Benevolent Ahmad benumbed with the remark of Arin walking through the road leading to his home, “did I myself, am responsible for my misery”, asks Ahmad himself. In fact he recapitulates Arin’s scrutiny that he himself has made life miserable. The origin of Ahmad’s mental trauma is perhaps excessive thinking that lies at the bottom of mental creation. It is not always he gets tainted with the every observed occasion that he reacts sedated. The achievement of Ahmad has nothing so far; that is why he is so desperate.
The overall critical faculty of Ahmad is appreciating even Owaisi respects this efficiency but never acknowledged.
Ahmad is waiting his death. He walks through the road by the abandoned house; on approaching the house he heard the same words which he had heard yesterday, and this time he decided to ask the man about the affair he is involved in here. He enterprises and went inside the house; interrupts the man, the man stopped and looked towards Ahmad with furious eyes, “oh, you what the hell you are doing here again”, said the man with anger spilling from his eyes. “I am to ask you about the affair you have grown here”, replied Ahmad with a bit of shiver in body. “This is not the chore of cowards go away”, answered the man, “you said I am coward”, told Ahmad.
“Yes” replied the man adding, “if it is not so why are you shivering, look gentleman go to your home”, advised the man”, “ok but tell me one thing what are you doing here”, asks Ahmad, “but why should I tell you”, replied the man; “because I ought to know it, as I think this house is haunted for it aroused ample curiosity in me to know this tryst”, replied Ahmad.
“Yes, you are quite right; I am highly impressed by you, and you must”, replied the man and mark out, “I am learning necromancy”, “oh, you mean the art of calling the spirits”, told Ahmad, “yes” replied the man. “What rubbish you are talking”, said Ahmad in anger “I am not a superstitious person whom you cajole”, adds Ahmad, “o, it seems that you are an insane person”, replied and warns the man, “get lost from here or otherwise I will hit this brick on your head”.
As I said earlier about the timidity of Ahmad he took this warning dangerously and quietly left that abandoned house.
Ahmad believes in one God. His faith is epicenter of his life and this faith didn’t lead him to compromise in the prime of his age which is prone to every type of seduction.
It was cold night, enough to freeze a hot blooded animal. Ahmad reached home; rang the door bell, his mother opened the door gave him food which he took in despair and retired to his room, Ahmad venerates his parents; he wants to see his parents blissful.
It was the midnight hour Ahmad prepares to sleep. A strong desire arises from him to see this creation and went near the window, he looked towards the space with drenched eyes, and there were no stars nor darkness but whitish glaze sparkling in the sky. He lowers the vision and saw white blanket spread all over the biosphere. He sighs deeply and enters the cold bedding and slept.
It was the beautiful night for him for he slept soundly.
Tomorrow morning when Ahmad awakens from the sleep he saw everything covered under the snow. It was the heavy snowfall. He is feeling quite well in fact he loves snow. He approaches the living room and sat down near his father, “dad it is heavy snowfall”, said Ahmad. Zarkan, Ahmad’s younger brother is sipping hot salt –tea. Ahmad finished his breakfast consisting of a cup of tea and a bun and went outside to ramble in the snow.
Though it is the ecstasy of little time for Ahmad, he walks over the snow piles; he makes snow balls and hurls them on the walls.
He walks all alone through the roads through the lanes; the snow is falling heavily dancing and twisting settling down on the earth. Nothing is visible accept the descending snowflakes. Everybody have shut themselves inside the their houses, even the animals, birds have decided to fast but Ahmad has soaked himself, he has put on summer shoes which drenched in the cold water thus making his feet senseless.
For he has attained a degree of self confidence, “oh, I want to take of clothes, I am burning in the gaze of slavery”, said Ahmad to himself. And by the way he treads through the abandoned house and heard dogs barking from inside that house, at first he thought to went inside but fear of the dogs doesn’t led him to do so.
After feeling himself wet he took the way towards his habitation. On reaching home his clothes were completely wet. Sauja his mother saw the angel like face of his son but doesn’t hesitates to rebuke him–for every mother tends to be worried about her Children: so too are Ahmad’s. And she advised him to take off his Phiran immediately and gave him blanket and fire – pot lest he might not be consumed by chill.
The rigorous movement of Ahmad on this day has made him tired and didn’t contemplated on any issue, he fell to sleep at once as long as he enters into his bedding.
“Get up Ahmad, talk to me, and see this beautiful world, enjoy it as I am, come on get – up”. “Who is there?” enquire Ahmad in trembling voice. “It is I”, came the voice again”, “but who?”, asked Ahmad, “I am the dream merchant”, answered the voice. There was the knock at his door; Ahmad is in sound sleep but imagines something.
“Dad did you knocked my door during the night”, asked Ahmad to his father on the next morning while taking breakfast tea, “o no”, replied Zubair his father, “Mom did you”, asked Ahmad from his mother, “no son replied his mother. I suppose somebody knocked my door during the night, possibly I must have been in dream”, said Ahmad and drank the cup of tea in one sip and went for his routine.
Every time he hopes for achieving to his goal on the new day but at the end it proves another failure. The insensibility in deciding the procedures ultimately, vanishes, his scope of future. Is this the fate responsible for the failure of his trials? Or there is methodological short come that he every time fails to fulfill his aim: I myself wonders!
Ahmad yearns for success what he dreamt since from child hood.
“Where would I go”, said Ahmad walking through a public park: changed into a ditch by melting snow. He chose that park because he feels ashamed if people recognize his quotidian wandering.
He wants to ‘kick the bucket’ as he is fed up of his life; but is afraid of committing this sin, as life and death is in His hands and “if he chooses life, what then, wouldn’t I be ashamed, how would I face that shame”, uttered Ahmad. Wetting his dry mouth with tongue and continues “and if I die wouldn’t I be damned”.
Loitering he reached to the abandoned house, he saw the policemen in around the house and some people watching there, so he too decided to remain there.
Some policemen came up with a mutilated dead body, on the face of the dead body Ahmad recognized it, “that is the same who played necromancy, and it might that the body is eaten by the dogs”.
Ahmad watched the whole affair and chose silence. He felt pity about the soul of that man.
It was near about 5 pm, he decided to see Arin so he marched towards her home. At the entrance he stopped decided not go inside and was about to turn back when Arin opened the door, “o, what a surprise Ahmad you, here”, says wonder struck Arin on seeing Ahmad. “Yes Arin, I was from this side and thought it better to see Mr. Owaisi”, replied he modestly. “O! Ahmad you are most welcome, come inside, papa is in his study”, said Arin in joyous mood, her face sparkles by seeing Ahmad.
“Arin, I know about a man who is dead now, most probably might have died by the chill and whose body was nearly consumed by the dogs to extinguish their hunger; I have seen him alive and I saw his dead body mutilated by the dogs, yesterday when I talked to him he told me about necromancy, in fact he was learning necromancy there”, said Ahmad with terror stricken voice. “What do you talk about”, asked Arin impatiently.“Did have you seen that abandoned house over there few kilometers away from my home”, asked Ahmad, “yes” replied Arin. “Police discovered a dead body there”, told Ahmad adding, “Arin, I have knowledge about that man and what was he doing there, in fact I too had been there twice, “what reacted Arin in amazement but for what purpose”, asked she. “O, Arin I am anxious, I am confused”, replied Ahmad.
“O, hello Ahmad”, said Owaisi coming out from his study , “hello Mr. Owaisi”, replied Ahmad adding “I am fine”, “get inside”, said Owaisi “Arin I will be back soon”, “ok”, replied Arin.
Both Arin and Ahmad sat on the chairs opposite to each other. It was 8 of night and the study room was quite warm and such type of warm ambience has felt by Ahmad occasionally.
Arin was looking at Ahmad with devoted eyes, “what were you saying”, asked Arin with certain amount of curiosity. Ahmad sitting on chair uncomfortably is looking towards Arin seizing her beauty. In fact he is infatuated by the overall beauty of Arin, “I saw there”, he sank in the beautiful black eyes of Arin, he felt the warmth of fair complexion of Arin face on his own, he is lost in the symmetrical construction of Arin, he is charmed by the shining black hair of Arin. “Where are you”, asked Arin smiling, in fact she have read from the eyes of Ahmad the situation he is going through. In ecstasy she asked again “where are you Ahmad”, “o, sorry I was thinking something”, replied Ahmad “I know what?”, told Arin, “what?”, asked Ahmad, “o, nothing I am just joking”, answered Arin.
A stillness aroused in the study room. Ahmad felt a kind of serene environ; which he had never before. The exchange of glances between Arin and Ahmad impregnated coolness in the eyes of Ahmad. He is feeling tranquility in his body and mind which led him to relax on the chair. He forgot everything; he felt peace to his extremities of life: and its shores bearing the currents of pleasure, there seems now as if life has entered now into Ahmad.
“Arin please desist from looking at me so dotingly”, says Ahmad with trembling lips, stood up walked few steps to and fro in order to divert his attention from Arin. “Ahmad please sit, let it happen, don’t be so rigorous with your feelings addressed Arin to Ahmad.
“Are you on walk be seated”, said Owaisi while entering the study continuing “what is the matter your facial expressions suggest fear”, “I am very much frighten”, replied Ahmad, “but of what”, asked Owaisi, “you might have heard about the incident that had happened in that ruined house”, told Ahmad while sitting on the chair. “O, yeah” replied Owaisi. “”last week when I was here and on my return I chose the lane through the abandoned house homeward; reached near the house I heard somebody reciting some words there, to be very frank, timorously I entered into that house and saw a middle aged man all alone reciting the words, I interject and asked the reason but he compelled me by a threat to leave and I left”..
“But because of curiosity on the other day I went again there; and forced him to tell the whole affair, and what he revealed that he is learning ‘Necromancy’”, and adds further “certainly he would have died of chill for it had heavy snowfall last night and dogs after finding no food to quench their hunger would have eaten the dead body of the man; and I am feeling guilty”. “But, of what?”, asked Owaisi. “I don’t know of what”, replied Ahmad. “Ahmad, don’t be so apprehensive tell me how you are guilty; you have just frequented the house and nothing else. “Clear your mind”, said Arin adding, “What is your opinion Dad”. “Certainly Ahmad liberate your mind from these apprehensions: advised Owaisi lighting a cigar.
Ahmad remained silent Arin stood up and went out of study to fetch some tea. Ahmad sitting still on chair contemplates deeply.
Owaisi knows that Arin loves Ahmad and is also aware of Ahmad’s uncertainty in every affair but he nourishes a hope that someday he will succeed in changing the opinions of Ahmad. Sharon is seeing his successor in Ahmad.
The inspired Ahmad is sitting still until Arin came-up with hot tea and broke the silence and said offering a cup of tea to Ahmad, “fresh your mind with this hot cup of tea, ‘dad take it yours’” said she giving another cup of tea to her father took her chair and starts sipping the hot tea. Ahmad quickly finished the tea and stood up, “I must leave now it is very late”, said Ahmad. “Ok” replied Owaisi. Ahmad strode through the corridor in outward direction.
While walking homeward Ahmad decided not to tread through the abandoned house and approached the road. it was near about 11 O’clock of night the frozen snow on the road sides has made it tough to walk on and often Ahmad slipped two or three times. Though it was night the brightness of snow had lit the surroundings enough to recognize the things. He stood still in the middle of the road gathering the moments which he has just spent with Arin; smiled with joy, a rapture brokeout from his smile and his face flushed with shyness. He shakes his head throws out these erupting feelings from his mind and heart and gains momentum to reach the home as soon as possible for these feelings have made him inebriated.
