It was one of those days when the sky was overcast with heavy clouds. Winter had set in early that year, forcing the villagers to stay in the comfort of their warm homes. Bibi had finished her daily chores later than usual and, as a result, by the time she finished her prayers at the gurdwara, the sun was already setting behind the mountains. Walking all alone on the dark, lonely stretch, she was spotted by the ever alert Ismail. With his face and head wrapped tightly in a muffler, he started following her but remained on the other side of the road lest she recognize him.

He waited for her to start climbing the stairs to her house and then rushed towards her, climbing two steps at a time, and put his foot in the door before Bibi could shut it. Then he entered her house forcibly and bolted the door from inside. He put his hand over her mouth and dragged her towards the bedroom. A helpless Bibi made a valiant effort to free herself, but failed against his powerful grip. She tried to bite his hand but her teeth couldn’t make an impact. Despite her petite figure and matching body weight, her stiff resistance surprised the bully. Initially, he smiled and took it as a challenge, but her continued struggle began to annoy him. He soon lost his patience. He turned her face towards him and swung his right hand with full force. His palm struck Bibi’s left cheek. She fell on the chair to her right and began bleeding profusely. The impact of the slap was so strong that she lost consciousness momentarily.

Sensing victory, Ismail began to relax and bent down to take a closer look at her, hurling abuses while doing so. He ripped open her woollen pheran and threw it aside. And then, grabbing her hands, dragged her into the bedroom. Once inside, he picked her up effortlessly and put her on the bed. Smiling to himself, he went towards the fireplace and lit up the dry wood. He rubbed his hands gently and then began removing his thick woollen sweater. As his arms went up, holding the two sides of the garment and pulling it over his face, he felt a sharp metallic object entering the right side of his back. He doubled up in pain and then tripped and fell. But before he could steady himself, Bibi thrust the sharp metal farther into his back. He fell down with a thud. The six-inch-long kitchen knife stayed embedded in his spine. Letting go of the sweater hanging over his head, his hands reached out to the wound. His eyes were covered by the thick garment and he was unable to see anything. In the meantime, Bibi bent down and quickly grabbed one of the burning wooden logs from the fireplace.