Chapter 7

The time was 3.00 pm. Jamal was in Ninja Village, a small village near a thick forest in the outskirts of Creamland. He was observing nature in a clearer way, which was, by walking around the well-maintained village area. He went across many tall trees which sort of greeted him on his way across the village. There were also some beautiful plants which looked healthy and the flowers blossomed in the sunny evening.

Young Jamal just took as many pictures as he could. The surroundings illuminated his heart and mind. At first, he realised that the camera lens was dusty, restricting his concentration on a particular object. So, he turned off the camera for a while, and cleaned the lens. He then continued taking pictures with delight. Nearby, he saw some animals moving across the thick forest in groups, probably searching for food, but the animals were not harmful in any way to the inhabitants of the village.

As he walked along, he noticed people heading across a small bridge. When he got closer, he noticed that the bridge leads to a tiny island. The village and the island were separated by a river, whose water was seen running smoothly without any obstacle blocking the flow. As he walked across the old but strong bridge he began to see more of God's creation.

Indeed, the island is small, but it is abundant with greenery. There are not many people nor land animals. Instead, there is an abundance of plants, from small watering plants to big trees like the ones seen in the village Jamal just passed by earlier. Most of the plants in the island are known to be as old as 500 years.

Jamal was curious about a banana tree in front of him. He then touched the old banana tree and felt impressed when he looked around to see more banana trees. He was even more impressed when he took another look at all the plant species available. Anyway, the younger banana trees looked healthy, and their fruits ripe.

Without much hesitation, Jamal snapped pictures after pictures of the beautiful landscape. His camera produced a sound as he clicked on it to take pictures, but the sound was not loud and did not disrupt anyone nearby.

Great, Jamal thought, I think I am going to do my best as a photographer for a newspaper company. That thought came into mind as he was resting under a tree after having quite a long day. Not long after that, he realised that he forgot about his cousin's homecoming. Thus, he ran at blazing speed to get home.

When he got home, he would be surprised by the appearance of his cousin, alongside his family. It turned out that his cousin made it in time, during the evening. Same thing for Jamal, who thought he came home a little late, but it was okay with everyone.

"Jamal! Good to see you again," Baraq said.

"Hi there, Baraq," Jamal replied. "It has been a while, but here we are again," he said with a laugh.

"Good to see that you both still recognise each other," Mr. Hashim joked. Everyone else laughed.

Baraq replied, "Of course I remember all of you. I sort of grew up here."

The Hashims and Baraq calmly entered Mr. Hashim's house. Jamal and Baraq sat on the dining table, while Mr. and Mrs. Hashim prepared the chicken for dinner. While they were preparing the chicken, Jamal took time to talk to Baraq. They did not talk face to face for a very long time.

"So," Jamal said, "how was New Zealand?"

"Good," Baraq said with a smile, "and pretty cold."

"I see," Jamal said. "Same thing right here, especially in the morning."

"I see," Baraq said.

"How did your study in economics go?"

"The usual," Baraq replied. "A goes up, B goes down, C goes somewhere else, etc."

Jamal was puzzled as he did not know what his cousin was really talking about. Baraq later told him that the alphabets A, B and C were just examples of stock markets.

"Now I get it," Jamal said as soon as he was told. "Glad to know you know something about it."

"I learned for many years, Jamal," the long-haired cousin of Jamal replied.

The long, and straight-haired Baraq drank a cup of coffee. In his coat, he looked neat and tidy. He carefully put the cup down before continuing the conversation. That way, he does not spill coffee on the table.

"Which part of New Zealand did you stay in?" asked Jamal.

"I stayed in Auckland," replied Baraq. "My college is also in Auckland."

"I heard that New Zealand is a beautiful country," said Jamal.

"Sure," replied Baraq. "I loved seeing the greenery whenever I walk along the road."

"There are lots of trees?"

"Not just trees, but also other plants and green grass, all aplenty. Did I tell you about the sheep?"

"Did you?"

"I believe I did not, but I tell you now, the sheep is one of my favourite animals. They look cute, especially the small ones. I saw them everyday over in NZ."

Jamal and Baraq would share more stories with each other. They also filled the house with laughter and occasional humour.

Baraq took the time to ask his younger cousin about what he does. Jamal just told him that he carried out his usual hobbies, like writing, drawing, and taking pictures. Baraq smiled when he heard his cousin's words. "Good to know you are doing something beneficial," he said.

After spending a long time talking, a plate of large curry chicken was prepared on the table by Mr. and Mrs. Hashim. The chicken had a nice smell and they all prepared to eat it. Baraq was surprised and said, "Wow! This is a surprise."

Mr. Hashim said, "Let us all thank God for this gift, and eat our hearts out." With the recitation of religious words in the name of God, they then ate the chicken together. From the look of things, they enjoyed their meal.