Ch 4 - Don't Say the j Word

“He’s here, quick! Open the door,” Farrah yelled from the bedroom upstairs.
“Let him ring the doorbell, Mum.” Nada sat on the bottom step chewing the nail on her thumb.
“What’s the point? We know he’s here.” Grumbling Farrah came downstairs and pushed past her daughter.
“As-salamulaikum, Maulana,” she greeted the bearded man who stood in the doorway.
“Wa-laikum-salam,” the Muslim priest replied bestowing blessings on her.
“We’re so glad you could come. Mrs. Chowdrey has told us so much about you, she said you run the mosque over in Forest Gate?”
“Yes. I do. Shall we proceed?” He swept into the house avoiding eye contact with both ladies.
“Mmm, yes. I see,” he mumbled to himself. “Do you mind if I wander around?” He asked no one in particular as he headed up the stairs.
Nada stared after his cardigan clad back, he was dressed in a long brown shirt that ended three quarters down his legs. Underneath, he wore white trousers that ended two inches above his ankles, Nada noticed his well-worn socks poking out the dusky sandals that were also old and tired looking. The whole outfit appeared scruffy and Nada tried to recall what was mentioned in one of her Islamic books about clothing, were men meant to look this scruffy?
She walked into the lounge and sat by her mother waiting for the Maulana’s verdict.
“May I come in?” His voice sounded from the hallway a good fifteen minutes later.
Nada sat up straight and adjusted her shawl, draping it over her chest so it that it fell covering her stomach and thighs.
He entered and sat on the furthest seat, moving his eyes towards Farrah’s feet he spoke, “yes I know of what happened last week, your friend mentioned it. Please, there is no need to be alarmed at what I am about to tell you,” he paused breathing deeply.
Farrah reached out and took Nada’s hand in hers waiting for the middle aged stranger to speak.
“There is presence, it manifests upstairs,” he paused cocking his head to the side as if listening for something.
“Yes?” Farrah breathed.
“It is a man, he has been sent to cause harm. You must pray, read the prayers I leave for you today.” He reached inside his pocket and took out a folded sheaf of papers.
“Who sent him?” Nada piped up expecting a detailed account of the supernatural events she had experienced.
“I cannot say, but someone in your family.” He steepled his fingers under his chin.
“Why? I think we have a right to know, so we can stay away from them.”
“It is not permissible for me to say.”
“What do you mean?” Nada burst out exasperated.
“Ssh,” Farrah tapped her daughter’s hand. “Maulana, will it harm us? This Jinn?”
“Ah, tut tut. It is better that you do not say the J word, their name has infinite power. They gain strength when it is mentioned.”
“This thing threw a remote at the TV, with force that could have knocked my head off, it has enough power as it is. What else could he do?”
“A lot my child, they have an abundance of power and I pray that you will never have to find out just how much. Start with the prayers, there are other things you can do, but they cost money.” He stared at the legs of the coffee table.
“Okay, let’s see if these prayers work. How do I read them?” Farrah reached over and plucked the sheets from the table.
“Not just you,” he snapped. “Your daughter has no belief. She must pray, five times a day and after that you must recite the sheets before sleeping,” he begun to explain the steps of the night time ritual, all the while highlighting Nada’s weak heart, her weak belief or iman as he referred to it. He drove home the point that she needs to be more religious, wear a hijab and protect herself from the attention of others.
Concluding his lecture, he stood up headed towards the front door. The girls followed him frowning at the lack of information he had given, it seemed he had spent the last few minutes preaching about Islam rather than explaining the world of the Jinns. Isn’t he supposed to be a professional? We knew it was a Jinn, and we know I’m not religious, but we’ve learnt nothing new. Nada reflected a little disgruntled at the outcome.
“Oh, I forgot to mention,” the maulana turned around in the doorway. “As you can see, our cause helps others. We are always looking for a small donation towards the mosque. Maybe you can help?”
***
Later that night, she lay in bed staring at the dark ceiling. Just as the maulana said, Nada had prayed and read the night time prayer from the sheet but she still felt restless, she knew the maulana was a joke, all he wanted was money but it wouldn’t hurt to pray just in case. Picking up her mobile, she checked the time, almost two in the morning, maybe if I surfed the internet I might feel sleepy. Nada logged onto Facebook and waited for the tiny screen to refresh.
“Nada.” The hushed whisper came from outside her doorway.
Nada flashed her iPhone in the direction of the door. She waited a beat before sitting up in bed, someone had called her name.
THUMP. Nada jumped, her fingers clenched around the duvet. Now that she was sure off, something had just banged on her door, a fist maybe? The thought was chilling, her hair stood on end against her cold skin, sending goose bumps down her bare arms. She opened her mouth to call her mum, but nothing came out, her insides were paralyzed in terror. Her eyes were fixed on the door and her heart hammered drowning out slow thumping against her door.
“Mm…Mu…” Nada stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
A cold wind swept through Nada’s hair, lifting it right up before letting it fall back down. Nada’s body switched to auto-pilot, trembling violently as her emotions took control. She pulled the duvet closer and blinked hard when she saw the other end of the flowery duvet, it seemed to be moving, no wait! It’s rising! Nada watched as the other end of the duvet rose about a foot off the bed, her eyes widened in disbelief as she felt the now familiar coldness begin a slow and agonizing slide up her parted legs. The dark presence yanked the duvet away, sending it flying across the room where it landed by the door, her terrified body was now exposed to the horrific force the lurked at the end of her bed.
Nada could bear the torture no longer, summoning her strength she screamed long and hard, squeezing her eyes shut with the effort. Furiously, something hard hit her in her stomach and she doubled over, gasping for breath. Two hard ice blocks pressed against her shoulders and Nada was thrown back on the bed, pinned down under a tremendous force that wouldn’t let up. Hot tears escaped her eyes, she brain numbed, sending one last message before it cut off from the rest of her body, Mum, help me!