She went out of her hut with all her hungry sheep onto the small plains of the mountains. she was confident that her flock would get something for eating very soon and one of the sheep would provide a little milk for her breakfast.
'Kashe!', she shouted at one of the sheep going away from the flock. Most of the sheep started grazing and she started singing her local folk song. But it was only a refrain. She didn't know the complete song. while singing the refrain and scampering her frock got stuck in the thorny bushes. No sooner had she started removing the thorns that she heard a rifle go off. she was frightened and the moment she looked around she heard her uncle.
'Laila! get on the tree and pick the dove I just shot.'
Before Laila could give it a second thought, she obeyed her uncle. she climbed the tree and picked the dove. Her uncle took it from her and went his way.
Thoughts of the dove renewed when she saw the stains of blood on her hands. Anyway she forgot because of her hunger and started running after one the sheep to get some milk for her breakfast. She managed to get one after a great deal of running.
'Blacky you made me more tired and hungry, now you should give me more milk,' she said to the sheep.
Laila sipped the milk which hardly soaked the hard piece of bread in her mouth but this was one of the liberties for which she took the whole flock for grazing.
Back at home Laila's mother was talking to her elder son, Malang, about the girl school that had been announced by the government in their area.
'Malang do you think our girls would go school', she said while scrubbing the black soot off the utensils in which she cooked last night for the guests.
'Yes, they must. The reason is when I took salma's mother to hospital she was attended by male doctors. We want some female doctors,' Malang replied with kind of mixed feelings of happiness and remorse. They did not have any female doctor in the area of Kob. Almost finished with scrubbing Naila said, ' Then shall I get some clothes for Laila for her school?.
— New chapter is coming soon — Write a review