Shadow

Chapter six

Was it love at first sight?

Umaima's POV

We were having mad fun. The last time I checked, we started watching the conjuring movie just before midnight. The scenes became blight; we were screaming out of fear but what seemed more creepy was the disposition of Ummi. I became rather scared of what the issue was. She lost consciousness in an instant. While I kept chanting her name, she wouldn't respond. Out of fear, I laid her down and ran to Samira's room, not specifically her room; It's an extra room for visitors. Normally she would share a room with Ummi, but because I was around, she decided to give us some space to have fun. I didn't bother to knock or say my taslim as I rushed into the room, panting, "Samira, are you awake?" I blurted out almost immediately while she turned around, "Hey Umaima, what's wrong?" She asked in a very gentle tone, "I think Ummi is about to have another episode," I cried out, "what? How come?" Samira instantly jumped from the bed and headed straight to our room...

From all indications, Ummi kept on tossing and making scary moves like someone who was tied to a tree and was trying to force herself out. The situation was quite tense at that moment, and I was reciting Quranic verses on her while Samira rushed out to get their mom and dad. I felt engraved by guilt. I shouldn't have suggested a horror movie, knowing her condition. If anything happens to Ummi... I started crying at this point while holding her down to relax.

Mom and dad joined us shortly with very confused expressions. Dad told me to calm down after seeing how tense I was. I took a few steps back while Dad began to recite the Quran extensively on Ummi. After a few minutes of struggle, she finally began to loosen up. After a while, she went unconscious, and a few seconds later, she regained consciousness. I was bewildered; this was indeed a scene.

"What's wrong? Why are you all around me? Why do I feel stiff? What happened?" She kept asking, but before anyone could answer, I chipped in immediately "you had another episode! It's my fault, and I shouldn't have suggested a blight movie knowing your condition," I said in between sobs ''I'm really sorry, Ummi, I'm sorry" this time, I was crying very hard while Samira pulled me closer to her. "It's nobody's fault. Umaima, stop blaming yourself for what has already happened. Yes, nobody would have expected this to happen anyway; if we had known it would, we would have handled the situation differently. Nevertheless, Alhamdulillah, our precious girl is back with us; that's what matters." Alhaji Abubakr, Ummi's Dad, eased  the tension with his words while Hajiya, Ummi's mom, added, "besides  the mallam said that things like this will happen, so we should be steadfast and prepared to win the battle, always!"

I wiped my tears and went closer to Ummi. She was unstable. Who would be stable after that struggle? An inner voice said, "Are you okay? Hungry?" I asked. "No, not hungry, but I'm okay," she replied softly. Suddenly, Samira rubbed some red musk on Ummi's hands and legs, gave her some water to clear her throat, and I was told to put her to sleep, and I did.

Ummi's POV

After what happened to me, Samira rubbed red musk on my hands and legs and gave me some water to drink. Mom asked Umaima to put me to bed while they all left to their respective rooms. "Ummi, you should sleep now," Umaima said, "but I'm too scared to," I replied honestly. "Don't be. We won the battle. Didn't you untie yourself from his clutches?" she asked, "yes, I did, but it was hard. Umaima, am I going crazy?" I asked amidst tears. "No, no, you aren't. Stop crying. Everything will be fine," she comforted. "But I feel as though I'm losing it. I often feel very strange, and I'm emotionally down. How am I going to cope with school resuming soon?" I asked in a very moody tone. "You will be fine before school resumes, okay? Just be sure to keep fighting, we love you, and we will always be here for you," Umaima assured. "Aaawwww okay, thank you" I appreciated her, and she further reminded me, "Don't forget your adhkars,'' and I whispered them and closed my eyes.