The Black Dahlia (English*

CHAPTER 1

The Beginning

“Not like this… You can’t do this to me…”

Her voice was breaking.

“For God’s sake… leave him…”

And then—

Time went back a few days.

………

The Beginning

“Time and fate are a person’s greatest enemies.”

“Mama, I don’t want to go. Please tell them I’m not coming.”

An ordinary day had barely begun, and Alaira had already refused.

“Should I really refuse?” Mama shot back. “They invited us themselves!”

“Then you go. Why do I have to?”

“Yes, yes, absolutely. Now stop arguing, get up, and go get ready.”

Mama, as usual, wasn’t listening to anyone.

Of course. Everywhere we go, they get me dragged along for free.

Annoyed, Alaira got up and went to put on her abaya.

“Alaira! Are you going to wear the abaya or get dressed as a bride? Hurry up!”

Uffff… One thing about Mama—her obsession with weddings!

By the time they left the house, it was almost two in the afternoon. The weather was pleasant, and a cool breeze was blowing, so Alaira didn’t complain much.

They were heading to her aunt’s house, where everyone else had already gathered. From there, they were all supposed to go shopping.

As soon as their car stopped outside her aunt’s house, Alaira got out and walked towards the gate.

Everyone was already there.

Soon, they all squeezed into the cars and headed towards the market.

They were at Fortress, shopping for Amna Api’s wedding.

Amna was Aunt Kulsum’s daughter, and her nikah was exactly twenty-five days away.

The family had been shopping for what felt like forever, and today they had come to buy clothes for Amna’s in-laws.

And, unfortunately for Alaira, they had dragged her along too.

She was bored out of her mind, but she stayed quiet.

She didn’t really have any reason to be there. But her family refused to leave her home alone. Apparently, what if she got lonely?

So here she was.

While everyone else was busy shopping, Alaira’s eyes suddenly fell on a little boy.

He was tiny, innocent, and unbelievably adorable.

His big, round eyes were fixed on her.

He was sitting comfortably in his stroller, watching Alaira’s every move with great interest.

The moment their eyes met, the little boy paused for a second—

and then burst into giggles.

His smile was so beautiful and innocent that Alaira instantly felt an overwhelming rush of affection for him.

She looked away for a moment and glanced at her mother, who was busy shopping with her aunt.

Then she looked back at the baby.

He was still staring at her.

Without wasting another second, Alaira walked over to him.

“Awww! Aren’t you the cutest little baby?”

She crouched beside the stroller.

“What’s your name? Hmm? Look at those tiny little hands! So cute!”

She smiled at him.

“Are you here all by yourself?”

She was talking to the baby as if he could actually understand every word.

“No..he’s not alone.”

A voice came from behind her.

Alaira immediately turned around.

A young man was standing there, pointing towards the baby.

“He’s with me.”

“Oh! Sorry, sorry!” Alaira said, suddenly embarrassed. “I was just… talking to the baby.”

The young man seemed to be his older brother.

Alaira glanced back at the little boy.

The moment he saw her looking at him again, he giggled.

She reached out and gently touched his cheek.

“Bye-bye, baby.”

Then she stood up and walked away.

“Khala, how much longer is this going to take?”

She had returned to the group and was now standing beside Aunt Aisha.

“Beta, wedding shopping takes time.”

“Well, who told you to drag me along? I was perfectly fine staying at home.”

She crossed her arms.

“It’s okay. Have a little patience.”

“How am I supposed to be patient? Feed me something first, then maybe I’ll stop complaining!”

Aunt Aisha laughed.

“Wah, wah! Look at her. Her tongue is practically hanging out for food.”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do? Keep wandering around uselessly with you people?”

Alaira was never one to miss an opportunity to get her way.

Finally, her aunt bought her a beef burger from McDonald’s.

Only then did Alaira’s soul finally find peace.

Honestly, after being dragged around for hours, she deserved at least one burger.

………

When they finally returned home, Alaira went straight to her room.

The moment she entered, she practically collapsed onto her bed and stared at the ceiling.

She remained there for a long time.

Then, suddenly—

those two big, innocent eyes came back to her mind.

A tired smile slowly appeared on her lips.

………

The Next Morning

Sunlight slipped through the edge of the curtains and spread softly across the room.

But Alaira was still buried underneath her blanket.

“Alaira!”

Mama’s voice came from downstairs.

No response.

“Alaira Shah!”

This time, there was a warning in her voice.

Alaira opened her eyes and stared lazily at the ceiling.

“Yes, Mama…”

“Get up! It’s ten o’clock!”

“Just five more minutes…”

“Your five minutes are never five minutes!”

Alaira buried her face deeper into her pillow.

“Allah… what a life I have.”

Then, unexpectedly, she remembered the baby from yesterday.

Those big, round eyes.

That innocent little laugh.

And then—

the young man standing beside him.

Alaira’s eyes paused for a moment.

“I wonder what his name was…”

She shrugged.

“Never mind.”

………

After washing her face and hands, Alaira walked into the dining area.

The moment she saw who was sitting there, her eyes lit up.

“Baba!”

She hurried over and wrapped her arms around her father.

Ahmad Shah had returned from Karachi that very morning with his two sons.

It was something he did every three months.

He would travel to Karachi with his sons, where they had a farmhouse and some work to take care of.

“How are you, Alaira?”

He kissed her cheek.

“I missed you so much, Baba. Really, really much.”

The person sitting nearby immediately spoke up.

“You know how much we missed you too, Api!”

It was Arham Shah—

Ahmad Shah’s younger son and Alaira’s little brother.

Her partner in crime.

Technically, Alaira was an eighteen-year-old young woman.

But judging by her behavior…

O God!

“Why don’t you just keep your mouth shut?”

Alaira glared at him.

“I really did miss Baba.”

“Okay, fine. Now come sit down and have breakfast.”

It was Bilqees Begum, walking out of the kitchen.

Alaira quietly went over and sat beside her older brother, Azan.

He immediately flicked her lightly on the head.

“Grow up, girl!”

“Stop it already!”

He smiled and went back to eating.

Soon, everyone was talking casually over breakfast.

Everyone except Alaira.

She was unusually quiet, lost in her thoughts.

Then—

“Baba?”

Everyone looked towards her.

“Yes.”

Ahmad Shah waited.

“My… admission email came.”

“From Germany?”

He asked.

“Yes.”

One word.

That was all.

For a few seconds, Ahmad Shah remained silent.

Then he asked,

“Do you want to go?”

“Yes, Baba.”

Silence settled over the table.

And somehow, that silence made Alaira even more nervous.

“Baba… this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. Please…”

She wanted to say more, but her father finally sighed.

“Hmm…”

He took a deep breath.

“Alright. Pack your things. I’ll arrange the ticket.”

“…What?”

Alaira stared at him.

Ahmad Shah moved his empty breakfast plate aside.

“I said, if your admission is final, you can go.”

For a few moments, Alaira simply stared at him.

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

“Baba… you’re not going to stop me?”

“I said no before. I’m not saying no now.”

A slow smile spread across Alaira’s face.

“So… I can go to Germany?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Alaira!”

“Hm!”

“How many times are you going to ask the same question?”

She suddenly jumped to her feet.

“I’m going to Germany!”

Her voice was filled with so much happiness that Bilqees Begum, Arham, Azan, and even Ahmad Shah couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey, hey. Don’t get carried away just yet,” Mama warned.

“You’re going there to study too.”

“I will study, Mama!”

“And don’t spend all your time on your phone.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll have to take care of yourself.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t cry all night missing home.”

This time, Alaira’s smile faltered slightly.

“I won’t cry…”

She said it confidently, but her voice wasn’t quite as cheerful anymore.

Arham looked at her.

“Are you scared?”

Alaira thought for a moment.

“A little.”

“And?”

She smiled softly.

“But… I still want to go.”

And for the first time, Germany no longer felt like just a distant country to her.

It was now a part of the life waiting ahead.

………

That evening, the sun had almost disappeared after spending the entire day in the sky.

Alaira was packing for Germany with her mother.

Suddenly, she looked at her.

“Mama?”

“Hm?”

“Yesterday, the baby at Fortress… he was really cute, wasn’t he?”

“Which baby?”

“The little one… He was with his brother....”

………

The Airport

The airport was crowded, but for Alaira, everything around her seemed strangely quiet.

Her departure time was approaching, and Bilqees Begum had spent the last several minutes giving her one instruction after another.

“Beta, take care of yourself. Don’t stay alone too much. Make some good friends there. Eat your meals on time, and don’t stay awake all night…”

Alaira smiled at her mother.

“Okay, Mama. I’ll take care of myself.”

“And don’t use your phone too much!”

“Ahn.”

“Eat on time!”

“Sure.”

“And—”

“Mama!” Alaira laughed. “I’m going to Germany to study, not to fight a war!”

Arham immediately burst out laughing.

“Mama, let her go. Otherwise, the flight will take off after listening to all your instructions.”

“You stay quite!” Bilqees Begum glared at him.

Alaira laughed again..

Ahmad Shah finally intervened.

“Arham is right. It’s time for her flight. Let her go.”

Bilqees Begum fell silent.

She stepped back and quietly wiped away the tears gathering in her eyes.

Alaira was still smiling, but her eyes had grown sad.

She looked at her father.

She didn’t want to leave them.

“Baba…”

Ahmad Shah stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.

“sweetie, take care of yourself their, okay?”

“Ji, Baba.”

“May God have mercy on you.”

He kissed the top of her head.

After that, Alaira hugged her brothers one by one.

Arham was shamelessly crying.

They had spent so much of their lives together that saying goodbye was harder than he wanted to admit.

Seeing his tears made Alaira cry too.

“Don’t do anything stupid without me. When I come back, we’ll do it together!”

She said through her tears.

Everyone laughed.

Then she hugged Azan.

She looked at everyone one last time.

Her family.

Her home.

Everything familiar.

And then, slowly, she turned around.

She walked towards the departure gate.

Without knowing that the journey she was beginning that day would change her life in ways she could never have imagined.

………

Alaira was leaving from Allama Iqbal International Airport.

Her first stop was Istanbul Airport, Turkey.

From there, she would take the next flight straight to Cologne Bonn Airport, Germany.

She was travelling with Turkish Airlines.

One stop in Istanbul.

Then Germany.

A new country.

A new life.

And a story that was only just beginning.

.........