Chapter 1: The Binding Of Faith.
It was a different day, a year having passed since his mother last saw him and left him and his father for her own ego, wanting to be free. Asl, a high-schooler, troublesome and average, had just come home.
He dropped down from the bus and waved back at the empty vehicle as it soon left. He was the last student to be dropped off. "It was a difficult day, man.." he muttered to himself as he kicked a small rock on his way. He watched water flow through the open sewer, moss growing on top of it and dirty chip packages littered about. It was India, after all, where he was living.
"Dad is probably waiting for me now. I guess he came back from his duty by now." Asl quickly looked up, realizing it was starting to rain. The tiny droplets fell on his head; his school backpack was not waterproof, so his books were in danger.
"God, dammit! The rain is getting heavier!" He told himself as he quickly sought shelter in a nearby bus stop. "Sigh.. it looks like it's going to rain for at least half an hour now.. I should've rushed home quickly..."
A few hours went by. Asl tapped his foot impatiently, his frustration clearly growing. Soon, the rain eventually stopped. It was out of the pattern he had expected, but then he realized he wasn't a weather reporter. "Gosh... Finally!" He looked up; it was still drizzling, but not enough to soak his whole body and clothes. Seizing the moment, he quickly dashed towards his house. Many neighbors greeted him, to whom he simply smiled and hurried past.
Arriving home, Asl opened the door and his pet cat quickly pounced on him, climbing on top of him as he crouched down to pet it gently. He then picked it up and held it high in the air. "Hey, hey, buddy… Did ya miss me?" Asl gently placed his cat down, after which it immediately ran outside to enjoy the newly cleared weather. Smiling softly, Asl removed his school shoes and socks, which were luckily not damp. He then realized snoring sounds were coming from his father's room, so he decided not to disturb him.
Throwing his dirty school clothes in the tub, he put on fresh clothes, combed his hair, and relaxed on his creaking sofa that was still comfortable after 12 years.
After a few minutes of silently staring at the ceiling, he sat up and looked around the room. "I should probably do my Maths homework that the teacher assigned.." he abruptly got up, reached for his study table, unzipped his bag, and pulled out a thick, heavy mathematics book. "Ugh... Even looking at this gives me existential dread..." Asl sighed with a deep groan, settling the book on his study table and lighting his study lamp.
The air was chill and cold, the fresh smell of soil hitting his nose. The window was just beside his table; the dark room, lit only by his lamp, made him feel comfortable and focused for some reason. He took a deep breath, opened the book, examined some questions from the exercise, grabbed his notebook, and started writing.
After an hour, Asl gave up. "Ugh! I've been trying to solve this question for so long! Why can't I get the answer?!" He kicked himself aside, dropping onto his bed as he snuggled into the not-so-plush mattress. He gazed up at the ceiling, raising his hand, looking at the fan as it slowly rotated. "I wish I could have the knowledge of the entire universe within me... It would be so easy to do anything and solve so many hidden mysteries." He abruptly sat up, seeing the knob on his door twist. It was his father.
"So, you came back from school?" he asked Asl, the sleepiness in his voice clearly visible, his eyes drowsy. Asl looked at his father with a neutral expression. "Well, it's been two hours since I came home. You were sleeping, so I didn't interrupt you." Asl stood up, stretching his arms and legs. "So, what are we doing today? Going out or eating stuff?" His father thought for a bit; their relationship was pretty much like friends.
"How about I give you a tour of the power plant? It's pretty big, and you say you like exploring big places."
Asl lit up with joy. He cheered and quickly changed into more fashionable clothes. He grabbed his net hat that his mother had given him a few years ago, which he still kept and wore. "So, are we going now or later? The rain looks like it's stopped."
"Sure, then. Let me grab my car keys, and then we can go. We might eat lunch there in the canteen."
As Asl got out of the house, his father abruptly stopped him. "Come here now," he told Asl as they re-entered the doorway. His father chanted a spell, or just a good luck prayer for their safety. He blew the air towards Asl and patted his head. "Now then, let's go. Binding you is the most important thing. Allah protects you from all the danger that comes across you. His angels will always protect you and give you their blessings."
Asl always found his father's short prayers weird, how he always used to 'bind' them before going out, believing it would cast a protection against bad things. He walked towards the car, kicking some pebbles on his way as he spotted a wild cow roaming the road. It was India, after all, where an animal's life often had more value than a human's. He always hated that, the way things worked in his country. How a drunk driver could hit someone and run away, and when caught, was only detained for a couple of days before getting bailed out because he belonged to a rich family. He hated the judicial system. He learned everything differently in his school books, but it was completely opposite in real life. No one was at peace, no religion was at peace, and no faith was safe. All that mattered was the greed of politicians and ministers who took money from the poor via taxation and laundering.
He realized he was daydreaming and had completely forgotten that his father was calling him to the car. "Hey, come and sit in the car quickly, or it will start raining again!" he shouted at Asl, who quickly snapped out of it. "Y-yeah! Coming..." he said embarrassedly as he walked towards the car and closed the door. His father looked at him through the rearview mirror. "You daydream a lot these days. Is everything alright? Or are you just having problems with your studies?"
Asl first denied it, saying it was nothing and that he was fine. Realizing how casually Asl spoke, his father believed him and started the car, heading towards the power plant. On the way, Asl asked, "Hey, Dad... I have a question..."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Why do you believe in these bindings so much? Like, what is the main reason for your faith? Is it determination, or do you just think it's for the greater good?"
His father thought for a bit, focused on driving, but as soon as an empty road came, he answered. "Well, it's because I believe in Allah, son. He is the supreme and mighty; you can't go against him. My bindings just make me feel connected to my Lord, just like our Prophet Mohammed (SAW) did. He protects you from Shaitan and Jinn. So, son, if you believe that you have the wealth of the world, remember, it was Allah who gave you that future and thought good of you."
Asl listened to his father's explanation, realizing how deep he was in faith. After arriving at the power plant's front entrance, he saw a huge door, probably two stories tall, with large lighting spelling out its name: 'DSOM POWER GENERATION PLANT'.
The guards checked his father's car and then permitted him entrance. "Go, sir," one of the guards said, to which his father smiled and drove away.
It was huge. He was surprised that so much land and gardens were left untouched since the establishment of the plant. "Woah… so are these gardens ever maintained?" Asl asked his father.
"Not much. There are hundreds of gardens like this here; even the gardeners don't know which one to clean first. I'm surprised they manage to keep this place in such nice condition," his father replied, keeping his eyes on the road, nodding and greeting many high-ranking officers who were leaving. After all, he was a respected figure among the staff.
"Hey, Ameen, is this your child?" one of the senior-ranking officers asked his father. Asl looked at the officer, then immediately looked away; he felt like a stranger in a complicated place clearly not meant for children his age.
"Yes, sir. He is my only son, Asl Ahmed. Asl, say hello to sir."
"H-hello.." Asl replied with a hesitant tone.
The officer laughed, and so did his father. Asl looked at them in confusion. "Why are you so scared? He is just my friend, son," his father said, laughing. "I swear to God, I don't look that scary, do I? Tell me, Ameen, do I?" the officer said joyfully.
"Absolutely not, sir. Asl is just a shy little boy who doesn't know how to greet people he doesn't know properly," his father replied.
"Hey, I'm not that young… I'm 17…" Asl replied to his father in a low voice, to which his father chuckled.
"Whatever you say, friend. To me, you are still the crying baby I used to carry on my back and in my hands. No matter how old you get, you'll always be my son."
"Well, Ameen, children do age up quite fast, don't they? My own son just graduated college, and it felt like I was carrying him to school every day just two years ago," the officer said.
"It truly does, sir. Our children are our only stick for the blind. Who else will take care of old geezers like us when we get old?" his father replied.
Asl watched the chit-chat between his father and his boss. He saw how casually they spoke despite their different faiths and religions. He soon realized the rain had stopped completely, and the first ray of sunlight pierced the clouds, shining on an open garden where he watched water droplets crystalize on the plush grass. He stepped out of the car and went to the garden just a few steps away. He hesitated for a bit, just because he was on government property.
"Go ahead, you can step in the field. Touching some grass is healthy for you," his father replied, peeking his head out the window.
Taking his father's word, he stepped into the garden. The soil was chill yet warm at the same time. He looked up into the sky, realizing that hesitating too much probably isn't good for a person.