Strange Stillness

By Noorul Hisana

When Nargis entered the courtyard, the entire area reflected her mother’s personality. Despite the sunny afternoon, an eerie stillness lingered in the air.  She could not find her mother anywhere around; it was like nobody had lived there for years. Maybe, nobody is living there, she thought, it was years since she heard from her mother. The last time she heard from her mother was the death of her father. Nargis was at her office doing what her boss told her to redo for the hundredth time, she was already frustrated when the receptionist told her about the call. Even though she had no idea who was calling, she followed the receptionist just to get away from the work. “Your father is dead”, Nargis could not even say hello before the sound from the other end informed her father’s death waited a few minutes before saying something, and then the sound continued, “‘Mayyith’ will be buried this evening” and ended the call. Nargis was shocked, the only thing she could think of at that time was, how did her mother find her after all these years. All day long she was reminded of her mother and her veiled behaviors. Nargis could never understand what her mother was, but she was sure that her mother’s knowledge was beyond human capacity. She knew everything, even things others did not know. 

Nargis was sure but did not want to believe that she was half-Jinn. Nargis heard stories of Jinn when she was a child. The Jinn stories were the favorites of kids of her age at that time. Superhero stories were unfamiliar to the elders at that time, so it was either Ghost or Jinn. Jinns were creatures with terrifying figures, but there were good ones and bad ones. It was according to people’s behavior how the jinn will act when someone encounters them.

Nargis always wanted to meet a good Jinn boy and get married to him. It was the thoughts of enthusiastic young blood, eager to step into the world unknown. Anyway, her mother was always an alien to Nargis. Her father never doubted her mother’s behaviors or pretended to never doubt. And that always irritated Nargis. And the reason behind Nargis’ departure without telling anybody is also the secrecy of her parents’ manners. Nargis’ peers always kept a distance from her. And she could not find a boyfriend which was devastating at that age. Nargis was sure that nobody would approach her if she stayed anywhere near her mother. Everyone was afraid of her. People love stories of adventures, but when it comes to life, they try hard to steer clear of it. 

Nargis left her home on a rainy night when her mother and father were asleep. But, Nargis always doubts that her mother knew her parting, but did not try to stop her. That day Nargis saw a shadow through the window looking at her, standing still. And that sight always kept her away from coming back home, it was like her mother never wanted her around. 

The sound of something falling down woke Nargis from the shock of seeing her home like a cemetery. She was unsure whether that sound made her relieved or uncomfortable. She walked towards the house, but that sound was stopped. She could not muster up the courage to knock on the door, so she looked inside through a hole in the window. What she saw in there was terrifying. A gigantic figure was trying to find something for her cats to eat, her mother was not aged from the last time Nargis saw her. But it was clear as light from her face that the death of Nargis’ father shook her hard. Nargis always knew the truth about her mother’s being, but seeing it made her nauseous. She could not feel anything other than something picking her up and lifting her towards the strange scent of the sky. 

By Noorul Hisana