A Pact with the Sun

The Lingering Sickness: Saeeda's mother had been ill for a prolonged period with recurring fever, cough, aching joints, and chronic exhaustion. Although treated by several local physicians (hakeems and quacks), she showed no improvement, frequently relapsing into bed.

The Cruel Deprivation: Worst of all, ignorant relatives and superstitious healers had subjected her to strict deprivation: she was forbidden normal food and confined to a tiny, dark, dingy room with all doors and windows shuttered tightly, deprived of sunlight and fresh air.

The Enlightened Specialist: When her condition deteriorated critically, relatives advised consulting a renowned physician from a nearby town. Though poor, the family sold a few small trinkets to pay his fee. The specialist examined her thoroughly and prescribed effective medicines alongside crucial lifestyle advice: "Leave this gloomy hole! Shift into a larger room with open windows. Sit in the sun every morning from eight to nine o'clock. Foot and sun are far more important than all the medicines in the world!"

The Ominous Clouds: Relatives grumbled, fearing cold drafts would worsen the mother's cough, but she firmly resolved to follow the doctor's advice. The next morning, however, the sky was completely overcast with thick, dark, threatening clouds. Not a single beam of sunshine reached the ground. The mother groaned in despair, weeping that God had abandoned her.

The Secret Language of Children: Late in the afternoon, while playing with her dolls in the courtyard, young Saeeda spotted a pale, flickering speck of sunlight filtering through the dense clouds. Children possess a special language of the heart with which they converse with nature. Saeeda ran toward the light and pleaded urgently: "Dearest Sunbeam, please come tomorrow morning with lots of brightness and warmth! My mother is very sick and needs your light to get well!" The sunbeam promised: "We will certainly come. Don't worry!"

The Sun King's Dilemma: Next morning, far above the atmosphere, the sun's rays prepared to descend to Earth. But their father, the Sun King, warned them: "Stay back today! The Earth is covered with thick, filthy clouds that will block our path."

The Sacred Promise: At that moment, the rays protested together: "Sir, we cannot stay! We made a solemn pact with little Saeeda yesterday, and her mother is dying. If we do not go, humans will say the heavenly rays broke their word and are liars!"

Led by the ray that spoke to Saeeda, the rays concentrated their fiery beams into a sharp, brilliant spear of golden light. Piercing through the sullen, heavy cloud battalions, the warm rays flooded Saeeda's courtyard. Saeeda cried with joy, and the mother was helped into the warm sunshine. Breathing in fresh air and bathing in golden warmth, tears of gratitude filled her eyes. Within weeks, her cough vanished, her cheeks regained color, and she fully recovered. Saeeda's loving pact had restored her mother to life.