Genie

“I want a story,” he said, looking at me with eyes too huge for his face.

“Which one?,” I ask as I tuck him into bed.

“The one with the genie!” he says. I climb into bed and curl up next to him.

“You promise to go to sleep after that?” He nods his head, holding out his little finger, “pinky promise”. I laugh, hooking my finger with his. The dark room is momentarily lighted by a bright beam passing over the house. I knew they belonged to copters patrolling the sky. Getting out of bed I drew the blinds over the window and got back to him. “We are safe for tonight”, mama had said before she had sent me to put Ali to sleep.

“Didi?” Ali says, waiting for me to begin.

“A really long time ago there was a poor boy called Munna,” I started.

“No, baba always said there was a boy called Ali,” he interrupts.

“Alright,” I said, “There was a boy called Ali. He had the kindest heart and everyone loved him a lot. Once a old king was visiting his village in disguise-“

“Baba said he was wearing a beard which reached up to his knee,” Ali says.

“Yes, that and torn cloths so that he could fit in,” Ali pulled up the quilt closer to his face, smiling in glee. He knew we were getting close to the genie.

“The king took of his shawl he was wearing, gave it to his minster and sat under an old tree. It was a cold day in the village and the king was shivering. He wanted to test the villagers, see who would come to his aid. He sat there for an hour, chilled to his bone. Then a boy came up to him. The king saw that the boy looked very poor.”

“Ali!” Ali exclaimed. I grinned at him.

“Yes, he was Ali. Ali saw the man shivering so he took off the shawl covering him and gave it to the old man. “Take it sir,” he said, “you might fall sick””

“The king was surprised. The boy was wearing nothing but a thin shirt and pants. And yet, he was offering him his shawl! The king was so moved by the act that he gifted Ali with a lamp.”

“He told him, “When you rub this lamp a genie will appear. He will grant you any wish you want.” Ali lived happily after that.”

“Baba said if I was a kind boy too then the genie will grant me a wish.”

“Yes. Now, it is late. Go to sleep.”

With his fingers locked in mine, Ali soon fell asleep. I stayed there with him feeling the calm I felt whenever I was with Ali. I almost drifted off when I heard the unmistakable whistle.My eyes flung open, my body registering the terror even before my mind could. Before I could reach out to Ali the ground shook with tremendous force. I felt myself being jolted violently. The cot gave away below me, throwing me out. There was a loud roar and then I found myself trapped in rubble, a table over my head. Something hot was trickling down my face. I spit something hard out of my mouth. The whistling, it belonged to a missile. A sound that haunted families everywhere.

“Ali!” I screamed. No reply. Trying to suppress panic, I struggled to budge the debris.

“Ali!” I yelled again. Tears sprang to my eyes, threatening to take over.

“Didi?” a muffled voice called out.

“Ali!” I crawled to the source of the voice.

“It hurts didi,” the voice said.

“I’m right here,” I said still not finding him. I let my hands feel the surrounding. Sharp things cut me as I tried to move in the dark but it didn’t matter. I had to find my brother!

“Didi?”this time the voice was frantic.

“Do you remember the story of the genie?” I say, trying to calm him.

“Yes.”

“Keep thinking of it. I’ll find you!”

“it is alright didi.” he said,”I wished for it to be alright. I asked the genie to never make this happen."

I stopped my search and collapsed, the tears finally taking over.

“Yes,” I whispered. It was so silent here, in this place of my captive. It almost felt like everything was okay. Almost.

“We are safe for tonight,” I said. Then the house tilted, mother earth taking us into her open arms.