It was a quiet winter night, and even the slightest creak of the door could be heard clearly. When the whole town fell into a deep slumber, there was a little girl who silently wept, trying not to wake her elder sisters. Just a few minutes ago, she overheard her father convincing her mother that their youngest daughter should quit her studies, and fortunately, her mother agreed.

The thought of quitting school devastated her. She loved studying and has always been a good student, better than her sister. Her friends were her whole world, and quitting school meant leaving everything she liked. It was painful to say goodbye, but she had to because of her parents. She felt resentment towards them, especially her father, who suggested it. After a while, the little one got tired of weeping and eventually drifted into slumber.

 The morning arrived, and she slept more than usual. Upon waking up, she was told by her mother that she wouldn't be going to school like her sisters. The news hit her like a bomb, and all the conversation between her parents came back to her instantly. She started crying again, yelling and demanding to go to school. But she was silenced by her mother's scolding. Until night, she kept repeating a single sentence: she wanted to go to school. She refused to eat or even sleep. In the end, she went to bed after getting scolded by her father. 

A few days went by in the same manner, but her tears didn't change her parents’ decision. A feeling of hostility kept increasing in her heart, and one morning, when her sisters went to school, her father was at work, and her mother was busy with daily house chores as usual. She took her school bag and left the house alone. 

She wanted to go to school, not knowing that what lies beyond the secured walls of the house was a society full of ruthless animals. The eight-year-old, little Shahina, went missing, along with her sweet dream of reaching school.

~*~ 

It was just before dawn, Shahina was lying beside Amma-bi on her bed. She blinked her eyes multiple times before wiping her tears and glanced at Amma-bi. This sleeping existence calmed her when she woke up from a dream. A dream about the moments she has forgotten, or perhaps the horror of her time during captivity, kept her remembering life before it.

Shahina didn't remember the last time she thought of her family or tried to remember anything about it. And today, after meeting them, she dreamed about the last days she spent with them, and it was nothing but a painful memory.

Carefully, Shahina stood up and grabbed Amma-bi's dupatta from her side, as she couldn't find her own. She wanted to go back to her room and cry her heart out, but when she was about to leave, Amma-bi's voice stopped her. 

"Where are you going?" 

"To my room." Shahina tried to sound as calm as she could. She didn't want Amma-bi to know that she was crying. 

"Were you crying." And she caught her.

"No Amma-bi, why would I?" 

"Turn on the light so I can see your face." But instead of doing it, Shahina returned to the bed and lay beside her. 

"Meri beti (my daughter), if something is troubling you, I am here to listen. Don't bear everything alone." Amma-bi gently put her hand on Shahina's forehead. Shahina nodded and closed her eyes.

"Rest a little more, I'll wake you up at prayer time."