Becoming Human

Act IV - Hence Family

Days passed by and Maáh and Hijar spent upcoming days under the same roof. Hijar had taken the responsibility of the child and taught him everything what the children of his age should be knowing. He learnt to talk using language that was common in that area. He learnt eating manners and toilet manners despite those things being most difficult to him. For instance, it was hard for him to drink water from the glass, so, he would just pour the entire jug onto his open mouth in one go, hoping that some of the water might end up in his own mouth as well. It was hard for him to learn the toilet manners but he got used to them.

Maáh had accepted Hijar as his father and a mentor not knowing the purpose and meaning to either of those two. He just felt that Hijar was there for him, so, his heart ultimately accepted Hijar's presence. Thus, Hijar named the child Maáh, so as to declare him his son.

Maáh was yet to interact with other humans but he was ready for he could see everyone through the hole in the wall which he had recently learnt was called window. He would get up on his bed lying adjacent to the window and would rest his elbows on its sill with arms hanging out of it. He would spectate all sorts of people. Old men walking slowly, all of them with almost white hair and few grayish black hair like Maáh's own; young children of Maáh's age, playing and chasing after each other. Women and girls with baskets hanging in their bent arms, and white pieces of clothes wrapped around their heads upto the lower of their chins. He would hear and see people laughing and cheering. He would see the hawkers passing by and yelling at the top of their voices to sell strange things lying in their cart. He just loved looking at them all day.

His curiosity was getting the best of him. Strange, how he acted that way. He himself found this behavior of his unusual but paralleled by interesting. Sometimes, he himself would wonder if he is the same Maáh who was even scared of his own father, his only family, not so long ago. But! It was too early for him to pass such remarks on himself as he hadn't even exchanged a single word of sense with any other living being other than Hijar, let alone connect to any other human being. But Maáh was growing. One of best aspects about growth is experience. Life as we know it, itself came out as a hereditary product of experience. Experience is what drives the living. Experience is the teacher. It has always meant to be a teacher. Its teaching methods can be cruel but teachings themselves aren't. That's exactly what Maáh was about to have.

Hijar was quite aware of Maáh's newly found curiosity and being a responsible father, he planned on breaking this arduous journey of his into little digestible pieces knowing that a little soul can only take enough of this world.

Maáh was making a hustle regarding the matter. His little mind was picturing everything to be rose bed. He wasn't at fault though as his purview was limited to Hijar, the kind man who took the boy in and became the ultimate support. Hijar knew he had to do something regarding the matter.

On one auspicious day, as they both shared their breakfast table and chewed the fat while having a hearty breakfast, Hijar put forth a statement that brought spring joy on the boy's face. "So, you -um- want to go with me to work tomorrow?", Hijar says in mildly joyful tone as he puts a bite of bread into his already half full mouth while gazing into his plate. "So? will you come with this old man?", Hijar continues in cheerful tone, "you already - um - have some idea about us humans, don't you?", Hijar laughs as he delivers the statement. "R-really, father?", Maáh abruptly stops his feeding hand. "You are not joking, right?", says Maáh with his eyes wide open. "I definitely am not, my son", Hijar returns with a fatherly tone while keeping his eyes on his plate, again putting a piece of bread into his half full mouth. He adds, "Now finish your breakfast, bad manners to let the food in plate wait, you know." "Woohoooo, yes! Yes! Yes!", Maáh climbs off the chair in excitement that shadowed what Hijar just said. "We will walk and we will see people and touch them and talk to them. You and me father. We will have a wonderful day. And – and. We will buy things and..", Maáh is interrupted by Hijar with following words, "Don't be impertinent, Maáh. Sit down and finish your meal." He said so in somewhat reverberating tone. But in the heat of excitement, Maáh had just forgotten about the world around him. Maáh runs off to his room as he yells in excitement and cheer, "I need to plan for tomorrow. This is life changing."

Hijar's left in the room alone. A big smile sparks out on his face as he takes his final bite and gets up to do the dishes before leaving for work. "Such a beautiful kid! Full of life. Just as always.", Hijar whispers to himself as he walks to the sink. (Still under construction)