The Holy Crime

"What thoughts are haunting your mind Dani?" Vicky asked while putting his coat off. But Dani made no answer.
"You're always thinking, you listen much and speak less. Having two ears and one tongue is a trait of humans which you justify quite well." Vicky said and sat on the sofa in front of Dani. But Dani still said nothing. Rather he stood up and went to the window, and began smoking there.
"Tell me Dani, what is it you are pondering about so much?" Vicky asked.
"After almost 80 or 90 years, none of us would be alive. The world would be occupied by a new generation of humans who would then think that they will live forever, like we do now." Dani said with a sigh.
"Yeah man, we would certainly be part of the history. Quite less time we have got here." Vicky said and stood up and went near Dani who was constantly looking out of window with a cigarette in his hand and smoke in his nose.
"Listen to me Dani! Can't you leave this all. You are not made for all this. Vicky said.
"We have to do a lot of things in LIFE which we are definitely not made for." Dani said.
"But.. Yes.. But crime isn't a thing for you. Think of Hira. What would she... No... She already thinks of you as a bastard." Vicky said.

Hira! After listening this name, Dani forgot to notice that his cigarette was over. He turned. He sighed. Then again he put his glance out of window. It really is strange how a mighty man, whom everyone feared to talk to, can be so affected by just the name of a girl. Love is truly a brutal thing. The men with power, the men with status, the men with honor, the men with authority, how all kinds of men become willing to forget everything just to lick the feet of a girl, just to kiss the lips of a girl, just to touch the breast of a girl, is a thing still unknown to the minds of most profound thinkers and philosophers. And how many men kill themselves in the desire of just being in a girl's arms. After all, Love, as we call it, is truly a brutal thing.
"I hope you are noticing in the university that Hira is getting much closer to Ali. They both find themselves very comfortable with each other." Vicky said.
"Ali! That son of a wild horse will soon be killed by me." Dani said carelessly.
"Don't be a fool Dani. He's our classmate. And you know Hira likes him from the very first day." Vicky said patiently.
"But Ali is a rascal we all know that. How can I let Hira fall a prey to that rascal. I'll kill him." Dani said in a tone of anger.
"My dear Dani, Ali is a rascal. But thing is that he doesn't look like a rascal. You do. He wears fine clothes. He talks to others. He does not hold pistol and cigarette in his hand. You do all this. I know you love Hira so much. But there is a peaceful way of getting things done. You can talk to her. Go and try to talk to her tomorrow. Everything will be fine."

Dani knew not the proper way of talking to others. He was most of the time silent, and whenever he talked, he talked only to Vicky, his only friend from childhood. But he tried. It was the backyard of the department where Hira was standing alone. He went near her.
"Ahh.. Well... Hira.. How.. How are... How are you?" He was successful in asking this.
"I'm good Dani, but you don't look so." Hira said.
"That boy.. Rascal.. Ali is a rascal. Hate.. I don't like to see you with him." Dani said finally.
"Look Dani, I know you love me and I do respect your feelings. But I like Ali and we would surely spend time together." Hira said.
"You can also spend time with me. I love you more. From five months I'm loving you." Dani said with fluency this time.
"Yeah that's right. But I like Ali. I don't like you Dani." Hira said.
"What if I kill Ali?" Dani asked with anger.
"Oh shut up. This anger and dreadful behavior of yours is the reason why I avoid you. You are not a human actually. Look at you. Get lost you dog." Hira said in anger.
"Why, you.... Get lost you filthy bitch. Kill him.. I'll kill Ali that rascal. And I'll kill you as well." Dani's anger was reaching to a extreme level. Hira cried and then went away, saying, 'not a human you are not a human."
"I can't understand you Dani. What happens to you when you hear the name of Ali? Why do you become so terrifying and angry? I know it's not easy for you to bear the shadow of a third person between you and Hira. But she likes him." Vicky was trying to console Dani.
"A loves B and B loves C. That's the whole dilemma. And A suffers all the while." Dani said with sad eyes.
It was Friday and when Hira entered the gate of Department, watchman asked the time from her which she told him by looking at her wrist watch. When the classes were over, Dani tried to talk to Hira. She was standing on the footpath near the gate of department, waiting for her van.
"Hira.. Sorry! Sorry for that day. I just..." Dani was saying.
"Shut up Dani, go and kill Ali if you can. This anger of yours is terrible. Go now and kill him." Hira said in loud voice.
"I'll definitely kill him. You can't stop thinking of him. I'll kill him then." Dani said, trying to control his anger.
"See you on Monday!" Hira said and went away.

Monday! Who knew that Monday was very less likely to come and the chances of their meeting again were very low. And they parted as enemies. Such a pity! Who knew that those meetings and days of university, which they were taking for granted would never come again and they will become prisoners. It was the evening when Vickey rushed in the room.
"Oh my God! What have you done Dani! Why did you do this! You've killed him. Ali has been killed. And everyone is saying that you have killed him. His dead body is found in the washroom of department. Run now! Police is coming for you." Vickey was shouting.
"Let them come." Dani said without any panic.
"Let them come? Is that what you said? Have you gone totally mad? You've done 12 robberies and each time you have run successfully from the police. Why can't you run now?" Vickey was shocked.
"I can run my dear Vickey, but I won't this time. Let them come." Dani stood and embraced Vickey with wet eyes.
Vickey knew that something was really wrong. He knew that things were not what they were appearing to be. But soon Police came and took Dani with them.
"I'm S.H.O Kabir and I would be doing the investigation of your case Mr. Dani. It would be better if you cooperate with me. Otherwise I can punish a creature like you in so many innovative ways that you would forget the shape and location of the place from where you get food in and also of the place from where you take it out." Kabir said in an authoritative tone.
Dani was silent.
"Bring the watchman of department here." Kabir ordered him to speak.
"Sir it was Friday when classes were over. I heard Dani speaking to Hira. Dani was saying that he will kill Ali. And after two hours Ali was found dead. That's all I know. Believe me Sir." Watchman said.
"Dani you are also accused of doing twelve robberies. Each time you robbed a very rich person. Why did you do those robberies?" Kabir asked.
Dani was silent.
"I want to listen from you the detail of your life Mr. Dani." Kabir said 
But Dani was still silent.

Kabir ordered to bring Vickey and Hira at the spot of investigation the next day.
"So Hira, I've heard from Vickey that only you can make Mr. Dani speak." Kabir said.
Hira looked towards Dani. Then she grabbed his hand with her own hand and asked Dani to speak. How could Dani remain silent then. He started speaking.
"Sir I had no family. I was 5 years old when my mother died, leaving me alone here. I had no one to take care of me. I grew up alone. I had nothing to eat. I used to remain hungry for so many days. Sir... Painful.. Remaining hungry is such a painful thing. I promised to myself that when I would grow up I would never let anyone sleep hungry. Then Vickey came into my life and he brought me here in the city. Here I saw so many people on the roads who slept hungry on roads. I ... I had to do something for them. But I had no money. Then I decided to choose this path. I robbed a lot of money but never spent a penny on myself. I made a Charity Home outside of city and took these people in there. Now a lot of people sleep under the roof instead of sleeping on roads and they sleep after eating good food instead of sleeping hungry." Tears were coming out of Dani's eyes.
"You chose wrong path for a good deed. Do you think God would be happy with this act of yours?" Kabir asked.
"Sir I don't know where is God and how He thinks about all this, but surely He was not gonna be happy with us with all those people dying on the roads." Dani said.
"You are a human Dani. You are a human." Hira said weeping.
"You look like a good man, then why did you kill Ali?" Kabir asked.
Dani was silent. Kabir ordered to bring the things which were found in the washroom where Ali was killed. A knife and a wrist watch were brought there. Watchman looked at the watch and said, "Oh my God, this is Hira's watch. I saw her wearing this watch on Friday."
Kabir was shocked. So was Vickey.
"Hira tell me what happened that day." Kabir asked.
"Sir.. Ali called me in the washroom and closed the door from inside. There was no one in the department at that time. He started to touch me. He tried to lick my feet. He tried to kiss my lips. He.. He tried to touch.. to touch my..my breast. I was scared. I found this knife lying there. I had no other option. So I hit him with this knife with my eyes closed. Unfortunately it cut his throat. Sir.. I didn't kill him intentionally. Believe me Sir. Then Dani came to washroom and saw all that. Dani told me to go saying that he would mange everything." Hira was sobbing and crying.
"Now the case is very clear and simple." Kabir said and went away.
Hira killed Ali in her own defense, and Dani robbed people for a very noble cause. Both were prisoned for one year. Now they hope of coming out again and enjoying the things, life and university, more deeply which till now they had taken for granted. The Monday which Hira promised Dani to meet on should come soon now. They both are waiting for their prison to end and live the life again. They both committed a holy crime. And they are now learning a lot by seeing life pass from inside the jail. It's all because of holy crime they both committed.

     (Awais Babar)