"Are you serious?" Alex asked.
We are now in the library sitting at one of the tables and we are wearing our PE uniforms.
"How can you be sure?" Chela asked as she tapped her fingers on the screen of her phone. "You're not assuming, right?"
"Its just my hunch. But I am hoping to confirm if Fir is Heather. And how did he have my necklace?" I stated in wonder.
"Hey, Jaila. What's up?" Alex greeted Jaila who has sat down on the table with us with her notebook and a pen.
"I'm not yet finished with the compiled research report. I only needed information about Mahatma Gandhi." Jaila said browsing the book.
"Mahatma Gandhi?" I heard Chela asked looking at what Jaila was doing.
"Well, between 1757 and 1848, the British controlled India. During this time, many reformers emerged." I said and I caught the three listening to me.
"Ali, you know him?" Jaila asked surprised and delighted to hear me spoke.
"Yeah. Reef taught me about him." I replied and both Jaila and Chela looked to each other then to me with their unique smile.
"He sure did taught you well. That's why I wanted to meet him." Chela said.
"Unfortunately, he did not show up anymore." Jaila whispered beside me.
"Jaila, Ali actually met Reef's brother." Chela stated and Jaila stared at her surprisingly.
"You met his brother?" Jaila asked me with a curious stare.
I nodded as a response and quieted.
"You know what...." Jaila cut off Chela's statement by saying: "I'll hear the rest later. For now, Ali, please tell me something about Mahatma Gandhi. I really need information."
With that, I smiled and rested my arms on the table and began speaking. Jaila placed her pen and notebook on the table ready to jot down notes.
"Reef once told me that the dharmic principle of Ahimsa, or what we call nonviolence to living beings is said to be important. Mahatma Gandhi led India's independence in 1947 using nonviolent means such as peaceful protests and speeches that arised the nation to throw off the British rule." I said.
"Mahatma Gandhi used Ahimsa or what we call nonviolence. Got it." Jaila said and wrote the words on her notebook.
"As what I have learned, the partition of India occurred in 1947 and Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948. British India was split into what we call now India and Pakistan and Hinduism became the major religion in India." I said and Jaila continued to write down notes.
"What about the subcaste called the untouchables?" Crimson asked after eavesdropping holding his note with his hand.
"The untouchables?" Alex asked curiously and gazed at Crimson then to me.
"The untouchables are a class of citizens that are outside the caste system. They are considered to be the lowest level of hierarchy of the societal class heairarchy." I said.
"What is the holy symbol of Hinduism?" Thaetum came and asked and I saw Amber and Raylee following behind her as they sat at the table with us.
"The holy symbol? Is there something as that?" Chela stated staring at me.
"The holy symbol of Hinduism is called the Om or Aum. It signifies the rounded wholeness of Brahman. It is the sacred symbol that represents Universe. It is prefixed and sometimes suffixed to all Vedic mantras and prayers. Aum is often said to represent god in three aspects: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva." I said.
"What's mantra, Ali?" Amber intervened.
"Mantra is a holy text which is the embodiment of the god in sound." I replied.
"We're going now, Ali." Chela said and she and Alex, with Jaila exited the room after waving to me.
"Thanks, Ali. I'll hear about Fir later, okay?" Jaila said and they disappeared from the door of the library leaving me with Crimson, Raylee, Thaetum, and Amber.
"Ali, please help me." Raylee said and I then saw Joiah came in the library door and sat beside me.
"Ali, about the festivals of Hinduism." Raylee said and she was ready to take notes with her pen.
"Festivals?" I asked confirmingly and Raylee nodded that I did a recollection about it.
Without further ado, I took out my notebook that I used when Reef taught me and opened it.
"Here, I have notes about it." I said and began reading.
"Diwali, is the biggest festival celebrated in India. It is also known as the festival of lights. It is a five day event held around the new moon of October or November celebrating the victory of good over evil, light over darkness. Thousands of small lamps are placed everywhere and fireworks signal hope for mankind during this festival. It is actually a national holiday in India." I said and Raylee was able to jot them down.
"There's also Navaratri, which is a celebration of fertility and harvest. Holi, a Spring Festival. Janmashtami, a tribute to Krishna's birthday. Raksha Bandhan, a celebration between the bond of brother and sister and the Mahashivaratri, the great festival for Shiva." I stated and Raylee repeated each sentence I said and wrote them down on her notebook.
"OK. Thanks, Ali." Raylee said and Thaetum and Amber also thanked me and so I went out of the library after my response.
•...•...•...•...•
"I'll be there soon. Wait for me okay?" Rose spoke at the other end of the line.
I am walking my way up the cottage here in the park and I'm talking to Rose on the phone.
After our short conversation, I sat down and chatted some friends on messenger.
It's already the weekend and Rose and I decided to go out today. It's just that she's still doing some errands in their store and so I came here in the park earlier before her.
The truth is, it's been two weeks after my encounter with Fir and I have not gone back to the seashore anymore. I don't even know what to do. After hearing about Reef's untimely death, I just couldn't believe it.
Why?
Of all people, why?
I wanted to know more about him. It's been a long time ago since I had felt a different kind of friendship bond and now it's gone in a way and time I didn't expect. Is life really unexpected?
I have my questions storming inside my head. I haven't gotten over it yet.
Reef was a very good friend and teacher. I couldn't even imagine that meeting a stranger like him will leave something in me.
I ended my puzzled thoughts and I only chatted my classmate Lian on messenger when I heard someone singing with the accompaniment of a guitar coming closer to the cottage.
The voice was very masculine and the plucking of the strings were so good. It even made me close my eyes to meditate the song for a few moment when it suddenly stopped. I, being cut off from hearing more of the music, opened my eyes only to see a teenage boy holding an acoustic guitar with him standing still and mutely at the entrance of the cottage.
I didn't flinch from my seat upon seeing him for he was the first to say something.
"Hey." He began with a shy tone behind his voice still not vanishing the surprise painted on his face.
He walked in the cottage and sat on the opposite part facing me with his guitar still held by his hands.
Then I saw something from him.
It's just my hunch, right?
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🌟AerixielDaiminse🌟
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Ali's H Quest
Teen Fiction[completed] Do you have any certain interest among school subjects? - - - Do you enjoy learning inside the grounds of the school? - - - Then what if, you find a different way of learning what you're taught in school? And meet someone who'll make yo...
