Klishmaklaver

“You think that was Uštāna ’s spirit in the black shroud, Dadi Jun?” Laila was thrilled at that thought but she couldn’t deny that she was a bit scared too. She felt safe in the warmth of the closed attic, in the knowing company of her caring grandma and the protective Mithra. “Why should you be scared of him? He is your ancestor my darling and can never mean you any harm”, assured Dorri Jun who was sensing the fright in Laila’s voice. “I am aware you are very little to be exposed to such powerful spirits but that is how your destiny seems to have been written. You seem to be a far greater soul than even I am, Laila and you must never misuse your powers”, reminded Dorri Jun once again. Simultaneously Laila had been drawing on a clean sheet of paper all the symbols that had mystically fallen before her eyes all through the day. First it had been the Star of David followed by the ‘X’ that had four rounded tips. She wasn’t sure that the Yin and Yang was a symbol to be considered in the ...

To Laila it seemed to be the chilliest day ever. It was snowing beautifully outside and everything lay under a thick blanket of white. She reminisced how every winter holiday was spent romping in the snow with Khalil and the kids from the neighbourhood but not this year. This year Khalil and all the kids in their batch were preparing for the preliminary examinations that would begin as soon as school re-opened in Jan’.  Image by Ginsui-Rin Laila had finished the last few pending chapters from her Science syllabus. She put the books back on the shelves and rose. “A steaming hot mug of ghaveh would be just wonderful!” she thought. Her mother and Dorri Jun were out visiting her uncle and his family. With the whole house to herself she suddenly felt a whole lot more independent. She was relishing the freedom, sipping on the dark brew standing in the kitchen window when she noticed a tall and lanky figure in the distance. Though the snow was almost knee-high outside the figure seemed ...

The final academic school year had finally come to a close and Laila was awaiting the examination results. “Is there anything sweeter than waking up to this feeling? Holidays, Hip hip hurray!” Laila rejoiced as she drew the curtains off the window. It was a bright and sunny morning outside and she wasn’t the girl to waste this beautiful freedom in bed. “What must lazy Khalil be doing?” she wondered. And that suddenly brought another face to her mind, the beautiful Erum. She leaned outside, a tad bit further from her windowsill to see if she could get a glimpse of Erum, standing on her terrace. And yes, there she was! All of Erum’s movements looked like a dance posture to Laila. Just then Erum happened to look her way too and began waving at Laila, gesturing her to come over. “Perfect! There couldn’t have been a more beautiful beginning to the wonderful holidays.” Thought Laila and showed no reluctance in accepting the invitation. Laila wished she could use some magic to get ready in a...

After that evening, Erum had become extremely busy. Dorri Jun and Laila dint get to see much of her but she would often send small and big gifts when she was back from an International trip or at  Eid . Either Erum's younger brother Khalil or Rashid himself would drop by for Ksheer Korma and would leave behind Erum's packet for Laila. "Why isn't there anything for me?" Dorri Jun poked fun at Rashid.  " ..Because dear Dorri Jun you are too great for lesser mortals like us to give you anything in return for your kindness. We can only pray for you. Sahha Bahsheh! Sukran Dorri Jun" Rashid always felt indebted to Dorri Jun for all that she'd done for their family, ever since he was a little kid. He could never take her retorts in any other sense.  "Yahdeekom Allah wa yousleh balakom!"  Dorri Jun called out to Rashid wishing him luck as they bade him goodbye. The evening that Laila had gifted Erum the silken veil became such a turning point in E...

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 17 ; the seventeenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton . Dorri Jun’s face had a frozen expression. She stared deep into Erum’s eyes. It looked as if Dorri Jun was boring into the mind of the belly dancer through her beautiful blue eyes. Laila knew better. Laila imagined Erum’s past and future lying like an open book before Dorri Jun. Laila patiently watched on. Dorri Jun had scribbled onto some blank sheets of paper all that Erum had told her. Erum’s problems in taking her belly dancing career ahead were all noted in a neat hand .  After meditating a while on these passages, the expression on Dorri Jun's face was one of great satisfaction. Laila was  imagining the connection between her and the spirit of the Grimoire established successfully." Tuwrel must be whispering in her ears by now!" Laila...

Mystic spirit speaks Of magic potions, charts and djinns  Book of mystic incantations, THE SECRET GRIMOIRE OF TUWREL Book of mystic incantations, Of magic potions, charts and djinns  Mystic spirit speaks The spirit of the Grimoire, Tuwrel, as Laila called it had a mind of its own. Sometimes the energy in the attic was so vibrant that the book rose from the casket on its own, the minute Dorri Jun had raised the lid. The golden glow would appear like a beam casting shadows upon the walls. The pages would flip without Dorri Jun raising a finger and Laila could clearly see a halo around her grandma. Behold the magic, Learn the art of demystifying the unknown The spirit speaks forth It was beyond words to describe the glory of the moment, the power of the whispering voice. The mystical, magical incantations rose in the air like the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. Dorri Jun had told her that the voice and the sounds were audible only to their ears. “The cha...