Humble Beginnings A short story
By Himanshu Goel
December 2015
Humble Beginnings by Himanshu Goel Zaina’s sneakers rolls the gravel on the wearied street as she walks towards the square on 19th street in the town of Kuil. The Gibson Les Paul guitar strapped across her shoulder presses against her left thigh as she walks. The square serves as a home for a couple of street musicians and artists. They performed through the day and slept there at the night wrapped up in their sleeping bags. She watches Ronnie and Rebecca as they pull out objects from an iPhone, Ronnie just pulled out a diamond from the phone as he tossed it to Rebecca. Zaina had been here many times before as a spectator, but today she was here as a performer. The guitar feels heavier to her today for some reason. She is sitting cross-legged setting up her guitar, there is just one curious by-stander near her. Dressed in a violet unmarked hoodie hiding her face and blonde hair she doesn’t attract many people around her with her looks. The crowd is scattered around the different performers, fairly crowded as night is about to strike. Ready with her guitar, she clears her throat. She begins slowly, no vocals. As soon as the music carries through the guitar to her ears she loses herself in it. There is no square, there are no people here, there is no Les Paul. It’s just her and Sufi. The music originates from her skin, through her bones and her soul. She picks up the pace, trying to transfer the music from her soul to others. Her music flows through her body into the square. Her eyes close and her feet start tapping on the asphalt. One by one, people start to trickle around her as she
trickles the musical notes around them. And then she starts singing. Her voice floods the square with awe, to the crowd who had never heard Sufi music before it’s like an oasis in a desert. She sings a song about a child demanding love from her mother, a mother caught up in the modern world with not enough time for her child. To explain her music, her vocals –her essence would be impossible. The practice of Sufism is the intention to go towards the Truth, by means of love and devotion. Through her music, the unrequited love of a child towards her mothershe quests for truth. The crowd joined in with her, swaying with the music without any control like a field of daisies in the wind. Just like the wind, her song eventually comes to a calming end. She struck the last chord and the crowd emerges out of their stance just like when a magician wakes up his hypnotized subject with a snap of his fingers. A loud cheer erupts through the square and Zaina bows down for the crowd. A couple of dozen listeners crowd her as she is packing up her guitar including some of the performers who left their performances midway to come listen to her. They ask her about Sufi music and her song, where was she from and a dozen other questions. They offer her money for her performance but she waves them away. She answers each of them politely with a voice almost as beautiful as her music. She told them about Sufi music and how she used to come here as a child to watch all the amazing performers. She tells them that she is getting late when they ask her about her name and herself. She quickly packs up her bags and leaves the square before the questioning goes further. She thanked everyone before leaving. Humming
birds cannot walk or hop. Their small bodies are meant to fly. If you ask anyone in the square, no one had seen the Sufi singer walk in or out. Just like a humming bird she flew into the square and flown away after enchanting everyone with her music. # Zaina is walking towards a mansion entrance, she takes off her hoodie and enters the mansion. The guard opens the gate immediately on her arrival. After settling in her room she looks at the mirror. The mirror reflects back the face of Zaina Abdulla, the two time Grammy winner and bestselling singer. The smile on her face could tell that she experienced something special today. Performing in front of a staggering crowd in Wembley wasn’t as special as the square on 19th street. Humble beginnings like the one she experienced today was much closer to her heart.
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