Page 14 of A is for Ahool

“Did you spend the night with him?” Emak asked bluntly.

I stared at her. “No! Nothing like that. I was alone in his nest and he stayed outside.”

Emak eyed me shrewdly. “He showed you his wings, didn’t he?”

I inhaled so sharply that I almost choked. “What?”

Emak nodded like my reaction was answer enough. “It’s called displaying.” She dropped her head. “It’s done then.”

“What’s done? I don’t understand.”

As I looked between her and the jungle a coldness began to settle in my stomach. Why did she sound sad? She could not know how I felt about Muram. How hard it was going to be to take the truck to the airport tomorrow.

“It is said, an Ahool will only display once and then never again,” Emak said. “The Ahool mate for life, and the display is for their chosen.”

I took a step back. “I have to get my proof back to the university. I can’t stay here.”

Emak gave me a curious look. “Would you want to?”

“What?”

“Would you want to stay if you did not have to return to the city?” Emak repeated. “There are other ways to transport information, Anissa.”

I opened my mouth to disagree and paused. “Why are you saying this?”

Emak’s dark eyes searched my face. “Because you are different now. There is a longing in you that was not there before.”

I swallowed hard. I could not stay here. I had responsibilities. A job. My parents and brothers.

“Muram is not human,” I pointed out.

Emak nodded. “That is true, but do you think that makes a difference in the eyes of Allah?”

Emak's question hung heavy in the air, and I found myself at a loss for words.

Her gaze softened as she looked at me. "Love knows no boundaries, Anissa. It is not confined to the shape of our bodies or the color of our skin. It is a force that transcends all physical limitations and connects us at the deepest level of our being."

I felt a lump form in my throat as I tried to process her words. She made it seem so easy. But I would not live in sin with anyone. Not even Muram.

“My grandparent's Nikah was done in the local way,” Emak said gently. “Just the two of them. My grandfather gave my grandmother a portion of his land as his Mahr so that everything grown on it belonged to her. They lived many years together blessed by Allah.”

I tried to imagine it. Standing in that clearing full of flowers again, my hands held in Muram’s as we accepted each other as husband and wife in the eyes of Allah. And all that would follow such a contract. So many things that were no longer forbidden once we were married. I felt my cheeks heat.

Emak's words lingered in the air between us, and I could not help but feel a sense of longing in my heart. I had never considered the possibility of staying in the village, of building a life with Muram. But now, the idea seemed to take hold of me, refusing to let go.

"If I want to save this jungle, I have to go back," I said finally.

Emak tilted her head. “Not necessarily.”

∞∞∞

Muram

I made it to my nest and after staring up at it, I eased back against a tree and slid to the ground. I thought my nest was painful before it held Anissa, but now it was a reminder of how close I had been to what I truly desired. She slept in my nest, allowed me to care for her, hold her. And our kiss. I would hold that memory close until my life faded.

Already, I could hear her voice calling me from a distance. Beckoning me into the next life. I sighed, my head falling back against the tree trunk with a thump. The jungle was alive around me, but all I could hear was the sound of my Kekasih’s voice slowly approaching. The pain faded as her voice grew louder, and I closed my eyes.

If this was death, it was surprisingly nice. The birds in the branches above me called out a warning. My eyes flew open to see a familiar form pushing through the undergrowth toward me. I frowned. It could not truly be her.