Humsafar (short stories)

Aatish e Ishq

"No, she was a year and a half old. I really got scared at first. I wasn't even ready to touch her. Everyone was like how will a girl keep her? My cousins on seeing my fear held my hand and placed it on Anna's back. I was shivering at that time"
Heyam who needed someone to talk started talking nonstop and he didn't interrupt the hearing of whatever she was saying with so much interest but he frowned listening about cousins touching her still didn't stop her

"On the first day only she broke her chain and ran towards me. I was running in the house screaming Baba Baba.  Then he made me give food to her. I did she was asking to keep the plate closer to her. It was so cute of hers. Then she got scared of something and ran upstairs. I went behind her and her teeth accidentally injured my wrist although it wasn't a big one that's how I got closer to her and you know I had ten dogs literally ten dogs as Anna gave birth to the nine pups and I kept them for three months. I kept two of them but they died due to a virus. I couldn't recover for two years"
She said energetically but at last, she got very sad. He was shocked that she had ten dogs. It wasn't normal for a young girl like her usually girls get scared to even come closer to dogs. He got to know that she talks a lot

Suddenly she saw a cat on Burhan's balcony. Heyam screamed and held his hand tightly with both of hers. She started to scream closing her eyes and holding his hand tightly
"Please don't let her come near me. Please I am scared of cats. Please Sardar, please"

Burhan was shocked. If he didn't see her with Anna he wouldn't have never believed that she had a dog. He sighed and made the cat run away

"She's gone. You can open your eyes. You are not scared of dogs but cats. Weird"
Burhan said nodding his head in disbelief

Heyam pulled her hands back getting embarrassed and said making a cute pout and looking at him with wide eyes
"Everyone asks me that. But cats are really scary. Their eyes scare the hell out of me. I feel like they have a jin in them"

"So you're scared of jins?"
He asked raising his eyebrow and keeping a serious face

"First I was not. I used to watch a lot of horror movies and always wanted to meet one. But now I can't even watch a funny horror video"
She decided to give a small answer this time

"Well, this Haveli is a hundred years old. It doesn't look like it because I renovated the whole haveli. Our ancestors used to rule this area. At that time whoever did something wrong they punished by hanging to death or being in jail. Many people died in the jails. People claim that they see them here or hear screams at night. That's why Dadi Jaan calls every woman in the village on Friday to recite the Quran and she does too daily. You know where the jail was"
Burhan was speaking the truth but the sole reason was to scare her

She looked at him with wide innocent eyes holding fear in them and no innocently

"It's right beneath your room"
Burhan smirked and told in a scary voice

Heyam's eyes widen more. She started nodding no looking at him and then towards the railing. She ran into the room making him burst into laughter. She was the only person who made him laugh so much

Heyam ran towards her bed fearing a hand would come and pull her down the bed. She turned off the lamp with shivering hands and lay down on the bed pulling the blanket under her body even feet and covering her whole self and started reciting Ayat-ul-kursi. Now she was feeling safe but was still scared. Heyam cursed him for telling her this. At last, she sleeps thinking that he must be laid to scare her. Deep down she knew he was speaking the truth but decided to confirm it tomorrow
.....................................................................

She was sitting with everyone in the hall but could see Raima glaring at her. Heyam as usual ignored her and looked at the dresses Preeshay was showing Alina