A Sky So Blue
Amira's mother called out from the kitchen, while cleaning the dishes. Little Amira, however, was absorbed in watching the night sky outside from her window, oblivious to her mother's requests. Far across the horizon, the sky intermittently burst out in a glimmer of light.
"Is that a firecracker, mother?" She asked, pointing outside. "Are they having a celebration? The crackers are so noisy! So loud!"
Mother knew that they are not firecrackers. She continued to rinse the dishes, carefully draining the waste from the utensils onto the small garbage bag kept at the corner below the sink.
"It's too far away Amira, how can we be sure? But see, our neighbourhood is quiet still. All your friends must have already finished their dinner; they must be helping their mothers wipe the dishes now. And you're still half-way through your plate little girl."
Amira looked at her plate. Mother had made her favourite green beans in tomato gravy, generously served on a bed of rice, just how she liked it. But she was somehow unable to eat it. She felt a tingling sensation in her stomach, like something bad was about to happen.
She looked back from her chair, watching her mother stack the clean dishes one on top of the other.
"Will school be closed tomorrow too, mother?"
"We don't know. But it's better to pack your bag and keep it ready. Do you have any pending homework?"
"No pending homework," Amira exclaimed proudly!
She was always particular about finishing homework on time, especially Geography. Their Geography teacher, Ms. Shirin, was a lovely lady and Amira's favourite. She would have never let Ms. Shirin down, come what may. Once, on one of her classwork, Ms. Shirin had written 'v.v. good'. Amira preserved the exercise copy with care in her cupboard. What a thrill, to be praised by Ms. Shirin.
She turned back and started promptly swiping off her plate. A ray of happiness came inside her at the prospect of going to school the next day. As she got up with her empty plate, another loud bang was heard, illuminating the far end of the sky.
"I wish the cable connection was working. It's been one week since I watched anything on TV," Amira sighed as she walked up to her mother to give her plate.
"All the time TV, TV, TV. Come, we'll talk, and I'll tell you some bedtime stories today."
Amira smiled. "That would be so wonderful! Will you tell me those stories of your childhood? Of those small houses by the sea?"
"Yes of course! The old brick houses by the sea, with beautiful archways, and Bougainville flowers spilling out from the boundary walls – what a pretty sight they used to make. I always hoped to plant one here in our doorway. But it never happened."
She passed on a piece of soft white cloth to Amira, who was now standing right beside her, and gestured her to start wiping the clean dishes. Amira did, as asked. One by one, she wiped them off the dripping water and placed them in racks. The plates were placed on the shelf above, while the evening teacups were hung from the pointed hooks by the plate racks. Her attention fell on the small blue creepers painted on the white cups, matching with the design of the plates. She had never noticed them before, all this while eating and drinking from these utensils. How surprising, one could just look at these and tell that they belonged to the same home.
"Ms. Shirin's balcony has a Bougainville plant. I've seen it on my way to school. I can ask her the shop from where she got it, if you like."
Her mother took a pause and stroked Amira's face.
"You know," Amira continued, "Ms. Shirin says sometimes you should talk to your plants. They feel loved and safe, and they grow better. If we get a Bougainville, I will talk to it every day. Tell it nice things, happy things. Like, about the houses by the sea, wearing new clothes on Eid, eating sweets from the sweet shop by the bend of the road..."
Another loud bang was heard, bursting out light streaks in the sky. This time, it seemed louder than usual. Amira quickly held her mother's hand.
"Don't worry, I am here. Don't pay attention to it. Look at Ari! He isn't bothered by this at all! Be like him."
Amira turned to look at their house cat, Ari, comfortably perched on the maroon cushion of the bamboo chair in the corner. He was happily licking himself, not paying heed to the discussion by the kitchen. Occasionally, he looked up, staring at the window. But he resumed quickly again, lazing on the chair.
As they finished their chores in the kitchen, Amira swiftly ran to arrange her school bag, checking her timetable for the next day. She neatly packed her books and copies as per her schedule, opened her pencil box to see whether pencils were sharpened and zipped up the chain, all set for class the next day. Once done, she joined her mother and plummeted on the bamboo chairs just beside Ari.
She placed her head on her mother's lap and lied down with her feet dangling from the chair. Mother gently ran her fingers through Amira's hair.
"In summer, can we go visit the houses by the sea, mother?"
"Yes, we could very much. When we were little, we used to experience blackouts so frequently. The beach was our only respite. We will go again this summer. And take some duck floaties for the sea."
"And then?"
"Then, we will buy some cold drinks. Our little picnic, you and me."
"And then?"
"We will buy a colourful umbrella and sit on the sands, watching the people, the children and the ocean."
"And then," Amira closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. Her mother continued to stroke her hair.
"And then," her mother started humming a tune:
"Hate will cease and peace will ease
We will see a sky so blue.
Amira
and mother will go to sleep,
Hoping
one day this can be true."
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