Peer-e-Kamil (S.A.W) By Umera Ahmad In English Page 08

Peer-e-Kamil(S.A.w)

Peer-e-Kamil(S.A.W) First Chapter

It was New Year‘s Eve: thirty minutes to go before the New Year began.

A group of ten or so teenagers were roaring around the city streets on

their motorbikes, doing all kinds of stunts. Some of them wore shiny

headbands to celebrate the coming year. An hour ago they were in one

of the uptown supermarkets, teasing girls with whistles. They had

firecrackers too which they let off to celebrate. At a quarter to twelve

they reached the parking lot of the Gymkhana Club where a New

Year‘s party was in full swing. The boys also had invitations to the

party and their parents were already there.

When they got in, it was five to midnight. In a few moments, the lights

in the hall and the dance floor would be switched off and then with a

display of fireworks on the lawns, the New Year would be heralded in.

The partying would be on all night—dancing, drinking—all the

festivities especially organized for the occasion by the Gymkhana 

management. =Lights off‘ meant a display of complete abandon—that

was what the crowds came for.

One of the teenagers who had joined the party was on the dance floor,

rocking to the beat and impressing all with his performance. At ten

seconds to twelve the lights went off. Voices and laughter filled the hall

as people counted the seconds to the New Year, and this rose to a pitch

as the clock struck midnight and the hall lit up again. The teenagers

were now out in the parking lot, their car horns blaring away. Beer can

in hand, the youth who was on the dance floor got on the roof of a car.

He pulled out another beer can from his jacket and pitched it at the

windscreen of a parked car, which shattered with an explosion as the

full can hit it. He stood on the car, calmly drinking from the can of beer

in his hand.

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For the last half hour Salar had been watching Kamran trying to

master the video game: the score remained the same, probably because

Kamran was trying to maneuver a difficult track. Salar was also in the

lounge, busy writing notes. From time to time, he would look at the TV

screen as Kamran struggled to win more points.

Half an hour later, Salar put his notebook away, stifled a yawn,

stretched his legs out on the table and crossing his hands behind his

head, looked at the TV screen as Kamran started a new game, having

lost the previous round.

=What‘s the problem, Kamran?‘

=Nothing…I got this new game but it is really tough to score,‘ Kamran

said in a tired tone.

=Let me see.‘ Salar got up from the sofa and took the remote control.

Kamran watched silently: in the opening seconds Salar was racing at a

speed that Kamran had never reached. The track that had challenged

Kamran was like child‘s play for Salar—it was hard for Kamran to

keep his eyes on the car that was racing at a fantastic speed in the first

minute, and yet Salar had complete control over it.

Three minutes later, Kamran saw the car swerve, go off the track and

explode into smithereens. Kamran turned to Salar with a smile—he

realized why the car had been destroyed: Laying the remote control

down on the table Salar picked up his notebook. =It‘s a very boring

game,‘ he remarked as he jumped over Kamran‘s legs and went out.

Kamran clenched his teeth as he saw the seven digit score on the screen.

He looked at the door as Salar left.