It was the way her father called her at the house. The way he sat down and said that he wanted to talk about something with the family. It was the way he looked so worn out that made Dua turn serious. 

"Both of you are going to go with your mother today," her father said to her brothers, looking very sombre. It was a look that let everyone in the Farooqi family know that this was not a debatable conversation. It was to be done. 

"There is a train leaving a little after midnight, your mother has already packed all your stuff. All three of you will go to India, to your mother's village. You three can leave today and I and Dua will follow in a few days," her father said and the meeting was over after that. It was an order, and her father rarely gave orders. 

Everyone followed the order, but still, it was the way he just did not even discuss with Aisha, that Dua was totally convinced that something will go wrong. Or rather something had given him a clear picture of what will be happening in the coming days. 

So she stayed behind to talk to him. 

"What is going on Abba? " she questioned her father.

He was quiet but then motioned her to sit down. He paced around the room, in some sort of stress or dilemma, she wasn't sure. But by the way, he was moving around the room searching for things- which he knew well were kept at their certain places- made her certain that something was weighing on his mind. 

"I want to ask something of you, I know you will not like it. It was, or rather, it is a strange proposal but I can not deny that it is a good one, it isn't what I envisioned for you, and yet perfect in a sense," Mir Farooqi was tumbling over his words.

"Rehana and Idress came to the college today. Rehana asked for your hand in marriage, for Zaroon," Mir said and Dua visibly lost her thoughts for a second. 

She looked at her father with a completely blanked-out mind. 

"I know, as I said strange, but I can see it, Dua. He is a good man, a man of morals, and of good character. A man who would treat you as I do, with respect and grant you the liberties which no one else would," her father had certainly lost his mind.

"How could he even think of this," Dua asked a little disgusted at the idea, and a little heartbroken. She truly did like Zaroon, admired him. 'Did he really think that, about her ?' she thought, doubting her admiration and her faith in the man? 

"No, he did not think of it, Rehana did," Mir cleared out her doubt in one sentence but then again, he created more doubts.

"She wants to see him married before she dies, and Zaroon is against even the notion of a second marriage," Mir went on Dua listened wanting to understand both Rehana and Zaroon. 

"Rehana thinks you would be the perfect partner for Zaroon, someone who could be his equal, and since Rehana is not sure how long she will be here, she wants this done now," Mir said clearly seeing logic where Dua could see none.

 'Why would she want to get the love of her life married to someone else?' Dus thought it was an absurd notion. 

"I want your consent though, if you don't want this then no one will ever talk about this again," her father made it clear her word would be final. 

"But Dua, meri Jaan think very well, think practically and emotionally, think it thoroughly," he rather added making her wonder why he was so for this proposal. 

As the sunset on the horizon, the study started to be drenched in slight darkness, while there was light yet, the darkness was going to take over soon. 

Mir patted her head as he always did, and left to talk to her mother probably about tonight's journey. 

But he left Dua in conflict. Why she thought 'Why should I marry him? He clearly loved his wife. And Rehana also was devoted to him, so why?' 

She thought she will meet with Rehana before deciding, and judging. Even if she looked at it practically, her heart was not ready. Or maybe, her mind was not ready but her heart was?

The evening was spent very quietly in the Farooqi Haveli. Everyone was crestfallen for one reason or the other. The boys were sad to leave their sister behind, Aisha was sad to leave everything behind especially her Mir Sahab. 

Dua was in her own mind, thinking more and more, over the proposal, and Mir has too much on his mind-the safety of his family, the destiny of his daughter, the countries dark pathway- there was too much in his mind. 

Even the workers at the haveli were sad due to the family leaving, and Aisha advising them to leave for their villages as well had also given them a wake-up call, the cities won't safe for them anymore.

Dinner was served and as soon as the streets started clearing out the Farooqi family got ready to leave. A car came to pick them up. A car from the Sheikh Haveli. 

The driver talked to Mir and Dua observed, the luggage was loaded, and the family pilled in the car. The drive to the railway station was full of little sniffs, and then suddenly to Dua the railway station looked much larger than life and foreboding. 

Getting the luggage loaded on to the train felt like tracking around a jungle barefoot. The night was dark, not a single star in sight, and it was new moon new, so the dark night was even darkened. The clouds and thunder in the month of August seemed like a sign of Allah being upset. 

The train called for boarding and the loud whistle of the train nearly made Dua jump. Dua hugged her brothers close as Mir and Aisha talked about something. The train's TC was called and Mir made some gestures towards the boys and Aisha telling him something. 

Apparently, they will be travelling in reserve under a false name. 'What was Abba up to?' Dua thought, he was lying willing on records to get them home. 

Her mother hugged her close and said, " Be brave Dua. You are your father's strength, be brave when he isn't. I know you, you won't be afraid. But when the time comes when Mir Sahab can't be strong you will have to be." 

Dua looked at her mother truly looked at her, and she felt like she was a five-year-old young girl again, and her mother was telling her that her knee scrap was nothing, as Dua and her father cried. Dua cried due to the pain and her father because Dua was crying. It was Aisha who held strong for both of them. Now, she was passing on the responsibility to her. 

Even if she was deemed big enough for the responsibility she still felt like that crying little girl.  So, she hugged her mother like a five-year-old again, a child hugging a mother for the strength that only a mother could provide. 

The train called again, the Farooqi women let go of each other. Aisha, Abdullah and Omar all got in the train compartment, as did several other people, all of whom no doubting were leaving due to the tensions mounting high. 

The train moved and Mir and Dua started walking along with it, Aisha went on about keeping the house clean, eating food on time and so many different things that she took care of daily.

Dua did not even realise she was crying till the train had left the station and she was standing alone on the very edge of the cemented pavement, her father far left behind. Standing all alone looking at her family going further away with each passing second. 

She turned back to watch as her father standing a few feet away, she walked towards him and together without any words spoken they went back to the car. 

Dua went into the car and Mir stayed to talk to the station master regarding more trains and booking. It was then that another train stopped at the station. 

This train was lit on fire.

Dua watched in horror as a few train compartment were caught in fire, and as the others were filled with people screaming. Screaming at what Dua could not understand, they were just screaming. 

It was a flash of metal that made Dua truly aware of what was happening. It was the fanatics, from some other town, in search of someone, killing anyone in their way.

Dua wanted to get out, to get her father back to the car, but the driver has already locked doors. And he was outside.

She waited for what felt like a lifetime but was in reality just a few minutes till her father come into her view a few meters away at the entrance of the station. She breathed a sigh of relief. 

But then much to her horror, someone came from behind and all Dua could do was scream from inside the locked doors of the car. She screamed as the man stabbed her father in the back, and as he ruthlessly pulled the dagger out, and let her father fall to the ground. She screamed as she watched him leave, and as the driver went to pick her father up. 

She cried herself hoarse as the driver came to her with her father barely conscious. The driver got them to the car and unlocked the doors finally. 

Mir all but slipped on the car seat, as Dua started to cry even harder if that was possible. 

The fanatics were still behind them, and Dua shouted at the driver, as soon as she saw the fanatics move towards the entrance, "Drive". The driver was sensible, he wasted no time and drove at full speed.

Dua kept talking non-sense to her father, while keeping pressure on the wound, something her father had taught her, " Keep your eyes open", "We will reach soon Abaa", she herself had no idea where they were going but she made sure to keep reassuring Mir. 

As they reached their street they saw that some of the students which had joined the communist faction were staking outside their house, possibly in wait for Mir. 

Dua was suddenly reminded of her mother's words and thought 'she had to be strong' 

So she gave a new set of direction, "No, No don't take us home," she all but shouted and the driver also noticed the students, "Where to then?" he asked. 

Dua thought as the driver turned back, "To the Sheikh Haveli,"  and the driver obliged. 

The drive to Zaroon's house was not that long, but Dua could not think of anyone else who would help her at this hour. Zaroon would know what to do. 

As they reached the house Dua got out of the car and ran to the door, as the driver went to help his father out, but by then Mir Farooqi had lost consciousness. 

Dua banged on the door, " Zaroon, Darwaza kholen, Open the door," she screamed and kept on banging on the door. 

It was Zaroon who opened the door and he looked at Dua, dishevelled, her clothes and hands were drenched in blood, her eyes were red blood shoot and tears were falling rapidly from them. 

Zaroon's heart clenched staring at her.

She looked back at him and could not utter a word until he heard the driver grunted or maybe it was her father?

Zaroon's attention also went towards the nice and the sight of Mir being carried by his driver was enough to jolt Zaroon out of this trance.

"Mir Sahab," he cried and went past Dua to help support him. By then Rehana had made it down the stairs. One look at Dua and Rehana all but ran to her, "What happened Dua?" she asked concerned and shocked. 

Dua kept crying opening her mouth to speak but no words came out. Zaroon helped Mir inside the house and Rehana let out an astonished gasp at the sight. 

She looked at Dua checking for any similar injuries after all she was covered in blood, but she seemed alright. Physically, at least. 

Rehana went alongside Dua, as she followed Zaroon. Rehana kept questioning, but got no answers from her, Idress had also seen what was happening went to call for the doctor. 

Till then Zaroon worked on cutting Mir Sahab's kurta and looked for the injuries. It was then that Dua supplied one piece of information, "Back, it's his back," and then she went quiet again. Trying and failing to keep the images of the night away from her mind.

It was half an hour before the Doc arrived and all of them were ushered out of the guest room where Mir Farooqi was treated by the doctor. So, everyone waited, holding onto their breath for the doctor to come out. 

To hear what was Mir's fate.

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