Chapter no. 2: The Dream (IV)

Adnan being very careful, took off the car from the road and stopped at unsettled earth, finally ceased the engine. Then turned his head and looked Ilaaf who was sitting at side seat.

With closed eyes and back rested with the seat, unconcerned from world he was having a peaceful sleep. Adnan had a look on his wrist watch; it was half past eight in the morning. Sun was moving upside but the sunlight was pleasant and without heat.

He again looked Ilaaf and kept looking silently for a while. He had been lived far from Ilaaf for so many years, but still his love for Ilaaf remained the same. He could never know the reason that why does he love Ilaaf so much? It was true that the personality of Ilaaf was charming but even then Adnan could never feel for anyone else in his life, what he had always felt for Ilaaf. He even had not cared for his parents and siblings, how he always cared Ilaaf. Don’t know how this unbreakable relation of friendship was formed among them, although not a huge but there was a difference in their behaviors and attitudes and even Ilaaf himself had given preference to Adnan compare to his other friends.

Adnan looked that his thick and curved eyelashes were looking more beautiful at the moment. His arms being folded on his chest, while enjoying his peaceful sleep he was just looking like a prince came from a fairy-land. Involuntarily Adnan had a smile on his face, his heart also was pretty satisfied otherwise just four hours ago, Ilaaf was met him in a feared and weird condition that he had become literally worried for him.

He was feeling hungry but he wanted to be with Ilaaf until he would have got up therefore resting his head back he closed his eyes too.

Then after some time perhaps a footfall forced him to open his eyes.

He sat straight. Ilaaf was looking restless even in sleep.

“Water”, he said wriggling.

Adnan had an impression of worry once again.

He picked the bottle of water from the back seat and shook him rudely.

Ilaaf had opened his eyes but his eyes were so red that for a moment, Adnan feared to look him.

“Water”, he uncapped the bottle and executed towards Ilaaf.

For a moment Ilaaf didn’t understand anything then controlling his nerves, he took the bottle from his hand and started to drink. After drinking a lot of water he returned back the bottle to Adnan and keeping his hands on dashboard started taking deep breaths.

Adnan put the bottle back and looked him watchfully.

“Ilaaf, are you alright?”

He just shook his head positively.

“Was the same dream….?”

“No, didn’t have a dream, just I am not coming out of that condition”. Adnan squeezed his lips.

“Why have you turned off the A.C.? I am feeling agitation”.

“Was working for three hours continuously, I thought that it should have some rest”.

“My body is still burning”. Saying in a disturbed manner, he got off from the car. Adnan also got off and locked the White Fairy.

Ilaaf was observing that area around. That was a village, where after some unsettled earth there was a series of corn fields.

“There is still some water in bottle, wash your face. You will feel better”.

“No, I don’t want to wash my face. I……” He stopped saying something then started walking towards his left taking large steps.

“Where are you going Ilaaf? You are not feeling well”. He was also coming behind him.

In the same direction at some distance, there was a villager who along with a little girl was filling his bucket with water from a hand pump.

Ilaaf stopped and stood somewhat near the hand pump and started looking the water which was coming out of a side of pump in the form of a thick stream.

Adnan was already stopped few steps back.

The girl, who was just eight or ten years old, dragged the bucket back filled with water and then picked it. The man stopped his hand then saw Ilaaf who was already looking him.

“What happened Saaiyen (Sir), are you searching someone?” He asked from Ilaaf in Sindhi.

“No, Infact I……want to wash my face”. Ilaaf knew how to speak Sindhi but at the moment he replied in Urdu.

“Oh….then say like this. Come please come. I pull the pump, you wash your face”.

Ilaaf silently went and stood along with pump. The man started to pull the handle, next moment the thick stream of water emerged. Ilaaf bowed down, filled the water in his both palms and smashed on his face. The water was cold; his hot body had a sense of harmony. He repeated the action thrice then don’t know what happened with him, sitting on his tiptoes he executed his head and kept it just below the water stream. The same cold water was now wetting his head, hair, and face and penetrating into his collar.

Adnan was surprised. He could never have expected this from Ilaaf.

The agitation, the restlessness was just vanished. He wetted himself too much then stood.

The man stopped his hand.

Ilaaf jerked his head then pushed his hair back with the help of the both hands from his forehead.

“Thank you”, perhaps first time in his life he said the word with his heart.

“Doesn’t matter Saaiyen”. The man went to the same side the girl had gone.

He returned back towards Adnan.

Adnan looked him surprisingly.

He was now seemed quite fresh and normal.

There was not a single expression of any agitation or restlessness on his face.

“Let’s go home. I know you must be feeling hungry. Will take you to a good restaurant on the way back for breakfast”. He smiled for the first time in last four hours and his smile was gorgeous as usual.

Adnan came back towards the white Fairy silently with him.

“You must be tired. Let me drive the car”.

First go to the nearest Petrol pump, if fuel finishes on the way we will be in trouble. I was driving for three hours continuously”. Adnan said while sitting in the car.

Ilaaf started the car and turned at the road.

“By the way which area is this?” Ilaaf asked while looking around.

“Driving a bit more and we would have reached Hyderabad”.

“Oh, so I was kept sleeping and we reached here”.

“Yes, and thanks that you are much better now, otherwise when you called me to come, I was very upset to see you”.

“Yes, I am perfectly fine now. Don’t know but a strange agitation had grasped me”.

“What had happened?”

“Nothing special. It was just a dream but that dream made me weird in real”. His tone was quite odd.

“What had you seen in the dream?”

Ilaff didn’t reply him.

“I have asked something from you, Ilaaf”. The tone of Adnan was sharp this time.

“She was a woman who restored my freezing senses just by touching me. My whole body was cold due to lying on an ice slab, blood was feeling like frozen. Then as soon as she kept her hand over my hand, my body started to get heat and within a short time I was sweating. My body started to scorch like a furnace. When my eyes get opened, the whole body was burning as hot breezes of desert would have burnt me completely”.

Adnan remained silent, was not in a position to say anything. Neither had he believed dreams nor had he ever seen dreams like this.

“At the moment it felt that everything happened with me in real, was not able to think or understand anything. On calling when Fazal came, I said him to call you”.

“Now leave everything and get this dream out from your mind. Everything will be alright. By the way it’s good in a sense that even in the dream at least you allowed a woman to come close”.

Ilaaf laughed on his unintended criticize and kept laughing for a while.

“Should not tell you anything therefore, instead of understanding the problem of a person you always start talking nonsense and stupid things”. Adnan felt a strange happiness to see Ilaaf laughing like this.

“Listen, I have to go Quetta to meet Nana Saaiyen (Mother’s Father), was delaying for many days, and now thinking to have a visit. Will you come along with me?”

“Just forgive me, Ilaaf. After seeing me the way his forehead got curves, instead of looking those curves its better that I go to Lahore for two three days, will meet with Bibi and Agha Jaan. Whenever you want to return then inform me I will come back”.

“Yes, I know. Nana Saaiyen always having problems with Punjabis. Anyhow, I will leave by evening and will try to return within one or two days”. Ilaaf turned the car towards Petrol pump still laughing.