“Zain, open your eyes man. Wake up.” Saleem patted his forehead slightly before dragging away the curtains from the window.

“Ah, my head. Did someone hit me with a hockey or something on my head?” He held his head as he got up and looked at his friend through squinted eyes.

“This is what I want to ask you.” Saleem folded his arms over his stomach and furrowed his eyebrows at him.

“Uh. Come again?” Zain gave a puzzled look before grabbing a glass of water from the side table and gulping it down his throat.

“You were found passed out in the middle of the forest this morning.”

“I, what ?” Shock flashed across his face.

“You don't remember anything?” Saleem lifted his eyebrow at him.

“ Not yet, at least.” He rubbed his temples.

“Here are some medicines doctor prescribed for you. Have some food before you take them.”

“Sure, thanks man.”

“You are welc.....what is this?” Saleem took his hoodie in his hand and anklet slipped out of it and fell in his feet.

“Z.... Zain. What is it doing in your hoodie's pocket?” He almost yelled at his friend.

“Whoa, man what is wrong with you? Why are you shouting?” Zain gave him a puzzled look.

“N... nothing. You should eat your food and have medicine on time.” Saleem held the anklet in his fist and went out of the room.

“Sir an old man is waiting downstairs to meet you. He says that he is from Rosa resort. He says, he is in extreme urgency.” A servant informed Saleem.

“Ok. I am coming.” Saleem dropped the anklet in his pocket and went downstairs.

*****************************************************

“Sir. This is me Gullu Khan. I have to tell you something extremely important, Sir.”

Gullu Khan was a former work in Saleem's father's company and after leaving that job he had been running a resort for seven years.

“ What is it Gullu Khan? Why you sound so urgent and worried?” Saleem ordered the servant for tea before fixing his attention on Gullu Khan.

“She is back, Sir.” The hair on his back and ears stood up. He snapped up his face at him and widened his eyes.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Sh…she is back, Sir. I saw her anklet in your friend's pocket. You should tell him the truth before anything happens to you or him.” Gullu Khan patted his sweaty forehead with his handkerchief.

“Drop your voice, Gullu Khan and stop hallucinating. She is not back and can never be. And save one thing in your brain that I have not done anything sinful with her or him that they would have to pull a revenge against me."

“B…but Sir.”

“No, but Sir or she is back anymore. Dead don't return to earth, and she is dead.” He spoke through clenched teeth.

“Who is dead?” Saleem's head snapped in his direction. Zain stood at the door of the study room with a curious look on his face.

“Haha, no one special. We were talking about his relative. Actually she passed away yesterday, and he needed my financial help.” Sweat crept down his temple and neck.

“Uh. Ok.” Zain rubbed the back of his neck.

“Actually I was looking for something. I had an anklet, guess I lost it. Did you see it?”

“Ah. No dude. What would I do with an anklet? And by the way why do you have an anklet? You have someone special in your life?” Saleem swung his arm across Zain's shoulders and turning back his neck, he gestured Gullu Khan to leave at once.

“Haha. No man. I don't have anyone special. By the way, who was the man you were talking with before? He had turned away, I couldn't see his face.”

“No one important. Now come, we will go for a trip to mountains so that you can show your photography skills.”

“Yay. That would be awesome." His face lit up and both went in their rooms to get ready.

***************************************

The evening sun was giving a mesmerizing sight , the forest and mountains, everything was bathed in its crimson colours. He took pictures of the ethereal scenery and beauty of forests. The rocky, rough, arrogant mountains had their own charm which he was capturing.

Fixing his camera's focus on one tree, he saw someone peeking through it towards him. He pulled away from the camera and then again looked through it. There she was, smirking at him the most attractive smile and thumping her foot on the ground to jingle her anklet.

“Are you ok, man?” Saleem dropped his hand on his shoulder.

“Hun. Yeah, I am fine. There is someone behind the tree. Do you see her?” He pointed in that direction.

“No. I don't.” Saleem shook his head.

“I must be hallucinating.” He muttered to himself, dragging his fingers down his face.

“You are tired. Let's go home.” He took him towards the Jeep.

***************************************

' In her long blue dress, she was dancing on the shattered pieces of glass. There was blood everywhere, around her feet, but she was dancing like a doll which is given a round of key. He saw her petite figure injured but dancing, he ran towards her and yanked her forward.

“ Have you lost your mind?” He asked furiously and pushed her down on the chair.

“Look at your feet. They are bleeding and badly injured. Wait a minute.” He got up and came back in a minute with a first aid box in his hands.

“ Why do you hurt yourself, Ellie? Why?” He was now reaching his puberty, his 13 years old face had gotten maturity of an 18 years old one.

“ I have to. Evil should be punished.” She cried bitterly letting her tears stray down her cheeks.

“No, you are not.” He took out the tiny pieces of glass from her bruised feet, and she winced in pain. Later her carefully wrapped bandages around her feet.

“ My aunt says that my mother was  bad, evil woman. So I am evil too.” Her pink swollen eyes looked down at him.

“Neither of you are evil. Ok.”

“ But she was a prostitute....” Zain puts a hand on her lips.

“Never repeat this word again.”

“ Is it that bad?” She asked with innocence.

“Yes, but your mother was not bad. She left that heap of filth long before she married your father.”

“Then why did he kill her?” Zain drew in a long breath before releasing it.

He didn't have a blood relationship with her. She was his neighbor , a childhood friend, a companion. The pain crossing her featured always twisted his heart in agony. He softened the lines on her forehead with his thumb pad.

“ I don't know but remember that your mother was a good woman, and you are a good girl too.” He lifted her chin to make her look at him.

“Ok. At least  I am good for you. Right?” She wrinkled her nose as she smiled.

“Haha, yeah, you are the best for me.” He touched the tip of her nose and she burst into giggles.'

He woke up from his sleep and glanced at the wall clock which was striking 3 : am.

“ Again a dream.” He said under his breath.

“But why am I dreaming about my past now. Why do I see her, when I know that she left me and told me that she doesn't love me at all?” He rubbed his fore and middle finger on his forehead.

“Where is that anklet?” He again started to search for the lost anklet in his stuff and everything of the room.

“Study room. I must have dropped it there as I daily take coffee there with Saleem.”

He exited his room and quietly entered the room. He looked through cupboards, drawers, under and above the tables and sofas, but didn't find anything. Suddenly his eyes fell on a silver box pushed against a stack of books in a book rack.

***************************************

Stay tuned!

©Elif Hoorain.