Alnihayya

||J u m p i n g||

F i f t y O n e
This one is for

Mashal
The second my bullet hit Aymur, the watch on my hand rang frantically as if it was an alarm set to blare the second the challenge terminated.

My surroundings grew dimmer for a few seconds before the hall became normal, with plain walls and a grey floor much like Khawlah.
The bodies of all the women who had participated lay on the floor paralysed. I thought I was the only one standing until I heard Zeyara call out my name.
"Mashal! You did it."

My head flung to my right where he stood without the mask he was previously wearing, Kashf probably tested his weakness- to show his real face. Around him lay the paralysed bodies of the male contestants.
We were the last two standing.

"We did it sheikh!" I exclaimed, emphasising the "we" as I ran to him, feeling like a bird once again, after a long time.

Zeyara's arms wrapped around my frail waist and he flung me up in the air, my feet no longer touching the low earth.
I closed my eyes and savoured the volatile moment.

I could stay there forever and pretend I was a tiny bulbul, remain in that serene moment of laughter when Zeyara spun me around before putting me down again.
The pride in Zeyara's eyes, knowing that he cherished me, preferred me over all the women of the world was felicity for me.

The gates of Kashf opened with a flood of lights, confetti and glitter on the two of us along with the cheers and applause of the people as they came running in. A few paramedics ran to attend the paralysed participants, while Simayi Wang's enthusiastic voice blasted in the speakers, mixed with the claps of the spectators in cavern.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our two leaders!"

I had actually done it!

*

The last evening of Ramadan when the shy crescent finally appeared on the skyline, declaring an end to the holy month and a beginning to the eid festival was also, according to plan 009, Ibby's zubiha day.

Nearly everyone at Alnihayya was gushing about that wedding even though they had no idea who the bride was but knew very well that the groom was the Imam from the masjid.
Some people had even come up with love stories about those two 'lucky' people who were going to be the first ones to get married at Alnihayya.
The most interesting of those stories was the one I had heard in the cavern from a group of teenage girls.

"You know the girl was an Israeli! She was a Jew but when she heard our Imam reading the Quran she fell in love with him and accepted Islam."

"Really? That's so romantic." The girl's friend had answered with the cheesiest 'awwww' sound ever.

I had almost choked on my juice when I heard that one but that was not the only story. There were others like;

"The imam is going to marry a widow of an Alnihayya fighter."

"The girl ran away from her house for him."

"She was so pretty that even the imam couldn't resist."

Then there was my husband who had the least interest in attending the wedding. Even lesser than the interest in Islamic banking.

"It's not necessary to go. It's not fard." He groaned, covering his eyes with his arm since I had turned on the lights, interrupting his hibernation mode.