Dream and Advice

“Brother, think carefully. Taking such a big step is not easy. It carries great responsibility, and who understands Sarah’s temperament better than you? Will she be able to tolerate someone equal to herself?”

Hearing her name, Sarah instinctively turned her head. Her mother and Aunt Naila were sitting close together, deep in conversation.

“Naila, I have thought everything through before talking to you,” her mother said. “I have been considering this matter for many days, and now I have made up my mind.”

Sarah shook her head dismissively and began arranging her dollhouse neatly.

“Alright then, I will definitely speak to Brother Saqib,” Aunt Naila assured her. “God willing, he will agree.

Her mother smiled with relief. “I knew you would support me.”

Three days later, Sarah’s parents and her aunt brought Amina to their home.

“Sarah, come here,” her mother called softly.

“Sarah dear, this is your sister Amina. From now on, she will live in this house with us,” her mother said, seating Sarah beside her.

“What… what do you mean? How can this dark-skinned girl be my sister?” Sarah blurted out angrily. Her mother and aunt exchanged uneasy glances, while Amina showed no reaction at all—she simply kept looking at Sarah.

Making a face, Sarah stormed away. Her mother felt embarrassed in front of her sister. “It’s alright,” she said quietly. “I will convince her soon. She’s just a little stubborn.”

That night, Sarah overheard her mother’s voice saying this as she walked away.

Later, her mother brought Amina into Sarah’s room. Amina was a seven-year-old innocent-looking girl, while Sarah was two years older. Whenever Sarah glanced at her, she noticed a helpless sadness on Amina’s face.

After putting Amina to bed and adjusting the blankets, her mother kissed Sarah’s forehead as well, but Sarah pretended to be asleep.

Days passed—two, then four, then a whole week. Sarah’s irritation grew stronger. Her mother spent time talking to Amina, and Amina began helping with small household tasks. She learned where everything belonged.

When Sarah returned from school, Amina would take her schoolbag and place it neatly in its spot, arranging her scattered shoes on the rack. She watched eagerly as Sarah got ready for school.

“When Sarah finishes her fifth-grade exams, we’ll admit Amina into third grade,” Sarah overheard her mother saying to her father one day. He nodded and walked away.

Hearing this, Sarah burned with jealousy. “Hmph! This witch will go to school with me now,” she muttered.

Amina’s father had passed away due to illness a year earlier, and her mother had died just days ago. She and her siblings had been divided among relatives. Amina had come to live with Sarah’s family.

Sarah kept thinking bitterly, If she’s an orphan, how is that my fault? She has taken over my mother’s love. This negative thinking turned into resentment.

One day, in anger, Sarah slapped Amina across the face. Amina’s eyes filled with tears, and she began to cry silently. The sound reached the kitchen, and her mother rushed in.

“I was trying to teach her, but she doesn’t understand anything,” Sarah lied to defend herself.

Her mother pulled the sobbing Amina close and stared at Sarah with pain in her eyes. “Don’t waste my kindness like this, Sarah,” she said sadly.

Furious, Sarah stomped into her room and threw herself onto the bed, hiding her face in the pillow.

That night, Sarah had a dream. She saw herself in a huge crowd—people everywhere, yet all strangers. She looked at every face, hoping to find someone familiar, but no one cared about her. Panic grew as she searched for her parents, running and calling out, but each time she reached someone, it was not them.

Despite being surrounded by people, she felt completely alone

“Mom… Mom, where are you? Dad, where are you?” she cried desperately.

Sarah motioned for Amina to come closer and held her hand gently. That dream had finally made her understand what it meant to be separated from one’s loved ones.