The Siege of Haniya [ONC2024] ✔

15. A Trip to Chermin Kingdom

CHAPTER FIFTEEN : A TRIP TO CHERMIN KINGDOM

A month had passed since Malik Shah's coronation day as the new king of Akkadiyah. As promised by Hamza, our little family took a trip to my hometown in the Chermin Kingdom. The moment I stepped down from the aeroplane, I was instantly hit by the nostalgic memories of my beloved hometown. It was the first time I returned to Chermin Kingdom since I went to Haniya for a student exchange programme with the University of Haniya.

I inhaled the fresh morning air while sitting down for a tea in my parents' front yard, overlooking the paddy field that stretched for as far as my sight could reach. The paddy field was the villagers' biggest contributor to nutrition and earnings, along with other agriculture-related occupations.

A content smile crept its way to my lips. I loved Haniya and, to a certain degree, the Red Desert, too. But the Red Desert was only special in my heart because of how kindhearted and sweet Abu Ali's family were. Speaking of Abu Ali's family, Prof. El-Azizi, Leila, and I went to visit the family a few days before I took a flight to Chermin Kingdom. It was nice meeting them again, and I was sure it wouldn't be our last time visiting them.

However, Chermin Kingdom would always be the best place in my heart. The smell of wet grass after a rainy day, the chirps of the tropical birds, the sweet scent of my mother's roses and hibiscuses, the rivers and the waterfalls—which Hamza and Salam loved so much since there's hardly any waterfall in Haniya—and, of course, my parents and siblings. Those things made my hometown top the charts of my all-time favourite places, despite six years being far from the place.

I had regained most of my memories, both the good ones and the bad ones. I remembered that one of my friends betrayed our group and sided with the regime. Somehow she fell in love with an officer in the regime and became a spy for the regime. She was also the reason my house was broken into because she told them I kept an important document by Vizier Nizam. When everyone found out about her betrayal, she ran to Akkadiyah, eloped with the officer, and worked for the government.

If I wasn't wrong, she was the one who replaced Leila as the head of scientists in the government, given their similar expertise. Imagine my shock when I realised she was the one who gave the memory loss pill to me. But as her last act of kindness to me, she returned my studyroom's key that she stole from my house, in case I would return to Haniya—which, according to her expectations, was highly impossible—because she knew how important the books in the room were to me.

Shaking my head, I heaved a deep sigh. It's the path she chose for herself.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

I smiled at the caller as she took a seat beside me on the wooden bench. "Nothing, Leila. Just thinking about everything that happened for the last few months."

She nodded, staring wistfully at the paddy field. Her face had gotten fuller and healthier since the last month, and she had slowly returned to the happier version of herself. "You know, I think I'm going to stay here a while longer after you guys leave for Haniya. Maybe find a job and a proper place to stay."

I raised my eyebrows at her, turning to take a better look at her face. "Really?"

"Yes," she said sheepishly. "I mean, this place is far from Akkadiyah, the nature is great, and the people are welcoming. It has everything I need to start anew."

"I'm so happy for you. I'm glad you like it here," I beamed, grinning at her.

Leila inhaled the air as the morning breeze touched our faces. "This place is so different from Akkadiyah. But it's a good change. I hope Prof. El-Azizi can experience the place by himself. The pictures are not enough to capture everything."