Retrouvaille (2nd Place)

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Retrouvaille
A short story

Zainab Mustaali Sutterwala 23766



The only thing that kept moving in the traffic was the meter of the taxi, so we decided to walk the remaining way and save our money. We asked “How much?” but the driver only lip synced to the noise of the honks; somehow we managed to comprehend him. They say, "Mumbai traffic is like a game of Tetris" and I could not agree more. Like the tiles in the game, my friend and I dodged the fast-moving automobiles to fit into the spaces perfectly, trying to move forward gradually. Claustrophobia had
seized my mind and the background music orchestrated by the accompaniment of all these horns was not in harmony either. Moreover, the sun that day had decided to beam its rays upon us, causing our pores to burst, and douse us completely with sweat.
At last, we reached the gates of our desired destination and quickly stepped in to get away from the tumult outside. We stared at the magnificent building. Its white marble radiated tranquility and hushed the commotion outside completely. We stepped inside to the hum of momineen reciting Noha of Imam Hussain AS . From another corner, the Chant of ‘Ae Maula Muhammad hamara Sahara’ could be heard. The chandelier threw light on the gilded walls. It was the color of Noor on scripts of Noor- the Quran.
A few moments before, it seemed like a nightmare. Frustrated drivers were calling out each other. We had escaped rants like "i'll give you a piece of my mind" and attained Peace of mind indeed. In front of me I could see the Qabar Mubaraks of two Maulas RA and the momineen queued. Everybody was waiting for their turn. They knew that their Maulas were alive in spirit and listening to everything they had to say. They came here to confide all their problems, their wants and needs. Finally, it was my time. I rested my head on the Qabar Mubarak, my eyes opened the floodgates to let the tears out of the dams within. I also poured my heart out, let my frustrations out and sought help from my Maula RA . After I had performed my first ziarat of the trip, my soul was conent, still thirsty for more. May this thirst never end, because, if this is not peace of mind, I don't know what is.

Comments

  1. UnknownJuly 15, 2020 at 11:41 PM

    Very well written.Thoughts are very deeply expressed

    ReplyDelete

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