One Picture And One Story Week #6".

Once there was a small village wrapped in poverty in the deserted area of Afghanistan. There lived a man with his wife, they had 3children. The younger son was very beloved to his father and mother. He was the Apple of their eyes.

The man had the dream to raise his children in luxury, and to see them getting married and have many children.

However, the reality was very harsh, villagers were facing drought for many years. It has turned down their crop production, which resulted in children's malnutrition and death.

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One afternoon, villagers heard the shrieking voice of a giant who was coming from the mountain side. All of them started to shiver with terror, they had heard the stories of a devil who take children from their parents.

It was a giant monster of 10ft who had green eyes, long hair, Brown skin, and massive face. It was terrific to see his face so everybody lowered their eyes.
They all went to their houses, locked it, and prayed for the devil to not knock on their door.

Devil roamed in the village and knocked a door in the evening (you must know which door). It was the door of that man's house. On hearing the knock the man and his wife went pale out of terror and sadness.

They cried all night because they knew if they refuse to give one of their child to the devil he would take all of their children.
They cried more all night, in the last hours of the night they bring all of their children to decide which one to give.
He took 3 stones and wrote their names on it and put them inside a cloth. He asked his wife to bring out one stone, she refused to do so and started crying.

It was a tough decision for them but they have to do it. The man bring out a stone, on that a name(Qais) was written. It was his youngest son's name, on reading it he cried with a shriek.

He took his son in his arms, and went towards the devil, his son was sure of his father's love. But he saw his father giving him away to the devil. Who put the son inside his shoulder bag and went towards the mountains.

After that villagers saw that man becoming a walking corpse. He wouldn't eat anything unless it was an absolute need. No body hear him talking agian. He grew old of his age and would do nothing.

His wife and other sons had to work to make a living. One day the man went out of the village to find his son, took dry bread and water with him.

It was a long and hard journey but he had to make it for the love of his son. Otherwise villagers would think he was so coward to not go after his beloved son.

He crossed the desert, it took him days, he looked like a dervish(in a very bad appearance). He crossed the stony part that leads towards the devil's fort on the mountain. By the time he reached there he was bare footed. His shoes had broken, his clothes were about to worn out.

He threw a stone on the gate of the fort and heard the devil saying: who the hell has called his death by disturbing my peace?

The man said i have come to kill you,
from the village, you took my son from.

The devil laughed in amusement and said: well i have taken many children from many villages. What are you talking about?

The man became red with anger and said for that i should immediately kill you.

The devil saw him briefly and said no one came after their lost son before. No one dare to speak to me like that. Don't you love you life?

The man said you've already taken my life. Give my son back to me.

The devil looked at him thoughtfully and asked him to come with him. They crossed many hallways and reached a magnificent hall. It had a emerald green curtain hung on the wall. The devil took off the curtain, there was a glass window to another hallway.

^{The man saw a heaven with his eyes. The hall has green carpet of grass, it had flowers of every color, it had trees of pomegranate, dates, grapevine, and bananas. Children which were taken from the villages were playing there and eating fruits. They were dressed in clean clothes, had no trace of sadness.}

The man saw his son and cried his name multiple times. The children couldn't listen and see anything.

The man looked at the devil with many questions in his eyes. The devil said i take children who otherwise would die in poverty. They are living a happy life here in luxury. I have wiped out their memory, once they grew up they would have a choice to leave.

The man said i wanna take my son with me in desperation. The devil raised his eyes and said: seriously? Do you? I don't think so. Take some time to think.

He placed a hourglass beside the man and left. When he returned he saw the man seeing his son playing. His son had grown up, he was not deprived of anything.

He saw the devil and said you're very cruel to do that to me.

The devil said if you would live as longer as me

You would find that cruelty and benevolence are but shades of same color

The man decided to not take his son back to die in poverty. The devil said it was the test of your courage, take this water with you to drink in your long journey.

The man left the fort without seeing his son. When he reached his village he find his wife in their crops. She was sitting there as if waiting for someone. She ran towards him crying when she saw him.

He had become more thin and tanned as if he has lost his sanity. She asked him to not abandon them again for qais, you have other children too.

On hearing the name of qais the man saw his wife in confusion. He asked him who qais? Who is the devil? His wife was stunned and firmly believed her husband has lost his mind.

But it wasn't his mind, it was devil's water which has erased his memories of his son and devil. The devil had done kindness to the man by removing his memory.

Next year the villagers witnessed a rain which became a miracle for the crops. The pistachio crop of the man grew and sold a lot. It made him a fortune and he married his other children. By that time he grew very old, he saw his grand children.

Still he would sit on his lands and gaze for hours on the sky as if there is something mysterious in the air. He would feel if there is an old dream chasing him.

In our life we find things which are not happening as we want. We fight with it and question it infront of almighty. Only if we know that he loves as more than our mothers we would find khair in every matter.

Mosa travelled a long journey to khizar to learn that there is always a blessing in disguise. We don't know but Allah does❤

Inviting @mehwish-almas @abdullhahs @hudamalik20

It is a story taken from fiction and penned down in my words♡