It was a sunny day, somewhere in the middle of an autumn. The sky was yellow in colour. Red leaves fell like stardust from the red coloured trees and the ground was strewed with leaves. Annie loved playing with these leaves. She piled them up and made small huts from it. From one of the bare branches, a swing was hanging and on it swayed Hannah, like a feather in the breeze.
“I am about to leave.” Annie said
Hannah stopped swinging and asked
“When will we meet again?”
‘Don’t know”
Hannah looked down feeling unhappy.
“Don’t worry, I will message you” Annie winged and said
A message from her world may take few seconds or weeks or months or may be years to reach its destination. Hannah knew that.
“Annie will leave and a huge silence will follow after that” Hannah thought. “Having a friend, an intimate friend like her and that too from an unknown world is a gift”
They returned to their interests. Suddenly from nowhere, dark clouds enveloped the sun.
Accompanied by lightning and thunder it started to rain. The lightning strangely appeared in tyndall blue colour. The leaves which were piled into huts by Annie got carried away by the wind and it took the shape of a whirlpool.
“Annie…” “Hannah cried as she started to sway away from the ground.
When she swayed up and down, in great heights, she saw Annie, extending her arms to grab her.
Then it started to rain. The rain drops were red in colour too. It was like blood pouring from the heaven. Hannah got covered in it.
“Don’t worry Hannah. In our land it may rain in red.”
Puzzled at Annie’s statement Hannah looked around her. The colours around them were yellow, red, and shades of blue.
“Oh God! No green around me.” For a minute Hannah could not accept where she is.
“Hannah it’s our world. Stay calm.”
“Annie…” She cried as she swayed above the canopy of trees.
…………………….
“Hannah wake up” Mumtaz beckoned her
“Hannah, Hannah”
She opened her eyes and found her mom, standing near her and preying on her with a curious eye.
“Time is 8.30, and you are still on bed. Idiot.”
“Don’t be so cruel mamma; the school begins only at 9.00". Mumtaz was fuming at her daughter.
“At what time you slept? ”
“Who knows?” Hannah answered reluctantly as she brushed her teeth.
“Then who knows?”
“Eeeh… “She mocked at her mom”.
“Mom, last night itself I slept in my uniform. So I don’t have to waste time for that. ”
Mumtaz had only then noticed her daughter’s attire
“How clumsy of you?”
“Give me my lunch.” Saying so, she walked out of her room.
“What about your breakfast?”
“Remember I am on diet”
“Look at you skinny girl.”
“How cruel… mom? How cruel? Insulting a teenager, who is a bit figure conscious.” Hannah complaint as she wore her shoes. “Mamma don’t worry. I am filling my stomach as required. So just chill. Muwaa… Darlo” she hugged her mom tightly and kissed her warmly on the cheeks.
Grabbing her lunch Hannah was about to step out of the front door.
“Hannah…… Who is this Annie?” Hannah stopped a bit.
“Annie! No idea Mom”.
Hannah closed the door behind her and walked towards the school.
……..
The class was noisy as usual, the sluts, the gossipers, the jammers, the angels, the heroes, the bullies, the losers, the gamers, the nerds and Hannah.
Hannah was a unique piece. She blended with none, but existed in the class. She talked, moved, ignored and accepted others, as per her will. People dare to toy with her and also felt free to ignore her. Hannah was never a matter of importance. It is hard to lead an isolated life like hers, especially for a teenager. She always took the middle seat of her class. Surrounded by all, she had the life of a loner. She was arrogant and simple at the same time. Never a class topper nor a back bencher. Hannah had a notepad in which she kept doing something, which actually never dragged anyone’s attention into it.
Her box pleated black skirt always stood above her knees. The leggings were improperly laid, sometimes even exposing her naked thighs. The short blouse was extremely loose, it never exposed her thin figure and In fact it looked saggy. Her hair was never combed and was always kept loose; she hated trimming her nails or wearing studs on her ears. A teenager of her age may appear shy, attractive and well mannered. But Hannah had her own ways. She behaved like a tomboy and also like an opportunist who changed her personality as per her need.
Emil, was the only boy, who took interest in her as a friend. Hannah was taller than him. He belonged to the category of Nerd’s in the class. Somehow, he knew that Hannah was someone important in her own ways. When the kids played romance, music, sports, hippos and trekking, she sat in the corner of the school library, noting something in her notepad.
Even though Emil loved Hannah’s company, he managed to keep it as a secret from his fellow mates. Since they all called her ‘Hannah the giant’ even if she was a normal sized human being. Hannah never bothered all those, after all she Hannah…. Hannah Ali, the daughter of the great and the unknown Mr. Ali Hassan, who disappeared from her life at an age of six.
Hannah rarely talked about her dad, after all her world was entirely different from her other fellow human beings.
