Beyond The Boundary

A Story by Farhan Shaikh

this is completely fiction, nothing to be taken seriously..

In between the riots of 1947 when the two Nation India and

Pakistan demarcate the boundary line between them, they also demarcated in between their people, who they have no idea in the future won’t miss a chance of hating each other.

15^th August 1947

It was foggy and misty evening, and there are people boarding on trains to move to the other side of the border, men and women carrying their children on their shoulders. There were many people unsheltered during the partition. There were few smashed up buildings, streets were as the asteroid hits on the earth and there was a petrol station that had been vandalized.

In between the crowd rushing and crushing each other, a three feet boy, was just pushed across the border from India to Pakistan, his eyes were like a fireflies and a pointy nose sniffling, scar on his eyebrows. Chewing his dirty finger nails watching people getting separated from their family, all he could hear and see is people blubbering, sniveling, sobbing and weeping.

Where was his family? Are they lost, or they remained in their motherland, or it could be worse! ‘Lost kid?’ A throaty voice crashed in the child’s ears. A soldier standing beside him wearing and untidy uniform and rolled his helmet in his arms. His eyes dark eyes glittering some lights for the child, he put his veiny arms on the child’s shoulder and smiled with his uneven dimples.

‘What’s your name?’ soldier asked. ‘Amin, Amin Azmi’ he answered. ‘Well, I am Fadel Khan’ soldier stated. ‘Aren’t you hungry?’ No doubt that Fadel Khan took Amin with him to live, he knew it would be impossible to find Amin’s parents, no one knows about them and after the partition, they could’ve been in Pakistan or perhaps they Stayed in India, it was not a worth to mention without knowing, or they may have faced a tragedy as many of the people did during the partition. Amin was a brave and courageous child he accepted his fate in the neighbor country as he settled with Fadel Khan who was a Pakistani Soldier. And later Amin get used to live with Fadel and Fadel inspired him to grow up and become a soldier.

12th September 1965

Amin was now a teenager on his own at least while Fadel was departed for the Indo-Pak war. Next morning Amin woke up in his slum by the noise of knocking on the door. He opened the door and sun rays’ hits on his eyes and forced him to cover his eyes and there’s a postman standing out with a letter Amin took a letter which was written by Fadel Khan. He flipped the envelope and unfolded the letter.

“‘Hey there Kid, how are you? I wanna tell you something kid, this may be hard to swallow but as I know you for 12 years, you’re brave kid or a grown teenager who’d be joining his army training next year, proud of you even your parents would be if they knew. Well it is kind of impossible for me to be back home, things are not going well between. Meanwhile I suggest you to be safe, and I’m awfully sorry that I won’t be there to see you wearing a soldier’s uniform, which was dream. Unfortunately I can’t even see you for one last time but here’s the thing buddy, never give up, die for what you want the most and what’s worth dying…..my country is worth dying so I am here for you, for my people and my motherland and I can do anything to keep my people safe. So good luck, I love you’

Your beloved

Fadel”

And the tear broke free from Amin’s eyes, he folded the letter and kept it in the pocket.

December 1971

7 years later from Fadel Khan’s death in the war. Amin was 24 now and he himself became a soldier just like his idol and the man who raised him Fadel Khan. And once again these two countries were in chaos where Amin was in Pakistan Army. Once again it was foggy and blurred evening just as when Amin found Fadel.

The essence of that evening was very special to Amin, he felt the same vibes just as he when met Fadel who was unfortunately dead seven years ago. Amin was leading by his team member Akram on the mountain beside the Chenab River. Where he landed on a rock and flipped a water bottle’s cap.

‘Alhamdulillah, we are alive’ a low voice ascends towards Amin. ‘Alhamdulillah Akram,’ who settled beside Amin ‘but what do you think, how many more days we have, or hours? Amin Mumbled. And started igniting fire in front of him. ‘We’ll live, I guess’ Akram responded. ‘But don’t you wanna live?’ Amin smirked as he’s seen a heaven’s gate already. ‘I had already lost my everything when I found something, Fadel…he was like a father to me, he died saving us and many like him, that’s what I wanna do, I wanna die, but yeah first thing I wanna do is get in there’ pointing at the Radcliffe line of India. ‘And take down as many as I can’ Amin Hissed. Akram can see the huffing and puffing pace of Amin and his veins popping out. ‘But…but that’s not we are supposed to do, you know that, don’t you Amin?’ Amin revealed his past to Akram. ‘None of them came back for me, none of them cared that their people are clerkly sending out to the other country to live apart from their parents and live alone, not everyone like me found Fadel Khan. Akram gave him sympathetic pat on his back Amin gazed Akram over his shoulder and still smirking. Akram left.

The sun was set and stars were now visible, Amin was lying and watching the stars with his droopy eyes and waiting for his next order to strike back. His heart started pounding when he heard Akram saying, ‘here’s the order guys, I just spoke to the Colonel’ Akram sighed ‘he said that we are surrendered and the further order is to get back to the camp and then home’. Akram glanced on Amin’s red face and his squinting eyes.

Next moment all of them were packed and getting off for the camp when Akram noticed that Amin is missing, he sensed trouble Amin was about to make he looked over his shoulder and there he was Amin walking down the mountain moving ahead towards the Radcliffe line holding a firearm ‘Amin Stop’ Akram screamed.A min was walking with full of his hunger 'follow him’ he ordered to the team and all of them followed Amin they were not that far behind they were chasing him. Amin loaded his firearm and ready to rattle the opposition’s skull and the opposition burst out with theirs arms and equipment’s, no doubt they thought that they were coming forth for an attack, but in real they were chasing Amin, and opposition fired first. And the next moment everything went chaos and opposition firing bullets at him and Akram and team fired back to defend Amin and themselves.

Amin managed to get across the boundary line and the rest held themselves back beyond the border. Amin was firing furiously all alone and next second he fell on his knee when he got the first bullet right in his chest. One after another bullets he got into his body he smiled and released his firearm and he tumble down.

© 2018 Farhan Shaikh

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Reviews

barleygirl

First, let me tell you I’m not a fan of stories about war. There’s so much war all over the world, it isn’t a topic I want to read for entertainment. But, as such stories go, you’ve done a good job by making it more about the people than the fighting. We get to know your characters thru dialogue & action, so we’re involved when the ending provokes strong feelings about Amin’s sacrifice. Even tho you say there’s nothing true about your story, it’s “historical fiction” – maybe not a true story, but it’s set in true times. We can learn about the history of Pakistan & India becuz of your story. I like a story that teaches me about different countries & cultures, even if I don’t like reading about war (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie