Remarkable

Prologue

Tuesday, 16th March 1999

11:07 pm

He took a velvet box out of the side pocket of his off-white kameez. His hands shook slightly when he slid the box to his new bride on the dirty mattress. Malik had thrust the red box in his small palms so he could gift it to Wajeeha.

Wajeeha beamed at her young husband with her crooked teeth, opening the jewelry box. She basked in his attention while he watched her with innocent interest and gasped when she saw the ring nestled in the cushion.

 She held out her hand along with the ring to Sher.

 “Put it, here,” Wajeeha chirped, pointing to her ring finger. Happiness oozed out of her entire being when Sher obliged without a word. The ring looked beautiful, glimmering under the dim light from the tungsten bulb on the low ceiling.

 Wajeeha tugged at the dupatta draped on her head and moved closer to Sher.

 Sher scrambled from the bed and jumped to his feet within seconds, he was stunned at the woman's odd behavior who was on her knees in front of him. He couldn't quite move away from her in time, she quickly grasped his forearms in her hands, her fingernails digging into his flesh and hauled him onto the bed.

 Wajeeha climbed on to his fallen body, her nimble fingers working furtively on opening the buttons of his kameez.

Sher didn't know what was happening to him, it had always been a man. This had never happened to him, a woman had never violated him, before.

 His body trembled underneath her, cool air caressed his bare chest. Hot tears rolled down his temples while she sat atop, crushing him with her weight.

 “Stop! Please! Don't do this!” He sobbed, struggling beneath her.

 Wajeeha slowly lowered herself on him and wiped his tears. “Shh, don’t cry. Don't cry. You'll be a man come tomorrow,” She whispered, trailing her fingers down his undeveloped jaw.

Sher's heart thumped hard against his ribcage as he tried to throw her off him but she was too heavy.“Please! Let me go! My siblings are all alone. Please!” He desperately pleaded.

Wajeeha grimaced at the concern evident in his voice for someone else other than her. Her resolve to make him her own strengthened, she didn't let him go, his shouts echoed in the deserted gallery blanketed under the silent night.

 Distant howls were the only witnesses to the onslaught of terror that began that day.