road,  the road was lined with trees on either side,  blue patch of a swimming pool became visible  , outside the building there was a massive veranda  decorated with  excellent expensive  furniture and sofas , walls mounted with trophies of hunted beasts and  their  skins , the car was stopped near tge canopy of trees,  he was asked to sit down in a sofa,  then the servant opened the door and went inside,  he sat down and looked around,  each and every piece  was saturated  with quality and money,  , every thing highlighted  he was going to meet a hunter who had spent millions on the trophies  surrounding him, , he had not even seen half of the stuffed animals when jahangir mirza entered the hall holding a cigar in his fingers 

page 94

....afzal sahib spoke in somber tone,  one of his students needed his help he couldn't reveal his name though,  but  he had done  lots of favors for him,  it happened during his  young years  when he was  a college lecturer,  he git the job because of the student's father 

, besides this also there are many more  times they had  helped him,  now it was his turn to pay them back   and show his  gratitude,  that was the reason he had invited the lawyer,   he looked at afzal sahib  in awe as he finished his own last sandwich 

Afzal sahib smiled at him encouragingly,  his student was married,  he is happy with his marriage  but a few days ago in sheer rage he gave her a triple divorce,  wife naturally left him to go back to her father's house  she frankly told her father all about her situation,  her father 

from previous

....she was weeping incessantly  her arms wrapped around  her knees,  her heart trembled  like an autumn  falling quivering leaf thinking  about her uncertain future,  amma had not spoken to her yet but she kept on silently looking at her 

She thought what if she didn't believe her narrative, it would be impossible to explain  if she was asked,  what if amma  told aslam every thing,  would he consider her innocent or discard her , what if aslam  found her guilty and threw her out of his life,  where could she go, she had no other choice  no other place except this one,  what if aslam  took away her son too  , she looked  at her three ear old  Ahmed sleeping by her side  with  deep motherly  affection 

Her eyes were  constantly  pouring,  surrounded  amidst those   unhappy   thoughts  when a knock on the outer door drew her attention,  at that time she was upstairs inside her her room  from that window she had jumped out

She heard the door opening 

It was  a small house  barely  built in a few square feet,  the house also   had an open yard,  the voices from downstairs were easily carried upstairs,  without  taking a peek she could tell  the  curious womefolk  from the neighborhood  who were  waiting outside  were now standing there in the yard 

ainey ke peechey

...khla barkaty s daughter in law  jumped out of  her room window,  this was the latest news today  reaching  every household like a jet airplane,   broadcasting  with speed in the street

 The majority of population of that street  were residents from lower class , everyone knew everyone,  , they all were close  together  , whatever occurred  even the slightest of   occurrence   within seconds   became common knowledge  this was  really an outstanding news surprising and and important 

How innocent her looks are  hardly twenty and yet so daring unbelievable,  bano became  the talk if the  street community,  safya khala even bit her own  finger 

It was certainly a suicide bid , it was definitely  a case of depression,  nobody could imagine what was going on 

Sharta khala  s  daughter in law  who was the only highly educated in the entire clan  was  a school graduate,  , a student of psychology  sge rightfully  believed belonged to a psychologist  s  profession  spoke her mind out that she didn't like  the depressed woman who had attempted to commit suicide  ever since she was married  into the family 

from previous

...hamira was eagerly waiting for him at home,  she usually  is back from college  at three afternoon but perhaps that day she was on leave  she spoke bitterly  she was aware he was  number one liar  but fatal sahib was hopeless she had met his driver  he was forced to go on leave  to the village for some days  she was  falsely told the driver had left the job,  she demanded an explanation what exactly was going on  and where  had the two of them been 

He shook his denial  he didn't know anything  perhaps the driver really had gone to the village,    and he was in the morning attending  meeting  and he returned with afzal sahib 

Hamira  explained  director education murtaza sahib was her known  and he informed her that the meeting was to be held the following day  and now  truthfully tell her quickly what important secret meeting  was held between just the two of them 

He swallowed before answering  the meeting is postponed   it used to regularly held on this day  before  , the date was changed a few days earlier  now really the meeting will be held tomorrow  afzal sahib was not aware of the latest developments 

nadida wajud

....how  strange it was that he was madly in love with her yet  completely  unaware of her  being,  what age was she  he didn't know he had never seen her  only   experienced her presence   and  spoken to her sometimes,  she  had become his guide in darkness for some hours  next morning  early she Was removed from there,  now she was  gotten into his system,  he would shut his eyes to see her in his mind s eye as a dark  apparition  that doesn't have any particular face and features 

khabardar

...   soon  it was  going to be sunset but the blazing sky was not surrendering  , it was  the month of May   some  dare   and usual  very still , no breeze  absolutely  stark eye piercing  heat , it was completely  impossible to breathe normal  in that sizzling air,, it felt tge tongue had dried up   and turned to a piece of leather  and  the throat prickly, summer on its superlative  climax  , wheat was in its last phase of harvest  he was present in his office   carrying out his professional  responsibilities 

picture texts

..from the times of Pharaohs  the ancient civilizations  used  pictures  as scripts,  these hieroglyphics  are  kept in British museums   as relics  of historic past , one stone found by napoleon    explains  how to decipher  the pictures to understand the contents,  

 The Greeks also  are said to have  been using hieroglyphics  on their walls  

page 55

...life is a beautiful butterfly  that attracts everyone fluttering its colorful wings  before disappearing amidst canopies of blossoms 

.

.every person who  leaves you is not necessarily a cheat  likewise everyone who supports you isn't yours 

.

.love  is intrinsically  possessive  doesn't let go , won't release,  will not easily free   itself from its love

.

.some can never  understand the world,  they are lost forever in the crowd 

.

.he who gives  wants quick  profitable returns  this idea alone contaminates the quality of life 

.

.

from previous

 It was a Sunday,  full of energy and   activities,  Reza was  removing  cobwebs,   another one was arranging the cabinets,  nimmi was busy in the kitchen  banging up the utensils 

Reza did you  deposit the electricity bill 

Yes mamma 

Tipu did you arrange the things properly 

Of course yes his strong voice was positive 

Reza  dear , what is the result of the academy  you are going to 

A one mamma  he  answered  wiping the fan,  he taught at the center 

Nimmi was busily  preparing  vegetables now,   Nani was watching the whole scene  rejectedly, the reason   nimmi  s beauty 

Why this office like  setting  finally Nani scolded her daughter,  these are the times for the  children  to play  and you  ...she rebukingly  glared at her daughter  , you are pushing them into  groceries,  settling the bills and  employment  vicious circles 

Isn't that good ammi,  starting from now   learning to be active  will be helpful to them in practical life 

humein udney do

....the sky  was draped in  black, the weather turned  exciting,  elusive winds merrily  flirted with surroundings,   f g college  walls were soaked wet , the trees began  swaying  drunkenly,  all the girls ran to take  shelter inside the canteen,  warmth in the kitchen and  anjum appa s handmade  hot samosas were quite tempting   , served with  steaming tea,  amidst all this activity  faryal group     began   singing noisily  and  using the tables as  drums  to give the beat to 

Punjabi folk song 

We fell in love with you 

Our hearts  long for you 

The atmosphere completely changed  , all the girls happily joined  the singing group,  one song followed by another  back to back  musical performances  warmed up the  whole place,  aroma of samosas and pakodas  filled their hearts with satisfaction,  their day was made 

badlata roop

....it was a   dark autumn  mournful and soulful  when turner bought a house,   the special thing about the house was  that the woman turner  passionately was in love with for forty years was found dead with her sister in the same house 

He already was aware  he was buying a  monument,  the master bedroom where the bodies were found  he left it and  settled down into a smaller bedroom,  it was a most beautiful two storey house built in red brick 

Every inch of the house including the furniture  was  a memorial of the dead sisters,  turner could only change the bedroom  he couldn't  get rid off of their furniture and luggage 

Turner was sixty m from a small town and lived alone,  he didn't have children  he was never married,  he was  ready to marry Molly anytime  but she never  accepted his proposal 

Now it was certain he would  die unmarried  , he knew  the distance between him and his grave was closing up 

from previous

... in that township  residents loved the old traditional methods of farming  though the young were mostly seen on bicycles,   thus was   the  season  and the entire area had a  vacant look,  due to extreme weather conditions in severe cold nobody ventured out of their warm comfort zones,  he would have himself  stayed home if  his job had not demanded his attention,  Gabriel had not even exited the gates of the town  and he suddenly found himself standing before her , she gad pulled on her head  a  wheat  paper carry bag  with crudely holes cut out for her eyes and nose,  her full body was completely covered in white  long  loose traditional gown  , it seemed someone had wrapped her up 8n a sheet,  he quickly stopped Gabriel

Wait   for me Bahar 

such ki talash

....it was going to be seven in the morning 

Yet there was dark  still all around,  thick fog had contributed  invisibility  to the surroundings,  the bone chilling air was killing besides,  the  incessant snow fall during the night had turned the small township into a freezer,  Harvey  shivering despite his  overcoat  walked  as fast as his legs would  on the vacant street,  he was rather on the heavier side  and not tall  an ordinary man,  he was in his sixties,  he held a bundle in one of his hands  , it was  wrapped up in a plastic cover,  he carried it carefully,  his umbrella was held in his left hand,  it was tied  up at that time,  he was using it as a walking stick,  he was  dressed up and  put on his woollens in layers   sweaters coat and overcoat  a warm cap on his head  but he was still not warm enough and  shivering 

page 9

...crossing the threshold of childhood taimur made friends with several local lads , one common factor amongst them all was  that they all grew up together  riding horses  , familiar with every inch of samarqand  roads sideways fields  open grasslands  because  they strived to be the best  to be above all  more capable competitions were held to show their abilities  , bow and arrow was their main  expertise,  their favorite sport was  let's play war, these archers  were good hunters too ready to shoot down any flying bird with perfect accuracy,  after  hunting these boys had a special  follow up program  and that was to carry  their  trophy back to their imaginary fort of victory 

qatil maseeha

.... within seconds  Maya rani emerged from the next room  , her face was enraged,  her two  guards were escorting her ,Maya rani completely ignoring them stamped past  to reach the hall  it was called tamboora  by the natives,  they followed her  into  the  tamboora, , she approached a alligator and hit it  and screamed  fiercely  dolma dolma  Maya rani  s voice was resounding 

From one corner  rise the approaching sounds of footsteps,  chief  guard dolma  striding  had reached there in the tamboora hall , hearing the noise  several other men and women  crowded  in the assembly,  and then  the faces of Maura and others  apparently  the noise had  drawn them to that spot 

Maya rani looked at maira and others ,  her face  was  blazing  shiny 

What is happening asked innocently  Maira  it was certain  maira and rai were absolutely unaware of the latest developments  that  the secret was blown up

Maya rani  in broken hundi asked them who else could know what exactly was happening except them , her meaningful tone  startled both rai and  Maira  , some more armed female guards of dolma had surrounded  them 

page 8

....the young horse rider  came back to sit down in his  favorite place,  he was profusely sweating after hours of  horse riding  but he was still looking fresh and strong and nit drained out,  he stretched his arms  and relaxed  , his eyes were fixed on  the samarqand road   used specifically by the wealthy Iranian  merchants  and their caravans,  the sight of passing  caravans   was  most pleasing 

Amidst the Iranian  caravans  were women in face  covers  surrounded by guards , these  veiled women  appeared  more attractive  than the open faces of the local women,  , the Arab men were lean and also   traders , silk and carpets and other precious  things were carried  , sometimes  pale faced slaves were seen following them  in dust,  , besides these people  beggars  holding their bowls  aimlessly  roaming from town to town were also a common sight 

The masked women , the lean Arab traders,  the pale dusty slaves and the vagabond beggars   along with  the jews on mule backs  and frequently Hindu  businessmen robbed by  afghan highway robbers were seen  screaming 

 

aqidatmand

...Michigan,  1990 bell creek 

It was   spring season  Diana Newton  thirty four year old celebrity  rose at sunrise   freshened up to get ready before leaving for work, she was an established anchor  on two local television stations  WUHQ , she lived in a faraway  from the city life in a two storey farm house,  therefore sge had to wake up early to reach the television station on time for the morning show,  she was ready and looking for her briefcase,  at that moment her husband Brad  called her from the ground floor  kitchen  that breakfast was ready  , she was expecting her second,  , perhaps this was the reason she  was ravenous  frequently,  she cautiously  climbed down the stairs   to join ber firstborn daughter  two years old sitting at the breakfast table on her high chair waiting fir Diana,  tge family of three ate their breakfast,  then Diana kissed her daughter Molly on her forehead  and walked towards the door,  her husband forty three  usually  prepared them breakfast regularly  , be was assistant professor in criminal justice at Michigan University 

from previous

Manhat  reached home  , the voices  rising from the room  stopped her midway,  her elder brother  marhad and his wife raunaq jahan  were arguing   on a high pitch,  hearing her name she clung the wall   to more attentively  catch the bombing  between her brother and his wife murder was saying  ever since you have arrived in this house after marriage  me and my sister  never gave you any trouble  we didn't restrict you from doing what you want,  we gave you full control of the entire household and only only you  had the power and authority to give  orders,   you are stubborn selfish and  self centered but we never  stopped you,  but the matrimonial proposal you have  brought fir her I am totally against it  and she won't accept it  for sure 

Ragnar jahan  roared ferociously  to put on glasses of practical life and look at his sister,  what  a dark complexion  , no matter what her features are without  fair complexion  she is not noticeable,  do many  suitors arrived but she was rejected if  unwittingly the brightness of youth is  gone  you both brother and sister will   regret it for life 

humraaz

As usual  following the routine  emerged  from the school  farzin and  narhat  to  step into their favorite restaurant  to let's have tea , both  liked the burgers and  tea in this restaurant  because  they could comfortably  sit  and discuss  their  personal matters   and  current affairs wiping the plates of  burgers clear  and  pouring  hot tea down their throats,   this tea break  revived their exhausted  forms  filling them up with renewed energy they were depleted of since morning,  it was a relaxing  experience for them,   to listen and  tell   and then  leave  to go their respective ways 

Both  would  pay the bill nit splitting  it because they belonged to the same clan,  reaching home  they skipped  day time meal  for two simple reasons,  first they were happily  eaten burgers with tea and second  they were on the plumper side,  water also worked like  evaporated butter on them 

After  a while  the topic of marriage    came up,   farzin  biting into the burger  lowered her eyes  and   forced her memory  to   pointedly  ask marhat  if  by God's grace  weren't visitors expected at her place  did they turn up or it was merely a  rumor 

Manhattan was sipping her steaming hott tea , the  sudden question  changed the taste of her tea to  bitter  unable to swallow  it, she couldn't answer  immediately,  an ominous silence  descended between them 

shaka

..year  2020

Vastok army base -Russia Sofia  exited the plane  and   observed   there was some kind of  unexpecred excitement going around in the army base,    the army was actively  seen moving  around the small  airbase 

Hello miss Sofia  major Smith greeted her noticing her presence,  she was   to be quickly ushered to the checking center  to be once again  taken back to the airbase to catch the flight to research center m it was a carrier plane  loaded with  groceries and medicines,  Sofia was not permitted to stay at the research center more than two days 

page 147

Pressing the ballpen in  his right hand fingers  mikeal was lost in deep reverie,  still  lost in thoughts he lit his cigar m he and Paterson were neighbors fir decades  ever since his first marriage  when he married tge second time  and  when Agnes came to live with him,  both marriages failed,  but  Paterson   and Agnes  behavior was unexpected  mikeal once again  bent  towards the table where   reports sent by Lara were kept , she was a patient of multiple personality disorder   result of harassment by the caretaker   treatment is given to the person  living multiple personalities,  kalsi and mona were also two different types of personalities  Agnes was leading,   , she had killed  George and police officer Grant  nit as Agnes but when she was kalsi 

,  mikeal took up the case and immediately knew it was a  complicated psychological problem,  

Now mikeal was divided  between ethical and  professional standards,  should he show favor to Paterson because of him his mother  s life was saved or should he  be arrested for his  negative role,  personally  mikeal liked Paterson   for being the savior only because of his timely  help his mother had survived,  finally he clicked pictures of tge reports from Lara on mobile and sent them to Paterson,   at least this much  he could do as a return favor