Broken

Sisters

Picture on the side is of Baby Zahaa.
CHAPTER FOUR

Shillan lay still, contemplating about the imminent arrival of her father. Her heart felt like a hurricane fuelled with grief, misery and hate had caused destruction; inside. It had uprooted the plants that bore the ability to trust, annihilated the capacity of loving another human being( except for her baby sister) and left her in the depths of despair. She knew life held more than contempt and suffering, yet, all she could envision was a bleak future that held nothing except for a wide expanse of darkness, that kept reaching closer and closer to encompass her being, completely trapping her; rendering her unable to breathe.

She was twelve now. Much had transpired during the years. She felt older, than her years granted her the sagacity of being. Zahaa had turned five yesterday. She had tried to make the day blissful for the little angel, but fate had not shared the same desire. Her father had come home drunk. He incompetently held a baby in his hands. Thrusting it into Zahaa's hands, he hissed, his speech slurred, "You will take it to the market tomorrow, and plead for money. If it dies in less than five days, you die". With this, he staggered to his room, holding on to the wall for support. When Shillan looked back at Zahaa, her heart bled with distress. She could see hysteria rising, the little girl was trying desperately to maintain composure, but it was too much. Even for her coarse mind, that had long ago lost all innocence for the events that befell in this household had caused her to mature.

Shillan barely caught the baby in time before, her sister's body fell to the ground with a 'thud'. Her conditioned reflexes, expertly positioned the baby and she bent down, to the body of her sister. Shaking the little girl, she caused Zahaa to regain consciousness. Helping her up, with the baby still straddled along her side, she slid an arm around Zahaa's waist and supported her to their room. As she laid her sister down, Zahaa's hand shot up to enclose around her wrist, causing her to stop midway. In a frightened voice, Zahaa whispered,
" How will I manage, appa*?"
A single tear, rolled down Shillan's cheek who kissed her sister's crown and whispered back,
" I have your back, forever and always."

Appa: Pakistani endearment for older sister

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