Tantalizing Hopes

Prologue

Someone wise once said that life is never constant. That changes readily embrace it every once in a while, so much, so often that they become an essential part of your life.

You can do nothing to withhold those changes. You have no power over them, no say in how they approach you. You could only see what they do, you could only see what they do to you.

Sometimes they come in waves, slowly, but gradually settling in. Other times they make appearances without warning you in the slightest; when you are least expecting them, surprising you at every turn. They prod over you making you dance to their tunes. Like a man having lost his way in cold bitter winter, you rush to seek comfort wherever you could.

Such is change, the definition of life.

It could be the push that you need to succeed or could be the pull that could encase you in a shell and leave you to decay for the rest of your days. It could be something which brings out the goodness in you or could even be the reason why your heart becomes immune, freezes, refusing to acknowledge the emotions you know it could feel. It could give you new exciting experiences as well as bring back old memories buried deep in your heart freshening old wounds.

Change was powerful.

Change was inevitable; Zahra knew it all.

She had known that life was never constant ever since the day her mother walked out of the house, bags all packed when she was barely eleven years old. Leaving a husband who was devouted to her and a daughter who was only starting to learn how to grasp onto the ways of life, the woman had left them in tatters. Intentionally or not, she had destroyed a family, hopes of a better tomorrow. But most of all, she had destroyed the illusion Zahra had of their family, something she had thought would grow to be beautiful with time.

She had destroyed Zahra in a way that she could never fully recover.

The following years brought more changes, more adjustments and the encounter with each of them coated an extra layer onto Zahra's heart leaving no one capable of seeing what truly lay beneath it all. She was still made of the same stuff as anyone else, yes. The same organ pumped blood even inside her; the molten emotions still lay there deep within but the difference was that they all lay dormant. She started showing her true emotions less and less. Started involving her heart less and less. Reason was Zahra couldn't find it in her to trust people with her heart again.

She locked away her ambitions, her desires, her emotions, her dreams, the 'old her' in the furthest compartment of her heart and threw the key away.

For over twelve years, she stayed the way she was, smiling on the outside, never letting people know what she truly wanted, what she truly felt. She grew acquainted with the ways of hiding one's true emotions. She learnt the methods of safe keeping one's heart. She grew firm on the opinion that she didn't need to be emotionally attached to anyone else.

Years passed. She blossomed into a lovely young lady. Her father's hair started to grey, his paunch started to grow. She graduated; found three trustworthy friends at college who wormed their way into her heart and by now, she was accustomed to the changes life always brought along. She managed through it all. Well, most of the times for life indeed knows how to meddle.

It all began when one day Zahra arrived home earlier than usual claiming to have felt unease. She said her heart squeezed in a strange manner and she needed some peace and quiet. It was very odd given the fact that kids brought her immense joy, brought her peace. But for some unknown reason she wanted to stay home that particular day. She didn't want to be surrounded by kids.

Straightaway she headed to the corner she and her father used to pray and began her conversation with her Lord letting everything zoom out for a while. After having engaged in prayers for more than an hour, Zahra went to call her father to have food.

"Dad, it's time you eat", she called him. Once, twice, thrice. No reply.

"Dad." She neared him. He was sprawled on the sofa, the same way he was when she had spoken to him earlier that day. But somehow something felt amiss. "Dad." No response yet again.

Sceptically, she kneeled down to feel his pulse. There was none!

Someone wise once said that life was never constant. That changes embrace it every once in a while. Just when you start to assume that things have settled down and life's going great, changes make their appearance without the slightest hint. They always do.

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Woah! I broke the stereotype! No exposition, straightaway intrusion 😃 (Lit students might understand. I am not one but I still I know...)

Long time dear readers. Missed you all! ❤

What do you expect from me this time? Drama? Meloncholy? Or sweet romance? 😄 I'd love to know.

See you in the next update In sha' Allah!

Assalamu alaikum warahmathullahi wabarakatahu!

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