This happened in the evening of 16th of October, 2015. It was cloudy, met office had predicated rain and it was in making. Phupho (my father’s sister) came into my room and sat on the bed while I sat beside her with my laptop opened in front of me. She had to check something on internet so she needed laptop and we were searching for that particular thing, googling basically!
Instantly, I smelled soil (the smell of soil we love when it rains), and with that nano second, I turned and joyfully glanced from the wide-opened-window and then from the door (towards the floor). ‘Oh! it must be raining’, I thought, as I turned. There was no rain, not even a single drop of it. The floor was as dry as July-floor.
I didn’t said anything for a second. But the next second, I asked phupho if she’d smelled something? (I didn’t said anything regarding soil-smell, just for confirmation. You know if you ask someone something pointing out the exact thing, they always agree with you, believe me). She said ‘YES! I did. It’s the smell of soil, isn’t it raining? It was predicated, It thought it is.. (she said while looking outside the window).
So we both had the same question in our minds but we remained silent and a bit shocked.
The question was:
From where our nostrils got hit by that smell?
With the next minute, my mother came into my room to call us for evening tea – compulsory in my home, it’s a small gathering every evening. I rushed into the kitchen first and told mother what we just encountered.
She said,
‘The minute I came into your room, before that, I was in the kitchen and felt footsteps behind me while I faced the stove pouring tea into the cups. I turned abruptly as if you and phupho came into the kitchen by yourselves but nobody was behind. I walked out to see if your brother or someone else came. But why would anyone run back like that, I thought. But there was no one. Your brother was sleeping, you and phupho were in your room and nobody else was home’.
I said, Oh Okay, I must have been doubted and rushed back. We had tea, after the Maghrib Prayers – a bit late than normal routine (after Asar Prayers), and phupho left and all went to normal.
I don’t know what it was!
But deep down in my heart and in my mind and in my nostrils, I thought it was something! I couldn’t forget ‘the smell’. It kept on clicking in my heart, mind and nostrils obviously for a couple days afterwards. Maybe it was my Grand father’s soul! They say good souls, even after death, come and visit you sometimes with a slight puff of wind and sometimes with sweet soft fragrance hitting your nostrils.
I don’t know if to feel this or talk about this is awkward, weird or unbelievable but it was Friday! A sacred day. Also the day the death angel took Dada G from us. We can’t forget him. I can’t forget him. He was the kind of man everybody wants in their life. He was He and nobody can be like Him.
May his soul Rest In Peace!
AMARA AZIZ 