<p>Feenat sighed deeply and said, “KEENAT, you know Daddy won’t allow me to leave the house, and besides, it’s not proper for a widow in mourning to go out.”</p><p>With sympathy, KEENAT replied, “I know, but health is more important than anything. Maybe you ate something that caused this discomfort.”</p><p>“I didn’t eat anything at all. How’s work? Are you managing?”</p><p>“By God’s grace, yes. Once I’m done, I’ll stop by the house to check on you.”</p><p>They chatted for a while longer before saying their goodbyes.</p><p>From where she sat, Feenat began gazing at pictures of Bashir in his military uniform. She became so absorbed in looking at them that she didn’t notice Munira entering to call her. Struggling to her feet, she walked out to the living room, where she found Goggo Hajara staring intently at her belly. Lowering her head, she silently recited, “Hasbunallahu wa ni’imal wakeel” in her heart. Suddenly, her baby started moving as though it wanted to burst out of her navel. The pain from the contractions made her clutch her lower abdomen, letting out painful breaths as the sharp pangs coursed through her entire body.</p><p>Goggo Hajara smirked slyly and said, “Feenat, are you alright?”</p><p>Only then did Feenat lift her bloodshot eyes. She couldn’t open her mouth to speak, let alone utter a word. Her back and hips locked up simultaneously, forcing her to kneel involuntarily. Her vision blurred, and though this was her first pregnancy, she understood that labor had begun.</p><p>“Haihuwar ce kam,” Goggo Hajara declared. “Munira, go outside while I fetch a mat.”</p><p>“Mama, should I call a taxi so you can go to the hospital?” Munira asked, glancing at Feenat, who was now groaning in pain.</p><p>“Call your taxi mother! Get out, I said!” snapped Goggo Hajara as she entered Feenat’s room to grab the bag prepared with baby supplies.</p><p>She spread the mat herself, covering it with some sheets before saying, “Feenat, take off that dress. Women in labor don’t need fancy clothes.” Feenat, overwhelmed by pain, didn’t resist as Goggo undressed her.</p><p>Hajara’s mouth watered uncontrollably as she saw the baby’s head crowning. Her body trembled with excitement as she helped deliver the child. Without hesitation, she prepared to pounce on the newborn boy, but she was jolted back to reality by Feenat’s cries and the piercing wail of a baby girl.</p><p>Hajara’s heart nearly exploded from fright. She stared in shock at the baby girl, who had suddenly appeared, her umbilical cord freshly cut and no sign of a placenta. Meanwhile, the baby boy was still halfway out. For reasons she couldn’t explain, Hajara abandoned her sinister intent and focused on cleaning up Feenat, who had begun to regain consciousness.</p><p>After cleaning the babies, tidying the room, and lighting some incense, she dressed Feenat in a wrapper and blouse. She even prepared hot tea for her. Sitting quietly to the side, Hajara mused to herself, “What came over me, Hajara? It’s like I’m not myself anymore.”</p><p>The cries of the babies interrupted her thoughts. “Go ahead and nurse them,” she instructed Feenat before standing to demonstrate how to breastfeed. The baby boy nursed hungrily, while the baby girl did nothing but cry. However, the moment Hajara picked her up, she fell silent, her cries replaced by an unsettling stillness.</p><p>Hajara swallowed hard as she caught a dark, ominous glint in the baby girl’s eyes—eyes that didn’t seem to belong to a newborn less than thirty minutes old.</p><p> </p>
