At the Mercy of the Wicked

Part One

By: Abdul Shakoor Jawad

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“She is biting her hands.” Shouted the children, rushing out of the room.

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Everyone started running towards the room. Kandi was the first to reach the patient. The rest of the ladies stood shocked at the entrance of the room, the shorter ones stretching out to see the scene. Everyone, including Kandi, was reciting whatever of the Holy Quran they had in their memories. Kandi held her hands apart but she pushed her forcefully to the wall trying to cut lose. The rest of the ladies at the door ran back, fumbling on each other.

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“I need help here”. Shouted Kandi, jumping forward to grab her hands one more time. “She is going to hurt herself.” She added.

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“Go fetch your dad!” Said Shabana, deciding reluctantly to enter the room.

The boy ran as fast as he could to call his father.

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“Samira is possessed again.” Screamed Ajmal, half way through the garden.

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Amir looked back at the boy waiting for the boy to repeat himself, all the while plucking clusters of grapes from the vinegar.

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“Samira is possessed again.” Said Ajmal, slowly and taking deep breaths as he reached the ladder on which Amir was standing.

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“Make way!” Said Amir, reaching the door filled with spectators in almost no time.

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Kandi was still struggling with the patient but Amir was the best helping hand she hoped for. He held her hands tight while Kandi recited on her more of the Holy Quran, hoping for the demons to run. Samira was stubborn.

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“Don’t you ever hit her again.” Shouted Kandi as Amir tried to beat her. “It is not her fault.”

Kandi moved forward and anointed her face slowly while reciting.

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“She is trying to say something.” Said Shabana, still at the entrance.

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“Speak out!” Said Kandi, slapping gently on her face. “Why do you cause her suffering?”

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“She stepped on my baby and now we have to make her feel the pain.” Said Samira, shivering.

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Both Kandi and Amir tried to make the demon speak again but Samira kept quiet and gradually returned to sanity. She looked like someone who has just lost her sense of location. She scanned everyone in the room and the ones who could be seen at the door. The rest of the people kept starring at her without blinking. Amir wanted to interrogate her but Kandi thought him out of it, arguing that he should wait until she is completely recovered. Amir left her in the room and went out. The rest of the ladies who until now stood motionless at the door started to enter the room, one by one. As for the children, they still didn’t dare to come close to the room.

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“Why am I always at the receiving end of everything horrible that this life can offer?” Said Amir, trying to sit next to his neighbor at the front row of the mosque.

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“One should never despair, it is forbidden.” Replied Mahmood. “And I am sure Allah SWT will compensate you for the loss of your son.”

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“That wound is still fresh and now I have to deal with my older daughter who seems to be possessed by a demon.” Said Amir, stretching his legs and shaking his head.

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“That is a terrible news!” Said Mahmood, Shaking his head. “But you have a great healer in Rahmat Baba who is not far from here.” ?

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Amir kept quiet. The congregation for the afternoon prayer got underway. After the congregation, Mahmood asked the Imam to pray specifically for the health of Amir’s daughter. The Imam in return asked everyone at the mosque to join him in the prayer. Later, the neighbors of Amir started asking questions. Everyone suggested that he should take his daughter to Rahmat Baba who was a well-known expert in demonic possessions. Amir returned home with dozens of proposed ideas on how to deal with Samira.

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“Come forward with the patient.” Murmured Rahmat Baba, pushing aside another patient who just got conscious. “These young ladies never take heed.” Baba addressed the crowd sitting around him in the room.

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“The demon spoke, promising retribution for its injured baby.” Said Amir, asking Samira to sit next to Baba.

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“What did you do?” Asked Baba. “Tell me everything.”

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Samira looked around the room where everyone was so eagerly waiting for her story. She couldn’t answer the Baba.

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“I don’t have the whole day to waste on you.” Said Baba, grabbing her by her locks.

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“I threw hot ambers in the corner of the house where we throw garbage.” Replied Samira, shivering.

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“We have to perform a procedure this Thursday afternoon.” Baba addressed Amir, releasing Samira. “I have to summon the demon and appease it.”

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Later that day, Amir’s brother and his wife visited them. They lived in another village but such news usually spread quickly. Shabana after serving tea went on to bring Samira upon the request of the guests.

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“Your mother-in-law to be wishes to see you.” Said Shabana, tapping on her shoulders. “Get dressed and don’t look like a patient.” She added, leaving the room.

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Shabana returned back to the room to attend the guests. She wanted to know when will be the wedding of Samira’s cousin Seta.

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“Her in-laws are insisting to have the wedding next week but we are not prepared because everyone is busy in harvests.” Said Maria, taking sips from the hot green tea served in crystal glasses with circular handles. “But where is Samira?”

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“She is coming.” Replied Shabana, looking through the window.

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“Is it true what we heard.” Asked Maria, looking serious.

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“You know our people.” Said Shabana, shaking her head. “They are always trying to make stories. She just had a simple headache and she is alright now.”

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A few moments later, Samira entered the room. She greeted Maria and sat next to her. Maria praised her yellow dress and asked who put all those beautiful embroideries on the chest. Meanwhile, Shabana joked about the sloppy embroideries because she was the tailor.

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“How are you feeling now?” Maria turned the humor off.

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“I am fine now.” Samira Replied, smiling at her future mother-in-law.

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“Thank Allah that you are fine.” Said Maria, hugging her and kissing top of her head which was completely covered with a black shawl. “People said all kinds of stories and I was so worried.” She added.

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“You know people are always after finding a flaw in young ladies.” Said Shabana, trying to draw Maria’s attention away from Samira.

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“We never made it official but soon I will ask Amir for her hand.” Said Maria, looking deeply at Samira then suddenly gazing at Shabana who had a big smile on her face.

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Shabana insisted that she should stay for the dinner and see how good Samira cooks but Maria insisted that she had to return home as soon as possible. Amir and his brother at the male guestroom were also about to finish their conversation. Both Amir’s brother and Maria left Amir’s house a few moments before the sunset. Shabana took Samira by her hand and rushed her in to the room.

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“I told you to work on yourself.” Said Shabana, angrily. “You looked like a patient.”

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Samira looked down and didn’t want to say anything. Instead, she calmly walked towards her room. Shabana went to her room to talk to Amir. Amir was overjoyed as he discovered that his brother wants to ask for Samira’s hand.

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“I will say yes as soon as I receive the official proposal from Sarwar himself. Said Amir, reclining on a pillow with his hands stretched out. “But Sarwar didn’t mention it.” Amir mused, taking a puff from his cigarette.

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He stretched out to the ashtray and give a gentle tap to the cigarette with the nail of his right index finger. He leaned back on his pillow, stretched his legs towards Shabana and went in a deep thought. Shabana started talking about the virtues of Jamshid and how happy Samira will be once she is wedded to him. But Amir was in a different world. He opened the packet, lid another cigarette, drew his legs together and placed the ashtray on his lap.

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“I hope the procedure goes well this Thursday.” He said, blowing the smoke out of the window and in to a clear sky. “Such procedures are painful.” He added.

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Shabana looked at him worriedly. For while, they decided not to talk but Shabana wanted to say something. She sat next to him.

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“Sarwar’s family should not know about the demon.” She said, softly so. “It will not only damage this proposal but will also make her less attractive for future marriage proposals.”

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“They will eventually know because the word is already out.” Said Amir, killing his second cigarette in the ashtray.

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“Maybe you can bribe Baba to announce her condition as nondemonic.” She said, waiting for an affirmative gesture which Amir didn’t provide.

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On Thursday afternoon, Amir took Shabana to the house of Baba and in front of his procedure room. On the door, emulates of different sizes and colors were hanging from nails struck on the wooden door. A faithful disciple of Baba guarded the door. The guard had around his neck a necklace of brown beads.

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“Only the patient will enter the room.” Said the Guard, stopping Amir from entering the room.

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Amir obliged. Samira entered the room. It was a room with no windows in it. In the middle, there was a bed with shackles and fetters. Baba asked her to lie down on the bed. She obliged, albeit reluctantly, because she saw the aggressive nature of Baba during their previous encounter. He picked up the fetters and shackles.

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“Ask the father to enter.” Commanded Baba, standing to the legs of Samira. “Help me tie her to the bed because I am going to summon the demon and I don’t want her to hurt herself.” Baba said as Amir entered the room.

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He saw last time at the house how she tried to hurt herself; so, he had no choice but to do what the Baba proposed.

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“Leave now!” Said Baba, picking a metallic rod from a wooden box which had Arabic inscriptions on the lid.

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He blindfolded Samira with a handkerchief he drew out of the wooden box which was wrapped around the rod. At the corner of the room, he lit fire in a bowel and placed the rod in it and returned to Samira.

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“This will be very painful as I am going to burn your fingers to provoke the demon to appear.” Whispered Baba in her ears. “So, I am going to ask you one question and I am going to ask it only once.” Said Baba, this time relatively louder.

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“What do you want to ask?” Said Samira, not knowing which side of her the Baba is standing.

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“Do you really have demons or is it just an act?” He whispered again. “Lie and you will suffer the pain of burning” He concluded.

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Samira remained quiet for a while and then said: “No! it is real.”

To be continued...