On hearing this, Hina got a little scared at first but thought that this was just a guessing game and believing in it would be stupidity. She was still thinking when Wardatul Sa’adat continued, ‘The winds, the clouds and water will not agree to the meeting when both of you will be tasting the flavours of each other’s soul.’

This made Hina laugh.

A different kind of awe and anger had crept into Wardatul Sa’adat’s eyes and she was staring at Hina.

‘This only happens in movies,’ Hina said without meeting her gaze.

Wardatul Sa’adat did not say anything. She kept her eyes concentrated on the frame.

When she raised her eyes, Hina was going through the pages of The Book of Shadows. She closed her eyes again. She opened them after four minutes and said, ‘That boy will have sex with you but I cannot see beyond that. There is darkness all around. There is lightning and rainfall.’

Hina looked at her and said, ‘Be patient, Sa’adat, I will relate the rest of the story to you through email.’

She smiled again. Whatever Wardatul Sa’adat was saying seemed meaningless to her. She had full faith in Allah. She had even memorized the four Qul. She had decided never to do anything before marriage that was prohibited by Islam. She could not find any justification to take all that Wardatul Sa’adat had said seriously.

Hina turned a few pages of the book while Wardatul Sa’adat rested. When Hina shut the book, Wardatul Sa’adat told her that a few minutes back she was under the influence of Wicca. Rarely does it happen that the soul is able to see the scenes from the future. She said, ‘How I wish you had asked whether you would be able to save yourself from the darkness …’

No sooner had she said this than someone knocked at the door. Before opening it, she kept the frame back in her bag. Aymal and Yusuf entered the room with polybags in their hands. Aymal handed one of the bags to Hina and said that there were a few things for her mother in it. Hina accepted the present. After this, they came out of the hotel and started strolling on the seashore.

Hina reached home at around 9 p.m. She talked to her mother for a while, and then went up to her bed to lie down. As she lay down a lot of delusions started crowding her mind. Wardatul Sa’adat’s words were coming back to her again and again. She tried sleeping, but sleep had already escaped her eyes. She remained in the same condition for many days. Wardatul Sa’adat’s words had made their place in the depths of her consciousness.