Flip Chart : Chapter Twenty-Three

"Thanks Zee, for agreeing with this." whispered Iman, as they both stood upon the front door of her home. "I'm sure she will be trill to see you."

"Anytime, for my dearest friend here." utters Zee with a comforting smile.

"Assalamualaikum." greeted Iman, as she rang the doorbell. It took quite a while before somebody answered to her call and opens the door.

"Aunt Zurah. Hie." cried Iman, as she embrace the middle age lady lovingly. "Zee, this is Aunt Zurah, our nanny. She's been taking care of us for the past three years." Zee, acknowledge with a smile. Aunt Zurah looks at her with full interest without saying any words.

"Where is she?" asked Iman, peering her neck to her left and right, as she was longing to see her sister again.

"Iman, you are back." cried a sweet serenading voice, that seems to have some kind of flickering effect upon Zee's heart. Zee turns 'her' head to look upon the person with that significant voice. Both intense eyes stood dead, just like an entwine branch of an old vines, been caught and trapped within it's own ground.Yasmeen, was indeed a very beautiful girl, but to Zee's sadness, both of Yasmeen's lower limbs were gone, and she was confine on the wheelchair to get herself around.

"Yas, this is Zee Ruth. My friend, which I've been telling you about." said Iman, as she calmly came closer towards her sister. However, much to Iman's dismay, Yasmeen was infuriated, with fury tears welling up in her eyes, as she had her sight on Ezekiel. With all her might, she wheel herself away as fast as she could, away from him, away from Iman, from everyone and from her own soul. Shutting the door of her room, with a bang, leaving Iman feeling disappointed and angry towards her sister's attitude.

"Please forgive us." utters Iman sadly.

"It's okay." said Ezekiel, with a certain notion of haunting sentiment creeping inside his soul.

The visitation lasted only for few minutes, as Zee felt that 'she' should not be imposing onto them any longer.  "Please do call me for any thing." utters Zee, before 'she' took her coat and left.


"Stop getting yourself involved with her." exclaimed Yasmeen, sternly as she wheels herself out from her room and came closer towards her sister.

"What! But why?" asked Iman, feeling kind of agitated with her sister's sudden outburst. Iman, knew Yasmeen was having some emotional distress after that tragic bombing in Madrid, which had merciless took their parents lives and Yasmeen's ability, crushing her dreams and perishing her hopes.

"No questions all right. Just stop seeing her. I forbid you to do so." warned Yasmeen furiously.

"Look, Sister, stop dragging me into your grayish picture. I need a life, I have my own future goals and dreams, please don't take that away from me. Just because you can't embrace your dreams, that doesnt meant that I can never have mine either!" cried Iman with an outburst.“Please Yasmeen, stop taking away my astounding hope!” cried Iman with tears streaming upon her face.

“Me taking away your hope? I just don’t want you to get hurt!” exclaimed Yasmeen, earnestly.

“Hurt? What possibility hurt, that Zee might cause me, Yasmeen?” asked Iman. “She’s capable enough of listening to my woes.” rants Iman.

“Are you questioning my capability now?” cried Yasmeen, as she wheels her chair closer towards her sister.

“Yasmeen, why can’t we talk like how we used too? You think, I do not feel the lost? It’s killing me each and every moment. And now, I felt like I’m beginning to loose you too.” exclaimed Iman.

"My subject is now, not about our late parents. But it was about your attitude and you been negatively influence by that new friend of yours. I detest her and I detest the relationship which you had with her." cried Yasmeen making her point.

“Yasmeen, I just don’t understand, what enmity do you have against her?” asked Iman, tearfully.

“Fine, all right. Since you want to put it that way. You choose, either me or her?” snapped Yasmeen.

“I can’t belief with what I’m hearing right now.” noun Iman, remorsefully.

“Make your choice now Iman. If it’s me, you may stay but if it’s her. Take your stuff and leave.” threatened Yasmeen. Iman simply shakes her head in despair. Solemnly with no words spoken, Iman took her car keys and left, leaving Yasmeen all alone on her wheelchair with Aunt Zurah peeping timidly behind the kitchen wall.

Binding his protruding chest which he loathe, with the long bandage which he had recently purchase, on his way from Iman's home, a four hour journey with so many burning motion, running in circles in his mind. Resounding name with that misty voice, something that seems to be deeply link to his past, but remorsefully, he just can't figure out any apparent form of it. Still holding on to the pair of scissors in his hands, as he took a handful of his wavy shoulder length hair from the back of his head, and without second thoughts, he snipped it away. "My name is Ezekiel. I was bless to be born as a him, not the otherwise." rants Ezekiel to himself, as he injects himself with new sentiment of hope. He had called one of the anaesthetic surgeon, inquiring about his 'chest' matter, as he has strongly making up his mind to remove those silicons off, once and for all. However, much to his despond, that can only be done six months later, as those things were just done up on him less than a year ago, With a smile of amusement across his face, bringing his hands upon his hair, as he caress his long neckline fringe off from his face. He had successfully grown his eyebrow back to it's normal sight, what a relief. He was amaze with how he looks, and he simply just can't figure out why, he had despise it, way back in the past. Breepppp.....Breeepppp!!! Rang the doorbell, making Ezekiel, almost jumps out from his skin. Looking at the wall clock, as he jumps down few flight of steps at the time, putting on his shirt before he eventually opens the door.

"Iman!!!" exclaimed Ezekiel in shocked. Iman was stunned too on her part, as she seeing her beloved friend, new transit of image.

"What have you done to your hair?" asked Iman with a frown, as she playfully brush Zee's hair. Zee smile sheepishly with a guilt.

"Darn, I hope she never figures out what I really am. Not at this point of time." grimace Ezekiel, in his mind.

"You, young lady, what's the story? Travelling from your home for four hours journey, just to get here. You should at least call, so I can fetch you over." nags Ezekiel, feeling kind of concerned. And after those interrogation was impose on her, Iman just could not content her sorrow any longer, as she ran into Zee's arm and begin to sob uncontrollably. Zee knew, trouble. With no spoken statement between these two hearts, Zee gently caress Iman's hair, calmly hushing her to soothe her pain and hopefully to make her feel better.

"Thanks Zee." said Iman, as she move herself away from 'her' embrace. Zee nodded, but with a contemplating inclination of not wanting to let go, but with a sorrow guilt.

"You still own me an explanation sweetie." utters Ezekiel.

"I just can't take it anymore. I'm grieving too and it hurts to be alone, despite I knew, she is the only heart that I've got to live on now." state Iman, with teary heart and breaking emotions. Ezekiel took her in, as he let her sat on the couch with him by her side.

"Three years had pass, but the story seems to occurs only yesterday. Yasmeen, has been accepted to be enrolled in one of the prospective college in Madrid, much to our joy. As that, what has always been her dreams to migrate to Europe and start her new life and career there. Few months after she had eventually settles in, our parents move ahead to Madrid to visit her. I can't go along, due to my new attachment at Burbur's. Things just happen in a spilt second, I was summing up my reports, when I received that dreaded call from Madrid, about the horrific bombing. My heart sank and I felt like the whole world, would just collapse on me. I took the first available flight ticket to Spain with heaviness soul, looming inside my heart." pause Iman, as she begins to be grasping her own palm, fighting hard to control her emotions, much to Ezekiel's emphatic. "When I've finally reach my destination, the heart breaking news fall into my ears, my parents were gone, and Yasmeen, is fighting with her life." utters Iman, and from Ezekiel's mind, he knew, Iman has never talk to anyone about her mounting sorrow, which she had successfully hides with her cheeriness and joy. "Bringing her back home just me and her, does takes a lot of toll on me. Not much on my physical side, but more on my emotional part. I...I don't even have my own moment, of grieving for my lost. Lucky for me, Aunt Zurah, my dad's elder sister came along to help me out. My time, was fully occupied with taking care of her needs and not forgetting my job. I'm breaking inside, but no one knows. Until, I've found Zee Ruth. Her writings, I meant your writings were just like a healing potion, which I'm so desperate in need of. I felt some sense of relief and my spirit just lifts me up, for every written note which you have sent in. 'Soul of hope. Place my  fingers to the wall of chain. In my mind, coloring the walls with love. Sorrow is a gift. Reflection is my hope. If I break the wall today. Trust your presence love to be arrays.' Those words Zee, hit me hard, pricking up my soul with so much hope. Making me sure that courage is always here, with me inside my heart. That's why, after Yasmeen gets more stable and better, I've decides to look for you. To convey my thanks and full appreciation, for gifting me, with this courage with your beautiful words." utters Iman with a faint smile.

Ezekiel shuts his eyes, as he tries to hide his breaking soul too and with this compelling guilt of his duplicity. "Iman, I did not do anything at all. All is due, with His grace and mercy, cause I belief. I've so many things, I just want to tell you about myself, but I don't know how to start. Probably due to my amnesia, I was not able to convey much about my past either. All I can say is that, I just not being me...this is not me." state Ezekiel, with Iman looking astounding towards him. "Please forgive me for your lost. But it was you, you are the one that have found the courage inside your heart due to the hidden keys, which you might have conceal close here inside your soul." continues Ezekiel, with Iman still having her tears streaming off from her eyes. Ezekiel gently wipes it away, as he came closer towards her and wrap his arms around her. "It's pretty late now, you can sleep over at my place for the time being. There's some fresh clothes if you want to change."

Iman, gets up from the couch and asked," How about you?"

"I on my writing now, you go ahead first." utters Ezekiel with a comforting smile. Iman, went up the stairs, towards his room, closing the door behind her as she enters. Ezekiel, stared solemnly towards the room of his door with a sigh.

Back in the study room all alone with his huge old suitcase on the table, which he found among the rumbles back in the old garage of his home. Sucking in the air of courage, Ezekiel's hand trembles as he carefully begins to unzip the suitcase, his past. More writings, notes, horrendous sketches much to his grief. "My past seems to be so dark." thought Ezekiel to himself. Putting all those aside and then he found a very old photo album. Slowly he picks that up, as he begins to open up the album. Pics of his childhood...and there he found the photo of his real father. A very good and sturdy looking man....an exact replica of himself too. His real parents wedding photos and few photos of an old couple, which could have been his grandparents. Flipping few more pages away,and there he found his high school photo...there seems to be some big awkwardness of his being, he had those thick glasses and funny looking hair do. Shaking his head with a glee as he begins to flip more pages onward, when suddenly those photos stunned him to the core of his heart. "Photos of him and Yasmeen?" screamed his inner voice. "My past does have a link to her, but what could it be? We were high school friends, but why, upon that visitation, I seems to sense so much anger and hatred which is weighing down on her, upon me?" Pausing with an empty but painful thoughts as he tries as hard as he could to recall what he had lost. Putting that album at the corner of the table, suddenly he saw a beautiful illustrated novel, 'Beauty And The Beast' the third edition. Shaking soul with dispersing seeds of wonder came upon Ezekiel's mind....a hidden key to his past.