Posted:
River Of
This is just a short one shot, written during the days of my boredom last week.
I thought I'd include basic background information to avoid confusion:
The story is set in Egypt.
Geet is a Muslim girl, 17 years old.
Maan is a non Muslim, 20 years old.
Part 1
The hot, baking sunshine felt like it was about burn through me, as I walked along the quiet sandy road, kicking a few stones out of the way.
The heavy basket on my head, made entirely of rich cement would be ten times heavier when I would be on my way back with it full of water.
"Salaam," greeted a woman who was a friend of my mother's.
"Salaam," I replied, smiling as I continued, adjusting my scarf to ensure none of my hair was showing.
I reached the river, the midday sunshine at its peak. Taking my usual place at the bank of the river, I sat down, breathing sighs of relief as I pulled the colourful basket down from my head, placing it beside me.
My feet were aching, & the small breeze that came from the river felt refreshing.
Taking my white sandals off, I dipped my feet into the river, making small circles with my feet. I closed my eyes, feeling lost in the cooling sensation it brought.
I quickly opened my eyes, snapping back to reality. Mother would be eagerly waiting for the water to arrive so that she could wash Father's clothes.
Grabbing the basket, I carefully placed one end of it in the river, using my other free hand to guide the clear blue water into it.
A few splashes landed on my arms, wetting my glass bangles.
I continued with the process, making sure the basket would be completely full as Mother requested. This would also save me more gruelling trips to the river bank.
Suddenly, I felt a strange feeling overcome me.
The feeling that I was being watched from afar.
I adjusted my scarf before looking up, then around me. There was no sign of life to my left, or to my right.
But when I glanced ahead, there was a young man on the opposite side of the river. He quickly looked away when I looked up, which made me feel suddenly self conscious that he had been watching me the whole time.
I hurriedly stood up, the heavy basket in my hand. I turned around, placing the basket on my head & walked away, resisting the urge to look back.
As I made my way home, I kept replaying what had just happened in my head.
He had been wearing a dark blue shirt, with dark blue jeans.
I couldn't make out his features exactly from afar, but I was certain he had dark brown eyes, which had looked warm in their depth.
He had some sort of stubble growing along his chiseled jaw, but it added to his masculine yet intriguing look.
I found myself wondering if he would be there the next time I went to the river bank.
I highly doubted it, yet I couldn't figure out why a small part of me was hoping that I'd get to see him again.
The first time I saw her had been exactly 2 weeks to this date.
I had been helping my Uncle on a construction project which happened to be located by the river.
Coming from the USA, manual labour wasn't something I took a liking to.
And the hot, unbearable heat of Egypt was making it almost impossible for me to stand & observe in the scorching sun.
My father & uncle ran a joint, wealthy business back home in the States which specialised in building properities abroad.
Keen for me to join the bandwagon, my father had ordered me to join them on the trip, claiming that some first hand experience would be useful for when I eventually took over the business.
After endless complaints, Uncle sent me down to the river, saying that I was no good standing around moaning & that the river bank was much cooler than the rest of the deserted area that we had to spend most of the day in.
So, desperate for some shade, I found my way to the river bank, with disappointment quickly replacing my hope.
There was nothing around. Just a few palm trees dotted around the bank, with little shade.
No sign of life, which meant no food or water.
Apart from the water that flowed in the river, but I wasn't about to drink that.
I stood dejected by the bank for a few minutes, mindlessly staring into space then gave up & was about to turn on my heels & go back I saw something blue from the corner of my eyes.
Turning back fully to see what it was, a young girl wearing a long baby blue, full sleeved top which went right down to her ankles was at the other side.
She had a matching blue scarf wrapped loosely around her head, covering her hair.
The sight distracted me, for reasons I didn't know why. She was strangely fascinating; my eyes could not leave her as I watched her sweep the water into the basket effortlessly.
A few loose strands of hair kept blowing in her pale heart shaped face, which she continously pushed away.
Her gaze was fixated on the task in hand, & I found myself wanting her to look up, for her eyes to meet mine.
Much to my disappointment, she finished with her job & stood up, turning away as she placed the basket on her head & walked away.
I watched her leave, every step she took radiated simplicity yet grace.
And from that day onwards, I had made a habit to come down to the river bank so I could see the girl. Some days, I would be unlucky as she wouldn't appear.
But on other fruitful days, like today, she would arrive & I would find my heart beating erractically everytime she appeared from behind the huge palm tree & sat on the bank.
My heart's desire was truly fulfilled today as for the first time in 2 weeks, she looked up & noticed me.
Even though she was quite far away from me, her big hazel eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at me.
It felt like time had stopped, & as I continued to look into her eyes it seemed as if the girl had slowly but surely become the focal point of my life.
And then suddenly, without warning, she stood up & turned to leave. I had watched her do this everyday, but today my mind was screaming at her to stay.
Unconsciously, my feet took an accord of their own & stepped forward, but then I looked down & realised the river flowing between us.
I did not know her, nor did she know me.
I was a stranger to her, just like she had been a stranger to me.
She walked away like she always did, & I would walk away in the opposite direction, my mind filled with her thoughts.
But there was one thing I was certain of.
I would come here, just to see her everyday.
She would come here to collect water, just like she did everyday.
And this river would continue to be the connection between us.
Until one day I would finally build up my courage & approach the beautiful girl.
One shots aren't my strongest point. They always turn out blah.
But I thought I'd share this with you before I forgot about it.
Let me know what you think, feedback is always appreciated.
And if you liked it, then the like button becomes your best friend & he would very much like you to click it đł
~ My Fanfictions ~
This is just a short one shot, written during the days of my boredom last week.
I thought I'd include basic background information to avoid confusion:
The story is set in Egypt.
Geet is a Muslim girl, 17 years old.
Maan is a non Muslim, 20 years old.
Part 1
The hot, baking sunshine felt like it was about burn through me, as I walked along the quiet sandy road, kicking a few stones out of the way.
The heavy basket on my head, made entirely of rich cement would be ten times heavier when I would be on my way back with it full of water.
"Salaam," greeted a woman who was a friend of my mother's.
"Salaam," I replied, smiling as I continued, adjusting my scarf to ensure none of my hair was showing.
I reached the river, the midday sunshine at its peak. Taking my usual place at the bank of the river, I sat down, breathing sighs of relief as I pulled the colourful basket down from my head, placing it beside me.
My feet were aching, & the small breeze that came from the river felt refreshing.
Taking my white sandals off, I dipped my feet into the river, making small circles with my feet. I closed my eyes, feeling lost in the cooling sensation it brought.
I quickly opened my eyes, snapping back to reality. Mother would be eagerly waiting for the water to arrive so that she could wash Father's clothes.
Grabbing the basket, I carefully placed one end of it in the river, using my other free hand to guide the clear blue water into it.
A few splashes landed on my arms, wetting my glass bangles.
I continued with the process, making sure the basket would be completely full as Mother requested. This would also save me more gruelling trips to the river bank.
Suddenly, I felt a strange feeling overcome me.
The feeling that I was being watched from afar.
I adjusted my scarf before looking up, then around me. There was no sign of life to my left, or to my right.
But when I glanced ahead, there was a young man on the opposite side of the river. He quickly looked away when I looked up, which made me feel suddenly self conscious that he had been watching me the whole time.
I hurriedly stood up, the heavy basket in my hand. I turned around, placing the basket on my head & walked away, resisting the urge to look back.
As I made my way home, I kept replaying what had just happened in my head.
He had been wearing a dark blue shirt, with dark blue jeans.
I couldn't make out his features exactly from afar, but I was certain he had dark brown eyes, which had looked warm in their depth.
He had some sort of stubble growing along his chiseled jaw, but it added to his masculine yet intriguing look.
I found myself wondering if he would be there the next time I went to the river bank.
I highly doubted it, yet I couldn't figure out why a small part of me was hoping that I'd get to see him again.
The first time I saw her had been exactly 2 weeks to this date.
I had been helping my Uncle on a construction project which happened to be located by the river.
Coming from the USA, manual labour wasn't something I took a liking to.
And the hot, unbearable heat of Egypt was making it almost impossible for me to stand & observe in the scorching sun.
My father & uncle ran a joint, wealthy business back home in the States which specialised in building properities abroad.
Keen for me to join the bandwagon, my father had ordered me to join them on the trip, claiming that some first hand experience would be useful for when I eventually took over the business.
After endless complaints, Uncle sent me down to the river, saying that I was no good standing around moaning & that the river bank was much cooler than the rest of the deserted area that we had to spend most of the day in.
So, desperate for some shade, I found my way to the river bank, with disappointment quickly replacing my hope.
There was nothing around. Just a few palm trees dotted around the bank, with little shade.
No sign of life, which meant no food or water.
Apart from the water that flowed in the river, but I wasn't about to drink that.
I stood dejected by the bank for a few minutes, mindlessly staring into space then gave up & was about to turn on my heels & go back I saw something blue from the corner of my eyes.
Turning back fully to see what it was, a young girl wearing a long baby blue, full sleeved top which went right down to her ankles was at the other side.
She had a matching blue scarf wrapped loosely around her head, covering her hair.
The sight distracted me, for reasons I didn't know why. She was strangely fascinating; my eyes could not leave her as I watched her sweep the water into the basket effortlessly.
A few loose strands of hair kept blowing in her pale heart shaped face, which she continously pushed away.
Her gaze was fixated on the task in hand, & I found myself wanting her to look up, for her eyes to meet mine.
Much to my disappointment, she finished with her job & stood up, turning away as she placed the basket on her head & walked away.
I watched her leave, every step she took radiated simplicity yet grace.
And from that day onwards, I had made a habit to come down to the river bank so I could see the girl. Some days, I would be unlucky as she wouldn't appear.
But on other fruitful days, like today, she would arrive & I would find my heart beating erractically everytime she appeared from behind the huge palm tree & sat on the bank.
My heart's desire was truly fulfilled today as for the first time in 2 weeks, she looked up & noticed me.
Even though she was quite far away from me, her big hazel eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at me.
It felt like time had stopped, & as I continued to look into her eyes it seemed as if the girl had slowly but surely become the focal point of my life.
And then suddenly, without warning, she stood up & turned to leave. I had watched her do this everyday, but today my mind was screaming at her to stay.
Unconsciously, my feet took an accord of their own & stepped forward, but then I looked down & realised the river flowing between us.
I did not know her, nor did she know me.
I was a stranger to her, just like she had been a stranger to me.
She walked away like she always did, & I would walk away in the opposite direction, my mind filled with her thoughts.
But there was one thing I was certain of.
I would come here, just to see her everyday.
She would come here to collect water, just like she did everyday.
And this river would continue to be the connection between us.
Until one day I would finally build up my courage & approach the beautiful girl.
One shots aren't my strongest point. They always turn out blah.
But I thought I'd share this with you before I forgot about it.
Let me know what you think, feedback is always appreciated.
And if you liked it, then the like button becomes your best friend & he would very much like you to click it đł
~ My Fanfictions ~
Arjun
Cricket
Udne Ki Aasha
294