those coloured toes.
He was drenched in sweat, the eye-blinding rays of the sun were too much to take for that little body of 8 years and he felt like he is walking on fire. He thought this might be what it is like in hell if he ends up doing so much haraam things. he held his ummi's salwar tighter and tried to walk as close to her as possible like Ummi said because it was very crowded and he could get easily lost. His little tummy was screaming with hunger but he was mature enough to not complain because he knew even Ummi didn't have anything for a day when he got to have a bun today morning. She didn't have work for so many days and they had to gather whatever they had to buy a bun for him and his 3-year-old sister, Dua.
the policemen were trying to move all of them to aside from the road by shoving their lathi mercilessly at them like what a shepherd does to his cattle. the sun above their head was getting brighter and brighter making it hard for shouku to look up. he walked further with his head hung low due to exhaustion. as he walked, he started noticing a different kind of feet. the one without a slipper in this dreadful condition, the black ones that turned white with dust due to long hours of walking, the privileged ones who had a shoe even though its old and damaged. the ones who had bichiya (toe ring) and red toenails, the ones who had countless scars, the ones with deep wounds. there were so many different kinds of them. and then he saw little draggy feet with different colours of nail polish painted on different toes. those feet hopped now and then as to cop up with the larger foot that's next to it. he smiled every time they hopped. he too hopped along with a time or two. he wanted to see to whom those little cute feet belonged. he slowly looked up. her brown hair was shinning in the sunlight, her round cheeks were as red as tamaatar, her brown eyes shined like she had the bees to fill them with honey. her little fingers were holding tight to an older lean man who seemed like her abba. the hunger that screamed in his tummy a while ago seemed to be tamed. he felt full, in his tummy, in his heart. the eye-blinding sun or wet sticky clothes didn't bother him anymore as he kept watching her trying to wipe the sweat off her face now and then and hopped along to keep up with her bigger feet companion.
she was making him happy regardless of how terrible the day was. he kept walking by following the rhythm of her feet. suddenly everyone stopped, they just moved here and there to settle down. that's when he realized they reached Anand vihar. it seemed like he didn't know the distance for a while.
he looked at ummi who was now all pale and weary. he wished if he was a little taller so that he could have carried Dua so that ummi wouldn't have been this exhausted. Dua fell asleep on ummi's shoulder. he caressed her hanging arms and turned back to find those coloured toes again. but he couldn't. he peeped in his toes and tried to look as far he could to spot them, he was starting to feel despair. he cursed that moment he took eyes off her and got back on his feet. Dua was awake now and was playing with shoukath ali's hair. he was in no mood to play and he looked at her with his eyes asking her to stop. that's when he felt someone behind staring at him. his little heart skipped a beat when he realized it was her, the one whom he been searching for a while. he sighed with relief and smiled to himself. he could see through the corner of his eyes that she was also smiling. he felt so blissful. they stood like that till dusk. exchanging smiles, stealing glances, little shy waves at each other. they were the happiest ones in the middle of thousands of worried and worn-out people. soon a group of people came and assigned different buses to different places. he got worried, what if she had to board a different bus.? his eyes bulged out in alarm. he didn't want to miss out on her again. his little lips quickly murmured a prayer to Allah to make them on the same bus and he'll forever be a good boy if that happens.
shouku turned to a man who called out from a bus, "Firozabad, Firozabad." that was his city. people there make beautiful bangles in different colours and patterns in Firozabad. Ummi and Dua had those bangles in their hands. he made up to his mind to get a couple of those beautiful bangles for his coloured toe friend if she gets into the same bus as his. and with this thought, shouku walked towards his bus. He couldn't believe what happened next. She was also getting on the same bus. His heart danced with immense joy. He couldn't stop smiling and neither couldn't the little girl. they were the first ones to get in and were lucky enough to get seats. He closed his eyes and thanked Allah for hearing his prayer. suddenly a group of strange-looking people with mask and coat got on to the bus and started to talk. He couldn't make out what they were saying. Soon they took out a machine that shouku mistook for a gun and chills ran down his spine. They pointed them at everyone's head and it beeped and showed numbers. It was his turn and as soon as the gun reached closer to him he held his arms up with fear. Those strange people giggled and shouku didn't know why. next was her turn. he looked at her with his breath held in. They pointed the gun at her and it showed 104 on it. those people asked so many questions to her and her abba. and she said something by touching her throat and chest. her eyes a little squeezed as if she was in pain. he thought how could have he not notice this pain in her eyes earlier. those people quickly give her and her abba a mask and sighed them to get out. his heart wrenched with pain as she looked at him before getting down. tears rolled down his cheeks. He looked up and complained to god. he said this was not what he wanted, not her to just get on the bus, he wanted her on this journey, get her those bangles when they get down, befriend her and play with along with her. he hangs his head low with ache and a heavy heart. he looked out through the window once again, hoping to find those coloured toes coming back
the policemen were trying to move all of them to aside from the road by shoving their lathi mercilessly at them like what a shepherd does to his cattle. the sun above their head was getting brighter and brighter making it hard for shouku to look up. he walked further with his head hung low due to exhaustion. as he walked, he started noticing a different kind of feet. the one without a slipper in this dreadful condition, the black ones that turned white with dust due to long hours of walking, the privileged ones who had a shoe even though its old and damaged. the ones who had bichiya (toe ring) and red toenails, the ones who had countless scars, the ones with deep wounds. there were so many different kinds of them. and then he saw little draggy feet with different colours of nail polish painted on different toes. those feet hopped now and then as to cop up with the larger foot that's next to it. he smiled every time they hopped. he too hopped along with a time or two. he wanted to see to whom those little cute feet belonged. he slowly looked up. her brown hair was shinning in the sunlight, her round cheeks were as red as tamaatar, her brown eyes shined like she had the bees to fill them with honey. her little fingers were holding tight to an older lean man who seemed like her abba. the hunger that screamed in his tummy a while ago seemed to be tamed. he felt full, in his tummy, in his heart. the eye-blinding sun or wet sticky clothes didn't bother him anymore as he kept watching her trying to wipe the sweat off her face now and then and hopped along to keep up with her bigger feet companion.
she was making him happy regardless of how terrible the day was. he kept walking by following the rhythm of her feet. suddenly everyone stopped, they just moved here and there to settle down. that's when he realized they reached Anand vihar. it seemed like he didn't know the distance for a while.
he looked at ummi who was now all pale and weary. he wished if he was a little taller so that he could have carried Dua so that ummi wouldn't have been this exhausted. Dua fell asleep on ummi's shoulder. he caressed her hanging arms and turned back to find those coloured toes again. but he couldn't. he peeped in his toes and tried to look as far he could to spot them, he was starting to feel despair. he cursed that moment he took eyes off her and got back on his feet. Dua was awake now and was playing with shoukath ali's hair. he was in no mood to play and he looked at her with his eyes asking her to stop. that's when he felt someone behind staring at him. his little heart skipped a beat when he realized it was her, the one whom he been searching for a while. he sighed with relief and smiled to himself. he could see through the corner of his eyes that she was also smiling. he felt so blissful. they stood like that till dusk. exchanging smiles, stealing glances, little shy waves at each other. they were the happiest ones in the middle of thousands of worried and worn-out people. soon a group of people came and assigned different buses to different places. he got worried, what if she had to board a different bus.? his eyes bulged out in alarm. he didn't want to miss out on her again. his little lips quickly murmured a prayer to Allah to make them on the same bus and he'll forever be a good boy if that happens.
shouku turned to a man who called out from a bus, "Firozabad, Firozabad." that was his city. people there make beautiful bangles in different colours and patterns in Firozabad. Ummi and Dua had those bangles in their hands. he made up to his mind to get a couple of those beautiful bangles for his coloured toe friend if she gets into the same bus as his. and with this thought, shouku walked towards his bus. He couldn't believe what happened next. She was also getting on the same bus. His heart danced with immense joy. He couldn't stop smiling and neither couldn't the little girl. they were the first ones to get in and were lucky enough to get seats. He closed his eyes and thanked Allah for hearing his prayer. suddenly a group of strange-looking people with mask and coat got on to the bus and started to talk. He couldn't make out what they were saying. Soon they took out a machine that shouku mistook for a gun and chills ran down his spine. They pointed them at everyone's head and it beeped and showed numbers. It was his turn and as soon as the gun reached closer to him he held his arms up with fear. Those strange people giggled and shouku didn't know why. next was her turn. he looked at her with his breath held in. They pointed the gun at her and it showed 104 on it. those people asked so many questions to her and her abba. and she said something by touching her throat and chest. her eyes a little squeezed as if she was in pain. he thought how could have he not notice this pain in her eyes earlier. those people quickly give her and her abba a mask and sighed them to get out. his heart wrenched with pain as she looked at him before getting down. tears rolled down his cheeks. He looked up and complained to god. he said this was not what he wanted, not her to just get on the bus, he wanted her on this journey, get her those bangles when they get down, befriend her and play with along with her. he hangs his head low with ache and a heavy heart. he looked out through the window once again, hoping to find those coloured toes coming back
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