The Hour of the Oryx

by Farah Zaman

  “I was looking for Mahmood.”

  “At this hour?” He gave Zaid an incredulous look.

  “I needed his help but he’s not in his room.”

  “Why are you limping?”

  “I sprained my ankle. I have a pair of crutches downstairs.”

  “I’ll walk you down. I don’t want you taking a tumble down the stairs.”

  “It’s fine, I can manage.”

  “It’s doesn’t matter. I’m coming with you.”

  Zaid held back a groan as Mr. Rakin accompanied him down the stairs.

  Ms. Yusra and the girls came out of the stairwell at the same time Zaid and Mr. Rakin did. The teenagers exchanged dismayed looks while the teachers exchanged looks of surprise.

  “What’s going on? Why are you girls here too?” Mr. Rakin said.

  “I think an explanation is in order.” Ms. Yusra folded her arms across her chest and stared them down.

  Heba sighed. “It’s kind of complicated.”

  “Let’s go sit in the atrium and you can tell us why,” Mr. Rakin said.

  They had just sat down when the front door crashed open. Mahmood rushed in, Muk-Muk on his shoulder. He stopped when he saw them, his eyes wide and his lips trembling. He gasped in a voice that was rusty from disuse. “Adam…Danyal…danger…lake house…go now!”

  They stared at him with open mouths, shocked by his words as well as his voice.

  “Oh my God, I knew something had happened,” Layla cried, her voice breathless with panic.

  “We’ve got to go to rescue them,” Zahra said in a choked voice.

  “We’ll row over,” Zaid said, already moving towards the back door, the girls behind him.

  “Wait, what’s going on?” Ms. Yusra grabbed hold of Layla.

  “We’ve got to go to the lake house,” Layla cried. “My brother is in danger. He might die if we don’t get there in time.”

  “We’ll go in my van,” Mr. Rakin said, coming to a quick decision. “It will be faster than rowing over.”

  They raced to the front door and out to the parking lot. After they had piled into Mr. Rakin’s gray Honda Odyssey, he gunned the engine and headed out to the road. Once there, he hit the gas and the van roared like a wild beast as it sped into the night.

  “Can you tell us quickly what’s going on, so we’ll know what we’re up against,” Ms. Yusra said.

  The teenagers took turns giving quick, jerky explanations. After they were done, Zaid said, “Mahmood, what happened tonight?”

  In a stuttering voice Mahmood told them of following the Troublesome Trio when he saw them heading to the graveyard. Of seeing the men bring Adam there, who he thought at first was Danyal. Of Ms. Mahveen and Mr. Talish performing magic before being shot dead by Mr. Nidal. Of Danyal showing up and Mr. Nidal loading the boys in the truck. Of seeing the truck heading to the lake house and running back to the orphanage to tell someone.

  “I can’t believe Talish and Mahveen are involved.” Mr. Rakin sounded stunned.

  “I believe it.” There was a grim tone to Ms. Yusra’s voice. “I’m calling the police. Oh no, I don’t have my phone.”

  “Here, use mine,” Zaid said.

  Ms. Yusra had a difficult time convincing the police it was not a prank call. “Yes, I’m Ms. Yusra, one of the teachers at the orphanage,” she said for the third time, her voice fraught with frustration. “You’ve got to go to the lake house at once. Some of our students were taken prisoner there and are in danger of being hurt.” Losing patience, she snapped out, “You’d better head over there right now. If the boys get hurt, heads are going to roll! Unbelievable,” she fumed after she hung up.

  As the van got closer to the lake house, the teenagers became silent, their clenched hands the only indication of their turmoil. Muk-Muk was the only one in motion. The monkey clambered from the front seat to the back seat, screeching and whining, his tail brushing their faces and arms. The van turned a curve and they all gasped in horror. Orange and red flames rose from the lake house.

  “Oh my God, the house is on fire,” Zahra cried.

  “Wasn’t the new owner planning to burn it one night?” Mr. Rakin said.

  “I think this is Danyal’s stepfather’s doing,” Zaid said grimly.

  “We’ve got to hurry,” Layla said, her voice filled with tearful urgency.

  Mr. Rakin put on an extra burst of speed and the van shuddered as it hurtled towards the burning building. When it juddered to a stop, the doors flew open and they rushed towards the house. The next moment, flashlights shone in their faces and five men blocked their path.

  One pointed a gun at them and said, “Stop right there.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight:

  Fighting with Fiends

  In the lake house, the fire had started to feast on the ceiling. Fragments of flaming plaster fell to the floor, dropping close to where the prisoners were huddled. A piece landed on one of the sofas and the upholstery hissed and smoldered before it burst into flames. Smoke swirled around the youths, stinging their eyes and noses, causing them to cough.

  Adam knew they would probably die of the fumes before the fire even touched them. At least then, they would be spared the agony of the fire eating at their flesh. He closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle. If there was to be none, he prayed for the end to be quick.

  Luay choked out, “The…window…look….”

  They peered through the smoke to the window closest to them. A blurry dark shape stood behind it. The next moment, the glass shattered with a sharp crack, scattering shards across the floor. Through the gaping space, the fire’s glow fell upon a familiar face.

  “Mahmood,” Fadi gasped.

  “Mahmood,” Haysam screeched. “Come and cut us loose!”

  “Hurry up!” Luay squealed as another chunk of ceiling crashed down, showering sparks close to them. Mahmood clambered over the windowsill and panted, “Knife…cut ropes,” before barreling towards the kitchen. Mouths agape, they all stared after him. Moments later, he came running back with a knife.

  “Cut me loose first,” Haysam demanded, his voice hoarse.

  Mahmood ignored him. He was not going to be bullied or browbeaten by his chief tormentor. A fit of coughing seized him too as he inhaled the smoke. From the fire’s glow, he was able to snip the bonds from Danyal and Adam.

  Adam took the knife from him and urged, “Danyal, you and Mahmood leave now!” As the youth and boy scrambled towards the window, Adam snipped at the bonds of the Troublesome Trio and they got to their feet. There was an ominous crack from above. They scuttled hastily to the side as a burning beam broke off and crashed to the floor. It landed in the exact spot where they had been lying bound and helpless only seconds ago.

  “Come on, let’s get out!” Adam yelled, shielding his mouth and nose with his shirt as they stumbled over to the window. Haysam jumped out first, followed by Fadi and Luay. Just as Adam stepped forward to grab the windowsill, a splintering sound came from above. He looked up to see a burning beam heading straight for him.

  Adam swerved desperately to the side. The beam crashed to the floor, inches away from him. Kicking it out of the way, he grabbed the windowsill and vaulted out. He stood next to the other boys, coughing out the last remnants of smoke from his lungs.

  “Come!” Mahmood called out, running towards the front of the house.

  The smoke didn’t addle our brains. Mahmood is indeed speaking again. Later, there would be time to marvel at the miracle. Right now, they must follow where Mahmood was leading. They turned the corner and stopped short in surprise. Several flashlights lay on the ground, spotlighting the group of people struggling together. Adam gaped as he recognized his sister and friends.

  Was that Ms. Yusra tackling one of the men with a series of martial arts moves? Yes, it was. And who was that pajama-clad man wrestling with Nidal
? It looked like Mr. Rakin. As the man turned, Adam saw it was indeed Mr. Rakin. How come Nidal hadn’t subdued them all with his gun?

  Adam shouted to the boys, “We’ve got to help them before those men capture us again!”

  With wild yells, the youths joined the tussle. As the fire raged behind them, punches and kicks flew while grunts and groans filled the air. Adam saw Muk-Muk leaping onto the shoulder of one of the men, shrieking in his ear and scratching at him. The man howled, trying to fend off the ferocious monkey.

  Even though they outnumbered the men, Adam did not know how long they could keep up the resistance. Nidal only had to whip out his gun for the fight to be over. Why was the man still fighting with his bare hands?

  A siren wailed in the distance. The men fought even more fiercely but the teenagers and teachers managed to stop them from fleeing until the police arrived. Four uniformed officers leaped out of the car and ran towards them, guns drawn.

  “Anyone in the house?” one of them shouted.

  “No,” Adam shouted back. Except for the dead bodies. But there was no point in endangering the living to rescue the dead.

  Relieved that they did not have to set foot into the inferno, the policemen turned to the task of nabbing Nidal and his men. Only when all the villains had been handcuffed and were sitting huddled on the ground, did Adam breathe a sigh of relief.

  “Good work, everyone,” Ms. Yusra said. Her scarf was askew and there was a dark smudge on her cheek, but she was smiling.

  “Are you boys okay?” Mr. Rakin asked. His lip was busted, and he had a black eye but there was a triumphant gleam in his eyes. “None of you were burned, were you?”

  “No, we’re fine,” Adam said, his voice still raspy from the smoke.

  They all turned to look at the burning house as the roof collapsed with a roar. The fire fed on the rest of the structure like a ravenous monster, belching out plumes of smoke high into the sky. Adam shuddered at the narrow escape they had had.

  “Thank Allah Mahmood showed up in time,” Danyal said. He too sported a black eye.

  “He’s a hero,” Zahra said. “It’s great to hear him talking. He was the one who told us you were captured. He saw the Trouble…Haysam, Fadi and Luay going to the cemetery and followed them. That’s how he found out what was going on there.”

  “I thought I heard a sound like Muk-Muk’s screech,” Adam said. He went on to tell them of the Troublesome Trio’s role in his and Danyal’s capture.

  Layla gave the three boys a disgusted glance. “Didn’t you think something fishy was going on when Mr. Nidal told you to go to the cemetery to get your reward?”

  “We didn’t know he was going to trick us,” Haysam said sullenly.

  Behind them, Zahra squealed. Adam spun around and his jaws dropped. Muk-Muk had come out of the bushes, a gun clutched in his paw. Mahmood rushed in front of his pet, pointed a finger at him and growled. Muk-Muk dropped the gun to the ground and covered his face with his paws.

  “You thieving monkey!” Nidal bellowed as one of the policemen picked up the weapon. “I’ll wring your scrawny neck if I get my hands on you.”

  Adam grinned despite the pain it caused his busted lip. “Muk-Muk, you stole the bad man’s weapon? What a clever little fellow you are.”

  “You should have seen him when Danyal’s stepfather pointed the gun at us,” Layla said. “Muk-Muk jumped on his shoulder with an ear-splitting screech and clawed at him until he dropped the gun. Then Muk-Muk ran away with it.”

  “Muk-Muk deserves a medal,” Zaid said. Like Adam, he also had a busted lip.

  As they waited for a larger police vehicle to take the prisoners away, Adam looked around the yard. The fire lit up their surroundings like daylight and he spied the shovels and spades lying on the ground several feet away. He walked over to the spot. A black plastic sack poked up from a hole. Jubilation filled him. Here was the second batch of the stolen booty.

  “Danyal, come help me get this sack out,” he called.

  Danyal came and the two youths pulled the heavy sack out and carried it next to the flashlights. Adam cut off the top with the knife he still had in his pocket. Then the youths upended the bag and poured the contents on the ground. Diamonds winked, pearls glowed and gold gleamed. There were gasps of surprise behind him.

  “Where did you get these?” Mr. Rakin stared at the gems with dazed eyes.

  “It was buried here,” Adam said. “It’s half of the jewelry stolen from Zuleikha’s. The other half is in the truck.”

  Mr. Rakin got down on his haunches and ran his fingers over the jewelry. “My grandfather is going to be so happy,” he murmured.

  “Why?” Layla asked.

  Mr. Rakin lifted his head, his eyes shining. “He’s the owner of Zuleikha’s.”

  Epilogue

  Two weeks later, after finishing a delicious lunch, the teenagers and several other guests relaxed in the family room at Villa Hazni. The attractive space overlooked the sparkling swimming pool and the beds of well-tended shrubs in the grounds.

  “May I have your attention, please?” Mrs. Hazni called out. Nidal’s crimes had unleashed a media firestorm but she was coping surprisingly well with it. The hunted look had gone from her eyes and she was much more serene now.

  As all eyes turned towards her, she said, “For the past several months, Danyal and I were caught up in a nightmare. Thank Allah those dark days are now over and we can live free of fear. Had it not been for these marvelous young people, things might have ended tragically. You have my most heartfelt thanks and appreciation for all you did to help Danyal.”

  “A thousand times, thank you.” Danyal smiled at his new friends, the bruise from his black eye almost gone. “You gave me friendship and support when I needed it the most.”

  “We were glad to be of help,” Adam said. Both his swollen jaw and busted lip had been healed. “We’re happy you’re back where you belong.”

  Danyal gave a heartfelt sigh. “It’s good to be home. Now that the snake is gone, we don’t have to tiptoe around our own house anymore. We found that letter from Al-Maha. He did confess to robbing Zuleikha’s and said he wanted to make amends because he was dying of terminal cancer. He requested that after his death, and for the sake of their old friendship at the orphanage, my father should give the police the stash of money as well as the book which detailed the hiding place of the jewelry. My father never saw the letter because it came after he died. Uncle Nidal lied about it.”

  “So Al-Maha did send that confession letter to the TCBI,” Zaid said. His busted lip had healed nicely too. “I wonder why he didn’t tell them where he had hidden the jewelry instead of sending that letter to your father.”

  “I suppose he didn’t want them to find it while he was alive,” Danyal said. “Remember, he was still living at the lake house. They would have known at once it was him.”

  Layla asked, “Mrs. Hazni, did Mr. Nidal blackmail you into marrying him because of that letter?”

  Mrs. Hazni sighed. “La, it was for another reason. Five years ago, an underground group staged an unsuccessful coup. Nidal showed me a document proving that Danyal’s father funded the coup. He said if I didn’t marry him, he would send the information to all the newspapers. It would have destroyed Danyal’s future. I couldn’t allow that to happen, so I married Nidal. After he was arrested, he confessed that the document was fake. I can’t believe I was duped like that. I’m a much wiser woman now, I can tell you that.”

  “I would also like to thank the young people,” said Mr. Rakin, who was one of the special guests. He was dressed casually in jeans and a white T-shirt, the bruise from his black eye a faint purple color now. “My grandparents were overjoyed that their jewelry had been found. Zuleikha’s will be reopening in a couple of months.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Zahra said. “Did you come to work at the orphanage to question
Ms. Rima?”

  Mr. Rakin nodded, looking a bit shamefaced. “I left Holland and came to visit my grandparents after I heard about the robbery. My wife died fifteen months ago and I was still recovering from her death, that’s why I decided to stay on. I thought one of the employees at Zuleikha’s must be involved in the theft and was determined to find out who it was. I suspected Ms. Rima because I thought she was the weakest link. I’m glad she’s innocent. I hope she can forgive me. I would like to marry her.” He blushed as they all looked at him.

  “I’m sure you can woo her with some of your poetry,” Adam could not resist saying with a mischievous smile.

  Ms. Yusra spoke next. “Thank you for clearing up the mystery of Raha’s death. I knew she wouldn’t have set fire to the orphanage. At the time, I suspected Mahveen knew more than she was telling. Raha had told me she’d heard her muttering mumbo-jumbo in her room one day. After I came to work here, I decided to ask Mahveen about it.”

  “What did she say?” Layla asked.

  “She was furious. A few days later, I found a sheet of paper pushed under my office door. It had some strange symbols written on it. I thought it was a prank by one of the students, so I threw it away. After that, I began to feel feverish and ill. I went to the doctor but she couldn’t find anything wrong. A week later, I found another sheet of paper under my door with the weird writing. I was still feeling sick, so I went to the doctor again. She still couldn’t find anything wrong. That’s when I began to suspect witchcraft was at work. And that Mahveen must be the one doing it.”

  “What did you do?” Zaid asked.

  “I bought a book for reference, but it didn’t give practical advice on the treatment. Then I found out there was an old man in the village who was knowledgeable about such things. One night, I went to see him. He confirmed that the symbols were some kind of spell to make me sick and gave me some tips on how to protect myself. I confronted Mahveen after classes one day, but she denied it vehemently. I continued to feel ill, so I went to the old man again. He gave me some powder to put under Mahveen’s door to counteract her spells. I went up to her room one night while they were away but I just couldn’t do it. If I caused harm to her, I would be no better than her. I returned the powder to him. After that, I didn’t find any more paper with the strange symbols and I didn’t get sick again.”