Chapter no. 1: The Beginning (I)

Holding the candle in her hand, she kindled all earthen lamps one by one. From one corner of parapet at the house top to the other, even in the hands of kids who were standing there, only were lamps, the lightening lamps. There was illumination all over as the sun would have risen in midnight.

“So, all lamps have been kindled. You all can go and lit your homes now. These lamps will be quenched by morning, but the lamps of Love which you have kindled in your hearts, let them illuminate forever”.

The moment she was leading the kids towards the staircase, she saw her father fixing the Flag on a corner of house top. She came back upstairs after locking the door. He had already kept a chair and seated himself exactly in the middle of the house top.

She knew that what he is going to do. Keeping in his lap he was reciting Quran. She picked another chair and seated right at his back. He was reciting loudly. With closed eyes, she was listening silently.

Yousuf Mairaj was reciting surat-ul-Qadar.

“Indeed We revealed this on the Night of Power. And what will explain to you what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah’s permission, with all decrees. Peace it is till the rising of the dawn”. He finished and kissed the Quran.

Qandeel opened her eyes and smiled. Yousuf Mairaj turned and looked at her.

“The Night of Blessings, which will cease the darkness of the world and will last until the morning of resurrection.” His eyes were meaningful at the moment, Qandeel’s smile grew deeper.

“Pakistan is the Night of Power.” She looked at him, “Whenever I say the same thing to people, they make a mock on me, laugh at me, and ridicule me that I dream with awakened eyes”.

“Do these things matter to you?” he asked the very first question.

“No, Absolutely not. Instead, these things increase my contentment, satisfaction and courage”. He smiled, “That’s the proof for your truth.”

She stood by smiling, “Yeah, I know Baba(father)”. She took Quran from Yousuf Mairaj and embraced with her chest, then folded her arms around it.

“The scent that is emitting from this Book and penetrating into my soul, the same fragrance is coming from this Flag. And this feeling is enough for my belief”.

Yousuf Mairaj walked towards her. She kept her head on his shoulder. Both of them were looking at the Flag, started singing something very rhythmically.

These were some words, words of an old but beautiful song. Qandeel was habitual to sing it with him since her childhood.

The green Flag with crescent and star was waving with a smile and bouncing with their words.