SILENCE...Chapter 4 UPDATE 31/1/2014 - Page 4

Dear Api,

Ap jab tak ye letter padh rahe honge..tab tak main ghar chor chuki hongi..

Please ap shock mat hoiyega..main ayaan se nikah karke wapas aa jaungi..

nai api nikah aj nai hai..ayaan or hum unke ammi se milne ja rahe hai..Bhopal..

Api ap please ammi or abu ko samjha dena,,hum dono jaldi he sabse milne aayege..

Hum khush hai api..

Ap apna khyal rakhiyega..or ammi abu se kehna hum unse bahot pyar karte hai..

Apki ,

Humaira😃

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zoya took her eyes off the thin sheet and looked in the mirror at the black stream flowing from her eyes.It was the last letter by humaira..Its been 2 month but still there was no news of her lovely sister.Zoya tried to contact every single person she knows to find her sister's whereabouts, but still there was no hint about her..She was sure humaira is not the kind of person to stay away from her family for so long. Her mother instinct warned her time and again that there was a bad news waiting for her in the end..what? she failed to understand.

Wiping her tears off,zoya neatly folded the thin paper and kept safely inside the uper drawer of the night table.

she turned behind and walked to the kitchen in order to start her routine..i.e search for her baby sister.

As she leaves the hall the first face come accross to her is her mom.Although zoya had loved her mother a lot and always shared almost everything with her.But the news of failure caused her lie her mom every single day.Each time her mom sees her she kept asking about Humaira ..how is she? where is she? y she is not calling? and so on..But answer to all this question were none with zoya.
sometimes zoya choosed to lie her mother to give her temporary happiness.It speacially happened during the initial days of hummy missing thing.but than as days past mother question increased and so were the lies of zoya. And now the time has come ,where she has to play hide and seek with her mom.

zoya watched as her mom walked upto her.she gave a faint smile to her.

"zoya..humaira ki koi khabar?" mom asked worried.

zoya gasped at her mother question nervously while her hands intertwined with each other repeatedly as she fidgeted with them. she watched the room, corner to corner, as if she was waiting for something, someone...

zoya waited for the miracle so as she would be save to answer her question.But it looked like god decided to test her.
she sighed as she knew that she have to lie to her mom again.

"am..ammi..wo mil gai hai..jaldi he ghar aa jayegi.." zoya said as her eyes rolled to the down to the right.as if talking to herself more than ammi..

she sigh again as the sin was done..with the dejected face she turned towards the dining table ,making sure not to meet her ammi's eyes.

traces of wrinkles could easily be seen on mother face , testimony of the hard time they were facing now.

she ate her food in silence as her mom stood at a distance watching her every move.zoya could see her question and scared face from the corner of the eyes.which just made worse her inner turmoil.

As she finished with food,zoya grabbed her phone from the side table and punched few numbers before holding the reciever over the ear.After a few ring passed someone answered
"hello.."a voice begun with stammer
"hello! salam Nikhat!"zoya said in her sweet voice.
"a..ap? boliye"

zoya could gauge the sudden behavioural change in nikhat voice,so she decided to ask her.
"kya hua nikhat? sab theek hai na!"
"ji..sab theek" her words were more vague than her thoughts.
"nikhat.." zoya started but before she could say further nikhat interupted in between.
"wo jane dijiye na zoya..ap bataiye apne phone kiya?" she sounded a bit confused as if trying to compose herself.
"haan,,wo maine humaira ke bare me puchne ke liye phone kiya..kuch pata haai tumhe...? kuch khabar ai uske?"zoya asked with a hint of hope.
"nai zoya..humaira ki koi khabar nai..."nikhat said as her voice sank into deep melancholia.
zoya felt a something piercing in her heart on the news and soon her eyes made a way for tears.
zoya just remained silent out of blue for a quite a seconds when nikhat voice echoed.
"per zoya..ay..ayaan ki khabar hai!"nikhat said in a low voice and flat tone,.
"ayaan ki..ayaan ki..khabar!"almost a beat skipped zoya's heart as she heard the news..her face lit up in a second and the ray of hopes could be again witnessed on her face..

"haan..nai ..matlab..ayaan ki theek theek khabar nai hai..but kal imraan kuch keh rahe the ayaan ke bare me.."
"kya kya keh rahe the imraan?" zoya asked delighted and curious.

"wo imraan se kal koi milne aye the..mere khyal se wo shaks ayaan ke bhaijaan the..unhone kuch sawaal puche or fir achanak unhone travel agency ko phone karke ek ticket book ki..keh rahe the..ayaan ko ab ghar le he ayenge!" nikhat said positive
"kya tickets ? kaha ki tickets?" zoya asked confused
"mere khyaal se unhone mount abu ki ticket book ki" nikht replied nonchalantly
"mount abu! Mount abu! Shayad meri humaira bhi wahi hogi..ya allah tera lakh lakh shukar hai..nikhat tum nai janti aj tumne meri help karke mujhper kitna bada ehsaan kiya hai..shukriya shukriya!"zoya felt overwhelmed at this moment..her eyes sprinlled few tears in happiness.

"main khush hu ke main apke kaam aa saki..zoya ab der mat kariye..ho sakta hai humaira hume wahi mil jaye.." nikhat replied positive

zoya nodded her head slightly in yes before hanging up the call.."shukriya!" she said as the reciever met the table..

zoya turned around to spread the news but stop within few steps."nai abhi kisiko bhi kuch bhi kehna sahi nai hoga..ek baar humaira ko ghar le aao..to sab ko bata dungi..abhi nai!"

zoya marched back to her room and after 20 minutes she came out with a small hang in her hand and a cotton cover bag hanging around her shoulder cross to her chest with I-pad in it.
she checked her pocket for atm crds which were always with her through out her search.at last before leaving she picked up her cell phone from table and as she was about to make a way towards door.zoya eyes went towards the small book kept above the Riyal.
she walked towards it and took the book in hand gently .she kissed the book and touched her to each eye in spiritual way.and again kissed it back.
she slided the book inside the bag cross her chest with i -pad..she smiled as she looked at the frame ,its a spiritual message ..she read it and smiles back looking into air.

"ya allah..rasta mil gaya hai..ab manzil tak pohochana apke hawale hai..humaira ka khyal rakhna jab tak main us tak na pohuchu..kyunki mujhe yakeen hai..bus chand pal ki duri or..or main humaira ke sath houngi.."