fourth episode
386 Words
The library was unusually quiet that morning. Sunlight slipped in through tall windows, settling like soft gold on the wooden tables. Noor hesitated for a moment, steadying her breath before she walked toward the seat opposite Musa.
He shifted slightly to make space for her, his gaze warm but respectful.
“You’re early today,” he said.
“I couldn’t sleep much,” Noor replied, placing her books down.
“Same,” Musa said with a tired smile. “My roommate snores like a truck.”
Noor laughed softly.
“Why don’t you shift your room?”
“I would… but I’m saving money.”
He looked away for a moment. “Aur mummy ko paise bhejne hotay hain.”
Noor’s eyes lifted a little.
“Mummy? Where are you from?”
Musa hesitated only for a breath, then answered with a calm sincerity.
“Kashmir.”
Noor blinked—surprised.
“Oh… I’m from Kashmir too.”
Musa’s smile widened instantly.
“Kashmiris always find Kashmiris… even across oceans.”
There was a silence—soft, peaceful, unexpectedly comforting. Noor felt a strange warmth inside her chest.
“So… your family?” she asked gently.
Musa leaned back, his expression turning thoughtful.
“My father passed away when I was 15,” he said. “Stroke. Suddenly.”
Noor’s heart tugged.
“My mother is a school teacher. And I have a younger sister, Hoorain. She’s in 10th. She dreams big… bigger than we can afford.”
He smiled sadly.
“So I came here. Scholarship, part-time work, anything I get. Norway wasn’t my dream… but supporting them is.”
Noor’s gaze softened with admiration.
He continued, almost shyly,
“And you? Why ONUC?”
“Scholarship,” Noor said. “Dreams. A little courage. And… maybe a little madness.”
Musa chuckled.
“Madness is good. Otherwise no one leaves home.”
Noor felt the corners of her lips lift. She was about to say something when the library silence was broken by a loud sneeze—
ACHOO!
Noor startled slightly and turned around.
And froze.
Her heart stopped.
Her eyes widened.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Because standing at the library entrance, wearing a long beige coat and carrying two heavy suitcases—
was Suzain.
Her sister.
Her anchor.
Her whole childhood.
- Writer
