چه بیهوده گویی که پاینده مانم
تو مانی، اگر زندگانی نپاید؟
How vainly you say, "I will stand firm."
If life itself won't stand firm, how will you?

Sunday - 9:39am

The darkness that had sprawled its wings over the large room was challenged only by faint light of a candle that tore through it, its luminosity giving way to light that heals. Silence like that of the grave was settled in the room, adding to the horror that was already present, engulfing the intimidated.

The light reflected from the faces of the two beings, of opposite gender, as they sat in silence and looked ahead at the vastness of the room, their eyes fixed but filled with unsaid emotions. Through silence, they communicated and through darkness, they felt.

The man shifted in his position as he turned towards the woman, his eyes scanning the lady who had her eyes closed now. A few moments passed without any movement and a second later, he took the woman's hands in his own.

The woman fluttered her eyes open as she turned around too, her lids wide in astonishment as she gazed at the face of a man with crooked nose. The man parted his thin lips to utter words but closed them within a second. A few minutes dragged and he again opened them, the lady's hand still in his.

"Ma dr ni..hay'..at am..oz mul..qat.. " He whispered slowly and the lady's eyes narrowed in confusion before she nodded her head in understanding.

Although the words were incoherent and voice of the known stranger not more than a whisper, they still seemed to make sense to the woman somewhow who listened intently to each word uttered by the man.

On seeing the lady smile, the man too smiled, a small one before the smile vanished altogether and a shadow lurked over his face.

"An ra'az ag..az ta pay..'an ast.. " He whispered, his voice now frightened and the same expressions settled on the woman's face too.

With eyes widened in fright, she bent towards him to ask for the meaning behind his statement but before any words, actions were taken and the man pulled his hand out of the woman's hold, his body coated with sweat, as if he was afraid.

The woman's eyes followed the man's face and stood up with him, her mind although too numb with fear. Her eyes were fixed on his face and a second later, light blow of the wind moved around them and the candle lost its power as the wicks crumbled, the darkness completely engulfing the woman and her senses and it was a frightened voice that left her throat.

~~~

The cold wind struck her face and she shifted uncomfortably in her place, her eyes squinting as she buried herself deeper in the bed. Tightening the blanket around her body, she pulled her legs to her chest as she closed her eyes peacefully, a confused yet serene expression settled on her face.

The sleep which was broken now by the strange dream she had had a few minutes ago didn't seem too merciful to take her in its wings again but nevertheless, she stayed in the bed, trying to remember the dream that had made every hair of her body stand up, not out of fear but anticipation.

Suddenly, her eyes opened and narrowed in confusion as she thought about the cold wind hitting her face. The window was locked when she went to bed last night, how was it open now and letting way to the strokes of wind that caressed her cheeks?

Her question was answered not a second later when a sharp sound came followed by an abrupt action as the blanket which protected the woman from the cold of September was tugged at the end and a moment later, it was snatched all together.

Hemayal's eyes flew open and the red orbs stared up at the woman who peered down at her with a frown decorating her face. With her eyes narrowed and her hands placed on either side of her waist, Mehmal looked at Hemayal with anger evident on her face.

"Do you know what time it is?" She questioned crossly and Hemayal rolled her eyes before turning around in bed, burying her face in the pillow before it was snatched too.

"The time of your death, for sure." She replied in a tired voice, as she finally sat up on the bed and placed her head against the headrest.

"And are you trying to give me a frostbite? Close the damn window!" Hemayal said tiredly as she looked at her cousin.

"Frostbite? Honey, that's a very small thing as compared to what your boss will do to you if you are late from work once again." Mehmal's words reached her ears and took a moment to register and as soon as they did, Hemayal was out of the bed in no second.

"What time is it?" She almost screamed as she rushed through the bedroom.

No response came and a second later, a rich laughter filled the whole room, making the grey and white colors on the wall smile too as Hemayal came to a stop abruptly and turned around to look at a laughing Mehmal, bewildered.

"Oh, you evil, evil woman!" She said angrily as she looked at Mehmal laughing her lungs out and then at the wall clock that indicated a quarter to ten but it was not the time that made her curse Mehmal or the fact that it was Sunday, it was the memory that she was on holidays these days, in her home town-Abbottabad.

"That's the only way to get you out of bed, you lazy woman!" Mehmal replied laughingly and Hemayal threw the cushion at her before falling on the bed again.

"Why did you wake me up so early? I am on a holiday." The tiredness that had completely abandoned her a few moments ago came crawling back and she lied back on the bed again, her legs hanging from the bed.

Mehmal moved towards the window to close it, putting stop to the cold wind coming inside.

"Because I knew you'll forget." Mehmal rolled her eyes as she sat on the bed beside Hemayal and pulled her up too to make her sit beside her.

"What did I forget this time?" Hemayal asked as she rubbed her eyes and looked at Mehmal, confused.

"Do you know what day it is?" Mehmal asked softly and Hemayal narrowed her eyes thoughtfully but before she said anything, Mehmal answered for her.

"It's the 17th of September." Mehmal replied, her voice soft and suddenly Hemayal's squinted eyes flew wide open as a horrified expression settled on her face.

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Where is Musa?" Hemayal hurriedly asked, completely freaked out as she jumped out of the bed and almost rushed towards the bedroom door before Mehmal stopped her from behind.

"He's asleep. I just came to remind you of that before he wakes up. Bhabhi will go mad if you forget Musa's birthday this time too." Mehmal chuckled slightly as she remembered last year when Hemayal forgot the birthday of her only nephew and Bhabhi didn't talk to her for a full day.

"It was his first birthday and his only Phupoo forgets that. What a terrible Phupoo you are, Hami." Mehmal mimicked Anisha Bhabhi quite accurately and Hemayal stared at her, wide eyed, before a rich laughter erupted in the room.

"She didn't talk to me for one whole day." Hemayal laughed as she sat on the bed again, smiling, a smile that made her cheekbones stand high and the walls around her bowed for the smile was enough to make even kings fall on their knees; walls were a small thing.

"Do you remember why you forgot his birthday?" Mehmal's asked cautiously after a second and the enchanting smile vanished in no second as a shadow crossed Hemayal's face.

"I would rather not..." Hemayal began but Mehmal cut her off abruptly, almost angrily.

"For how long? How long will you ignore this conversation?" Mehmal questioned desperately and Hemayal pressed her lips in a thin line as she stared straight ahead, helpless.

"I'm not ignoring, Mehmal. I just think that I should be given at least one day to mourn." She answered truthfully and Mehmal let out a heavy sigh.

"There's nothing to mourn about, Hami. Why can't you just accept everything?" Mehmal asked as she looked at Hemayal's face which held so much confusion and uncertainties that her heart ached.

Her memories of this particular day were filled with thorns, with roots that grew years ago, from words that killed her so gently.

"I have, I truly have. And when the right time will come, I won't disappoint anyone. But it's not about that. I don't grieve about that." She shook her head, her head bowed now and everything in the room lost its beauty too for its owner was surrounded with the deepest shades of darkness.

"Then what?" Mehmal asked quizzically and Hemayal let out a sigh before she shook her head.

"Nothing." She pulled on a smile, a smile that hid oceans of secrets under its veil and got up from the bed.

"Hemayal..." Mehmal pulled her back and Hemayal rolled her eyes heavenward.

"No, not today, Mehmal. Any day but not today." She almost begged and thanked out loud when Mehmal nodded her head.

"Mehmal?" Both of them sat in silence for a while before Hemayal broke it.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"I had that dream again." She whispered and Mehmal turned towards her.

"Same?" She asked, bored, and a confused expression settled on Hemayal's face.

"Not exactly. The words were different, but incoherent nevertheless. But this time, there was small light and I saw the man's face." Hemayal answered slowly and Mehmal almost jumped out of bed in excitement, her boredom and annoyance long gone.

"Years and finally you've seen what he looks like." She high fived the air and Hemayal glared at her but Mehmal didn't pay much attention and continued to look at her with expectant eyes, hoping for Hemayal to say the name but when she didn't, even after a minute, Mehmal huffed out.

"Who was he?" She asked herself, excited, and at this, Hemayal sighed.

"I don't know. The light wasn't that clear. I only saw some features of his face." She answered sadly.

Although Mehmal was disappointed for a second but soon she composed herself. Some features were enough, for now at least. Hemayal was having this dream for two years to be exact and every time it was exactly the same but this time, she saw the man's face. Finally.

"So, tell me about his features?" Mehmal asked in an obvious tone and Hemayal narrowed her eyes, thinking.

"He had a crooked nose, his lips were thin and there was a small mole on his neck." She whispered, her eyes staring ahead but both of them knew what flashed behind the sleepy lids.

"Well, that's a start. After two years, you finally saw his nose and lips. I hope that after two more years, you will finally be able to see what his eyes and forehead looks like." Mehmal remarked quite sarcastically and Hemayal chuckled before running her hand over her face.

"Do you think it's him?" Mehmal asked after a moment, more like screamed, as her eyes widened in excitement and Hemayal's hands stopped in mid-air.

"I don't think so. He doesn't have a crooked nose." Hemayal answered, thinking about the possibility for a second but negating it quickly.

"But he has thin lips." Mehmal tried to argue and Hemayal let out a slow laugh as she turned towards Mehmal who obviously didn't pay attention to her words before speaking.

"You have noticed him a lot." Hemayal smirked as she looked at her cousin who frowned for a second before making a disgusted face.

"He'll be the last man I notice. I saw his picture once and his lips were quite thin so I just...remember." Mehmal shrugged her shoulders as she said before dropping the subject.

"Did you understand what he said this time?" Mehmal asked and Hemayal shook her head.

"I remember what he said as clear as a day, I understood it in the dream but I can't make meaning out of it now. Everything is so messed up in my mind. And to top it all, I don't even know what language he was speaking." Hemayal sagged her shoulders, obviously disturbed by the strange dream.

"It's okay. Few more years and you'll remember." Mehmal patted her shoulders and Hemayal laughed slightly before getting up.

Picking up her mobile phone from the nightstand, Hemayal unlocked it before heading straight towards the Memos app. Opening a file titled Dream, Hemayal entered two new sentences to the small list of already jumbled sentences and incoherent words and phrases.

"Hopefully." She muttered before placing her phone back and going towards the wardrobe, scanning her clothes with narrowed eyes.

She first had this dream the day her mother passed away, two years ago and since then, this dream has been a constant. So many things have changed in these two years and yet the dream had stood the test of times, not changing and coming to excite Hemayal every once in a while.

Finally, she chose white silk kurta embroidered with pink and green flowers, pairing it with white shalwar and a cream coloured pashmina shawl. Pulling it out of the wardrobe, she closed the door before turning around to see Mehmal scrolling through her phone.

"What are you getting ready for?" Mehmal questioned, who was still in her pajamas and t-shirt.

"I don't like to spend the whole day in my pajamas." She indirectly taunted Mehmal but was met with deaf ears when Mehmal only shrugged her shoulders.

"I should go." Mehmal got up from the bed but Hemayal quickly shook her head.

"No, stay. You keep me entertained, and God knows I need that." She said and Mehmal sat down again, this time looking at Hemayal with concern-studded face.

"You will never tell me about that, will you?" Mehmal questioned after a second as Hemayal placed the clothes on the bed.

"No." Hemayal whispered after a second and Mehmal shook her head, concerned but annoyed.

"Anyways, don't you think it's more than a coincidence that you finally saw the man's face after two years on this specific date?" Mehmal's mind was still occupied on Hemayal's dream as she said, slowly and thoughtfully.

"It's just a random date." Hemayal tried to shrug it off but her heart did stop beating for a second, terrified.

"Who are you kidding, Hami? This is the most important day of your life." Mehmal said matter-of-factly and Hemayal glared at her.

"Can we please not talk about this? I didn't stop you here to discuss this." Hemayal said and Mehmal nodded her head, though her eyes were still squinted.

"Is everyone up?" Hemayal asked.

"Not everyone. Just Dadu, Taya Abbu, Baba, Mama, Hadeed Lala, Anisha Bhabhi." Mehmal answered and Hemayal looked at her as if she had gone lost her senses.

"That is everyone." Hemayal said as she shook her head.

"No, Musa isn't up yet." Mehmal said, playfully this time and Hemayal too joined her in her laugh.

"And what about Rehman Baba? You didn't mention him?" Hemayal asked about the oldest servant of this house, laughing.

"Oh, yeah. He's awake too." Mehmal said and both of them started laughing.

Masood Khakwani, their Dadu, a Pathan by blood, who was a landowner and a successful businessman of his time had two sons; Shahriyar Khakwani and Jahangir Khakwani, the former elder.

Shahriyar and Anwara Khakwani had two children, named Hadeed and Hemayal, the former 5 years Hemayal's senior who was herself 25 and was married to Anisha and had a son with her, Musa. Shahriyar Khakwani's younger brother, Jahangir was married to Darakhshan and only had one daughter; Mehmal who had seen the same number of springs as Hemayal.

"Will you be okay today, Hemayal?" Mehmal asked once again as she stood up from the bed, and Hemayal's steps halted as she moved towards the washroom.

Mehmal was a headache sometimes but there was no denying the fact that she had always looked after Hemayal, even when she herself was going through terrible days. She stood by Hemayal in tough times and that is why Hemayal loved her the most in her good ones.

"I'll try to be." Hemayal smiled slightly and entered the washroom for a long bath.

It was going to be a long day.

|¤¤¤|

10:27am

Walking down the stairs, Hemayal had a frown decorating her face, her eyebrows creased but it was quickly replaced with a small smile as she watched her grandfather coming out of his room, looking up at Hemayal with all the love that he had in his eyes. She halted after having descended the final step and smiled brightly before hanging her arms around her grandfather's neck and hugging him.

"Assalam-u-Alikum, Dadu!" She chirped, genuinely and he patted her head with his one hand while other held on to the cane stick that helped him move.

"Waalikum'Assalam, Dadu's life!" He addressed her in the same way and she grinned wholeheartedly before hooking her arm in his and leading towards the dining table.

"You slept well?" He searched her face for answers he knew she won't give but nevertheless, that didn't stop him from asking.

"Yeah, I did. Your granddaughter woke me up from a very deep sleep." Hemayal lied, purposely avoiding the conversation that she knew would leave marks.

"Hemayal..." Dadu began, seeing right through her lie but Hemayal quickly cut him off.

"Where is she, by the way?" Hemayal questioned, looking around.

"She is in the kitchen with Anisha." Dadu answered as they reached the table and Hemayal pulled the chair out for him and made him sit before taking her own chair.

"And Darakhshan Chachi must be in there too?" Hemayal asked and Dadu nodded his head.

"Am I the only woman in the house who has no interest in cooking?" Hemayal remarked, sad and amused at the same time.

"Yes, but you're my favourite woman in the house. So it's okay if you don't cook." Dadu whispered jokingly as he leaned towards her a bit and Hemayal let out a laugh as she looked at his smiling face.

"Ahh, don't say that in front of Mehmal or Anisha Bhabhi. They'll be mad as well as sad." Hemayal said, laughing and Dadu joined her.

"Okay, that's our little secret." Dadu said and Hemayal grinned widely.

Hemayal was the closest one to her Dadu among all of the grandchildren and that often led to fights between her and Mehmal when Dadu favoured her, even when she was on the wrong side. Dadu always told her it was because she resembled her grandmother a lot who passed away when she was only 12 but Hemayal knew better.

"Musa is still sleeping?" Hemayal asked.

"Oh, he's the chief guest today. He'll take his time." Dadu grinned widely as he said.

"Yeah." Hemayal laughed.

"By the way, how do you remember Musa's birthday?" He asked after a moment, laughing slightly, clearly remembering last year.

"All thanks to Mehmal. I had completely forgotten about it." Hemayal admitted unashamedly and let out a laugh, joined by her grandfather a moment later.

"Anisha would have killed you this year for sure." Dadu laughed just as Anisha Bhabhi entered the dining room, holding Musa in her arms and followed by Hadeed Lala and Mehmal.

"Musa, my love! Happy Birthday!" Hemayal hurriedly got out of the chair and moved towards her nephew but stopped, frowning, when Anisha Bhabhi turned sideways, Musa out of Hemayal's reach now.

"What?" She asked just as Hadeed Lala came to stand beside her, laughing.

"Who told you about his birthday?" She asked, a hint of mischief in her eyes, very unlike the last year.

"Why can't I remember his birthday on my own?" She asked as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Because we all know you, Hami." Hadeed Lala smirked as he said and Hemayal hit his arm slightly.

"Well, you don't know me then." Hemayal said, confidently and heard Dadu laugh slightly but suppressed it with difficulty when Hemayal turned to look at him with the same squinted glare.

"Come on, Hemayal. We all know how bad of a memory you have when it comes to dates." Hadeed Lala playfully said beside her and she sagged her shoulders in defeat.

"Fine, you win. Mehmal told me." She said as she threw her hand in the air in exasperation and a rich laughter filled every corner of the room.

"See, we know you!" Hadeed Lala remarked as he hit Hemayal's head slightly and she pouted.

"Why are you not angry with me this time?" Hemayal turned towards Anisha Bhabhi, surprised, but she just laughed.

"Well, mainly because you're a hopeless case. We all mutually agreed how bad you are when it comes to remembering dates so I just thought that it's fine, as long as you gift my son something nice." Everyone laughed at the end and Dadu's eyes were filled with delight as he watch his children.

Anisha Bhabhi, laughingly, extended Musa towards Hemayal who quickly took him in her arms and kissed his cheeks as she moved towards her chair, followed by all of them.

Musa who has always been very close to Hemayal began jumping in her lap as she sat down on the chair, grinning as he coiled his hand around her finger and stared at the table ahead which was being filled with breakfast.

"Rehman Baba, can you please call Baba and Taya Abbu from the lounge?" Mehmal said and Rehman Baba left the room, nodding.

"I'm here." Shahriyar Khakwani entered the room, smiling his usual, faint smile and Hemayal who was playing with Musa stopped abruptly before resuming a second later, not acknowledging her father's presence.

"Good morning!" Shahriyar Khakwani took a seat on the right hand side of the head seat which was occupied by his father and Jahangir Khakwani sat on the left side, as always.

"Good morning." Everyone said in unison, everyone but Hemayal.

"Happy Birthday, young lad!" He said in a cheerful tone and Musa clapped his hands together as he giggled softly.

"My baby!" Jahangir Khakwani, Hemayal's Chacho, extended his arms towards Hemayal who gave Musa to him, a lone chair of Darakhshan Chachi between them.

"Happy Birthday." He tickled his stomach with his nose and Musa's laughter filled everyone's heart with pure bliss.

"He does know it is his birthday today, doesn't he?" Hemayal's father chuckled slightly and shifted an egg in his plate before taking a toast from the basket and diving in.

"Where's my wife?" Jahangir Chacho asked and at the same time, Darakhshan Chahi entered the room with a plate in her hand.

"Here I am!" Darakhshan Chachi's voice echoed around the room and after placing the plate on the table, she sat beside her husband on the chair and began her breakfast too.

By then, everybody had started their breakfast and were engaged in talks, everyone except Hemayal. She slowly fed Musa from her plate after taking him back from Chacho, her eyes moving between her father and nephew. Dadu noticed her silence before anyone else but didn't say anything, fearing that she'll get everyone's attention, a thing she had always hated.

"Give Musa to me, Hami. You eat." Anisha Bhabhi, who was sitting beside her took Musa from her lap after she had noticed her silence too and she nodded before giving Musa to her and filling her own plate.

Half an hour later, everyone was sitting in the T.V Lounge, chatting or watching TV. Tea and coffee were being served to the members of the house and Mehmal eyed Hemayal suspiciously when she politely shook her head when Darakhshan Chachi offered her coffee.

"Dr. Hemayal Khakwani, saying no to coffee? Let me go and check outside if the sun rose from west or what." Mehmal chuckled, laughing at her own joke and Hemayal only rolled her eyes, knowing fully well how everyone made fun of her obsession with coffee.

"I had a heavy breakfast." She explained and Mehmal nodded her head, grinning but not believing her for a second.

Today was Sunday, a rare day when everyone was free for some time, discontinuing through the frantic rushing of the day, actually halting to sit down with each other and converse, leisurely. This was the time of the week that Dadu cherished more than all, and everyone always came, if not for themselves then for their Dadu.

To top it all, Hemayal's family who resided in Islamabad as opposed to Jahangir Khakwani who bore residence in their home town-Abbottabad, had also come to visit their city for two weeks, to live together while they still can.

Every type of talk was being registered in the walls of the house-business, stock market, sports, arrangements, shopping. Hemayal, Mehmal, Anisha Bhabhi and Darakhshan Chachi conversed about the last one and their plans to go to shopping mall.

"What about today? Today's Sunday." Mehmal suggested and everyone quickly disagreed.

"It's Musa's birthday and as you people have decided to celebrate it, there are arrangements to be done." Darakhshan Chachi quickly shook her head.

After about an hour, everyone was starting to get up, Darakhshan Chachi heading to the kitchen to look over the food for tonight and Anisha Bhabhi, Mehmal and Hadeed Lala deciding to decorate the house themselves for Musa's birthday.

"Dadu, I need to go to the mall." Hemayal said, standing up just as everyone left the dining room except Dadu, her father and Chacho.

"Why?" He asked, quizzically. "I thought all of you would go for shopping together."

"No, not for that. I have to buy Musa's gift and some other things for the arrangements and also have to order the cake." Hemayal answered in quite some detail and Dadu frowned.

"Send Hadeed." He suggested.

"Apparently, Mehmal's inside designer has kicked in and she wants me to go and buy everything myself. I know her choice, Hadeed Lala doesn't." She answered, laughingly and Dadu shook his head at Mehmal.

"Why doesn't she go herself?" Shahriyar Khakwani interrupted and Hemayal didn't even bother smiling as she replied.

"She doesn't know how to drive." Hemayal responded with a flat face.

"It's fine then, child. You can go." Dadu smiled at his beloved granddaughter whose face cracked with an enlightening smile.

"Thank you." She said, smiling.

"There's another problem, though." Hemayal said after a moment, her smile now filled with embarrassment.

"I don't have my car here, it's in Islamabad." She uttered and Dadu and Chacho laughed at her flushed face.

"You can take your father's car." Dadu said, motioning towards his son who was scrolling through his phone, occasionally raising his head sometimes to look at his daughter and father.

"No. I have to go out of city today for something urgent. I'll come back before Musa's birthday." He said, suddenly standing up and Hemayal bit the inside of her mouth as she heard her father saying clear no.

With flushed cheeks, she took a step back from her Dadu, trying hard to smile but her Dadu saw right through her broken smile and shook his head in sheer pain, knowing clearly well how easily and deeply Hemayal is embarrassed.

"Child, you can take my car. The keys are in my room." Jahangir Chacho said softly as his brother exited the room, and Hemayal bit her lips fiercely.

"Okay." She mumbled and abruptly turned around on her heels, exiting the room in a few hurried stride.

Had it been some other day, she wouldn't even have felt her father's emotionless words and her own embarrassment, but the reality of this day and emotions associated with it always made her crumble, always left tears behind, always made her fall on her knees.

The memories entangled with this day were terrifying and haunting and yet new dams of emotions were thrown open whenever her father's cold words or emotionless gestures reached her naive heart and she knew there was no escape from this nightmare.

"Hemayal?" Anisha Bhabhi's voice came from behind and Hemayal's eyes widened before she quickly rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, struggling breathlessly to normalize her expressions.

"Yes?" She asked, turning around and saw Anisha Bhabhi stopping dead in her tracks when her eyes landed on Hemayal's face.

"What's wrong?" She whispered urgently as she reached Hemayal and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Strong, stay strong.

Hemayal's insides crumbled again but repeating the mantra inside of her head, she pulled on a smile and shook her head.

"Nothing, I was just thinking how much Musa has grown up." She smiled widely as she saw Musa playing outside, a crooked smile and yet she was glad that Bhabhi smiled too, relieved.

She was not Dadu, she couldn't catch her lies just by looking in her eyes.

"You worried me, lady. I thought Baba had said something to you." She shook her head in relief as she said and Hemayal dared not let her smile falter.

"You haven't gone yet, Hami? We need things for the arrangements." Mehmal questioned just as she came from her bedroom and her eyes landed on Hemayal but in our own haste, she didn't took notice of her swollen lips and flushed nose.

"I am. Chacho's keys are in his room, I was going to get them." Hemayal answered as she walked past them but was stopped when Anisha Bhabhi uttered behind her.

"Hadeed took Chacho's car." She said and Hemayal groaned.

"God dammit, I think nature doesn't want me to go out today." She huffed out in annoyance as she sat on the stairs, her emotional breakdown a few moments ago now forgotten.

"No, no, no. We can't handle this negativity today. You are going out, you will buy Musa's present and you most definitely will bring me the things I need for the arrangements. I don't trust your brother on this." Mehmal said emphatically, her interior designer speaking for her as she pulled Hemayal's arms and made her stand up.

"What should I do? Walk all the way around the city? I won't even get any taxi " She groaned but stopped short when Mehmal slapped her on her back.

"Stop with all the groaning. I have a friend who lives just at the end of the street. You can take her car." Mehmal ushered Hemayal to the door, closely followed by Anisha Bhabi who was laughing as she saw them bickering.

"She'll give someone her car?" Hemayal asked, shocked as she was being pushed to the gate.

"She's a good friend. She usually stays at her home on Sunday. It won't be a problem." Mehmal said just as they stepped out of the main gate and Hemayal saw weather shifting, predicting that it will rain in a matter of few minutes.

"Who is this benovelent soul? I don't even let anyone touch my car." Hemayal asked, sounding genuinely shocked as Mehmal still held her elbow in a death grip.

"Not everyone is like you, Dr. Hemayal. God's earth is filled with open hearted people. She's Humna, though. A colleague." Mehmal's sarcastic reply made Hemayal roll her eyes heavenward.

Stopping in front of the the house at the corner of the street, Mehmal looked at Hemayal before shaking her head in annoyance as Hemayal made a tired face and pressed the bell. Hemayal who was beginning to stop Mehmal decided against it, knowing fully well that she won't listen.

But in that moment, she didn't know how bad of a decision she had just made.

|¤¤¤|

Hello, lovelies.

This year, I'm taking part in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) which is an event held in November. It encourages you to write 50,000 words in one month, focusing more on quantity than quality. It's such a great opportunity for a writer as lazy as me who takes weeks to write a single chapter, and don't even get me started on the shitty writer's block that I encounter every other day.

It's my first year; I don't know the dynamics of how NaNo works or how do one even survive in this month but I'm still hoping to get something written down, in fact a lot of something, in a short period of time.

However, there's a catch.

As I will be writing Chaos there, which has already started here on Wattpad, the first few updates here will be super slow (only 5 or 6 chapters until November). But the good thing is, at the end of November, I'll have some 50,000 words written down (hopefully) and I'll only have to edit them before posting them here. Thus, things will start to escalate at the end of the year. Thus, please don't bug me for updates now (after November you can).

Anways, if anyone of you is participating or has decided to, you can find me on the website as rameesharants and together we can hopefully motivate each other and maybe even write something - only if we survive.

Coming back to the book!

The first chapter is out and our female lead has been introduced. What do you think of her? What do you think of the name? Do vote and comment!

Till next time,
Salam!