The Highway

Today I will tell you a story. It’s not a long one, but it’s a little scary. So before reading further, be prepared. Shut the doors, the windows. Tighten the tap of your bathrooms so that the dropping sound of water doesn’t scare you. If someone is with you it is better, and if you are alone then I can’t take the guarantee. Keep a torch or a candle with matchbox nearby, so that you can lighten it at the moments you need so. In such situations the electricity goes for a tour. Full you stomach and cut down your nails, so that you can’t bite them while reading the story. Keep a bottle of water with yourself and if needed empty yourself in the bathroom. I am telling all this because these activities will need very less effort before reading the story. Once you complete the story, you would be in a complete scare. So if you are ready with all this, let’s proceed.

This is a story of a highway between two villages in Haryana. Let it be day or night, no driver of a vehicle crossed it alone. And if he was alone, he had to drive the vehicle at max speed of 90 or 100. No one could stop on that part of the highway. 20 to 30 trucks crossed it simultaneously, without stopping in between.

One night with a full moon, an army Colonel was about to cross that Highway. He already knew not to stop on the highway but he did not know the reason. Therefore before starting he instructed his driver to drive the car more than the speed of 90 and not to stop the car in any damn circumstances. It was the month of October, therefore the night was somewhat cool but the road was clear, with a dense forest on the either side of the road. There was a cool breeze and pin drop silence on the highway surroundings. There was no vision of any vehicle from either side of the highway. The road was in a bad condition since it was rarely taken by any vehicle. Since this road was a short cut of about 120 kilometers, therefore sometimes, rarely people used it in some urgency.

After giving instruction to his driver, Colonel occupied the car and the driver raced it to ninety. After some half an hour of driving, they saw a women clad in a white sari, with hairs open by the side of the road. From far she was waving her hands to stop the car. Colonel instructed his driver to increase the speed of the car as more as possible. The speedometer turned to hundred and the women was screaming to stop the car and it seemed that she was in trouble. As soon as the car reached the women, she jumped and grabbed the window of the car and started running with it. For about ten kilometers, at the speed of hundred, she ran holding the window of the car, screaming to stop the car. But as the driver was instructed, he did not stop the car. When the women understood, that they were not going to stop the car, she stopped and retraced back. The Colonel and the driver reached to their destination safely.

Now you think, is it possible for a human being to run holding a car with a speed of hundred for ten kilometers? If it seems possible to you, then you should not worry on a lonely highway.

But if it seems impossible to you, then you should know to drive the car at the speed of hundred.

The Smell of Memory

I have decided to rename my forthcoming novel-“The Onion Tears” as “The Smell of Memory”. But I am still a bit confused between the two. If the whole novel is analyzed, the second title suits it more but after all the initial title has its own value.

This novel is about a boy named Farhan who leaves his house after tenth class for higher studies. Although the novel starts from his eleventh class but it’s really about how he reaches his eleventh class from nursery classes. It tells about the affect of the incidences and memories in form of smells in his grown up life.

It is about the chaos of his mind, his friend Anees, his girl friend Yasmeen, his foe bitch.

It is about his feelings which started from his immature age till the semi mature one. It’s about the beggars, the markets, the books, the studies, the songs, the internet, the chatting and many more.

The following is an extract from one of the chapters of the novel.

The quarter dipped moon in his thoughts showered the donated light by sun on the fruity flowers, roaming rivers, tall trees, macho mountains and frenetic Farhan. The leaves smiled shyly, the flowers sung the song of desires, and the trees trembled with temptation. The air had variations in its smell and temperature. It had effect on Farhan’s nostalgic thoughts of the childhood days. Sometimes it smelled like rain on earth, sometimes like rain on leaves, sometimes like fog on flowers and sometimes like fog on smoke. It was sometimes cool, sometimes cold. It was sometimes damp, sometimes pleasant. Those smells and those feelings time travelled his brain to the past parodies. But that lasted for very less time. He went to the past and returned to the present.

Periodic pains & pleasures. Like sine cos curves.

Brain battered. With flashing memories.

Smells sucked. Through the hibernating nose.

Feelings frothed. When they fell in liquid emotions.

Sounds saturated. By the noise making thoughts.

Rain reverberated. Around the nature’s dryness.

Temperature twisted. In the isothermal space.

Sometimes they pained him profusely and sometimes they gained him happiness. The smell of the burning wood in the early mornings and the late evenings made him happy. The smell of the burning tires in night made him sad. The smell of the open sewer lines scared him with unknown fear. The sound of the blacksmith’s hammering on the red hot iron bar reminded him that now it was his turn. The sound of the crickets in night created more silence in the atmosphere. Who they called, he never understood. It was all black and blank. Brown smudge were distributed on the skin near his ankles. They were harder than the nearby wheatish skin. Sometimes he scratched them and could see pure red, like ruby, the red part of himself. He always thought not do that again but he did it repeatedly.

The smell of the rotten wood logging in water. The smell of the water with rotten wood. Succumbing stems, lusterless leaves, bleating branches and tranquilized trees under water. Lay lifeless, decomposing, dying, crying without noises under the breezing rain. The smell of the fresh wood cut by saw. The smell of the gradually decomposing coiled up wood chips born from wood planer. Sometimes they rolled due to slight breeze in search of their original parent woods. The smell of the wood powder. A layer of soft puffed wood powder on wet soil. The smell of the wet soil under which the dead insects lay buried without coffin. The green grass hoppers converting to brown bugs and then to black burials. The ants tried to carry them away to their dining tables but failed to free it from the grips of soiled deaths. The smell of the green to greener & greener to greenish leaves soaked with water. The smell of some old thoughts and the scare of those smells. Those old thoughts swelled inside his nose & made their permanent place inside his brain in the form of smells. Smells in the form of memories and memories in the form of smells. Different smell for different memories. Thoughtful memories. Memorable thoughts. They were hidden, sleeping which were activated by the smell outside the body. Outside smells attracted the inside smells. Like a magnet. Like a North Pole attracts the South Pole. Like a horse pulls the carriage. Like a sea carries the sand. Like a snail carries his shell. Like a breeze carrying the rain and rain carrying the breeze. Like hydrogen carrying the oxygen in a water molecule. Like a lub carrying the dub of the heart. Like an electrostatic force. Like Newton’s law of gravitation. Sometimes they hit the dead memories so hard that his whole body shivered undulated.

Dreamy disorders. Dwindled his peace of mind.

Doubtful breaths. Smelled like shit mixed with scents.

Everything faded like a night fades the evening and the evening fades the morning.

Farhan could feel an invisible drop of moisture on the tip of his fingers. It extracted the heat out of his fingers and evaporated in the air. Like this a number of drops covered his whole body and gave him the feeling of numbness and cold.

Everything froze.

Like an ice, which melted, deformed, froze and reformed again.

Late...

It’s about mid night. The lights of Rohan Villa are still on. Except the villa, everywhere there’s dark silence. By the way what anything else we can except at such a time. Ya, I forgot to mention, there’s also a sound of some creatures hidden in the dense grasses in the surroundings. And who could be awake to listen to those creatures. What is your guess? Is there no one? No, this guess is wrong. There’s someone at the gate of the Rohan Villa. A pair of eyes, that are sweet, watery, dusty, tired of waiting for one more pair of eyes. The night is trying to make those eyes to give up, but hope is such a thing which makes possible many things.
These eyes are of small, cute little 4 year boy Rohan who is waiting for someone. Let’s see whom he is expecting at such a time.
Rohan’s mother Sunita is searching Rohan everywhere in the house and at last she founds him at the villa’s gate.
Sunita: Rohan….Rohan. What’s this? This is the time to sleep my son. Let’s go to the bed dear.
Rohan: But mom, I am waiting for daddy. He must be in the way. Let him come and we will sleep together.
Sunita: But dear, it’s already late and you know that how much daddy has to work. So he may arrive late in the night. You do one thing, go to sleep and I will wake you up in the morning.
Rohan: Alright mom, promise me you will not let daddy leave for work in the morning, unless I meet him.
Sunita: Ok son, promise.
Little Rohan runs on his little legs and jumps on the bed making noises and he is happy to meet his daddy in the morning.
The night reaches its brim. Even the noise making creatures have gone to sleep. Rohan is in deep sleep but he his still murmuring that he wants to see his daddy.
Finally the birds start chirping and with their sweetest songs they welcome the rising sun. It’s bright orange, cool and pleasant.
Rubbing his eyes, Rohan opens his eyes, jumps from the bed and runs to his daddy’s bedroom to see him. But he has already left for work. Rohan’s face drops down with sadness. He calls his mother and asks about the promise which she made the last night.
Sunita: My son, you know how much your daddy works. It’s all for you dear. When daddy was leaving for work, you were asleep and lost in dreams. I was going to make you awake but he stopped me doing so.
Rohan: But why daddy did so.
Sunita: Because my son, he loves you very much. He will bring you a lot of toys for you. Similar toys like in your bed room.
Rohan: But I already have toys.
Sunita: You know the teddy bear in your room has a small baby.
Rohan: No I don’t. Where is it?
Sunita: He’s in the market. Daddy will bring that for you.
Rohan: Really.
Sunita: Ya son.
Rohan: Alright, but I will play with that baby bear, sitting on the shoulders of daddy.
Sunita: Ok son, now come and brush your teeth and have your break fast.
The breakfast is ready. Several dishes are there on the table. Rohan is having his breakfast with his mother.
Rohan: Mom
Sunita: Yes son
Rohan: What work daddy does?
Sunita: Dear, he has to go far in the fields and he does hard work there and earns money for his son.
Rohan: Mom
Sunita: Yes son
Rohan: Daddy loves me na.
Sunita: Yes son.
Rohan: Then why he never meets me. He never talks to me.
Sunita: Timing my son. It’s the odd timing and nothing else.
Sunita: Now you go and play.
Rohan forgets about his daddy and he is lost in playing with his toys. Night approaches. Again Rohan is seen, standing at the gate of his house and waiting for his daddy. After some time his mother again approaches him to take him to the bed. But she stops some meters before. Rohan is bending on his knees and he has joined his hands and his praying to God.
Rohan: Oh! God, I want nothing. You take my toys back. I will give you my favorite teddy bear also. I don’t want that baby bear also. I love my daddy. I want to play on his shoulders like before. I want to hug him for couple of minutes. I want to sleep in his lap for some nights. I don’t want to trouble my mom; therefore I am asking these things from you. She is already overloaded with so much work. She makes me breakfast, washes my clothes and loves me too. What more can I ask from her?
Sunita cannot bear the scene and the situation more. She wipes out her tears with her sari and asks Rohan to go to sleep giving him the same reason. Rohan goes to bed happily as before. Sunita is close to her bed singing him a sweet sleeping song. Rohan closes his eyes and goes to sleep in a hope to see his father in the morning.
Sunita puts a warm blanket on his son and walks down to the gate of the house. Is it the turn of Sunita now, to wait someone at the gate? No, she steps out of the gate and sobs, watching the nameplate of the villa.
On the name plate its written- Late Mr. Asutosh Sinha.

Room on the Third Floor

[It was mid July and every where the water droplets were showing their vivid nature. To some it was good, to some bad, to some exciting, to some pathetic and to some…something.
This is a story of a dark night followed by a darker dawn, when these water storms mixed with mischief’s opened the darker side of one's mind.]
I still remember the day. It was raining heavily outside our hostels. Everywhere there was a gush of water. Of course it had been two days and I was not able to admire the shining sun and the twinkling stars. I forgot the original color of the sky, though it was false but I loved it.
On that day, I saw a beautiful girl outside our hostel gate, with a tiny umbrella. She was trying to save herself from the unbounded rain droplets. The rain droplets were playing with her body. Sometimes they sprinkled from the left, and sometimes from the right. Alas, the poor girl after all closed her umbrella and started unloading her briefcase and other items from the rickshaw. No body went to help her and bring the things in the hostel. In fact I was also just standing and watching her getting troubled by the mixed events.
At last she was allotted her room and after two days the Saturday night came. In my life many Saturday nights came, but that Saturday night still haunts me in my dreams. I still remember that night, oh my God! It was the darkest night I had ever seen.
I was in medicine 2nd year and our work on Saturdays night was to call and gather the 1st year medicine students for ragging. We still were not allowed to rag the 1st year students. We were permitted to stand at the corner and watch how the 3rd year and final year medicine students ragged and harassed the first year students.
The moment came and all the first year students gathered. It was still pouring over the hostel roofs. One by one the girls were called by the seniors and they were pounded by a number of questions.
Then came that beautiful girl’s turn, whom I saw two days before battling in the rain with her items at entrance of the hostel.
Her name was Stella and she was as innocent as her face. But she was an adamant too. When her seniors asked her to sing and dance she denied. After many persuasions she remained still. The seniors asked her to leave to her room.
Stella thought that she escaped ragging and it was a very good bargain for her. But No, the seniors were more adamant than she was. They were not only adamant but also cruel.
It was already mid night and the rain started gaining its speed and the night started becoming darker and darker. I saw some seniors in a group, planning and discussing something.
I could feel the sound of air, the sound of the wet eucalyptus trees, the crying dogs, the croaking frogs and the dancing rains. The devil had occupied the minds of our seniors and they were planning something very very notorious.
After an hour, when the ragging was going on, I heard a loud scream. It was the scream of Stella, that beautiful but poor girl. My heart started gaining beats. Beats per beat, beats per beat, my God. They were pulling her forcefully upstairs by her hairs and her hands. I was praying to God, that Oh! God please save this girl from these monsters. We followed our seniors. They pulled her to the first floor of our hostel, then to the second floor and then to the third floor. My God, the third floor, there was nothing above the third floor but the sky and a small room. The sky- black and dark, evil and cunning. And the room big and darker, evil by practice. There were no lights in that room. But I could make out from lightning in the sky, the things present in the room. It was a single room on that floor and every where there was space- haunting. In the room there was a single bed with a pillow and an almirah in the corner. And to my horror, I could see something below the pillow. It resembled like fingers of a man. To that, later I came to know that the seniors placed a chopped hand of a fresh corpse under the pillow. But I think Stella didn’t noticed about that when she was outside the room.
She was screaming to leave her. She was shouting at the seniors. As she was asking the seniors to leave her, they left her. They left her in that room-alone and aloof. They locked the door. She screamed more, she banged the doors from inside asking for help, asking for rescue. But no one came for the help. Her voice was lost in the sound of the thunder and the noise of the rain. Her scream was echoing in the Hostel. The reflected sounds were hitting each other but nothing happened. It was worse because the warden of the Hostel was on leave for that day.
I was on the second floor in my room. She was still screaming. I was helpless due to the pressure of the seniors. On that night it rained for hours and she also screamed for hours.
In between when the rain gained its intensity, Stella’s scream also gained its intensity. That night I was not able to sleep. I was tensed, frustrated and angry on myself and the seniors.
When dawn approached, every where it was silent. It was still dark but the raining had stopped and so the screaming of Stella. I was still on my bed, thinking about that poor girl, her condition and the haunting situation which she faced the previous night.
When the day came, I heard a noise of many people coming upstairs to my floor. I came out of the room just from the bed and saw that many students and Warden were going upstairs, on the third floor. I also joined them. I reached the third floor of the Hostel and reached to that room. All other people joined me. I could hear no sound of crying or weeping from the room. First I thought she must be sleeping. But then I thought how she could be sleeping when I was not able to sleep that night. Anyhow, I and all the people were going to get the answers of their questions in some minutes. The gate keeper broke the lock of the room as it was not revealed that who was having the key of the lock. The gate keeper started moving the latch. Its sound was horrible. I was not in the mood to face that scene. I was somehow forcing myself to stand there and to give stress to eyes and to my mind.
Finally the door made a noise and was opened. Straightaway, my eyes went on the bed. I could see the stains of the blood on the bed and the pillow but there was no Stella on the bed and on the ground.
Just then my heart started beating more and more, beats per beat, beats per beat. I started trembling when a thought came to my mind. I looked at the fan but there was nothing at fan. Just then I saw something on the top of the Almirah. I stopped breathing. I stopped blinking. I saw a creature with unlaced hairs and torn clothes. She was Stella. She was sitting on the top of the almirah and was rupturing the flesh with her red teethes and eating the flesh of the chopped hand which the devils placed below the pillow.
I still remember, Oh my God! She was eating the flesh, nodding her head, looking at us and smilingly offering us the breakfast.
I never saw that beautiful girl again in the hostel. I heard that she became psycho after that incident. The third floor room was locked and sealed. The senior students involved in the ragging were rusticated. Still the Ragging goes on in the hostel in the name of Introduction.
Today also, in the month of July when there is a Saturday night and it pours, she screams from the room in the dark-please open, else I will die, please let me go, or something will happen……

Let's Fool Around (Extracts)

Since it was evening, therefore the atmosphere cooled down. Thus the faces of the people looked some what relaxed. But the whole public was tensed because of the late train. Coolies in red were also waiting to lift the luggage’s so as to earn something. But alas, the train was no where.
Suddenly Rahul’s eyes went over a girl clad in white salwar kameez. She was seated on a brief case and was looking at her watch frequently. Although there was a big clock of the platform facing her, but then also she was giving pain to her wrist by turning it again and again. After all she was a girl.
“Look yaar, look”, Rahul whispered to every one.
“What to look at”, questioned Karan to Rahul.
“Katto”, answered Rahul.
“Where”, every one raised there voice together.
“There you idiots. There at the big clock”, Rahul whispered again.
“I think she is also going by Gomti”, guessed Ali.
“Definitely yaar definitely”, confirmed Rahul.
“Yaar she is so beautiful. Yaar Mastan go and make friendship with her. Then you can enjoy your journey also”, Karan said.
“And she is alone also. She would at least need any one to look after her. Yaar after all she is a girl”, added Ali.
“Hmm...Today after so many days you have given me a right suggestion”, Mastan praised every one.
“But let me wait and see for some more time if she is alone or not”, Mastan added.
“If till fifteen minutes no one comes, that means she is alone” Rahul explained Mastan.
All of them started looking at the big clock. Some time they looked at the big clock and some time at the girl. The time was not passing. It seemed that it had stopped.............

..........After all, the class was over and all the students except Mastan went out from the class to drink water etc. Mastan quickly went near Rhea’s bag and slipped the card inside her bag and went outside the class room.
“Have you done it”, Ali asked Mastan in a curious manner.
“Yes, yes, yes, I have done it”, Mastan answered Ali................................

.................The tending love story, took a slight different turn, due to which the base of this newly formed relationship was mixed with love/lust, confusion and suspicion. Both sat a on a rickshaw and the rickshaw headed towards their hostels. Rhea was sitting with her head leaned on Mastan’s shoulders. Both were silent. Mastan was just thinking about the story which Rhea narrated to her. He was still very confused and in dilemma about the reality in her story. He was not able to predict what was going in Rhea’s mind at that moment. Was Rhea telling her the truth or was just playing a fool of him. But beside those confusions and suspicions, Mastan was happy as Rhea was tending to be his girl friend.

Secret of the Hand Gloves (Extracts)

It was a normal routine for every one. All of them had a long BC and went for a long sleep. In some rooms there were three people and in some there were two. But there were also some rooms which contained only one person. These rooms were a part of big mansion, which not only contained these rooms but also a big hall, a covered swimming pool, a basket ball court, a tennis court and an orchard surrounding them in a vast vicinity. This mansion was located at the outskirts of a city as it was meant for enjoying holidays. But these fellows were staying in the house for preparation of different courses entrance exams. Anil was preparing for his engineering entrance exams. Dhiraj was doing ............

..........“Abe kaun chutiya chilla raha hai be”, murmured Dhiraj. “Certainly it is Sandy, he will never get rid of his dramas yaar”, replied Feeroz, the room partner of Dhiraj. After a while all the fellows rushed in Anil’s room as he was the Don of the entire house. But in the room there was only Shiraz on his bed and Anil was no where. But after some time Anil came running. His clothes were soaked in sweat and he was breathing very fast. It seemed that a murder was attempted on him or he saw a ghost. Every one shouted, “abe kya ho gaya be, ye bawlon ki tarah kahan se a raha hai. Aur cheekh kyun raha tha”. Anil was so much terrified that he was not able to speak. He only told, “swimming pool”. Every one rushed to the swimming pool and were shocked to see the situation. The whole swimming pools water turned red and.....................

............Let’s leave them to discuss, as the matter is very critical as you have seen. First of all Iam sorry to keep you all readers in dilemma about the person who has been murdered. But I promise you will enjoy further reading. Well as you must have come across many other people whome I haven’t introduced. I think it’s the right and high time that I should introduce them to you. I would like to name the rooms as room no.1, room no.2 etc, so as to make every thing clear in this confused situation so as to reduce at least your confusions............

.........Going in kitchen in darkness in this situation was really a haunting one. Sweats were following their ways on the body and both of them were trying to reach the kitchen. “Arey Shaukat bhai, yaar aur logon ke sath ana chahiye tha”, Badal spoke. Shaukat replied, “sach me aise situation me mujhe to bahut darr lag raha hai”.There voice echoed in the hall and they any how reached the kitchen door. “Yaar Shaukat koi kitchen me hoga to nahi”, terrified Badal inquired. “Abe sale tu chup kar”, Shaukat cried slowly. Then Shaukat opened the door of the kitchen. Both of them entered the kitchen and started searching the match box by there hands. In this search something came in hands of Badal. It was some what soft type of thing. By inquiring the shape of that object Badal realized that it was a hand with five fingers.........

The Call Girl (Extracts)

The night was not enough dark to hide my sleazy face. But the sluggish clouds some how helped me to hide my face in the half moon lit night. There were three straight roads which met at the junction. I was walking on the footpath of the fourth one, which met all the roads at the junction, but was slightly a curved one. The cold breeze with a sight speed touched my sari and went away. It was almost 5th time that it did like this. The traffic lights at the junction of the road just blinked in orange color. It was a signal to tell the riders of night neither to stop and nor to speed up.
After walking a distance, I had reached to the same old tree. It was the same tree under which I passed much time waiting for my customers. This was not only the place where I waited. There were many other places too, but this place was somewhat lonely and far from the reach of crowd. On that day, I was thinking about the old tree that was going to miss me for ever. I was so selfish. It helped me a lot when I was alone. It gave me shades and was like a true friend to me. But now I was going to leave my work, my customers and the life of shame.
Seeing at the tree I said, “Oh my dear tree. You were a nice companion to me. You were true and faithful friend to me. I will never forget you. Please forgive me.”
My eyes were full of tears and nose was watery. I took out my hanky to absorb the tears in it. Just then I heard a voice, “Excuse me”........................................

The Journey (Extracts)

The moon continuously followed us. Its speed was same as of ours. It was a full moon and the yellow light filtered through the green trees and touched the road. The road was long curved in a special fashion and the jeep was running smoothly. In between some jerks were coming but they got lost in the way. The air was gushing inside and was playing with our hairs. I lay at the back seat of the jeep and was gazing at my friends who were asleep on the back and front seats. I was thinking about my future without them. These friends remained always with me. In every situation of life they supported me. In school, in coaching, in tours, in exams and in punishments they always smiled with me. I was thinking about the same moments which I passed happily with them.
Now the time had come that we all had to separate. Our 10th class board exams were over. The result still remained undisclosed to haunt us. So we decided to plan the last tour of our life in which we all were together. That also ended drastically and the trekker stopped to drop my friends to their respective residents. Lastly I was also dropped to my resident. I was exhausted and was extremely tired. So I went to sleep.
Like this many days and many nights passed. In between we used to gather sometimes, just to enjoy the final moments. No one knew, who was to land up where. I met these friends, three years ago. Three years ago I came here to take admissions in 8th class. How the time has slipped and is slipping, time itself can’t tell.

It was a fine morning of June 1997 and at about 8 the phone bell ranged. It was the same monotonous type of ringing sound of a telephone which was used those days. At that time there were no mobile phones or land line phones of different ring tones. They were one and only one of their kinds. Well I picked up the phone and the hello voice revealed that it was.......................

The Sacrifice

[If you are left with nothing other than choosing one option from a number of given options and all the options seem equally correct, then what would you do? The story revolves around the various sacrifices made by different people. In the end, the story leaves the reader in a dilemma in choosing the correct option as the biggest sacrifice.]

It used to be very romantic scene when Gull used to meet Mahnaaz at the lonely river with his hands in her hands and their eyes gazing at the setting sun at the end of the river with a number of singing and perching birds, some playing, some flying over the blue aquatic surface making the water vibrate and produce circular waves traveling into infinity. Gull and Mahnaaz passed their time at the bank sometimes talking about the birds, sometimes about the river and sometimes about themselves. Many times Mahnaaz asked Gull a question that if he were in a situation to choose one option from the two- either marrying her or becoming the king of the country, then what he would choose? Then Gull’s reply used to be that he would like to go for the second option. He always used to tease her in one way or the other. But Mahnaaz was always one step ahead of Gull in teasing. She used to reply that this would really set her free from Gull and she would be free to come with anyone else at the bank of the river. But both of them knew that this was just a competition of teasing and nothing else.
Gull was a soldier of the country’s army whose king was Firouz. Firouz was a young king and a good friend of Gull.Firouz became king at a very young age because he lost his father in a battle. Like his father Firouz was also a brave fighter. Now the time came for Gull and Mahnaaz to appear in wedding ceremony of their young king Firouz with a beautiful princess Sameen.Gull and Mahnaaz looked very happy on the day of marriage. Gull said to Mahnaaz that he would also marry such a beautiful princess like Sameen.Then Mahnaaz took a deep sigh and replied that for this one has to be as handsome as Firouz. Like this the day of ceremony ended and the night fell.
A couple of days passed and one-day war was declared in the country. Mahnaaz was very much worried because Gull had to leave for the war. Mahnaaz tried to stop Gull by many ways. She asked him to run away from the country to such a place where no on e could find them. Gull explained her that this was not possible and it was must for him to go in the war. He promised her that he will return from war and then they will marry each other. The war continued for one week and it brought bad news for several people. The people lost their king Firouz and Sameen her husband in the war. Sameen fainted when she heard the news of her husband’s death. The whole country sunk in the deep sea of sadness. Time, the great healer, healed the wounds of people but there was no one to heal the wound of queen Sameen. Her eyes were always seen wet. Neither she wept nor did she cry. She became a living dead after the war. Gull and Mahnaaz felt very much pity on their queen. Mahnaaz always asked Gull that why this happened but never got her answer.
One day Gull was called in the palace in front of the ministers. One minister told him that before going for the war, king Firouz ordered that after his death Gull should be made king and marries queen Sameen and rule the country. After hearing these words Gull was in a state of shock and fell in a great dilemma because in any case he could not revert to the orders of the late king. He agreed and returned to Mahnaaz.When Mahnaaz asked about the matter he told her that the late king wanted him to become king after his death. After hearing the news, Mahnaaz jumped with joy and replied that why he was not happy with this great news. Mahnaaz was so happy because she heard only the half part, rather the good part of the news. She was so happy that she started thinking about their future life when Gull will be the king and she would be the queen. She totally forgot about the queen Sameen.Suddenly Sameen’s sad face struck the mind of Mahnaaz and the whole situation changed. The most joyous moment of Mahnaaz’ life became the worst moment of her life when she saw tears in Gull’s eyes. For an hour Both Gull and Mahnaaz sat together at the same lonely river bank but for the last time, gazing at the setting sun .The situation was just as their jokes came true which they used to do which each other several times at the same place. Both of them knew that this was the last time for them to be together at their favorite place.
The day came and Gull was married to Sameen.Some months later Gull asked Mahnaaz to marry Aftab.Aftab was a handsome person and was rich fruit merchant. Mahnaaz denied at the first time but when Gull persuaded her to marry Aftab for their love, the same love that existed between the hearts of Gull and Mahnaaz, she agreed. Aftab was a very loving and caring person .He always tried to make Mahnaaz happy. He always told Mahnaaz that he loved her very much and used to ask whether she loved him or not. Mahnaaz didn’t answer his question and just used to give a smile. Soon the days passed and God gave a handsome son in the lap of Sameen.The palace was decorated with candles and all the people came to see the small prince. Aftab and Mahnaaz also came to bless the baby prince. Aftab said that baby looked like his father and Mahnaaz replied that he looked like his mother.
Some more months passed and something bad happened. While giving birth to her child, Mahnaaz reached to a serious condition. The doctor said that he couldn’t save Mahnaaz. At the last moment Gull and Sameen reached Aftab’s house. Lying on her bed, Mahnaaz said that she wished to see her daughter growing up, playing and speaking before her eyes. She asked the fault of the small child that her mother died after her birth. Gull tried to assure Mahnaaz that nothing will happen to her. But she knew very well that what would happen. The last moment came and Aftab held the hands of his wife with lot of tears in his eyes. Mahnaaz said that she never told Aftab, but she always loved him very much from the beginning of their marital life. She told Gull that she tried very much to forget him and not to love him but was unable to do so. She said that Gull was the person who made her know how to love and Aftab was a person who made her know how to sustain love. She asked Aftab to forgive her for not being with him throughout his life. At last she asked Aftab to look after her daughter and don’t make her feel that she has no mother. She took her last breath in the arms of Aftab and closed her eyes forever. The whole environment was full of sorrow and tears rushed from the eyes of everyone.
Some days later Aftab came to meet Gull and Sameen.The asked a for a favor from Gull and Sameen.The favor was that he wanted that they should adapt his daughter as their daughter because he didn’t wanted that his daughter should feel that she is without a mother. Gull and Sameen accepted Aftab’s will without any hesitation. Then Gull asked Aftab that he would be alone without her daughter and how he would live without her. Then Aftab replied that he had no problem, he could live without her daughter. He said that he used to be out of the city all the time for business and when he would be in the city he could come to the palace to see her and meet his daughter. Aftab asked Gull to promise him that he would not let her daughter know the truth. Gull and Sameen kept Aftab daughter’s name as Bahar because she brought happiness in the palace. Gull and Sameen got a nice sweet daughter and the small prince got a sister.
The days turned into months and months into years. Bahar grew up into a beautiful princess. Aftab used to come in the palace with lot of fruits for her daughter Bahar.He spent many hours sitting with her daughter, talking with her, telling her stories and poems. Whenever Aftab departed from the palace he used to keep his hands on her daughter’s cheek with tears in his eyes. Bahar never understood the matter and she used to inquire the question from Gull, Sameen and even Aftab, but never got the answer. Bahar also used to visit Aftab’s house and used to eat delicious fruits. Aftab loved her very much and she also loved him very much. Since Aftab used to be out of his city frequently and didn’t care for his health therefore his health fell down slowly and slowly with time. He became a heart patient and started living in his house and left the buisiness. No one except her daughter, Bahar cared him. She always used to come daily at his house and see whether Aftab was fine. Gull asked Aftab several times to come in the palace and live there but he denied all the time.
One day when Bahar was sitting in the garden of Aftab’s house, she heard a loud voice of her name. Aftab was calling Bahar very loudly. When Bahar rushed in his room, she found Aftab lying on his bed with his palm on the left side of his chest. That was a heart attack and Bahar rushed and held Aftab’s hands. Aftab said that he always loved Bahar very much. With tears in his eyes, Aftab asked Bahar to forgive him. Bahar replied that she also loved him very much. And after that Aftab closed his eyes forever. When Gull and Sameen reached Aftab’s house they found Bahar crying.
The days passed by and the time came when it became necessary for the truth to be revealed to Bahar because seven days were left in Bahar’s marriage. Gull and Sameen asked Bahar to come with them. They took Bahar to the same lonely riverbank where Gull and Mahnaaz used to pass their time. Bahar liked that place very much. She said that she had never been to such a beautiful place. Then Gull told Bahar that today he would be telling her a real story that starts from this beautiful place. Then Bahar sat down on the sand to listen the story. Gull started to narrate the story from the beginning when he and Mahnaaz used to pass their time at the beautiful riverbank. Gull continued his story and at the end when Bahar came to know the reality, she neither cried nor wept. Bahar got her answer that why Aftab was asking her to forgive him.
After sometime all the three returned to the palace. In the evening Bahar went to Aftab’s house. Looking at his picture she wept and cried that for her happiness he ruined his life. She said that she loved him very much. She asked him that why did he asked her to forgive him. At last she said that she was proud of being a daughter of that father who sacrificed his whole life for his daughter’s happiness and daughter of that mother who sacrificed her love for the country.
Aftab sacrificed his whole life for his daughter because he wanted to see her happy and as promised by his wife Mahnaaz. Mahnaaz sacrificed her love Gull and Gull sacrificed his love Mahnaaz for the country. Firouz sacrificed his life and Sameen sacrificed her husband for the country. Whose do you think was the biggest sacrifice?