CHAPTER TWO
TSAUNIN RANA
CHAPTER TWO
Dare ya sauka a Tsaunin Rana ba hayaniya. Fitilun da ke kewaye da babban gidan sarauta suka haska ɗaya bayan ɗaya, suna zana inuwa a kan farfajiyar duwatsu masu launin toka. A can nesa, ruwan fountain na gudu a hankali, sautinsa na haɗuwa da ƙarar motocin jami’an tsaro da ke shiga suna fita daga fada. Amma a ɓangaren Sarauniya Zulaiha, babu natsuwa. Ko inai shiru, amma ba irin na dare ba. Shiru ne irin na gidan da kowa ya san bai kamata ya yi magana ba. Sarauniya Zulaiha tana tsaye a gaban doguwar taga, hannayenta a haɗe a gabanta. Tana kallon hasken garin da ke shimfiɗe a ƙasan tsauni, amma tunaninta yana wani wuri dabam. Shekaru ashirin baya. Ta juya ta kalli envelope ɗin da ke kan teburi. Tsoho ne. Takardar ta yi rawaya, gefensa ya fara karyewa. Amma har yanzu ana iya ganin haruffan da aka rubuta a jikinsa.
K. A. Ta ɗauke shi ta daɗe tana kallonsa ba tare da ta buɗe ba. “Har yanzu kina ajiye wannan?” sai ta jiyo muryar sa ta juyo. Sarki Harun yana tsaye a bakin ƙofa. Bai sa rawani yau ba. Farar jallabiya ce a jikinsa, hannu ɗaya na jingine da sandar tafiya. Fuskarsa ta nuna gajiya, amma idanunsa a kan envelope ɗin suke. Zulaiha ba ta yi gaggawar amsawa ba. “Ba komai ba ne.” Harun ya yi murmushi mara daɗi. “Duk lokacin da kika ce ba komai ba ne, sai in gane akwai abin da ba a so in sani fa.” Ta ajiye envelope ɗin. “Ka zo ne ka yi min tambayoyi?” “Na zo ne saboda Jazeel yana jiranki.” “Ya jira.” Harun ya shiga cikin ɗakin a hankali. “Zulaiha.”
Ta ɗaga idanu. “Me?” “Shekara ashirin muke rufe wannan batu.” “Mun rufe shi.” “Ko kuwa mun binne shi?” Wannan karon shiru tayi yi tsawo. Zulaiha ta matsa zuwa teburi ta ɗauki gilashin ruwa, amma ba ta sha ba. “Wasu abubuwa idan an binne su,” ta ce cikin sanyin murya, “gara kada a sake tona su.” “Saboda gaskiyar tana da haɗari?” “Saboda mutane suna da haɗari idan suka ji gaskiya.” Kafin ya sake magana, aka ƙwanƙwasa ƙofa. “Shigo.” Jazeel ya shigo. Baƙar suit ce a jikinsa, babu wani ado sai agogon azurfa a wuyan hannunsa. Ya tsaya yadda aka koya masa tun yana yaro: a natse, cikin mutunci, babu gaggawa. “Ranka ya daɗe.” Harun ya kalle shi. “Zo.” Jazeel ya matso. “Uwa, an ce kin kira ni.”
Zulaiha ta kalli ɗanta. “Na kira ka ne saboda akwai wani aiki.” “Wane aiki?” Ta yi masa alamar ya zauna. Jazeel ya zauna a kujerar da ke gabanta, ita kuma ta zauna a hankali. “Ka san labarin tsohon magajin sarauta?” Jazeel bai motsa ba. “Kina nufin Babban Yarima Kareem?” “Ba Kareem kaɗai ba.” Ta tsaya. “Ina nufin duk abin da ya shafi zuriyarsa.” Jazeel ya ɗan karkatar da kai. “Me ya faru?” “An samu wani sabon bayani ne .” “Game da shi?” “Game da ɗansa, ko ’yarsa.” Maganar ta faɗi a tsakiyar ɗakin kamar dutse. Harun ya runtse idanunsa. Jazeel kuwa ya kalli mahaifiyarsa sosai. “Amma an ce babu wanda ya tsira.” “An ce.” “Baby ɗin ma?” Zulaiha ba ta amsa nan take ba. Maimakon haka, ta miƙa masa wani ƙaramin fayil. Jazeel ya karɓa.
“Wannan ne abin da muka samu.” Ya buɗe. Hotuna kaɗan ne, da wasu takardu, da wani tsohon rahoton asibiti. Sai kuma hoton wani jariri da aka ɗauka shekaru da yawa da suka wuce. Jazeel ya dubi hoton. “Wannan ba hujja ba ce.” “Na sani.” “To me kike so in yi?” Zulaiha ta jingina da kujera. “Ka nemo ta.” Jazeel ya ɗaga idanu. “Ta?” “Eh.” “Kin tabbata yarinya ce?” “Abin da muke da shi ya nuna haka.” “Idan tana raye fa?” “Shi ya sa nake so ka nemo ta.” Jazeel ya sake duban fayil ɗin. “Me za mu yi idan muka same ta?” A wannan karon Zulaiha ta yi shiru. Harun ya kalli matarsa. Jazeel ya lura. “Uwa?” Ta ɗaga idanu gare shi. “Ba zan gaya maka abin da za ka yi da ita ba, sai ka tabbatar min cewa ita ce.”
“Amma—” “Jazeel.” Muryarta ta canza. Ta daina taushi. Ta zama muryar Sarauniya. “Wannan ba bincike ba ne na son sani. Al’amari ne na masarauta.” Jazeel ya rufe fayil ɗin. “Na fahimta.” “Ba ka fahimta ba tukuna.” Ta matsa gaba kaɗan. “Idan wannan yarinyar tana raye, akwai mutanen da za su so ta dawo fada. Akwai kuma mutanen da za su yi komai domin kada ta dawo.” “Su waye?” “Shi ne abin da nake so ka gano.” Jazeel ya yi shiru, sannan ya tashi. “Zan fara bincike.” “Ba tare da hayaniya ba.” “Na sani.” “Ba tare da ka sanar da kowa ba.” “Ko Baba ma?” Harun ya ɗaga kai. Jazeel ya kalli mahaifinsa. Harun ya ɗan yi shiru kafin ya ce, “Ka saurari mahaifiyarka.”
Jazeel ya gyada kai. “Ranka ya daɗe.” Ya juya ya fita. Da ƙofar ta rufe, Harun ya kalli Zulaiha. “Kin aika ɗana neman yarinyar da ba ki ma san ko tana raye ba.” Zulaiha ta ɗauki envelope ɗin ta matse shi a tafin hannu. “Saboda idan wani ya fara nema kafin mu, zai iya samunta.” Harun ya sauke numfashi. “Me kike tsoro, Zulaiha?” Ta dube shi kai tsaye. “Gaskiya.”
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A ɗaya ɓangaren fadar, rayuwa ta ci gaba kamar babu abin da ya faru. Kitchen ɗin fada ya sake cika da hayaniya. Ana shirya dinner na gidan sarauta. Matan kitchen na zirga-zirga, ana buɗe tukwane, ana ɗaukar faranti, ana aika abinci zuwa sassa daban-daban na fada. Sabeeha na zaune a gefen counter tana gyara wasu kayan miya da Maryam ta ajiye mata. Hafsat ta zo kusa da ita da cup ɗin tea a hannu. “Wallahi akwai abin da ban gane ba a wannan fada.” Sabeeha ba ta ɗago ba. “Me kuma?” “Me ya sa kowa yake tsoron Sarauniya kamar ita ce ke riƙe da makullin Aljanna?” Sabeeha ta ɗan yi dariya. “Ke dai ki rage magana.” “Ni?” Hafsat ta yi kamar an zarge ta. “Ni ban ce komai ba fa.”
Maryam da ke kusa da su ta kalle su. “Kun fara kuma?” Hafsat ta sunkuyar da kai, amma da Maryam ta juya, sai ta raɗa wa Sabeeha, “Amma gaskiya, wannan Guard Taymoor ɗin nan—” Sabeeha ta dakatar da ita da kallo. “Me ya yi kuma?” “Ba ki lura da shi ba?” “Na gan shi.” “Shi kenan?” “To me kike so in ce?” Hafsat ta jingina da counter. “Babu. Ni dai ina ganin akwai wani abu game da shi.” Sabeeha ta ɗaga gira. “Wani abu?” “Ba kamar sauran guards ba.” Sabeeha ta koma aikinta. “Wataƙila saboda aikinsa ya fi nasu muhimmanci.” Hafsat ta dube ta na ɗan lokaci. “Ko kuwa saboda kin lura da shi ne?” Sabeeha ta jefa mata ƙaramin towel. “Tafi can.”
Dariya ta ɓarke a kitchen. Sai dai a bakin ƙofar corridor, a wajen kitchen, wani mutum na tsaye. Taymoor. Bai shiga ciki ba. Idanunsa na kan agogon da ke bangon corridor, sannan kan wata takarda a hannunsa. Amma abin da ya ɗauki hankalinsa shi ne kalmar da ya ji daga cikin kitchen. “Tsohon magajin sarauta…” Ya ɗaga kai. Dariya ta ci gaba a cikin kitchen. Taymoor ya ajiye takardar. A wannan karon fuskarsa ta canza kaɗan. Saboda wannan kalmar ba sabuwa ba ce a gare shi. A zahiri, shi ya sa ya zo Tsaunin Rana.
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A daren nan, Mama Rabi ta kasa barci. Tana zaune a ƙaramin ɗakinta a ɓangaren ma’aikatan fada, wata tsohuwar ƙaramar jaka a hannunta, wadda ta daɗe ba ta buɗe ba. Ta buɗe ta. A ciki akwai ƙaramin munduwa. Ba na talaka ba ne. Zinariya ce, kuma akwai wata alama a jikinsa da ba kowa zai gane ta ba. Mama Rabi ta shafa shi da yatsa. Idanunta suka cika da hawaye. “Na yi alƙawari…” Muryarta ta karye. “Na yi alƙawari zan kare ki.” Sai aka ƙwanƙwasa ƙofa. Mama Rabi ta firgita. Nan take ta rufe jakar. “Waye?” “Ni ce.” Muryar Sabeeha ce. Mama Rabi ta ɗan jira, sannan ta ce, “Shigo.” Sabeeha ta shiga. “Mama, kina lafiya?” “Lafiya.” “Na zo ne kawai in gan ki.”
Mama Rabi ta yi murmushi. “Zo ki zauna.” Sabeeha ta zauna kusa da ita. “Kin yi kuka?” Mama Rabi ta share gefen idonta. “Idan mutum ya tsufa, ido yana yawan ruwa.” Sabeeha ta yi murmushi. “Ki daina cewa kin tsufa.” Mama Rabi ta dube ta sosai. Kallon da Sabeeha ta saba gani tun tana ƙarama, wanda kullum yake ɗauke da wani abu da ba ta taɓa iya fassarawa ba. Ta miƙa hannu ta taɓa fuskar Sabeeha. “Kin yi kama da ita sosai.” Sabeeha ta daure fuska. “Da wa?” Mama Rabi ta gane kuskurenta. Ta sauke hannunta. “Da… mahaifiyarki.” Sabeeha ta yi shiru. “Kin taɓa ganinta?” Mama Rabi ta juya fuska. “Ki daina yi min wannan tambayar.” “Amma Mama—” “Sabeeha.” Muryar Mama Rabi ta sa ta tsaya.
“Wasu tambayoyi ba su da amsar da za ta sa zuciya ta natsu.” “Kamar me?” Mama Rabi ta haɗiye abin da ke makale a makogwaronta. “Kamar tambayar me ya sa wasu mutane suka mutu…” Ta yi shiru. “…alhali ba a yarda a faɗi dalilin mutuwarsu ba.” Sabeeha ta kasa magana. A wajen taga, iska ta motsa labulen ɗakin. Ba tare da ɗayansu ya sani ba, a wani wuri cikin fada, an fara buɗe wani tsohon fayil da aka ɗauka an binne shi har abada. A wannan daren, Jazeel ya fara neman magajiyar da aka goge daga tarihi. Kuma bai sani ba, ya riga ya san ta. Ya riga ya wuce kusa da ita, ya riga ya ji muryarta, ya riga ya kira ta da sunanta.
Gaskiyar tana nan a gabansa. Kawai ba a ba shi damar ganinta ba tukuna.