The darkest hour

             

She sat beside the huge tree, watching the clouds travel across the sky, sitting lonely, plunged into deep thoughts, tears welling up in her eyes. It was a peaceful and quite place, Sarah felt a bit relaxed. Suddenly a voice strokes her mind and broke the chain of her memories. It was her brother Ali who had been looking for her. Sarah didn't feel like talking to anyone. She started running as fast as she could. "Sarah!! Sarah!! Stop. Why are you running from me??" he shouted from the fields as he caught a glance of her but instead of stopping she started running more faster, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Mama is really worried for you, everyone has been looking for you for an hour, mama had been crying. Please stop!" Ali said. He was gloomy. Sarah was her only sister. The incidence that happened six months ago had ruined their lives. It was a whole life tragedy, but it had affected Sarah the most. Her irritating, rude behavior had disturbed her mother. Sarah always seemed depressed, sad and lonely; in fact she was. To her, her life was feeble without the person she had loved the most.

Sarah stopped running as she heard her brother. She didn't want to talk to anyone but couldn't afford the precious pearls falling from her mother's eyes. Deep inside, she was feeling miserable, but also wanted to put her head in her mother's lap; the cradle of her life.

As she entered the gate, a slap hit her face so hard that she fell, Ali grabbed her. Everyone was stunned. "Where were you?? Where have you been for the last two hours?? Have you lost your mind??Everyone was so worried for you." Maryam (Sarah's mother) shouted, tears rolling down her cheeks, her voice filled of anger and frustration. Sarah burst into tears, "Kill me!! Kill me!! I know me that I am a great burden. Kill me so you all will be free, you won't have to worry", yelling she left the room and locked herself. Ali and Ajani (her aunt) ran before her. Maryam fell on the couch.Aani started knocking at the door, "open the door Sarah!! Don't be foolish, she is your mother, she can say anything to you, Please open the door" Aani requested her. "You all want to get rid of me, everyone hates me, everyone......." she said sobbing. "I don't want to talk to anyone. Please leave me alone"

Maryam took her and Ali to the village. She had some fields and land in the village. They had no other source of income. So she had sold her house in the city and shifted to village. Now Sarah had to study in a village school. She lost her temper on listening this. She knew she had to leave everything she loved her room, garden, her school and most of all her chums. But they had no choice. Maryam told her that village is a lovely, peaceful place and she will like being there. But it was of no use. She was getting worse day by day. Mrs. Aslam (one of their relatives) advised them to take her to a psychologist. She gave them a number and address of a famous psychologist in the city.

The next day Maryam and Ali took her to the psychologist's clinic. After waiting for half an hour of waiting, they were in the room. Dr.Ahad took a look at her and asked her name; in a glimpse he got that she was a victim of depression. When Maryam started telling him the problem, he stopped her, "I can sense it", he said "She will tell it to me by herself". Maryam told him that she won't, but he assured her. Dr.Ahad talked with Sarah for half an hour. He tried his best and at last she told him the cause of her bitter attitude, her rudeness and depression.

She was a cheerful girl, lived her life, and loved her family and most of all her father. Six months ago, she was going back to her house from school with her father. They were giggling and eating ice cream. Suddenly a loud shriek shocked them. Earth shook even harder than an earthquake. The window glasses broke, smoke was everywhere, no one could see anything, and everyone was running here and there in shock and fear. The cries and calls of innocent children and people scared everyone's heart to death, there were pools of blood everywhere, road was filled with shackled glass, broken pieces of cars, ball bearings. These were the dreadful scenes of the bomb blast that occurred in the market that came in their way. People were shouting for help, crying and yelling. Muhammad Ahsan (Sarah's father) stopped the car and got out, he told Sarah to stay in the car, she was frightened and stopped him from going but he assured her that he will come back in few minutes. "Just stay in the car, even whatever happens", he advised her. And ran for the help of injured people. Alas!! After a few minutes, 'Boom!! Another bomb blast!! And he never returned, his body shackled into pieces. Sarah got out of the car, she was horrified, a broken shoulder of a person, filled with blood was in front of her. Her body started shaking with fear. "Papa!! Papa!!" she was yelling and ran but the policeman caught her. She tried to free herself but it was of no use. The shoulder in front of her had the watch that her father wore. He was gone, forever!! The she was her life the person she had loved the most shackle like a glass in front of her. She tried to get rid of these memories but it had been stored in her mind and personality too. Tears welled up in Dr. Ahad's eyes he felt sorry for her but couldn't do anything.

This story is not the only one. There are hundreds of families that are suffering with the same conditions. This is the present situation of our country. Where are we going?? How did our country turned into an open battle ground?? Day after day these bomb blasters enter our country like soundless guests, choose their desired location and then another bomb blast. In these bomb blasts hundreds of persons like M.Ahsan lose their lives and leave their families (like the one described above) to face the ups and downs of life alone. This is not what it has to be, they don't have the right to take innocent lives, to flood our country drop by drop with blood. We used to be a prosperous nation, smiling faces and cheering hearts but how did it all turn into a chaos?? We are losing the grip that we once had on our country; we have forgotten the origin of Pakistan, the motto on which this country was created:

"Pakistan ka Matlab Kya La-Ilaha-Illalah"