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Break The Shackles By Nimrah Abbas

(Originally Named as ‘Tor De Qadmo’n Ki Zanjeer’ in Urdu)

Translated by INKY WHISPER

Chapter Two

“God forbid. I don’t know why people are no longer afraid of God, but these so-called people…”

She looked at Gulshan. “If you want to leave this prison, then you’ll have to become rebellious like me. You’ll have to stand up for yourself. Today, I left that hedgehog just to come see you. And if he tries to stop me, I’ll break his hands.”

She spoke with intense excitement. Gulshan listened to her in surprise, staring at her reddening face.

“You’re so brave,” she said softly, unable to stay silent any longer.

“Leave this graveyard of a house, Gulshan. This is not your destination, and that phisa ayeco doesn’t deserve you,” she continued passionately.

“‘Phisa ayeco’? No way. It’s called ‘psycho,’” Gulshan chuckled, and Rahila laughed as well.

“Well, I don’t know English like you do, so I just say whatever comes to my mind. At least my point gets across anyway,” she said proudly.

Gulshan burst into laughter.

“Careful, Gulshan,” Rahila warned, looking at her attentively.

“Then come on, tell me. What should I do to escape from this cage?” Gulshan asked seriously.

“Oh, wait! Look, I completely forgot because of you. I came here with amazing news!” Rahila said excitedly.

Happiness instantly lit up Gulshan’s face.

“Well, there’s going to be a competition between girls from Lahore and Karachi. You just have to convince your family, and I’ll handle the rest. Only one thousand rupees are needed for registration, and if you get selected, they’ll even cover your expenses.”

She grabbed Gulshan’s hands tightly.

“Please, Gulshan, for God’s sake, gather some courage. Start buttering up your family so they’ll agree. Once you get out of here, new paths will open for you. Life doesn’t give opportunities like this again and again.”

Rahila continued speaking passionately while Gulshan cracked her knuckles, already preparing plans for the future in her mind.

**********

“What have you done to your appearance?” she glared at him as she walked out of the kitchen.

His face was covered in mud, and his clothes were stained with dirt as well. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with a slightly dusky complexion, sharp features, and a striking resemblance to Gulshan.

“Why? Am I looking handsome?” he asked annoyingly, looking down at Gulshan, who barely reached his shoulder, before entering the kitchen.

“Listen, you lose to the neighborhood teams every single day, and then you come back covered in mud, soil, and God knows what else. Wash your own clothes! I don’t own a washing machine that can magically remove all those stains,” she scolded while glaring at him.

“Listen, you Queen of Jhansi, first of all, I don’t lose to ordinary teams. And even if I do, it’s very rare,” he said defensively. “I don’t know whose unlucky face I saw this month that my team hasn’t been able to win a single match. Anyway, I always perform well. If the rest of the players are useless, then how is that my fault?”

He drank a glass of water before continuing dramatically, “And secondly, you don’t need to worry so much. The moment I earn a little money from a match, I’ll start sending my clothes to the laundry. Huh.”

Making a face, he walked out of the kitchen.

Gulshan gritted her teeth at his speech.

“Son of an owl!” she shouted furiously, making Shani smile.

**********

Dil ko qatar aya……

(My heart is at peace)

Pehli Pehli baar aaya

(This has happened to me for the first time)

Tujh pe hai piyar aaya

(I have fallen in love with you)

O yaara…o yaara

(O beloved…..o beloved)

Shakila Aunty was singing loudly in her terribly tone-deaf voice.

“Oh, for God’s sake, be quiet, Shakila!” Gulshan’s aunty said dramatically while cutting vegetables.

“Oh, I think I should audition for Pakistan Idol. My voice is a gift. Even my own baby is a fan of me,” Shakila said proudly while chewing paan (betel leaf).

“Oh, oh, oh, Shakila Aunty, why tire yourself with auditions? You should just send a voice note directly to Atif Aslam, and they’ll select you immediately,” Gulshan teased while carrying a tray of teacups.

Shakila Aunty burst into laughter as well.

“God bless you, Gulshan. If you weren’t engaged to that idiot Shani, I would’ve found you someone like Atif Aslam,” Shakila Aunty said happily while sipping tea from her cup.

“Don’t you dare, Shakila! Don’t fill her head with nonsense. She’s already delusional enough,” Gulshan’s aunty snapped. “And who did you just call an idiot? My son is handsome and well-mannered. You won’t find a boy like him anywhere. Mothers search for boys like him for their daughters.”

Shani’s mother spoke while dramatically waving her hands around, as if every sentence needed its own performance. Shakila Aunty only made faces while sipping her tea.

Meanwhile, Gulshan’s mood had completely soured. Her aunty’s words had rubbed salt into her wounds.

Still, no matter what happened, she wanted to get away from these people. Thinking about something deeply, she quietly took another sip of her hot tea.

**********

She sat on the rooftop, staring at the star-filled sky, lost in the memories of her past.

“Mama, Baba, where are you going?” she had asked innocently.

“Oh, Gulshan, we’re going to Islamabad. Your father has bought a new house there. We’ll go see it first, and then we’ll take you with us later.”

After saying that, her mother had kissed her forehead. It became the last kiss she ever received from her.

After that, her parents died in an accident, leaving Gulshan all alone in this world.

Gulshan squeezed her eyes shut in pain, trying to compose herself, but she was tired. Could anyone really hide from themselves? From God?

“I wish I had gone with you. Then maybe today I wouldn’t be dead inside while still living,” she whispered painfully. “I think I’ll remain trapped in this prison forever, and then one day I’ll come to you both. It’s suffocating me, Baba. My loneliness will kill me, Mama…”

She spoke in a broken voice, unaware that someone had heard every single word.

Standing behind her like a silent shadow — a protective shadow — he listened to the pain hidden in her voice. She didn’t realize that her suffering was affecting someone else too, slowly eating away at his heart.

For a few moments, he simply stood there. Then, taking slow steps backward, he quietly turned around and left.

To Be Continued….