Heaven’s Children -Khadiza Binte Mostafiz

Zaid turns off the TV. He hates violence and bloodshed but that’s what the TV shows every single day. How many people died, how many cities are destroyed that’s always the headline. But there’s no way to blame them because that’s what the war does. Sitting on the Sofa of the worn out orphanage Zaid lets go of a deep sigh.

Waaaaah hehehe he baaaaaaaam!!!!! “Owwww Zahra! Why did you hit me?” Zaid rubs his head while saying.
“Yeaaaaaaa I won! I won the bet! Be my slave now!!!!” “hihihihi I told ya, Musa! It’s not impossible to see an 18 years old boy in tears” “Men are soooooooo laaaaame! You will be like that once you grow up too. Hihihi”

“what the hell are you saying, you idiot! Your older brother doesn’t get count as a man!”
“geez, you are no fun. I knew that too, ya know. ZAIDIIIIII GET COUNTED AS A MAAAAAN!!! RIGHT NOW! THAT’S AN ORDER!!!!!!! Hmph”

Zaid stares at his 9 years old younger sister Zahra and her friend Musa. He is speechless & confused. His head is hurting too. Well, that’s no mystery. Zahra hit him with a stick. Hmmm, so many problems.
Problems…
“Problems???!!”, Zaid opens his eyes. His pillow is wet. Tears are overflowing. A 28 years old man with eyes filled with tears. “Haha if Zahra saw this she would’ve laughed so hard”, Zaid says to himself.
“Zaid??!”
“Sara, I saw Zahra again. I saw my little sister again. She was so full of laughter. It felt so real. It felt…”
Sara holds her husband in her arms tightly.

It’s been ten years. The war took away Zahra. Because of war, That 9 years old tom girl was raped and died crying knowing the cruelty of this colour-coded world.

“Zaidi, don’t cry! ‘kay? I’m gonna complain to Allah about what they did to me, how they shot Musa, how they tried to kill Sara sis and how they took mama and papa. So, don’t cry,’kay? If they try to hurt ya too, I’ll protect you, ‘kay?” Saying that Zahra died in Zaid’s arms.

Ah! There are a lot of Musas, Zaids, Saras and Zahras in our beautiful world, aren’t there? n