TRANSLATED FROM THE URDU BY AYUSHEE ARORA

The narrow drain was overflowing with water, and the soapy foam was floating on the water’s surface like a blanket. He had just come out of the dark bathroom after bathing, and he sat down in the sun to warm his body, which was shivering from the cold, while drying his hair with a towel. As he rubbed his hair with the towel, his gaze fell on the drain. The filthy, muddy water was flowing slowly in the drain. Suddenly, an incident came to his mind, which had deeply affected his mental well-being and senses for many days, rendering him unable to think of anything else besides that event. Gradually, he had started to forget the incident and the memories associated with it.  But today, after a long time, the flowing water with the soap foam had reminded him vividly of that incident. Countless sighs echoed in the depths of his heart. At that moment, he felt a similar sensation to the day when he had experienced that event. Although before that, he had witnessed such horrific scenes that even stones would melt away, he had never been so affected, as he had by that particular incident.

Death had engulfed the hustle and bustle of the city, and life was whimpering in corners, hiding its face. The desolation seemed to issue an undefeatable proclamation that there would never be any inhabitancy again. Death had decided that no one could escape its clutches. However, the distressed hearts of the relief committee members insisted that life was not so cheap that they would allow it to be trapped in the webs of death like insects. Wherever they could go, wherever they could reach, they tirelessly searched for the miserable lives, crying and whimpering, and brought them to the camps of refugees. They had spent the entire day rescuing fifty distressed individuals from the deserted corners of the city and safely escorting them to the camp, and now, tired and exhausted, they were walking home on foot after getting off the van at the police station. It must have been around five in the evening. He was hurrying home to rest, but suddenly his steps halted. Twelve to thirteen men were standing by the roadside, peering into the drain. He went up to them and stood there. A large lock was attached to the gate of the building. They were contemplating breaking it.

“Since the last three days, we have managed to evacuate all the children from this house, but how is this one still surviving?”, A man with red eyes and a terrifying face asked while brandishing a knife.

“Then break the lock, sir!” Another man, bending down on the ground, with his tangled feet stuck in his belt, said as he lifted his leg. “But think about it, there’s a lock. Who could be inside the house?” He tried to convince the people.

“If no one’s there, then is it some kind of magic trick?” The third man, with red, bulging eyes, gestured towards the drain with wide-open eyes. A thick layer of foam from the soap was floating in the filthy drain.

“It seems someone has taken a bath,” the fourth man started sharpening his knife with his shirt, lost in thought about what to do next. At that moment, the soldiers had been left far behind, at the police station, and the police were nowhere to be found.

“Break the lock, sir!” Several voices urged at once.

“But look, humanity demands this.” He wanted to mitigate the fire of revenge by sprinkling the demands of humanity on it. But his words were cut off midway.

“When our mothers, sisters, and brothers were being bathed in blood, where were you, with your demands of humanity?” Several men asked at once.

“He was probably being faithful to his humanity.”, The terrifying man with red eyes and bulging eyes laughed devilishly.

“But look,” his hands rose up in defiance and then fell.

“The lock will be broken. Why are you objecting?” People started looking at him as if he wasn’t one of them.

“I’m not objecting. Break the lock.”, he said helplessly. He knew that at that moment no one would listen to him, and if he protested too much, they would tear him apart too. After a while, the lock was separated from the latch with some effort, and they all entered inside. He followed them. As his soul throbbed with fear, he began to think quickly about how to save the hidden human being. And suddenly, his mind came up with a simple tactic to save the unknown life.

“Look, don’t rush forward in a hurry, stumbling like blind men. Maybe he has a gun. I have a rifle. I’ll go ahead. You all follow behind me, cautiously.” He said softly. Everyone complied with his instructions and followed behind him. He began to make his way up the stairs slowly, as if they were a never-ending chain of stairs. He was very tired from working all day. His body and mind were exhausted. But at that moment, he didn’t feel any fatigue at all. He was at the forefront and was thinking about how, despite the fact that a massacre had been carried out in the tall building, this person had managed to survive. No one had been spared according to his own reckoning. Yet, this unknown man had managed to save himself by hiding. There must definitely be a place in that house where he had hidden himself in a way that he would not be discovered.

He thoroughly searched every corner of each floor – the first, second, and third floors. He was the first to enter every room. Apart from silence and desolation, there was nothing. It felt like the realm of owls. But when he was about to go to the fourth floor, for some reason his heart started pounding with prayers that there should be no one there either. Even there, the reign of owls should prevail. He had seen such horrific examples of human carnage and mercilessness, that he felt that he didn’t have it in him a anymore, to witness another. His steps quickened. He had left the people who were following him several yards behind, and when the stairs ended, he was the first to enter the room. He felt as if he had stumbled upon something unexpected when he reached there. The fair-skinned, beautiful girl, adorned in clean, blue attire, was sitting on the ground in front of him. Her nose was red. Cheeks red and swollen. Ey es half-closed, and body slumped. Her hair was loose, and she was holding a hairpin in her hand, looking with half-lidded eyes into the mirror in front of her. There were soap dishes, towels, clips, and hairpins lying next to her on the ground. He couldn’t believe his eyes that there was a living, breathing human being in front of him. Someone with a beautiful soul. She was like a fairy. But when the girl lifted her heavy eyelids and looked at him, and her hairpin slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, he realized the weight of her living, breathing self. And then, to save her, his soul trembled. He signalled her to hide. Slowly, he indicated to her that people were coming from behind. But the girl remained seated in her place. She didn’t even stir slightly. The girl looked at him helplessly once and then lowered her eyes. Everyone entered the room. Their knives seemed to quiver in anticipation as they bent down. They all began to laugh devilishly.

“When you dug a mountain, a mouse came out,” the man with red eyes approached the girl, and it seemed like an earthquake struck. The girl’s face turned pale all of a sudden. “Have mercy. Don’t touch her,” he begged as he came between the girl and the man with red eyes, and started screaming like a mad man.

“Have mercy. Don’t touch her,” he said, and started screaming like a madman between the girl and the one with red eyes.

“Oh, will her body get dirty? We deserve more than mere leftovers after all our hard work.”, said one. “Wait for your turn.”, said another and everyone started laughing. Two men pushed him aside and moved him away from the girl.

“No, stop, no,” he wanted to approach the girl again, but the one with red eyes put his knife against his chest. Then one of them picked up the girl and put her on his shoulder like a sheep. No sound came out of the girl’s mouth. She didn’t resist. But when they started to take her away, she stretched out her limp arms towards him. He wished that at that moment the knife had pierced his chest. He anxiously wanted to approach her, but was pushed back with a shove. And the one with red eyes came forward and wrapped the girl’s limp arms around his neck. The girl’s eyes closed as if she were in immense pain.

Then the room was empty in a moment. It was even more desolate and silent than before. They were all gone, and he was sitting on the ground right where the girl had been kneeling a while ago. He couldn’t stop thinking the girl’s outstretched arms. He sobbed like a child. He had seen many young women being abducted. He had heard their screams, their pleas. But none of them had affected him like this silent girl, who just spread her arms and moved him so much.

When he had cried enough, he gathered the scattered hairpins and clips and put them aside. He kept looking at them, touching them gently, and then picked up a slightly wet towel and kept wiping his face, then started arranging the messed-up bed. There were so many creases on it that it seemed like someone had kept changing positions on it for days, rubbing their feet. He began to think that this beautiful and strange girl had spent three days and three nights in agony on this bed. And then he slowly started straightening the creases on the bed. There were big stains of tears on the pillow. For three days, continuously for three days, she cried, and then she washed her face in exhaustion. So that she could muster the courage to cry again, and then she started to comb her hair. But why was she combing her hair? Why did she wash her face with soap? If she was tired, she could have just splashed water on her face. But she had washed her face properly with soap and was adorning herself.

There was silence in the city. Silence in her building. Death had swallowed everyone. A terrible emptiness loomed over the entire building. Life was nowhere to be seen, and she was adorning herself! In this lonely, silent room, after crying continuously for three days, she was adorning herself. Exhausted and broken, finally, she washed her face and sat down to comb her hair. But why was she combing her hair? What emotion was she feeling? What a strange, beautiful girl! And when they picked her up and took her away, she quietly left. Then his mind was captured by the two outstretched arms. If only he could put the head of that tired, exhausted girl on his lap. He could stroke her swollen red cheeks. He could do everything for her that she wanted. And then the feeling of helplessness made him restless. The room was empty with eerie silence after the house being plundered for three days in a row. She was exhausted and shattered, yet adorning herself. Why was she dressing up? Whom was she adorning herself for? What emotion was driving her? Such a strange, beautiful girl! And when they took her away, she quietly left. Then her mind, held by the outstretched arms, wished! If only he could cradle the tired girl’s head in his lap. He could caress her swollen eyes. He could do everything for her that she desired. And then the feeling of helplessness made him restless. He lifted the pillow from underneath, placing it in his lap. Underneath the pillow lay an old, worn-out letter. He opened it to read: ‘My love!…’ He quickly read the entire letter. But as he was reading, ‘I’ll come to meet you soon. I’m restless to see you. So restless that if a big storm comes in my way, it won’t stop me from reaching you. I’ll come straight to your room, where you’ll be sitting adorned, watching my path, and…’ His hand trembled. The letter slipped and fell to the ground. Suddenly, there was noise downstairs. Loud footsteps were approaching rapidly. Perhaps someone was looting a nearby building. He quickly put away the hairpins and clips in his pocket, arranged the stairs with trembling steps, and quietly headed towards home. Thinking, he glanced towards the drain once again. The water had flowed away, and the soap foam had disappeared.

Also, read three French poems by Patron Henekou, translated into English by Connie Voisine and the author, and published in The Antonym: 

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