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“Mummy tomorrow is Eid. What are you making?” I asked.

“Mutton Biryani, Pineapple Halwa and Sewaiyan.” Mom replied.

The next morning my Dad woke me up. I got ready to go to the Mosque for the Eid prayers. After the prayers, I hugged and wished Eid Mubarak to all my cousins and uncles at the mosque. After playing outside the mosque for some time I came home. My father was still there chatting with his friends.

As I entered my apartment, the aroma of Mutton Biryani was swirling in the air. The fried onions in ghee, chopped ginger, and garlic, the garam masalas, curd, all mixed gave the mutton an exquisite flavor. Mom’s Biryani was famous in the entire building. She distributed it to all my neighbors. Mom had learned the technique from my grandmother. She made the biryani in a big round vessel over coals. She then put a lid on top and sealed the sides with Roti Atta.

I couldn’t wait to eat it. My mom told me it is going to take an hour more. She told me to go down and meet my friends in the building and wish them. I was in the sixth standard at that time and Azeem my friend was a year older. I went to his house, his mom offered me sweets which I accepted with a smile. Azeem told me he was going upstairs to the terrace with his father. I didn’t know the reason but tagged along.

On the terrace, I saw three goats next to each other eating hay. I started playing with them and feeding them. I was running around them in circles with Azeem. After a few minutes, we saw a scary-looking man with a curly mustache, wearing a lungi and a red undershirt talking to Azeem’s father. He untied one of the goats and took him behind the water tank.

I did not know what was happening. After a few minutes, I saw the severed head of the goat rolling from below the water tank. My face was white. I felt weak in my knees. I shouted but words wouldn’t come out. I ran as fast as I could down the stairs towards my home. My mom opened the door, I held her tight and sobbed. She asked me what happened but I wasn’t able to say anything and kept on sobbing. She thought I fought with one of my friends.

After a few minutes, my father walked in and saw me. He asked me if anyone had hit me. I said no and narrated the entire incident which happened on the terrace. My father was very upset and told me that I should have never gone there.

Lunch was ready but I forever lost my appetite for Mutton Biryani.

Photo Credit: Shreyak Singh