by Farah Zaman
“Zaid and I overheard your ex-husband threatening you in the café,” Adam said.
Ms. Yusra’s lips thinned. “After our son died of pneumonia, my ex-husband blamed me for the death. That’s why we divorced. Several months after I came to teach at the orphanage, he showed up in the village, saying he was sorry and would like a reconciliation. I told him I needed some time to decide, so he moved to the village and commuted to work in Gilad. During that time, I met with him a few times and made the mistake of telling him about my visit to the old man. After I refused to get back with him, he threatened to spread around that I was practicing magic.”
“Are you going to reconcile with him?” Mrs. Hazni asked.
“La, I know now it will be no different than before.” The two women shared a look of understanding.
“Ms. Yusra, why didn’t you and Ms. Mahveen get along when you were students?” Heba asked.
Ms. Mahveen gave a heartfelt sigh. “I don’t like speaking ill of the dead, but she was deceitful. She was able to fool everyone into thinking she was sweet as sugar, but I caught her being underhanded many times. I told her to her face that she was a phony. She hated me after that. She complained about me every chance she got, imagining everything I said and did was a slight against her. There’s only one thing I did which I regretted.”
“What’s that?” Layla asked.
“Once she became sick and I told the other girls that she was possessed by a jinn. I apologized afterwards but she never forgave me. I think her witchcraft on me was her revenge.”
Muk-Muk alighted from Mahmood’s shoulder. The monkey’s nose quivered as he hopped around, acquainting himself with his strange surroundings. Mahmood smiled. He had been hailed as a hero at the orphanage and was still learning proper elocution now that he had begun to speak again.
Ashamed of their treatment of him, the Troublesome Trio had apologized to him and confessed their wrongdoing to the administration. To Mahmood and the teenagers’ delight, the decision to send the monkey to the zoo had been rescinded. And then an even more wonderful thing happened.
Mahmood’s selflessness in helping Danyal had won the gratitude of Mrs. Hazni. She had petitioned the orphanage to become a foster mother to the boy. The petition had been granted and Mahmood and Muk-Muk had been ensconced at Villa Hazni for the past few days. Though it had been strange at first, both boy and monkey were settling in nicely.
Heba looked at the monkey with a fond smile. “I will miss the little fellow at the orphanage. But I know he and Mahmood will be happy here.” Turning towards the teenagers with tears in her eyes, she said, “Thank you so much for helping me find out who killed Uncle Issa. I feel more at peace knowing that Mr. Talish didn’t murder him deliberately. I look forward to starting my new life in Australia, insha Allah.”
“We wish you all the best, Heba,” Zahra said. “We know you’ll do well there.”
Mrs. Hazni went over to a cupboard and brought out several gift bags. “These gifts are tokens of appreciation from myself and Danyal, and Mr. Rakin and his grandparents.” She handed a bag each to Ms. Yusra and the young people. “You’re all heroes and heroines.”
One by one, the gift bags were opened, exclamations of delight filling the living room. The girls and Ms. Yusra received sparkling pieces of jewelry and the boys, gleaming Rolex wristwatches.
“There’s one thing more,” Mrs. Hazni said, unfolding a sheet of paper in her hands. “This is a letter from Al-Adawiya Zoo. It came yesterday. The management there wishes to express their gratitude to the young people for helping them to recover Mazooma. She’s now safely back with her family at the zoo.”
“Yay,” Hassan and Hakeem cheered.
Dr. and Mrs. Horani had been observing the proceedings silently. Mrs. Horani finally spoke. “It’s unbelievable how you children have a knack for getting mixed up in mystery and murder.”
“And right under our noses,” Dr. Horani said. “It’s not like we were even a continent away.”
Zaid chuckled. “It just seems to happen to us.”
“Yeah, it’s like we’re magnets for attracting trouble,” Layla said.
“I think our next vacation will be perfectly calm and relaxing,” Adam said.
Zahra grinned. “We shall have to wait and see, won’t we?”
The End
COMING NEXT!
Beneath the Crimson Circle
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Glossary
Allah:
The Arabic name for God
Al-Bustaan:
The Garden
Alhamdulilah:
Praise be to God
Al-Maha:
The oryx
Assalaam Alaikum:
Peace be unto you; the first greeting that Muslims say to each other
Ayatul-Kursi:
The Verse of the Throne, Chapter Two, Verse 55 of the Qur’an. Used for protection
Barzakh:
The stage between this life and resurrection
Dar-un-Nur:
The House of Light
Desi:
A person of Indian, Pakistani, or Bangladeshi birth or descent who lives abroad
Hijab:
The clothing worn by a Muslim woman that covers her body, except for her face and hands
Hijrah:
The emigration of the persecuted Muslims from Mecca to Medina
Insha’Allah:
If Allah (God) wills
Jinn:
An unseen being created out of fire that can do both good and harm to mankind
Jumu’ah:
The Friday prayer, required for men to be prayed in congregation
Kebab:
A cooked meat dish with many variants in Muslim countries
La:
No
Marhaban:
Welcome
Mushaf:
Refers to the Qur’an
Na’am:
Yes
Niqab:
A veil that covers the face; worn by some Muslim women
Qur’an:
The last Revelation of Allah (God), revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace)
Quls:
Refers to the last two chapters of the Qur’an, which are two consecutive short prayers both beginning with the verse “Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of...”
Salaams:
To give the greetings of peace
Salwar-Kameez:
A traditional combination dress worn by women, and in some regions by men, in South Asia, as well as Central Asia
Shawarma:
Meat cut in thin slices and stacked in a cone-like shape on a vertical ro
tisserie
Shukran:
Thank you
Sidra:
A lote tree
Souk:
Market
Ta’al:
Come
Tahajjud:
Prayer in the early hours of the morning
Wa Alaikum Assalaam:
And unto you, be peace; the return greeting for Assalaam Alaikum