Sekinat: Muted Voices

Chapter 26:Sorrow

When Sekinat finally came to she found herself laying on the mat in her room, surrounded by neighbours and her daughter holding an older neighbour's hand crying as the neighbour tried to soothe the crying child with soft and endearing words.

She opened her eyes trying to make sense of where she was, as someone thrust a cup to her lips urging her to take a drink. She gingerly sipped from the proffered plastic cup, while looking around and upwards into the peering gaze of a kindly old woman who lived few houses away. The woman urged her to drink more, till she had regained a little bit of her strength and composure. Right on cue as soon as she struggled to sit up, little Saratu quickly ran to her mother's side as Sekinat held out her hands and hugged her even while laying on the floor.

-Pls where is my daughter, what happened to Halima? Sekinat enquired again looking around her for answers. Her mournful face pleaded for answers, to get some clarity about her daughter.

Finally soothed and cocooned in endearing words the neighbourhood commiserators, they gently narrated what had happened to her.

-Your friend Aishatu had given Halima some money to buy massa for her and her sister to snack on. The old woman with the kind eyes replied her in a soothing voice.

-Your daughter while waiting her turn to be served by Hajia Ayana had been standing a few yards away from a car rigged with assorted explosives.

The vehicle had been driven into the crowd by a suicide bomber and had subsequently exploded, instantly killing everyone within a 50 yards plus blast radius, while injuring many others within the vicinity.

Halima with others who were in the immediate 50yards plus radius had been blown apart instantly with no traces. She finished and lapsed into silence while still holding on tight to Sekinat.

Sekinat listened numb and listless as everyone serenaded her to an unending train of endless sermonising, of both literal and religious nature. She observed both neighbours and casual acquaintances, many of whom she had never even spoken to prior to today.

-God knows best, they offered in solace

-Only the beloved of God gets taken young. (insert inna...muslim saying)

-Its better to lose her now than later when she is all grown up.

-she is with the angels now quipped the young teacher with the funny voice.

Sekinat at some point lost the train of convoluted comments, hence was unable to attach faces to the commiserating comments. She simply continued to stare straight ahead shocked beyond comprehension without any visible display of emotion, even Saratu's cries could not snap her out of the shock induced reverie as she rocked back and forth starring absently into space.