01
BEGINNING

𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝,
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬.

20th March

Moonlight was coming from the curtain that was spread over the window. It was the 14th day of Luna. The night had spread darkness everywhere. As time passed, the weather outside was getting colder gradually. Silence was reigning in all the streets of Istanbul. The sky was captured by some clouds. It was a full moon that enhanced the beauty of the night. After some time, the moon hides itself in the clouds, like playing hide and seek with someone.

She was in her room with all the room lights off. The room was quite spacious, but it bears everything that was needed. It was a well-managed room. There were some posters over the wall. Whoever enters the room can easily guess that the owner of the room has too much interest in Arts and Literature.

She was lying upside down on her bed, over her stomach. Her face was beaming by the light of the laptop placed in front of her over the pillow. Worryingly, she was reading the text very carefully that appeared on the screen.

Suddenly, her expressions changed, happiness appeared all over her face. She sighed in relief but was a bit loud. Holding the pillow with the laptop, she sat with her legs crossed, making an X. She puts her finger over the screen to again read the text written, to know whether she didn't misread it. When she completely agreed with it, she stood over her bed and started jumping with excitement.

As soon as she gets excited, the moon hides itself behind the clouds, as it doesn't want to witness anything. Anything... neither sorrows nor happiness. İt was a let-me-close-my-eyes scenario. The moon whispers something secretly to every celestial body stand's there. The clouds prayed for her, for her destiny. The night darkened itself more than usual.

No one witnesses her happiness as they want her to save, they want her to stay until a girl with curly black hair enters her room by listening to the noise. It was really new to her that a well-mannered girl was jumping over her own bed where she had to sleep. İt was pretty clear that the excited girl was behaving differently which made her confused. She knew her and her excitement, whenever she got excited, she got overwhelmed and her face beams like a tube light that can light up the whole room even though she was a sophisticated girl but this was unusual for her. Something was different there. So, she was surprised to see the girl jumping over the bed and saying such words, "hurray!", "yeah!", "İt happened" and "I am happy."

Who knows that happiness is always for a short time.

With every happiness, there comes sorrow, and after every sorrow there is relief. Just like after every dark night, there is a bright day.

Once the black-haired pretty girl admired her but in a while she moved her eyes to the other side so her happiness won't be destroyed by any evil eyes. She recited some verses from Qur'an by heart and prayed for her to be saved from every evil eye, even from the eye of an admirer because it can also destroy your happiness which we say nazar. Sometimes it's our own eyes that destroy ourselves, our happiness, our life.

"Ward off the evil eye", she whispered.

A slight smile appeared over black curly haired girl's face, with her eyes glittering. She comes near the bed and says her name to get attention, "Elayne!". She suddenly stopped on the bed and felt really embarrassed but her happiness took over it. Her happiness was the only thing that was reigning over her and her room. She jumped off the bed and hugged her. Her warmth was peaceful. They stood there for a whole minute with beating hearts, getting warmth from each other. Elayne stepped back with a big, beautiful admiring smile on her face. The other girl was seeing her confused so that she may tell her what it was? She wants her to say you-know-what-happened and start telling.

Elayne hit her head on remembering that she didn't tell her anything. She holds her hands and caresses in a humble way which was her way to talk to her.

"Are you going to tell me, or I have to go with guesses on my own?", she asked her in whispers like a secret. She was over excited that her hands were shivering but lightly.

"Hande, I'm going back to where I belong. I'm very happy. No one can imagine it. I'm going to Pakistan. My Family, My Homeland, My Life. My Everything.", she said with full excitement.

A sadness came over Hande's face because there was no one to stop her. She coped herself and smiled at her words.

"That's Great. So, ummm when is your flight? Have you got the tickets? Let me know if you need anything from me or any help." She asked her to help expecting she would ask for her jumpers, but she didn't say any word and hugged her.

Hande also felt sad, she was her best friend who she always cheered up. She was worried for her. There were a lot of questions making a tornado in her mind. She worries about how she will do everything all alone. What if she gets to know the reality? What if someone hurt her. There were a thousand questions in her mind.

Both of their eyes get teary. Elayne was sobbing while Hande was trying to be silent, but her tears started to flow like a stream. A flowing stream. The questions in her mind were making the situation hard for her to be in control.

They were best friends for the last 8 years. Elayne was 14 years old when she came to Turkey with her parents. After one year, Elayne's parents went back to Pakistan leaving her in Turkey for education. She was her parents' only child. She was satisfied by their decision because she thought she would go to Pakistan to meet them, but nothing happened the way she thought. From the day she came to Turkey, she didn't go back to Pakistan for once. When she insisted on her parents, they denied it by telling her some problems. Their problem starts from her Education and ends with her career. And in last they end up call by scolding her for speaking against their decisions. Her only friend was Hande who was there in every up and down she had in her last 8 years, the girl who knows her more than anyone else can. THAT'S WHAT SHE SAYS. I mean that's what SHE says.

Hande was a polite girl which really helped Elayne to cover up. According to her, her family lived in a village while she came to Istanbul for Education. So, she can support her family after getting the degree. She was still trying her best to support them by working online on some websites. She was a graphic designer, content writer and a professional English translator too. She was doing well to support her family, but it wasn't that hard for her to save for her expenses. She was a multi-talented girl. She started online Qur'an teaching. Besides this, all she had spare time to study and enjoy. It means her schedule was not that tough for herself that she couldn't focus around.

On the other hand, Elayne was financially stable by her parents. She got enough money to spend and save.

But she also decided to earn her own money, so she started with Hande. They both lived in a hostel for the last five years. They both saved money and bought a-whole-furnished-comfy-home-type-of an apartment for themselves but still they sometimes went to hostels and lived there too. As buying an apartment has to be secret from Elayne parents so they didn't tell them.

Hande was a practicing Muslim on the other hand Elayne was not good in practicing, but she was careful in all aspects and tries to be better. She learned Qur'an from Hande. Hande recitation was her favorite. Hande prayed five times and also Tahajjud while Elayne tried hard to pray five times a day. Elayne was also learning Qur'an with its meaning, which she found quite lovely. LOVELY...

They both were making their Dunya as well as their Akhirah together and such friends are blessings.

Well, they both hugged for 5 minutes sobbing and snuggling in each other's arms. They both step back at the same time to encourage each other. When their eyes met, they both laughed unintentionally with tears in their eyes. And I thought it's just me who laughs seeing my best friend.

"Seni gerçekten özleyeceğim." She said softly.
(I will really miss you)

Hande's voice cracked so, she just hummed in the most satisfying way.

They both sat on the center of the bed, remembering the best memories together. They remember their tours. They remember going to Hande's village. Yet in her village something was different but let it go for now. They promised each other not to take their bracelets off. They promised to remain in touch forever.

"Söz!!!", they both shouted in the silence of the night.
(Promise!!!)

Suddenly, Hande asked about her flight, "When is it your flight? Have you really booked it? Or you just want to tease me?" She ends it with a wink and a joke. Still expecting it to be a joke. She just wants to hear "yes, it's a joke" from her but nothing was the same as she thought too.

"Hehe!! No, it's not a joke. I am really going back to Pakistan. I will surprise my parents. My flight is on 28th March." She told her the exact date. Hande again got saddened. She was talking about the 28th of March of the present year... 28th march note the date.

"Ok, it's too late, you should sleep now." With motherly love she said it and caressed her hairs. Her brown beautiful wavy hairs, which Hande loved a lot.

She pouted on her words and held her hands. With puppy eyes and lips out, she insisted in a childish manner to accept her request.

"If you don't mind, can we see a movie together? You know I am going after 7 days, and I will miss you. Just once. Please!!!"

Really just 7 days to go. Then Hande's life will be boring without her, or she'll find a replacement. Maybe she will be working more avoiding her memories together or whatever.

She always got melted on her way of insisting but she asked her to promise that she will never break even if she hated her, she forgot her, or they never remained in contact ever again.

Elayne was surprised by her words when she said her in a gentle way, sitting in front of her, caressing her hands. This tone makes her worried, like she thought Hande will say "Can you please leave from my life, it's all over now."

"You will never stop practicing İslam. You will act upon every advice I give you. Even if you hate me, you will still keep this promise, it's the only promise I want you to fulfill it with wholeheartedly. You will become a good Muslim. Will you?" She ended her words with a question in the end. İt was not just a promise. Something was behind her words. She was already a Muslim but something was hidden from her. She was making her prepared for that so she may remember her words on the right time when the time will collapse for herself.

Elayne was surprised and shocked at the same time, how could she have thought that "How can you say this? How did you even think I will hate you or I will deny my Deen? Tell me. What came to your mind that made you think about it? How dare you?" She asked like a hungry lion who gets angry when someone comes near its lioness.

"No. No. No way." Elayne got a bit angry at her words, but she knows very well that Hande wants her to be happy and without religion there is no peace. And she was also aware that there is something behind it.

Except for comforting her, Hande again asks her, "Will you?" This time her voice was cracking into something strange. Elayne's mind just processed everything that there will be something she is warning me from. She didn't want to upset Hande, nor she wanted to be sad, so she agreed and satisfied her. She had to agree obviously.

"I swear I will never. I promise I will remember your advice. By God, I swear, I'll do it for you." As she ended her words, Hande denied her and said, "No. Not for me, for Allah, for yourself. Remember even if anything costs you Religion. Understood."

Elayne assured her with a big smile. After turning off all the lights of the apartment, they went to the lounge and turned on the television. Both were discussing which movie should they watch when suddenly Hande asked Elayne about some snacks. She went to the kitchen for a snack while Elayne was exploring a movie.

Today, Elayne was in a mood to show her a Pakistani movie, so she found one of the best and played it on the screen. Suspicious.

They both start watching it, on the way to the end Elayne was already sleeping while Hande was fully seeing it interestedly. Again, it's suspicious.

After the movie ended, Hande went to Elayne's room and grabbed the blanket. She didn't want to disturb her, so she let her sleep there. Turning on one light of the combined kitchen she also went to her room.

Hande the whole night went sobbing in her bed. She was afraid for Elayne's future. She got up for Tahajjud and sat on the prayer mat after praying with open hands, having no words, just tears. She didn't realize it when the time passed. She listened to the Fajr call and again stood for the Salah.

♡♡♡

Happy Reading!
Browneyedsoul ♡

Binte Naeem (Zefanya Gul)