Flip Chart : Chapter Twenty-Five

For three days, Ezekiel carry on with his endless journey to no where, he follow on with his heart, not knowing where he might stop. When in desperation of hunger, he stop at any local restroom that he come across, and gulp few sips of the tap water to quench his thirst. His clothes were stained but he would not care less, cause the stained of his loyalty and truthfulness which were binding with his guilt, leaves a agonizing mark inside his heart. Night time, enfolding sorrows falls upon his soul. To satisfy his notion, Ezekiel wept in silent, as he sat at any corner of a shady bush or a half fallen tree. Some look at him with empathy, some just make faces and jeers at his sight, but he would not care less.

One night, Ezekiel felt something seems abnormal upon himself. The ache and the bitter coldness of his body is weakening his steps. Fever strikes him and took his courage from moving ahead with his no where journey. But still Ezekiel, pushed his nerves to the extreme. Suddenly, his head gets heavy as he felt his steps seems to get lighter and then he fell unconscious on the chill sandy ground.

The idyllic calling of the prayer, awaken Ezekiel from his deep lost of senses. His throat felt so dry, as though he had shallow a cup of sand but his fever had subside, however he still feel so weak. He stirred to his side and then he realized, he was lying on a very thin mattress, in an old hut. That beautiful voice reading the holy Quran, seems to enlightened his soul. While lying flat on the mattress, as he stared hard towards the rooftop of the hut, with his ears listening attentively towards that pure voice. Soon, Ezekiel begins to doze off when suddenly a voice soothingly said to him, “Assalamualaikum, my dear friend.”

“Huh! Wa'alaikumsalam." awakens Ezekiel with a startle. Ezekiel tries to sat up but the aching of his nerves is imply draining out his strength away.

"Please, take it easy kid." utters the old man as he gently place his wrinkle hands upon his Ezekiel's shoulder, indicating him to keep rested.

"Where am I? How do I get here?" asked Ezekiel.

"Somewhere safe." replied the old man as he carefully take a rest and sat by the wooden wall of his hut." Have you found, what you have lost, young one?" asked the old man. Ezekiel was stunned by that question. "Certain doors, you don't need any keys to get in. Hope, you will get the answers to all your doubts." continue the old man and then slowly he stood up, with his walking stick in his hand. To Ezekiel's shocked, the old was blind.

"Would you sacrificed someone you love, so that you may regain back your past?" muttered Ezekiel as he hung his head low, containing his sadness.

"Hmmm, bitter past could be a valuable lesson on certain part, but those vines would only rooted the soul far too deep in the ground, making it impossible to look upon the brighter part of it's presence. Conquer those doubts, with compelling faith. InsyaAllah." replied the old man again and then he walks out from the room.

"Compelling faith?" stammered Ezekiel. "But how?" thought Ezekiel to himself. "Does all this happenings fall upon me, there's some hidden message for me to be searching for, instead of me been to preoccupied with my lost past?"

The old man came back with a tray of food, much to Ezekiel's pleasure as he was too famish. "Take you time with the food. Continue resting if you need to. I'm going off somewhere, insyaAllah will be back soon." state the old man. Ezekiel nods his head, as he took the coconut rice which has been wrapped with the newspaper. Carefully, unfolding the paper, as he scoop bits of the rice with his fingers, when suddenly, something caught his attention. It was a notice..about him been missing for weeks. "Weeks?" fret Ezekiel. "I must have lost count of the days. All I could sense is the sunny rays enlightened my strolls. The splendid light of the beaming moon to comfort my woes. Rain fall was a bliss. Storm is the awakening. These are only the few, there's bound to be countless...SubhanAllah." utters Ezekiel, as he pushed away his food and begins to wept.

Carefully as he could, Ezekiel, place the rice onto a saucer that contains a piece of date, which the old man has place inside the tray, as he took the fold the newspaper and place it by his side. With wobbling legs, as he tries to stand and took few steps towards the opened window. The glaring rays from the beaming sun, seems too much for his eyes to take it, but the warmness of the light sure brings so much soul comfort to his heart. Ezekiel closes his eyes and then slowly he opens it up again, and this time, his eyes was strong enough to enjoy the enlightened beam of the sunny rays. "Beautiful." murmurs Ezekiel to the significant sight of the calmness of the light sea waves.

It was almost late night, when finally the strange old man came back home, however Ezekiel had already crept back towards the thin mattress and fall fast asleep.

"Please forgive me, if the food does not suit to your taste bud." said the old man, taking back the tray of the untouched food.

Ezekiel wakes up in a startle, wiping his eyes as he tries to fight the grogginess,"No sir. I owned you an apology. It's not about your food, it is just that I'm not hungry."

"It seems hard to act dead among the livings? But that's the best deed, not my words though, words from a significant sage." utters the old man.

"“What is your name, my young friend?” asked the old man, as he roll his prayer beads in between his finger. Ezekiel looks at his face, and he sees so much calmness but with a tinge of soberness . His short hair was fully white and he had fine white beard which he had carefully trimmed. “Hmmm…it’s okay, if you not ready to tell me about your name.” utters the old man with a smile.

“Oh! My name is Ezekiel.” replied Ezekiel eagerly.

“Ezekiel, beautiful name. Belong to one of the prophet.” exclaimed the old man. In a sudden moment, the old man came closer towards Ezekiel and held out his fingers towards Ezekiel’s face as he begins to gently caressing his features. Ezekiel remains statue, for his significant touch seems to bring so much comfort inside his inner soul. “MasyaAllah, such a fine looking man you are.” state the old man. Ezekiel took hold of the old man’s fingers and slowly brings them close to his lips, and then suddenly, he begins to wept tearfully in between his fingers.

“Self-reflection is the company lessons of charts, sorrow is the friend, patience and thankfulness is the account for each soul to present, during the final hours.” utters the old man.

“I’ve try to fix my life back, not wanting to trip and fall into the deep pit again. But yet, I still fall, even deeper than I should.” utters Ezekiel sadly.

“The truth, facing the thorns to get by, to get our souls closer to the Oneness, to His Door. Unveil our hearts, for each thorn that hurt and cut us, will never deter our spirit of coming closer towards His love. Our feet continue, stepping on the thorns, with countless secret love and hope, narrating deeply inside our hearts. With patience and steadfastness carrying out Your divine decree without asking any questions, “Why Me?”
For the thorns have tore up this shield unveiling your True Light of Oneness, your True Light of Mercy.” said the old man, as he gently tapped Ezekiel’s shoulder.


“I guess, I’ve over reacted myself. I should give him a chance to explain about his situation.” mutters Iman remorsefully after Yasmeen begins to narrate all the details about her past relationship with him. And from Yasmeen personal assessment on Ezekiel’s transition to become a female, it was due to all his disturbing personality and traumatic incident. The urgency of wanting to help him, was tarnished after Yasmeen herself was crushed by the ill-fated incident.

“No, Iman. This is all my fault. I should have make you known about this matter when you had actually bring him over to our place on that day. I’m been blinded with my own ego and I’ve dragged you along into this mess. Me too, I should be more open hearted about this matter, since he suffered from amnesia, I should be the one helping him. Shame on me, I’m as a counselor but I’m not acting like one. I’m to carried away with my own emotions” said Yasmeen, with regrets.

“I hope it’s never to late for all of us, Yas.” utters Iman.

“InsyaAllah. God’s willing.” replied Yasmeen earnestly.


“I can’t even tell, the difference from a toad and a frog.” mutters a voice.

“Riley!!!” shouted Ezekiel as he wakes up in a alarm. Clutching both his temples as the enraging pain is breaking his spirit apart. "Mum..." he cried out in horrific moan.


"You betrayed me Ezekiel. You have known this all along, but why did you keep me in the dark?" horrific flashback of the incident drew back into his Ezekiel's mind.

"No!!!" Bang!!! "Please forgive me, Riley. I do not want to see you get hurt. I can't had my sight upon you, when you are breaking apart." cried Ezekiel.

"Ezekiel! Ezekiel! Allah Hu Akhbar. Allah Al-mighty." said the old man as he kneel closer towards Ezekiel, trying his best to calm him down.

"Sir, I remember everything now. My past, everything just came back like the flowing of water, into an empty barrel of my mind. It's hurting me so much. Why does it need to come back? Strange, back then I was struggling within my inner desire of wanting my memory back, but now...I just wished that something could just take it all away..." cried Ezekiel.

"Isn't it beautiful?" asked the old man simply.

"Huh!!! What do you meant by that?" snapped Ezekiel with a tinge of annoyance.

"Well, just like I had said earlier on, about self-reflection is the company lessons of charts. Think about that statement, my young friend. And the choice is yours. To go back and amend what has been damaged or move forward towards the notably destiny, with Allah's grace." answered the old man.

"I need to fix myself first. Get a fresh start for my new chart of account and then with Allah's grace, I would flip back upon my past, and set things straight again." state Ezekiel with sincerity and earnestly new form of courage, looming inside his soul. "But, I need you. To guide me and help me. I've been strayed far too long among the frenzy amber, burning myself with my own sins. I've tyrannized my soul."

"InsyaAllah. With Allah's grace and mercy, we will do this together." utters the old man with a genuine smile of hope.