Yaaram ep10

Recap:" Aliyan and Amraha's faced each others and argued on tweet"
Residence problem was become serious day by day. Any room, she liked either it was expensive or with boys or far from university. Everyone was trying their best to search residence for her. She visited one to two Pakistani, Indian and British residence but she couldn't afford them. She could afford normal residence, in less price. Much possible lesser price and also near to university.
Nawal told her:" There's one landlady, but there's a problem, only few people were successful to stay there, because it's very hard to understand that lady, you can try for that house also, maybe you can do it"
She made face:" Ok! I'll try"
Nawal:" Yeah! Make face like this and also tell them your famous saying "I'm unfortunate.. I should die" Nawal said and she laughed on her words.
Nawal:" One to two girls went there but they leaved that house in few weeks, they called that house shuttle cock"
Amraha:" Shuttle cock... Good name"
Nawal:" Do you know stories?"
Amraha:" Yeah! One or two"
Nawal:" Good! I heard that she listens stores every night"
Amraha:" Nice! Then she'll not take rent? Only story?"
Nawal:" Hahaha! She'll take rent but want story also"
Amraha:" Ok! I memories some good stories"
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She took address of shuttle cock and went there on holiday's evening. It was two floors house based on British architecture. She could see garden in front of house and complete house painted in white color. It was like small model of white house. Amraha liked it's outside view. If she get this residence, it'll be luxurious residence for her.
She rang the bell for some time and also took a glances from windows. She also knocked the door but no one opened the door. She set on footpath in the hope that maybe landlady went to market. After 20 minutes, someone opened the door. She went to door immediately:" I know stories"
A woman who was in light pink colour's saree giggled to listen it. She had  complexion of nut-brownish and she was tall and smart with long black hairs which she tied into long indian braid on her shoulder.
Amraha:" I need a room"
She laughed and said:" Come inside"
She got know after some time that this woman was making drink tea to landlady, after it, she washed her mouth, changed her clothes. In this period, they didn't care about the person  who rang the bell. In their thought"let them travel to hell, what should we do?" Landlady was reading the English translation of "Baal-e-Gibrail" by sitting near the fireplace.
Amraha got problem of breathing that now she would have to listen poetry too? It meant, she can't make deal there. Landlady took her interview. She was answering her with patience and in her point of view with cleverness.
Landlady:" Do you know cooking?"
Amraha:" Yup...rice.. Roti.. And if furnace would available, I can make naan(type of bread) also" she took the name of that thing, in her thought that landlady wouldn't find it "furnace".
Amraha:" I know to make grams floor roti, potato's, mince's prathay .. And also of radish... Pakoray... I can make every type of pakoray include veg and non-veg"
Landlady starred her and said:" Have you done? Now tell me, which things do you know to cook?"
She became sad that her cleverness didn't work. Dadi was right that everyone should know every work. Don't know, when we need of it.
Amraha:" I know to cook meat curry and rice.. And roti also"
Landlady to that girl:" Sadhna! Will this variety of prathas, work?"
Sadhna:" Yes! It'll work and remaining curry and rice" Sadhna was knitting sweater by sitting with madam.
Landlady:" You've to bring grocery"
Amraha:" I'll, on every Sunday"
Landlady:" I don't know about Sunday, whenever Sadhna tell you, you've to do it? We bring fresh vegetables and halal meat regularly... Will you bring, yes or no?"
Amraha:" Yes! Yeah sure!"
Landlady:" Good! Now tell me, do you know stories?"
Amraha:" Yes! I know"
Landlady:" Good, which one?"
Amraha:" Once there was a crow, he was thirsty, he flies here and there"
Landlady:" Something else?"
Amraha:" Yeah! Rabbit and turtle's"
Sadhna was knitting fast to control her laughter although landlady starred her:" Do you want to stay there or not?"
Amraha:" I want"
Landlady:" Then change your stories"
Amaraha:" I'll bring good books of stories and tell you by reading them"
Landlady:" Good!"
Amraha:" Now tell me the rent"
Landlady:" First listen the terms and conditions of staying here, you'll be forth girl to stay here, before you, three girls were staying here, Sadhna has been staying here for two years"
She shocked to see Sadhna that whether landlady took her age same as Sadhna.
Landlady:" Before Sadhna, 6 boys were staying there, they were good and did every work, I was favour in boys  but because of Sadhna, I only took girls. You've to clean the home before going university, you've to take care of garden, cleansing of windows, once in a week, laundry my dresses and iron them too. As much as girl would come here, your burden of work will be decreasing. You've to give number of your home in Pakistan, if I'll find any bad habit in you, I'll inform your parents. You're muslim girl, so I'll not found anything near to you, which against the religion, otherwise I'll throw you outside the house, your friends can come here but if we find them bad, You've leave this house. Once I'll sleep, you've yo become like dumb"
Landlady was talking continuously but she started taking nap on sofa which she was sitting on. After three hours, she awaked and saw the ceiling in wonder. She didn't understand where is she:" I think some don kidnapped me" she starred walls and curtains in amazed.
"I'm here... I'm where...?" She stood up and saw Sadhna who was telling stories to landlady. She thought she slept for five minutes only.
She rubbed her eyes:" What were you saying?"
:"you slept everywhere like that?" Landlady laughs to her. Amraha shocked to listen her Urdu.
"yes.. I was tired today ..actually.."
Landlady:" Go and take a meal in kitchen"
"meal.." She thought that she heard that word after centuries. She went kitchen immediately and found vegetable rice and chicken soup. She vanished everything and made a coffee for herself.
Landlady starred her:" Whom do you ask permission for making coffee?"
"oh! Again I did a mistake" she saw both women and took pity on her face.
"sit and take it" landlady pitied on her and said:" Don't mind! But you Asia's people are very irritating. It takes so much time to teach you basic manners and you all eating lot.. I don't object about it but please improve your habit little bit more" Amraha remained silent.
Landlady to Sadhna:" Sadhna! You go to sleep and Amraha will take me towards room"  she was paralyzed from one leg and   half body and other side was also hardly move.
She made her lie on bed, landlady said:" Now put off my hairs"
Amraha got shocked:" Hairs..?"
Landlady:" Yes..come here"
She came to her and pulled out the wig and she found her boy's like few inches hairs.
She went to switch board, 25 buttons were there, and she took lots of time to chose the shade of night bulb. Then she chose light grey shade for Sunday's night. And said her to leave:" You can go to your room and bring your stuff next morning"
She was screamed by happiness because with three times meal, it was cheapest place of her.
Landlady:" And one more thing.. Don't go to kitchen again"
But she went to kitchen, made one cup coffee and put price of it on counter and went to her room for sleeping.
She awaked up in midnight and called Shirley because she suddenly realized her mistake that she didn't inform her friends about her stay.
Shirley:" I was just about to call police.. You tensed us" she was not so much responsible yet.
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Next day, she brought her luggage and arranged them in her new room. It was Sunday, so she washed clothes and ironed them. Cooked food with Sadhna and then she went cafe. Returning from cafe, she went to book store to buy any good book for landlady. There were few Urdu books available in store and many of them were of poetry. "aag ka darya, khuda Ki basti, manchalay ka soda, Udas naslain." Etc. But these were too expensive books which she couldn't afford. And secondly she didn't want to loose her hairs after reading this type of books. She already read all these books, so she didn't want to read them again. This was patience work to tell those books to anyone and she wasn't wish to test her patience in this young age.
She talked to her Pakistani class  fellow whom she bought Ashfaq Ahmed's "Khail Tamasha" which she got free and it wasn't so thick.
At her turn, she started to tell "Khail Tamasha" to lady Mahar. Lady Mahar enjoyed this story very much. But Amraha couldn't understand at once this book. It was splendid book but Amraha's mind was making it useless. She had to read once to three time each sentence for understanding them. At the end,  "khail tamasha" won the heart of teller and listener. Master Bali of Takht poor and Rajni who fell for him, they created spell in a room. And it was seem like that master Bali was playing clarinet and Rajni was sitting in front of her for devotion.
Lady Mahar loved that book:" Splendid..."
Sadhna told the stories of ancient Bengal and Bhojpuri which she heard from her Bengali's father and Bhojpuri's mother.
And most amazing thing was that she had lots of stories that Amraha thought that maybe she spent her whole life during listening stories.
When she started telling stories in night, she had magic in her voice  of all Bengal. Her voice flowed like rivers of Ganga and Jamna and became clear into their water. She often told tragedies but because of her  softness of voice it never seemed like that these were tragedies.
Sadhna was hardly of 32 years old lady and her eight years old son had the cancer of bones. Her stories started from love and ended on immortality. She never had tears during telling tragedies but it seemed like that her eight years son stood in front of her and was saying:" If anyone cry on grief, he might be human but if someone moan on misery.... Is he really human being? Really he is?"
Then how Sadhna could cry if her son was brave enough and whenever he called her , he said:" Until I alive.. I never sleep while crying.. Never wake up with tears.. Drs instruments and their medicines would never defeat me... I'll not cry maa! I'll never.."
Then how could mother cry of the type of son.
She smiled and laughed on small things and how could it possible that her stories were not become "immortal"? How could it possible that her voice didn't had spell which lulled to anyone. Amraha slept during listening her stories and her stories were like that if someone returned from war with success and told his stories to his tribe  and children. A tale of bravery and fall-blooded drama of martyrs.