Sun & Moon: Chapter Six (Part II)

Getting up suddenly from her bed, her breathing was shallow. She was petrified from what she saw, her hands were shivering, and her heart was beating like the sound of the drum. Tears made their way to the corner of her eyes; the pain which haunted her wasn't something she was able to heal. Taking a deep breath, she walked away from her nightmare and decided to embrace Saturday morning like she always did.

Sliding off the door, she got jolted with the coldness freezing surface of the tiles. They were frosty white and flawless. The white bathroom was spotless, pallid with hints of rosy ornaments adding a subtle tranquil feeling. The pink roses on the white shower curtains seemed to invite her, to take her in for that hug and embrace she needed. Reaching out to the left tap, Sanaa was ready to drown all her worries and anxiety away. The warm water soothed her as the hard drops hit her skin, it was therapeutic and consoling, making her sigh in relief. She grabbed her hot pink loofa to wash it all away. ‘A fresh morning, a lovely day and a fantastic evening’ she kept repeating it to herself as she felt purified from the dirt she once upon a time felt. With a towel wrapped around her petite body, she looked at herself in the mirror and barely recognized who she was; the bags under her eyes were obvious, the dark circles were taking over her flawless complexion and her bloodshot eyes would tell anyone that she has had rough nights without sound sleep. Reaching out to the mirror, she tried to block the view; she couldn't tolerate how she looked like. It reminded her of how she used to be and asserted, even more, the reason why she chose to leave everyone behind to start anew. The water was still drizzling, creating puddles around her now clean and dewy body; Sanaa started thinking of a solution. Looking at the cherry wooden desk which doubled as her dressing table, she hurriedly grabbed her expensive Dior foundation and dabbed a heavy amount on her face; she wanted to look bedazzling, stunning and breathtaking. She wouldn't accept anything less than that.  She smiled as those signs, which would make anyone pity her, almost disappeared from her face. Sanaa was positive she was going to wear and show off her confidence like she would when she carried a Chloe bag or strutted in her classic Zara heels.   

It was a fresh Saturday morning, the dew drops sat beautifully on the leaves and grass just waiting for the perfect amount of heat to vaporize it. The town was quiet, everyone chose to retreat and relax on Saturday. It was time to recuperate and relax from the week's exhaustion. It was time to spend with family and friends or just stay lazy in bed all day. But that wasn't anything of what Sanaa did on a Saturday morning. She would grab her expensive Nikon camera which she bought from her first saving after school; her most prized possession. She wouldn't leave a Saturday without catching the early morning in all its glory. She craved to portray every single thing she would feel here through photographs. Sanaa wanted to safe keep each and every memory of this place before she left. It was only a couple of years and before a blink of an eye, time could pass us all by.

Grabbing her long lens, she focused all her attention to the iris flowers; her latest obsession. They were bright and purple, refreshing and as vibrant as she felt after the long hot shower and therapeutic makeup. She reached out to the stem and felt its draftiness; she touched the flowers and felt the softness. She saw in it adventure, risk taking and even more the blossoming of a new chapter in a life cycle. It represented everything she wanted to be at this moment of time. Smiling an effortless smile, she started clicking and snapping as many pictures of these beautiful flowers as she could.

'Yes take as many as you can because come next week, they'll all be gone' his shadow covered the perfect lighting and darkened the view. 'You are mean' she responded back annoyed. She didn't want to think how it would turn out to be when winter officially begins. He laughed loudly as he knelt down to smell the flowers. 'They smell beautiful' he said looking into her eyes. 'But not as beautiful as you right are now' Sanaa smiled and was content that all the makeup that made its way to her face managed to capture her beauty. She wanted to tell him about her nightmare, about what she saw and what she struggled with every night since she came here 'He’ll think I'm so into him if I tell him' she thought to herself and dismissed the thought in her head. 'So Sanaa are you free to head to the library later on?' he asked as she froze in her place. 'Errrrm, okay' she said to him smiling. 'I'll pass by later then?' he asked as she nodded her head vigorously till her earring fell on the grass. 'I’ve never seen someone excited to go to the library before' Bastiaan laughed as he picked up the earring from the ground and gave it to her. 'See you later beautiful' he winked at her and left Sanaa to continue enjoying her photography.

Knock knock…

The whiff of Arabian oud made its way to the door's opening at the bottom; it smelt different, exotic and intoxicating. He stood at the door sniffing, he couldn’t explain what it was he was inhaling in.

‘Just a sec' she said behind the door with an incense burner in her hand. Sanaa finally had the beauty sleep she deserved after the fresh morning. She felt super refreshed and now it was time for her to have a lovely day. As she moved her hand over the smoke from the bukhoor she brought from home, she closed her eyes enjoying the smell as it scented her hair; a ritual she always does when she washes her hair. Satisfied with the amount and time she spent on scenting her hair, she threw the burning charcoal to the sink and washed it over with cold water; putting it out. Spraying her Chanel No.5 all over her clothing and hands, she grabbed her laptop bag and headed to the door.

The exotic smell was even more powerful as she walked out of the door; she looked beautiful with her wavy hair resting loosely on her shoulders. Sanaa seemed to have Bastiaan under a spell with no word escaping his mouth and only a shocking stare resided in its place. 'Hello?' Sanaa waved at him but Bastiaan still stood in his place. Touching his arm, Bastiaan looked at Sanaa and said 'What's this amazing smell?' he sniffed as he walked into her room possessed with the mysterious aroma he never had came in contact with before. Sanaa laughed and walked past Bastiaan to her wardrobe. Opening her two door wardrobe, she started searching at the back of her stacked clothes on the shelves, to take out a Tang jar that had hard brown rocky substances inside; she slid the jar open and took off the covering lid. 'This is similar to incense sticks but much more stronger and smells better. It’s made of sugar and perfume' she handed it to him to smell. 'Wow. This is absolutely amazing' he said taken aback from the existence of such a glamorous unusual smell. ‘This is pretty heavy stuff, but I like it’ he looked at her with a smirk on his face making its way to Sanaa’s being. She smiled coyly looking down at her suede beige shoes to avoid contact to his eyes. 'Okay sorry shall we?' he handed the jar back and motioned for them to leave. With a quick split of a second, Sanaa placed the lid on the jar and back to its place in her wardrobe to join Bastiaan for the walk to the library.

It was windy and chilly; the clouds were covering the sky which made it darker. The streets were filled with people enjoying their weekend. The smell of coffee, wet grass and perfume, all mixed up, gave the sense of belonging. Bastiaan walked beside Sanaa silently enjoying the aroma of her scented hair every time the wind blew. The canal was even crowded with tourists enjoying a tour around the city. The vibe was active and lively making Sanaa content with her choice of being here. 'So what is exactly your major' she tried making small talk. Taken by surprise Bastiaan realized that he never explained to her much about who he was 'I am a philosophy and ethnics major, so basically I am one of those critical thinkers’ he said jokingly but eager to know what her next question was. 'Oh okay that's interesting' she smiled and continued walking. He still continued to wait but for no question to be asked. Bastiaan felt disappointed as he continued the walk with only the occasional audible sounds of their sighs keeping them both company.

Reaching the library, she settled with the first table she saw. 'Hey no, not here’ he whistled to her and raised his voice; the librarian looked at Bastiaan in anger pulling out a cardboard that read silence in Dutch. Bastiaan gestured to the librarian showing him how apologetic he was and walked to where Sanaa was. ‘Come beautiful. I'll show you around' he whispered in her ear.

Sun & Moon: Chapter Six

First of all I apologize for not updating, I have been caught up with exams and publishing a scientific paper that not enough hours of the day were enough to squeeze in everything

Anyhow, this is a short prologue if it may be, I'll further continue it during the Eid vacayyyy inshallah. Eid Mubarak to all of you and hope you and your respective families enjoy it to the max.

It was dark and gloomy, the air was dry, she felt she was about to choke only she coughed so hard her ribcage felt it was going to rub against her insides vigorously. She felt pain; sharp hurtful shocks around her chest made her turn to the other side only she couldn't. She was stuck; she struggled even more only to feel extra weight on top of her. She couldn't see what was around her, she couldn't see what was in front of her; it was pitch black. She was trying to scream for help but her voice was mute.


The air around became dewy and moist, she heard breathing sounds which made her panic. ’Who are you? She wanted to ask but her voice to still remain mute. With a palpating heart she shivered scared of what was going on around her. She could now sense the weight shift to the top of her, she could smell the cologne which mixed with the smell of his breath; she knew who the person was. Feeling her hope of escaping sink, she gave up fighting and simply chose to remain still. 'You think u can leave it all behind?' He shouted at her, piercing her ears. She sobbed quietly knowing she’s trapped, she cried regretting what she once chose, what she once did and what she once believed was her destiny.


Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alaaaaaiiiiiiiii


Loud music came from the next room; it was so loud for a Saturday morning. The sun was out of its hiding place and bright. The fields were getting filled with picnic baskets and mats. Sanaa was still in deep sleep, she was tossing and turning. She looked as if she was suffocating, like she was in trouble. She was trying to break free. Loud moans and screams filled her warm blue room. 'Nooooo' she opened her eyes in tears. She wept in shock of her nightmare. It was recurring every night. She was quivering in fear as her heart raced. She sobbed even more remembering how that nightmare was actually true.


Sanaa felt she was in need of comfort of a crying shoulder; she needed a protector who would shed all those horrible dreams and dissolve her haunting past, her closest friend who would make her laugh. Getting up from her bed in her bugs bunny pajamas, she grabbed her keys and rushed out the door to find him. Getting into the elevator pressing 2, she waited as the doors opened to her destination. Looking for the number 218, she slammed on the door with her two hands waiting for him to open. Opening the door she screamed out his name 'Bastiaan' only for a blonde Amazonian like tall girl to emerge from behind the door.