Vision Of Truth

CHAPTER LIST

2009-05-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

~Welcome :)
~Preface

The story begins...

#1: MEET THE TEENS
#2: SCENE IN THE KITCHEN
#3: CHERRY'S FATE
#4: FIRST STEP
#5: NOT ALONE ANYMORE
#6: SPIDER SKULL
#7: FINDING ISLAM
#8: THE CRASH
#9: JESSICA
#10: KNOCKOUT FOR OUMED
#11: MEET UP
#12: RUNAWAY
#13: OPEN YOUR EYES

#0: Preface

2009-04-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Assalam Alaikom :)

Hi everyone! I'm really happy that your here! Thanks for coming! :)

I am writing a story on Muslim teens and the problems they face and what happens to them in their lives.

Some of my friends already know that I've written stories. When I was 11, I wrote a story called, "Friday Angelin," which was about a girl called Friday. She was living life normally and all. Then when she was participating in a swimming competition, something tragic happened to her. She paralysed both her legs and her life changed completely. But somehow, I never got to complete it and it's been long since I ever made any changes to it. But definately I'm going to complete this one I'm writing now coz(Insha Allah) I have a lot of motivation for it! :)

The name of the story is

VISION OF TRUTH

Look at the header picture, the main characters are;
Oumed
Nur
Salim (Oumed's brother)
Tahir (Nur's best friend)

I don't want to say much about the story now but the main characters are Oumed and Nur. Please keep reading and most of all, please comment! You're comments are really appreciated! :)

THE REAL PREFACE

2009-04-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

*After hours of typing and backspacing, typing and backspacing*

Please can I do the preface after I complete the story.

[It's not a request :P]

#1: MEET THE TEENS

2009-04-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

“Dragons, fairies, demons – those are all believable- but Dajjal! Give me a break!”
Oumed was arguing with his older brother, Salim, who was sitting on the prayer mat with the Quran open. He didn’t know what to do with his younger brother.

“Look, Oumed, this is the age of fitnah. Dajjal exists. Believe in the word of Allah, Little Brother.”

Oumed snorted. “I don’t even know why I’m wasting my saliva with you, Salim. This is the 21st century. There ain’t no Dajjal - Dajjal was a stupid monster made up to scare people like you.” He threw on his black gangster jacket and walked out. Salim had calmed down his anger. He just wanted the best for his brother.

Salim went outside to the backyard. He opened his Quran, which was old and worn with reading frequently. He began to read one of his favourite surahs, Surat al-Mulk. His clear voice was floating with the wind. “Farji ‘il basara, hal tara min futur?” [Look around you, do you see any flaw?] He looked around him. His heart was filled with love for Allah…. He breathed in the cool breeze and continued reading.

On the suburb of the city someone else was breathing in the cool air too. She was leaning on her window sill as the wind blew through her hair. So many thought were going through her mind. Then her thoughts stopped still on the most painful thing of her life. She remembered being 8 years old waiting by the heavy oak door of her house tears dripping from her hazel eyes. She was waiting to be picked up for the funeral…of her mother. She didn’t know how it happened or why it happened but she just knew it did. If my mother where here right now, I wouldn’t feel so bad…she thought and she burst out crying like a baby again. She remembered how she stood by the comforting bluebells which was her and her mom’s favourite flower. And her thoughts went on and on. Suddenly she remembered Cherry. I’ve got to talk to dad about her, she thought.

She went downstairs to her father. “Papa…” She generally didn’t like disturbing her father when he was in the study. He was sitting on his leather chair facing the fire place. As usual, he had a cigar in his mouth too.
“Papa…” she tried again. This time her tall father looked at her.

“Oh, Nur!” he exclaimed. It was as if he’d forgotten that he had a daughter. “Yes, how can I help you?” Mr. Khalid used his business tone even with his daughter. “It’s about Cherry. I wanted to get her to the vet – she wasn’t feeling well last evening.” Mr. Khalid’s hard business face didn’t change. “That horse is old. It needs to be thrown away.”

Nur was shocked. She could never get used to her father’s stone-hearted way of speaking. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her father noticed this. “Nothing to weep about! I’ll get you a new one. A sturdy white stallion, eh? A nice young and strong horse.” Nur couldn’t believe it. She walked slowly out of her father’s study and ran to her room. Cherry wasn’t some useless toy she could throw away anytime she wanted! Cherry was her precious horse, her best friend! Nur closed her teary eyes as she threw herself on the bed and continued sobbing.

In the dark corners of the city, there was a disco. It was full of mad teens, drunk, dancing, smelling, smoking. That’s where Oumed was spending the night.

“C’mon, Oumed! We don’t have all day!” Oumed was smiling. He and his friends were playing cards, gambling. Oumed was about to make a move and take the money home. He looked around the bar. It was full of smoke and the smell of alcohol was filling the place. Deep down, Oumed knew it was wrong. What he was doing was wrong. His friend slapped him . “Hey, man, what’s up? Play the game already!” ……

Oumed dragged himself home at 3 am. He was exhausted from staying up all night. He creeped to the back of the house and slowly started climbing up the ladder he made to get to his room without his parents knowing. For his surprise, Salim was waiting for him in his room.

“So, did you have fun?” Salim asked.

“Yeah, plenty of fun. And I won plenty of money too.”

“I’m guessing you spent the night gambling?”

“Of course. I’m using my skills to make cash, bro. It’s business. ”

“Oumed, what you’re doing is wrong. We’re Muslims, we don’t do these kinds of things. Allah is watching us. Death can come anytime. You need to change, bro. Just start praying…do you even still remember how to read the Quran. Oumed, think about your - ”

“Blah Blah Blah. Now get lost so I can catch up on my sleep.”

“Oumed …”

“LEAVE ME ALONE! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU? CAN’T I HAVE SOME PEACE?!”

“Islam is peace, Oumed.”

Oumed had already fallen asleep. Salim sighed and went to get ready for Fajr.

#2: SCENE IN THE KITCHEN

2009-04-24T05:09:00.000-07:00

Oumed’s stomach was rumbling in the dark. He twisted and turned on his bed.
“Oh man, what a perfect time to get hungry! What’s wrong with my stomach? Jeez…” he grumbled as he walked with his eyes half-closed down to the kitchen.

He passed by his mom who was getting wudhu for Tahajjud prayers. Her eyes lit up,

“Oumed, are you up to pray Tahajjud?” she asked, proud of her son.

Oumed rolled his eyes. “Now why would I want to do a thing like that?!” he exclaimed, throwing up his arms. His mother’s sad eyes followed him as he made his way for the kitchen.

“What are you going to do, son?” she asked curiously because Oumed was never known to get up very early.

“Make myself an omelet.” He grumbled back.

“Can’t you just wait for breakfast?”

“I’M HUNGRY, MAN!” he yelled. His mom shook her head and went to her room to pray. She would always make dua for him…

Oumed lit the gas stove and placed a frying pan on the fire. He sleepily walked to the fridge to get an egg. Meanwhile, a spark from the fire flew up to the curtains. A fire was slowly building up.

Oumed was still busy browsing through the eggs trying to choose a big one. The fire had caught all the curtains.
Finally, Oumed looked up. “WHAT THE-?!”

Saleem was just finishing up on his college project when he smelt something burning. Smartly, he rushed downstairs and found his little brother beating the curtains which had caught fire with his pajama shirt.

The fire had just heated up to the ceiling and the tube light had shattered. Funnily, the smoke alarm wasn’t working. Salim rushed in, pushed aside his brother and pulled down the curtains. He started pouring water on them.

“Hey, I DON’T NEED YOU! THIS IS MY FIRE! I CAN PUT IT OUT MYSELF!” Oumed screamed and threw himself on Salim.

The fire was spreading. Oumed was wrestling with Salim on the ground. Miraculously, the smoke alarm started working, water started spraying down from the ceiling.

Their parents came running down. “Astaghfirallah!” Their father gasped. “What’s going on here?” He asked the boys who were drenched with water lying on the ground. Oumed still had his arms around Salim’s neck.

“Get up you two. Now explain.” Their father ordered the two take seats.
The boys got up and sat at the dining. Oumed had his hands over his head. Salim was patiently looking around like nothing happened.

“Well?” their mother asked. Oumed finally spoke. “I just wanted a stupid egg.”

Salim said, “It’s time for Fajr. I’m heading for the masjid.” Oumed gets up with Salim too. Their mom asked, “Oumed, are you going to the masjid too?”

“Of course not!” he snorted, like it’s obvious. “I’m heading back to sleep. I’ve had a horrible day.”

His dad called out to him as Oumed walked up the stairs. “Hey, you come back and help your mom clean up the mess you made.”

“Whatever.” He said and run back to his room.

#3: CHERRY'S FATE

2009-04-23T04:41:00.000-07:00

Hussein, Nur’s driver, was polishing the car Nur usually went in for school and horse-riding.

“Assalam Alaikom, Hussein!” She said happily. The sky was blue and bright yet the wind was cool and soothing.

Hussein laughed, “Wa Alaikom Assalam, child. And where are we going today?”

“To the stable, of course! To see Cherry! I haven’t done horse-back riding for the past three days!” she smiled cheerily.

But Hussein’s face changed and became sad but he didn’t let the happy teenager see it. Soon they got into the car and went off.

Nur was going to experience another tragedy…

When they reached the meadow, Nur hopped off the car and went straight out to Cherry’s stable. Funnily, it was empty.

She asked the care taker, “Where’s Cherry? I’m supposed to ride her today.” The care taker was silent.

“Cherry’s not here anymore.” She said.

Nur didn’t understand. “What do you mean she’s not here anymore? Did they take her to the vet or something? Tell me!”

The caretaker was silent.

At once Nur understood. Tears came streaming out her eyes. She ran into the meadow and she kept on running and running until she fell to the ground.

“Why do all the people I love have to die?! First my mom, now Cherry! Ya Allah, I have no reason to live!”

#4: FIRST STEP

2009-04-22T23:28:00.000-07:00

Oumed was rummaging through his locker. His locker had a lot of cigarettes thrown around. He was getting late for Algebra, his favourite class.

He grabbed his things and shut the locker with his left leg. He is a leftie that’s why. But as he was rushing to class, he dropped his calculator behind. Nur was walking and she noticed someone had dropped their calculator. She picked it up.

“Hey! Your calculator!” But Oumed had already gone far.

Later at the cafeteria, Oumed and his friends were joking around while having lunch. His friends were talking about how Oumed won the cards game they were playing last night in the bar. "Man, Oumed you always win our bets!" Oumed was feeling good.

Just then one of his friends said, “Hey, there’s a chic walking towards us. She’s looking at you, Oumed.”

Oumed looked up. It was a girl in a hijab. He had seen her before. She always had a far-away look on her face and she was usually quiet. She didn’t stay behind after school like many other people. Instead, her driver was always on time to pick her up. Why was she coming to him?

“Um, you dropped your calculator.”

Oumed grabbed his calculator and mumbled, “Thanks.” And started poking his burger with a fork. Nur looked around and saw that all the boys on the table were looking at her. She felt very weird and she walked away as fast as possible.

#5: NOT ALONE ANYMORE

2009-04-21T00:23:00.000-07:00

Nur was sad. Why did she have to be alone? And she was the only one wearing a hijab in school.

She never liked to be with the other girls because she didn’t like what they talked about. And they flirted and wore disgusting clothes and Nur was just stuck in a world where she didn’t even belong. So it was rare to get true pure friends and cope up with the rest. It was so sad because at home, she had no one. At school, no one. And that’s why life felt so lonely for her.

She always thought why? Why is this happening? First my mother who I loved so much..then Cherry who was my best friend. Why is life full of sadness for me? She asked herself. It’s not supposed to be like this…

Days pass and Nur gets lonelier and lonelier. And it almost became a habit for her to find wet tissues all over her room..

Just a few days later, when Nur goes to school she sees a new girl with olive skin seated on the desk in the far corner. She looked patient and was wearing a hijab neatly tied on her head. She was wearing a hijab! She’s Muslim! Nur rushed to her and greeted her, ”Assalam Alaikom! I’m Nur. What’s your name?”

“Wa Alaikom Assalam. My name’s Tahir. Nice to meet you. ”the new girl said.

“Come on, I’ll show you around the school!” Nur said excitedly.

Tahir and Nur became close friends. Nur found out a lot about Tahir. Though she looked graceful, Tahir is like a tomboy sort of person and has a strong attitude. They became best friends moving around together.

“So what do you want to do when you grow up?” Nur asked Tahir.

“I want to join the army.” Tahir said strongly.

Nur was a bit shocked. She had read different hadith and she knew women weren’t allowed to physically fight with the army.

She was about to say something when Tahir smiled. “I know what you’re going to say. But I want to be a medic helping wounded soldiers and victims in war.”

Nur laughed. “That’s great! I want to be a doctor too!”

Times calmed down a bit for Nur and she started being happy because she had found someone to talk to.

#6: SPIDER SKULL

2009-04-19T00:29:00.000-07:00

Oumed was listening to music in his room.

Today he couldn’t go out with his friends because it was storming outside. He turned on the music really loudly and Salim in the next room couldn’t concentrate on his project.

His mom yelled out, “Oumed, turn off the radio!”

Oumed turns it on even louder. His father stormed into his room. “What do you think you’re doing?!” His dad had never been this angry before. “I’m your father and I need to shape you up okay? Now turn it off I say!”

Oumed said, “Dad, I’m like bored.”

His dad said, “Then go and recite the Quran.”

Oumed lied, “But I recited all day from Fajr.”

His dad was mad. He got Oumed’s boom box and smashed it on the floor.
Oumed was shocked. He had never seen his dad like this. He thought he was the one who ruled the house.

His dad said, “Son, if you don’t listen to me, this is what’s going to be happening. I hope you’ve learnt your lesson. Why can’t you follow the example of you brother?”

“Coz I’m not him!” He shouted at his dad who had already left his room.

Oumed was so angry. So angry. He tore off his shirt and started punching his pillow.

Salim had quietly come into Oumed’s room and was watching his brother madly punching pillows. “So what did the pillow do to you?”

“Whaaaaaaaa!” Oumed got scared. “Why do you always sneak up on me?!”

Then Salim noticed something on Oumed’s left arm.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing!” Oumed said while covering his arm.

“Show me.”

“Why should I? Get lost!” Oumed was furious. Every one was bothering him.

Salim caught Oumed quickly and Oumed couldn’t get free. Then he saw what he had on his arm. It was a tattoo. It was a skull with spiders around it.

“Why did you do this, bro?” Salim asked. He couldn’t understand why Oumed had done this to himself. It was like Shaytan stuff. He was scared.

Oumed shrugged.“Coz it’s our trademark.”

“Trademark?!” Salim was praying Oumed hadn’t joined some evil gang organization.

“Yeah, our trademark. We’re like in partnership with Shaytan.”

Salim was shocked right to the bottom of his toes. He was always calm and composed but this time, it was too much. He quickly let go of Oumed. His face was full of a mixture of fear and confusion.

Suddenly Oumed started laughing out loud. “Hahahah!!”
His elder brother’s face was making him crack up. “It was a joke, man. Hahhaahhha!” Tears were coming out of his eyes from laughing too much.

Salim had no words. He just walked out of Oumed’s room. “Audhubillah!” He was just the tiniest bit angry.

# 7: FINDING ISLAM

2009-04-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

When Nur and Tahir were going for the next period, Biology, a boy in there class called Jeremy had his legs stretched out under the desk. Tahir who was busy talking with Nur never noticed and she tripped over and almost fell.

She felt embarrassed. “Hey, can’t you watch your legs?!” she exclaimed.

Jeremy was pretty shy. He was a recluse. Right now, he was actually blushing way more than Tahir, the one who tripped, was. Jeremy’s eyes were hidden by his long brown hair but it was clear he was looking down by the way his head was.

The boy mumbled something that sounded like, “I’m sorry.” And buried his head in a novel.

“Hmm…Jeremy sure seems to have more modesty than many Muslim boys around these days…” Nur said thoughtfully.

“Hey, yeah, you’re right. May be he is an undercover Muslim or something…..” Tahir joked and they laughed.

After the 40 minute period of geography class, they headed straight for the library to read ahead for the next biology class. It was their favourite subject.

As they sat down, a tall skinny figure approached them. They looked up and saw…no one but Jeremy, the shy boy, who wouldn’t even dare to talk to girls. What did he want with them? Nur and Tahir looked at each other with puzzled faces.

“Um, hi.” he said in a shy but determined voice. “I just wanted to ask you something.”

Tahir shrugged. “Yes, go ahead.” Nur said.

He said, “How do you address Jesus in Islam?”

Nur and Tahir were first shocked then became so happy that someone actually wanted to find out about Islam and that was really great for them. They were so happy they have someone turning to Islam, the truth.

So they eagerly answered him, “In Islam we call Jesus, “Isa” and he is a prophet of Allah(God). We believe that he brought us the Holy Book, Bible which is called the Injil in Islam. The Holy Quran says Jesus was not crucified but God raised him to Paradise and instead a man who was given the appearance of Jesus was crucified in the cross……….”

The really good thing was that Jeremy was really interested in Islam. And he urged them to explain to him more about Mary (Radhiallah Anh), Islam, prophets, angels and the rest.

And Jeremy talked freely as well. He seemed dedicated to learning about Islam. “So do you guys believe in ghosts?”

“No, ghosts are supposed to be the souls of dead people, but in reality, when a person dies, his soul experiences life in the Kabr or grave until the day of resurrection.” Nur explained.

Tahir also went on to add, “But we do believe that Allah created other beings out of fire called Jinn.”

“You mean like the genie in Alladin? ” Jeremy asked.

The girls grinned. “Yeah, like that. So Jinns have super powers like travelling long distances in seconds and….” So the whole afternoon was about Islam. They even promised to bring him books on Islam.

Soon it was time to go home. Nur’s driver, Hussein, was waiting as usual.

“Tahir, jump in, I’ll drop you homw!” On the way home, they talked about Jeremy and how he had potential becoming a Muslim. They felt very happy with themselves for being able to help him. Alhamdulillah.

#8: THE CRASH

2009-04-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

Oumed casually walked in 2 hours after school.

His mom was baking cupcakes. The warm aroma of vanilla was filling the home. She hadn’t noticed him coming in.

“Mmmmm…what’s cookin’, Mom?” he asked.

“I’m baking cupc- ” His Mom turned up to look at him and gasped in horror! “What did you do to your hair?!”

“Duh, I coloured it.” He answered while throwing off his shoes in the corner. Oumed's mother was shocked. What was her son up to now??

“Of all colours, you had to choose red! Red!” His mother couldn’t believe it!

“What about you? Your hair’s not gonna be nice when it turns white!” Oumed wondered, what’s wrong with her? It’s my hair. Jeez..

“Go and wash it off right now, young man!”

“Hey, I paid 15 bucks for this thing! And it doesn’t wash off.” He plugged in his earphones and went to his room.

He was going to get ready to hang out with his friends that night. He was in a jolly mood. He couldn’t wait to go smoke at the local pub.

Late at midnight, Oumed put out that ladder again and escaped with his car keys. This time he was taking his gangster friends somewhere pretty far…..

He thought he looked so cool with his red hair, tattoo on his arm. But one thing was missing: the pierced ear. I’ll probably get it later, he grumbled in his mind.

His friends were waiting in their usual meeting place and he urged his friends to jump in.

“Come on, we don’t have all night.” Oumed shouted.

“Hi man, whoa, cool hair!” one of his friends exclaimed.

Oumed smirked, It was worth it anyway, he thought.

At the bar, there were a lot of teens, drinking, smoking, gambling. There were girls from Oumed’s school too. Oumed looked at what they were wearing. It was nasty. He knew what he was doing was way too wrong but he didn’t care…..

“Heyyy! It’s Oumed! Wow, Oumed! Your hair’s looking hot!” one of the girls said.

Oumed smiled, Another comment, eh? this feels good….

Deep in the night, with loud music and stinky tobacco smell around, Oumed realized it was late and he didn’t want Salim to be at the window again.

So he got up to leave the dark and smoky pub and every one was like,

“Oumed??!!! Where you going man?! Come on, it’s too early!”

Oumed felt really good, wow I’m becoming a celebrity already!

He stayed on sitting on the table, all his friends were drinking beer. And he was gulping down coke.

“Man ,Oumed, coke? Don’t be so cheap!” his friend Chris jeered and handed him a bottle of beer.

Oumed laughed nervously, “Man, I don’t go for those!”

The girls on the table were taking beer too. They said, “Come on, it’ s not harmful! Try it..”

Okay, just this once, Oumed thought. He took a bottle. And took a sip. His hands were shaking. He knew it was haram. He knew it at the bottom of his heart...but he didn't want his friends to push him off so he did it. He gulped it down to show he liked it. His friends nudged him to take another. His heart was beating fast because he knew he was doing a wrong thing. Alcohol is prohibited in Islam.

At around 2:30 am, he headed home. He staggered to his car.

“Hey, Oumed aren’t you dropping us as you promised?!” Chris asked.

“Buy your own car, dude!!” he shouted out loud so every one in the pub could hear.

“You’re a traitor, Oumed!” Chris shouted embarrassed.

“Mwaahhaaahaa!” Oumed laughed and started the car in full speed heading home.

Dark clouds,

shadows of trees,

rain pouring down.

Oumed felt so dizzy. He looked at the road, it was floating above. He looked at the sky it was shrinking.

Rain was pouring heavily. His head was throbbing, heart beating, dizzy eyes, confusion, restlessness, drowsy…….the tree in front… the tree!!!!......... Mad driving, Alcohol consuming……CRACHJKIUNMSHHRRR!!!!

Car hit, mad driver, late night, dead silence, fainted, Unconcious, Dark night………

#9: JESSICA

2009-04-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

Nur had a dream about Cinderella. She woke up screaming.

But she couldn’t really remember her dream. It felt like something bad was going to happen.

She looked at the time. It was 2 am. Still a long way to Fajr. But she couldn’t get any sleep so she decided to get wudhu and recite Surat-al-Yaseen. As she was getting wudhu, she recalled the fairy tale of Cinderella. Cinderella was mistreated by her step mother and step sisters. Yet she was a good and honest girl. But in the end, she became a princess so that made Nur smile. After all, after every suffering there is relief. Inna ma’al yusri yusraa.

At breakfast, Nur’s father called Nur and told her, “I’ve got you a new stallion. You’ll like it.” And he went off for work.

The clouds in the sky were bright white and were blocking the harsh sunlight. Nur was thinking of Cherry. The brown mare had been with her since she was 8.

“That horse is old. It needs to be thrown away.” She thought of her father’s harsh words again and again. Tears poured down her eyes. This is my fate, after all Nur thought as she got up from the chair my the window sill to pray Salat-ul-Dhuha. She always prayed Nafl Salat to get closer to Allah.

Nur decided to go take a look at the horse after Aswr. What harm would it do after all?

On the way to the meadow, Nur looked out the window and noticed that the sky looked a bit dark but it was still beautiful.

“What a beautiful sky….,” Nur said dreamily.

She got out of the car and looked around and exclaimed,”Hey, isn’t this where Cherry’s stable was?! ” Then she looked a few meters away, a new raised stable which looked newly built.

“Oh…,” she said, “So dad decided to renovate the stable. Hmmm…that just shatters a few of Cherry’s memories…” she said sadly.

How she missed Cherry! No one understands my feelings…she thought. But only Allah, The Most Kind…

She calmed down herself and walked through the subtle green grass as thoughts crossed her mind making her feel sadder than ever…

The stallion was beautiful. He was white like the clouds she had seen in the morning. He was sturdy like papa had said.

And the horse was calm but he neighed happily when Nur arrived, as though he had no-one and was sad being alone with no true friend who would ride with him. She looked into his quiet eyes and realized how precious and kind he was. But she was on the brink of depression because of all the things she’d gone through. She left him in the stable without riding him. But most of all, without giving him a name……

The evening sky was dark blue. Nur looked up at the sky and imagined how beautiful it was. She always looked at the sky. It was part of her and the sky was always attached to her heart. She felt safe with the sky above her. She dreamed of talking to the sky and flying with the birds all day without any problems, flying freee…….

She realized it was late and walked out of the big beautiful garden and left the stars in the night sky twinkling with each step she took.

The next day, in the late afternoon, when Nur was back from school, she fell shocked of what she saw in front of her.

There was a strange lady sitting cross-legged on the couch. She was wearing horrible clothes showing her whole body and she looked as if she was waiting for someone.

Nur was shocked what does she think this place is- a disco? Who is she anyway? She thought as she whizzed to her room before the lady could spot her.

Climbing the stairs, she saw her dad moving towards the lady and hugging her!

She stopped dead. I’ve got to find out! She thought.

She put her backpack on the chair and sneaked down to hear a bit of the conversation. A word from the conversation was just enough to let her know……she burst into her room, locked the door and fell on her bed.

“What is wrong with people?!!! Why? Why, dad??!! Jessica! She’s even a Christian! she screamed. This was absolute terror for Nur……

At last, Nur composed herself. She hadn’t eaten anything since she came home from school. She went down to the kitchen. Her face looked pale and stern. Her eyes looked as if she hadn’t been getting enough sleep for the past few months… As she passed the dim living room lit up with lamps, she saw her father, looking at the burning fire, and he noticed her. When she saw him, she felt so angry. She was just about to storm off when he stopped her,

“ Nur! Come here! I want to tell you something.”

Nur spilled out almost everything in her heart, “You don’t need to because I already know your plans. How could you do this to me?! I’m your daughter! What will happen to me? She’s not even Muslim! I don’t want a step mother who’s going to spend her days in the disco! Look at the clothes she wore today! I’m so disgusted, papa. I’d rather go to the orphanage!”

“Goodnight, Nur.” Her father said carelessly.

Nur couldn’t believe this! Her father’s stone heart can never melt even for his own daughter. No-one in this world cares for me!

#10: KNOCK-OUT FOR OUMED

2009-04-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

It was 10:30 am- Oumed’s usual waking time on Saturday. His mom knocked on his door,

“Oumed! Wake up, it’s almost midday! Come for breakfast! Hurry! Oumed!!”

His usual reply two minutes later was, “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!!” But this time, there was no reply.

His mum did the usual as she would any other day. She called him to come down for breakfast and went down to set the table for him. Five minutes, Ten minutes, fifteen minutes, Their mom asked,

“Where is that boy? I always wonder whether he’s had a goodnight’s sleep?!”

She went up again,

“Oumeeeed! Breakfasts done! Come on, son!!!”

No answer…no shuffling sound..no nothing…

“Oumeeeeeeeeed!!!!!” his mom shouted thinking he’d his earphones plugged on as usual.

...

Meanwhile, Oumed was under a tree, lying unconscious on the driver’s seat, wet from last night's rain, which had poured down on him through the shattered glass window. Yes, he had been knocked-out. The front tyres of the car were smashed and a terrible smell was coming out from the engine.The glass was shattered. The brakes were squashed near the tree trunk.

He started breathing heavily and he woke up. He couldn’t move his left hand. It was too painful. He had a horrible headache as well, and it took him some time to understand what had happened. Squashed in his car, he looked around and remembered....last night, the car, I crashed...

Painfully, he reached for his mobile. And dialed Salim’s number.

Back at home, Salim was with his parents in the kitchen. He couldn’t hear his phone ringing upstairs. After helping his mom wash dishes, he went back to work on his project.

He was so concerned about Oumed he went to the backyard and climbed the ladder which Oumed had placed against his room window. He opened the window and checked around the room but no sign of Oumed. Oumed’s bathroom door was open. He couldn’t possibly be there.

Salim went back to his project but a sudden interruption, his phone started ringing. He picked it up. It was Oumed!

“Oumed, where are you? Mom and dad think your still in your room sleeping!”

“S-salim,” oumed said weakly, “I - I crashed into a tree…”

‘’Oumed, where are you?!” Salim asked with a shocked and concerned.

“I’m at Windsor Avenue, near...near the big tree.”

Salim said, “I’m comin’ okay, just stay where you are.”

Salim went downstairs fast, still gripping his phone, and told his parents,

“Mom, dad, Oumed got involved in an accident.”

His parents stop dead, “WHATTTTT?!!!!”

They all got into the car and went to Oumed. They found him lying there weak, squashed within the metals of the ruined car. They rushed him to the hospital. They remained in the waiting room while the doctor checked Oumed. His mother was very scared for Oumed, she wanted everything to be fine for her youngest son. His father was concerned too but he was also a bit angry. Oumed is always getting into trouble, he thought as he walked up and down the waiting room. Salim was sitting patiently, making dua for his brother. Finally, after some time, the doctor came out of the ward and said, " There's no major problems with your son. Though it is amazing that he survived with only a few scratches.

But I thought you should know, he was very drunk.”

My son was drunk??? Oumed’s father had a horrified look on his face.

His mother collapsed onto the chair, so shocked.

Salim turned very pale and he looked so still. Salim thought he should have taken more care of his little brother...

They all knew that he was a spoilt brat and he smoked and they all tried to talk to him, they made duas for him to change and start praying and reciting Quran, but never in their lives did they think that - he drank!!!

...

The next day, Oumed was allowed to go home. He had only sprained his right hand and had a few bruises. Miraculously, he was generally okay.

That night, it was hard for everyone to get sleep. They all kept thinking about Oumed. His mom had a dream that Oumed would change. Salim woke up in between to check on his little brother. He found him snoring as usual and kicking the blankets around him. Sleep well, little brother, he said as he closed Oumed's room door gently.

Next morning, the sun shone down warmly and the dew drops on the grass were twinkling in the light. Oumed and Salim's mom opened the curtains cheerily, remembering her dream. Salim came down in time and kissed his mother's forehead. Salim loved his mother. Heaven lies under a mother's feet, he thought as he lovingly looked at her setting the table and making breakfast for the family. It was a beautiful and quiet Sunday morning with the birds chirping sweetly in the tall trees. Their dad was skimming through the newspaper. Soon, the last member of the family joined them too.

When Oumed, with his red hair tousled, came down walking slowly down the steps, every one was hopeful. His mom, dad and Salim thought that at last Oumed would change. This has to be the final call for him to change! He survived such a crash, he must realise how lucky he is!

They were all looking at him hopefully....

“What?! Why’s everyone staring at me?” Oumed said in a very grumpy voice. That ruined everyone’s hope!

Everyone was quiet. Oumed's grumpy early morning voice was echoing through their minds. His father finally broke the silence.

“So how do you feel, son?” His father asked.

“I feel just fine!” Oumed shot back.

The nerve...He doesn't even have respect for his father! thought his father. He wanted to scold him and tell him what he’d done. But then Oumed was still weak so he wanted some days to pass so he could have a talk with his son when he was stronger.

Tears were in his mother’s eyes. Why was his son like this? Everyone cared for him and they wanted the best for him.

Oumed sat down on the chair like an old man. His whole body was aching. He grumpily ate his breakfast and went back to his room. He wanted to listen to the latest hits but then he remembered his father had broken his boom box. He plugged in his earphones and started listening to his favourite songs. He thought about getting his ears pierced soon…and he fell asleep.

#11: MEET UP

2009-04-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Tahir and Nur were supposed to go and do some voluntary work in the mosque helping children with disablilities that afternoon. They had planned it together yesterday.

Nur was getting ready, she was just tying on her flowery pink hijab when her phone rang. It was Tahir. She said,

“Listen, Nur, I can’t come with you today.” She sounded sad.

“Why? What’s wrong, Tahir?” Nur asked, concerned for her friend.

Tahir replied, “Well, my cousin was involved in an accident recently so we’re going to check on him.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Nur said.

After they hung up, Nur didn’t even feel like going for their voluntary work alone. Just then, it was time for Aswr. She prayed and she made dua to Allah to help her because she didn’t know what to do. Her father’s mind wasn’t going to change. He was set on marrying the evil Jessica. Nur sighed.

***

Oumed was in his room and he had his hand bandaged. He was recovering. He drew skulls on the white bandage and threw the black pen down the floor. Just then, his mother called to him through the door,

“Your aunt and cousin are here to see you, son.”

Oumed grunted. “Argh, tell them I’m sleeping, I don’t wanna see them!”

“Oumed, you must be kind to your relatives, kinship is a ve-”

“Yeah, well I’m not much of a family person.” Oumed cut in coarsely. “Anyway, I’ll be down in a few - ”

But Oumed didn’t have to go down at all. His bubbly cousin came bursting through the door.

Oumed jumped out of his bed. “Hey, there’s something called privacy?!!!”

His cousin laughed out. “Haha, yes and there’s also something called coming down and greeting your relatives,” she said cheekily.

Then she looked at Oumed’s red hair, “You forgot to wash your hair after the accident?”

Oumed was fuming. He had a vicious look on his face as he stared at his cousin.

“Eheheh” His aunt gave a nervous laugh as she saw Oumed’s expression. “Tahir’s just joking, Oumed …”

She placed a huge bouquet of flowers near Oumed’s bedside. “Now, you get some rest, okay?”

“Yep, and don’t go around smashing into trees in the middle of the night, okay?” Tahir added with a grin.

“Get. Out. Now.” Oumed said in a dark voice to his playful cousin.

“Gee, Oumed you sure are kind!” Tahir said cheerily as she skipped out of his room.

***

A few days later in school, Tahir could see Nur was feeling down.

“Come on, Nur, tell me, what’s going on?”

Nur quickly said, “Nothing!”

She wasn’t used to really saying her feelings out. Besides she didn’t want to talk about her father’s plans to marry Jessica. She was mad about it but also embarrassed that her father could do such a thing.

Nur tried to change the topic. “Hey did you finish the assignment on the harmful effects of smoking?” She asked.

Tahir said, “Not yet. But who even needs to research on that topic. It’s obvious smoking is very dangerous.”

Then Tahir suddenly remembered. “Nur remember my cousin I told you about, who had an accident?”

Nur remembered, “Yeah...”

“Well, they found out he was drunk when he crashed into a tree. And he’s only 16! Can you believe him?! And he’s in our school too…. "

Tahir went on and on.

Nur couldn't concentrate on what she was saying. She was thinking other things. Her eyes had a faraway look.… But Tahir hadn't noticed.

She went on, "Look, there he is!"

She pointed to a laughing red haired boy who was carelessly joking around with his friends. Girls were surrounding the lunch table where he was sitting.

Tahir shook her head, "I can't believe him! His brother and his parents are so good..."

But Nur wasn’t listening. Her eyes had drifted off far away as she thought about life…..

Tahir looked closely at Nur, her eyes ha a dreamy look. “Nur! Your daydreaming, again! Were you even listening to me?!”

Nur snapped out of her usual daydreams, “Oh… yeah, say something?”

But it was late to remind her, the bell had rung for the next period.

***

Oumed was sitting in History class, he was tapping his fingers impatiently on the desk. He didn’t have the guts for History. He thought it was far too boring for people like him. The teacher dragged on about the World War and all the crappy soldiers and blah. Interestingly enough, his friend threw a note to him.

It read : Pssst….Let’s skip next class…. He looked at his friend wearily and said in a low tone, “Whatever…” He probably expected a much better note…

Meanwhile, two best friends were sitting not far from each other in the middle of the class, taking notes and listening intently. Nur was thinking, Maybe if I get the first rank, dad will think about his decision……. Tahir on the other hand, was also thinking of impressing her parents with colourful grades…..

Oumed was bored stiff. He cracked his neck and angrily looked at the time ticking ever so slowly. This long period of History was enough to give him aches. He got out his calculator and started calculating the sums he'd memorised last class. Math was the only thing that worked for him. But time was going ever so slowly that history class as their teacher went on about long ago's great heroes. What's the big point? They're all dead, anyway! He smirked as he looked away.

He looked around the class, his eyes caught a yellow scarf. Tahir caught his eyes too and waved at him cheekily. He glared angrily at his naughty cousin. Arrggh…he thought as he remembered what she had said the other day, that had pissed him off…..

But he looked closer to see the other girl who Tahir was always hanging out with. She was the one who brought him his calculator. And was answering most questions like a whiz kid and he was feeling a tinge of jealously spark in his heart.

“Get into your discussion groups, class!” the teacher abruptly said, disrupting Oumed’s thoughts.

Oumed watched as the two got up and moved to their group, while he was stuck with his friends. All they ever did in their group was talk and laugh about something far from History. He took a quick look at the two and shifted.

Tahir and Nur were three in their group, Jeremy was part of it. The three of them were having a great time laughing together.

Oumed in the corner watched them, Oumed felt a bit jealous to see that, but shook red head trying to shoo away his random thoughts and carried on like nothing ever happened.

#12: RUNAWAY

2009-04-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

It was 1:50am. Perfect time. Nur thought as she put on her rain coat.

She looked outside the window. The starry night was illuminating the dark velvet sky. It seemed almost mystically comforting.

Nur sighed. I need to get out. All my father’s negative emotion towards me makes me so weak! I need to find peace! She thought as she climbed down the ladder she’d fixed against her window sill. She quietly climbed down. Reaching the soft grass below, Nur breathed in the cold clean air and shivered as it filled her lungs.

The sky was beginning to get dark and it was drizzling. She broke out into a run. She ran and ran and ran. She didn’t know where she was running to.

She felt like screaming in the quiet and dark night. Noise was better than the stillness. The vast openness and the willowy trees weren't enough to drive away the mild sense of claustrophobia she was feeling. Suddenly, she wished Cherry was beside her. Her warmth would have been enough to make Nur unafraid.

She was nearly in the meadow. A soft breeze combed through the soft grass. Nur looked off into the darkness of the meadow - she could see a shiny light moving towards her, in a fast speed. She stopped as the grass of the meadow wet her toes.

Far out there was a horse, running towards……towards her! Am I dreaming? Nur rubbed her eyes. She heard the galloping sound of the horse nearing. She opened her eyes.

She saw him, the stallion which she hadn’t even named. He stood majestically near her, neighing so happily. It was the best welcome she could get on a lonely night like this. He spotted me running towards the meadow and came to me…..tears welled up in her eyes. She hugged her horse tightly.

The rain started to pour. Nur looked at the stallion. He was bright and beautiful in the dark night. She named him Angel (because he looked like an angel in the black night). Nur didn't even give second thought. She heaved herself lightly on the stallion. "Come on, Angel," Nur patted the sturdy horse. They rode on and on in the cold rain.

Nur had probably been riding through the meadow for hours. It seemed just like a few passing moments to her but her limbs felt exhausted - partly from running all the way here. "Let's get you to your stable, Angel." The horse neighed in acknowledgement. They made their way to the dry stable. They both shivered as Nur closed the stable door. She took off her raincoat and she soon fell asleep in a cozy stack of hay.

Within a few hours, the sky blossomed into a lavender dawn. The early-morning sun shone on Nur’s face. She got up and realized that she was in the stable and quickly recalled how she'd come here last night.

***

At home, everyone was looking for her. The maids searched everywhere for her. Mr. Khalid couldn’t understand why his daughter wasn’t in her room. He didn't show it but deep inside he felt a wisp of fear. The cops looked around the streets for her. Hussein, their driver, guessed that she was in the meadow. But he didn't have the chance to say anything. It wasn't long before Jessica came to know about missing Nur. She put on an evil grin as she powdered her plastic face.

Now’s my chance to split some relationships… father and daughter hmmmmm…..she thought. She was evil and all she wanted was to marry Mr. Khalid and poison him to death so that all the property could belong to her alone. Think about it Jessica, you’ll have all the riches; the grand mansion, the cars, the servants to obey you…it’s worth it.

So Jessica stopped Hussein from telling anyone his guess about Nur being in the meadow. She even stopped him from going to the meadow to check if she was there. Jessica grinned her evil grin and all over a sudden, her perfectly made face looked like a grinch from hell.

***

In the meadow, Nur sat on the grass with Angel beside her. She thought about home. “Can you imagine that? No-one seems to be bothered about me, Angel, ”she sighed patting Angel softly on his head. Angel neighed softly. He could sense Nur’s sadness.

Back at home, Mr. Khalid allowed Jessica to stay in his home till late evening. Yes, and this is just the beginning, Mr. Khalid…..she thought as she stared at the giant chandelier on the intricate curve of the ceiling. They were in the sitting room talking. When Mr. Khalid brought the topic of Nur, Jessica changed the topic smartly off.

“And….Nur, where could……..”

“Hmm, nice smell from the kitchen! I think lunch’s ready Khalid dear, ” Jessica interrupted.

Throughout the conversation, the topic of Nur was always brought up by Mr.Khalid but interrupted by Jessica again and again. This time, Jessica thought, I need to stop him from remembering that pesky little pest! And she did the worst thing anyone could think of; she lied. She lied that Nur did a bad thing,

“Speaking of Nur, Khalid, I hear that she run away with a boy in her school. She made a plan with him to escape in the night. What a spoilt child! Anyway, can I borrow the car ……..”

All the colour drained from Mr. Khalid’s face. “WHATTTT??!!!!!” he shouted, “That…a boy!....I’m surprised! How could Nur do such a thing?! You heard very very wrongly, Jessica. Who told you that horrible news?!”

Jessica was applying lipstick while looking at her small mirror. When Mr. Khalid was done, she closed the lipstick and laughed, “Oh really? When I saw her talking in school with that boy and skipping lessons. I saw it with my own eyes, Mr. Khalid. And of course I can’t lie to you.”

She said in her high-pitched voice, “She’s probably run away with him.” She had a good acting skill.

Mr. Khalid just said, “It’s late. Good night, Jessica.” And he walked away.

Jessica started filing her nails while laughing her evil laughter.

Still in the meadow, Nur was sad.

“Papa doesn’t care for me after all….,”she whispered, “he probably married Jessica today and never wanted me to know.” She was sad, so so sad. Then she suddenly shouted, “But if he thinks I’m not his daughter anymore, then fine! As long as I have Allah and Angel and…and…Tahir!!” Then she realized, “Tahir?”

So she set off for Tahir’s home while Angel was feeding on the grass. Tahir was so happy to see her but when Nur told her the news, she felt sad for her. Nur had supper from Tahir’s home. And she was happy there. After supper, Tahir’s dad called Mr. Khalid and he came for her right away.

In the car, Mr. Khalid was quiet, he didn’t say anything to his daughter. Then suddenly he asked, “Who’s the boy you ran away with?”

Nur was shocked, “What?!!!” She felt like dying from there. Now what does papa think? What does the world think? Which boy did I run away with?!! What does he mean?!!

Tears were welling up in her eyes but she controlled herself. She bit her lip as she tried to stop the burning tears from rolling down her cheeks. I have no one, no one! She didn't even bother explaining to her dad the actual situation as she saw him inhaling deeply from another cigar. She looked away and turned her hazel eyes to the night sky. Another starry night...

#13: OPEN YOUR EYES

2009-04-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

Oumed gazed into the mirror as he styled his hair. He fingered the gel through his red bangs. Your hair’s on fire, man! He grinned at his reflection. Tonight he was going to have a blowout at the beach. He was going to have a blast. He couldn’t stop grinning as he slipped on his black leather biker’s jacket. He looked at himself in the mirror one more time before he left his room. My red hair and black jacket complement eachother quite nicely! He patted himself on his back and made his way downstairs.

Oumed’s smile was wiped off his face as he saw his dad waiting on the couch. Darn! I should’ve climbed down my ladder! He cursed as he saw that he’d have to get past his father to reach the front door. He heaved a sigh angrily and clenched his jaws as he slowly passed his dad.

“Stop right there, son.” His dad said calmly. Oumed looked up. It seemed his dad was waiting for him all along. That point was made clear when he spotted his brother Salim and his mother standing by the other side, looking serious.

“What now?” He drawled out at no one in particular.

His father braced up. “Son, you can’t bring alcohol into this house.”

Oumed rolled his eyes. “Says who?”

That’s it, his father thought, Oumed keeps getting arrogant by the minute. “Look here, Oumed – this is my home – and I say, you cannot and should never bring this into the house.”

Oumed threw his arms up in the air, “When did I ever bring beer into the house?”

“Don’t get haughty with me, son! You very well know what you did.” He point at a Vodka bottle that Oumed thought he’d hidden fairly well in his room.

“So what? SO WHAT? It’s not like I’m going to tempt anyone, am I?” He sneered and looked at Salim.

Salim had a grave look in his dark eyes. “Oumed, don’t you dare talk to Dad like that,” he said in his usual serene tone.

Oumed grinned nastily, “Stop me!” He challenged as he made his way to the door.

Salim went closer to him and blocked his way. “Come on, Oumed, what are you trying to prove? Can’t you just quit this bad boy mask you’re putting on?! It’s not getting any of us anywhere!”

“What the hell do you want with me anyway?! Just leave me alone!” Oumed barked at his brother.

The two brothers looked at eachother. Each one’s eyes pondering into the other’s. Salim could see a vulnerable fear in Oumed’s eyes. Salim got a shimmer of hope…

But hope and fear go hand in hand.

And Oumed had a fear in him. Several years ago when they had fled their war-struck homeland, Oumed was just a child. His father, a doctor, was tending to the wounded on the battlefield. But time came when he could do that no more. If he was to stay, he’d risk putting his family to death. Within days, they had booked tickets to their new destination, their new home – in the very nation that was tearing apart their land. Oumed’s mother was furious. How can we be like this?! She asked, how can we run away when our people are suffering? Their father only cared for them so much and he was intent on getting his family safe. It’s not safe here anymore, he said, as he looked at his three lighthearted children playing freely. I only want my family to be protected.

Only 6 hours to their flight to safety when the soldiers came charging through the land. The sun was scorching the dry ground cruelly and the air had the heavy feel of death to it. The soldiers were strapped heavily with their grenades and their stone faces were drained of mercy.

Oumed’s father came running to the two boys, who were playing in their sand box in their backyard. Their mother scrambled to pack a few last minute things out of the house. “We have to get out of here!” Their father picked up Oumed and grabbed hold of Salim.

Oumed was only 6 years old but he sensed something was wrong. “Daddy I’m scared.” he remembers saying in a chocked voice. His father looked at his youngest son for a split second. They were all scared.

But one of his children was missing. “Where’s Rahma? Ya Allah! Where’s Rahma?!” his father shouted in alarm. Their mother gave out a weak sound as her eyes widened in terror. The sound of bullets and a shrill shriek of a little girl cut through the air. She had been killed. She was dead. Oumed and Salim’s sister, Rahma, was murdered brutally at the hands of the coldhearted soldiers.

“No. No!” Their mother wailed. “I want my little girl back! I want my baby back!” She ran towards the soldiers. Oumed’s father took hold of her immediately as she struggled to get free. He shouted, “You’re not going anywhere! I don’t want to lose you too!”

Just at that moment, their house was set on fire. Salim and Oumed watched in horror. “Their burning down our house! Do something Daddy!” Salim screamed as Oumed tumbled to his sand bucket and went to try to put out the fire.

“Come on! Everyone get into the car! NOW!” Their father grabbed Oumed and dragged the rest of his surviving family into the car with nothing but the bag containing their passporst and a few cash notes to spare. They didn’t even have time to bury her.

The shrill shriek of his elder sister, Rahma, still rings in Oumed’s ears today. They didn’t even have time to bury her…

Sometimes Oumed would have spasms at night thinking about his long dead sister. Sometimes he’d wish he was the one who died in place of her.

Rahma was only 2 years younger than Salim. Oumed turned through the pages of his mind and recalled the painful memories of the three of them playing as carefree children under the warm and smiling sun. He remembered how she’d pat him kindly on his little head and how he had always trailed behind her like a loyal puppy. He remembered cuddling up near his sister at night when the owls hooted and scared him. She was always so kind to him… and she was the one to die at the hands of cold blooded soldiers.

They didn’t even have time to bury her…

Rahma was the life and soul of their home. She’d lighten up the mood of anyone who was around her. She was only 10 years old but even Salim who was 2 years older, looked up to her. Everyone loved her and cherished her. She was as bright as an angel. Their mother would jokingly say, “She’s too good to last too long!” She just never knew how true what she was saying was.

Sometimes, Oumed would scream in fury, “Why her?! Why Rahma?!” Even at her young age, she had prayed without delaying a minute, when most kids of that age would run around playing without care. She would fast on her own and she could always be heard reading the Quran by day break and night fall. But no, Oumed thought in a fit of anger, she was the one to die! If God was real, He wouldn’t have done this! He thought. If God is supposed to be the Most Kind and the Most Merciful, he wouldn’t have let Rahma die! He would seethe in blind anger whenever he thought of this. My dear big sister Rahma…

They didn’t even have time to bury her…

Salim’s clear voice cut the silence. “Oumed, look here bro, do you understand what I’m saying? You gotta change. You can’t be like this anymore, bro…”

Oumed looked at his brother. He was always the perfect one. He was always the perfect son. He came out of his teenage years as a strong believer with formidable faith. And here I am…

Salim looked expectantly at his younger brother. “Well…?”

Oumed smiled.

Slowly, he broke into a quiet laugh. “Do you think I’m gonna be brainwashed by all your 'sweet' talk?” He smirked.

Salim exhaled with difficulty as if someone had knocked out the air out of his lungs.

“I have better things to do!” he lashed out at Salim. He shoved his brother out of the way and walked out the front door, slamming it deafeningly behind him.