A Beautiful Lie (Irfan Master) by Irfan Master

Author:Irfan Master
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2011-01-03T22:00:00+00:00

After I’d told Doctorji about the lie, I didn’t feel better or worse. His face stayed passive but I knew he was weighing up what I’d said.

Doctorji didn’t have time to tell me what he thought because there was a scratching sound at the door. I closed my eyes and listened carefully in case my ears were playing tricks on me. There it was again! But Doctorji hadn’t stirred from his thoughtful pose. I quickly moved towards the door and put my ear to it. Doctorji noticed and stood up.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

‘I heard a scratching at the door. I think there’s somebody on the other side.’

We both put our ears against the door and listened. The scratching sound continued.

‘Hello? Can you hear me?’ I whispered.

‘Hello,’ a little voice whispered from the other side.

‘Hello! Can you tell us what’s happening? What are they going to do to us?’

More silence. I could hear Doctorji’s heartbeat drumming steadily next to me.

‘They think you’re spies. They think that if you’re allowed to leave you’ll go and tell whoever it is to attack us and steal all our women. They think . . .?’

This time the silence was deafening. Now I could hear my own heartbeat thumping inside my chest.

‘They think what?’ I whispered.

‘They think it best if you’re not allowed to leave.’

‘Do you think you can help us?’ Doctorji asked quietly.

‘How can I help you?’ the voice whispered.

‘Can you open this door and let us out?’

There was a shuffling sound outside which stopped suddenly.

Please, don’t leave us here.

‘I’m not tall enough to reach the bar. It’s just out of my reach.’

‘There must be something you can stand on – a barrel or something?’

‘It’s all too heavy for me to move,’ said the voice.

‘And it would make too much noise anyway,’ I added.

‘There must be something you can use,’ said Doctorji. Sensing desperation in his voice, I leant close to the door.

‘It’s OK, take your time. We’re not going anywhere,’ I tried to joke.

Nobody laughed. The light in the hut was changing and dawn was not far away. If we didn’t escape now we might never leave. As we pressed our ears to the door, we heard some more shuffling and then little footsteps running away. I looked at Doctorji in horror at the realisation that we were alone again. He stepped away and, setting his jaw, walked slowly back to his sack of rice. I turned my back on the door and slid down to the floor, head resting in my hands. We were far from home and surrounded by strangers. This was not how I’d thought it would be. I had only ever known the market town. It was where I thought I would live and die. I had been so sure of it that the possibility of anything else was like a slap across my face.

Abruptly, I heard returning footsteps and more shuffling outside the door. Grunting sounds followed and, with a grinding noise that sounded as if it would wake the whole village, the bar was lifted from its resting place.

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