The Imperials

Expedition

Harun POV:

It was late. 

The clock had struck eleven and I still sat at my table in my room ransacking my brain, hoping Allah would shower in some ideas for me to continue my essay before the due date had arrived. Once an idea struck, I immediately hurried to type in down before it was blown away. 

I threw my head back against my swivel chair and closed my eyes, my hands reaching to pinch the bridge of my nose due to the sudden headache that throbbed in my head. Being all day on the screen was a punishment, yet all the teachers decided to employ technologies to make us survive. 

"Harun," Mama peeked in the room, opening my door slightly ajar. "What are you doing?" 

"Homework," I answered bluntly, turning around to glimpse at her in acknowledgment before typing away in my device.

"When is Musa coming? How long is he planning to camp in his car? I swear, when he comes back I will take away his car and all his driving privileges." Mama frowned with her hands on her hips, shaking her head. Her forehead creased and carried a few wrinkles, yet she still looked pretty as ever. "The first thing he gets is a huge slap from me once he enters the house--"

"Why?" 

"What do you mean why?" Mama shouted like I have uttered the forbidden word. "He left the house without telling us, we are worrying about him--"

"You never know when the big bad wolf says peek-a-boo," Dad entered my room and grinned at mama and me, hoping his dad jokes would make us crack. "He doesn't even know martial arts for god's sake, he's gonna be his pudding for the night. He'll just scream and scream, no one will hear him from the wolf's stomach. People will think the wolf just gained a few extra fats these days, but little do they know Musa is shouting in there for help--"

"Huzaifah!" Mama growled, elbowing him making dad howl with pain. "Do not joke about such a thing. Watch what you say, Allah might accept it!" 

"Astagfirullah," Dad repented dramatically, giving himself some taubah slaps in front of my mirror on my dresser. "May Allah forever let Musa live with happiness and Allah's pleasure!" 

"Okay, Harun, I'm going to bed!" Mama rolled her eyes with annoyance, sauntering out of my room. "I had a really long day!"

"Yes, yes, me too!" Dad acknowledged, following Mama out. "When your Mama feels tired, I feel it too. We almost share the same body!"

"No, we don't!" Mama shouted from their room. "You just like to eat my brain slowly, and your sons take after you."

I didn't take after him, did I?

Well, I hope I didn't. The last thing I want to do was eat my wife's brain as well. 

I loudly sighed and got up from my chair to close my bedroom door to muffle out their loud rants that were probably going to extend til morning since dad was the crazy type just like Musa. 

When the door was closed, I sighed in relief. Finally, silence at last!

Stretching, I set myself back on my computer chair leaning back and brainstorming ideas for my essay. As ideas clicked through my head, I robotically typed them away, my eyes feeling drowsy with sleepiness nonetheless. I had a long day at school, and this homework wasn't making this any less good.

Suddenly my window screeched open, and I jumped up feeling startled. Musa peeked his silly head with a wide grin. In the background of the night, I could hear the grasshoppers chirping and owls hooting. "Whatcha doing?" He asked cheerfully. 

I raised my brows, gazing at him weirdly up and down. "Don't I have to ask you that? Who the hell cracks someone else's window open in the middle of the night and asks that? Someone, please tell me this is not a horror movie?"