Since yesterday evening, Balaraba had been furious about Najibu not returning from wherever he had gone. Even as the morning came and the day passed, there was still no sign of him.

By evening, she called Maryama to ask about his whereabouts. No matter how much Balaraba pressed her, Maryama refused to reveal where Najibu had gone. Instead, she insisted that she didn’t know, even shedding tears, pretending to be worried that he might have gotten lost—just to avoid being accused by Balaraba.

Balaraba scoffed, “I’m not even worried about him being lost. My concern is that he was the one fetching my water and running errands for Malam. Now, he’s just disappearing whenever he wants!”

She turned to Maryama with a sharp glare. “That means all the work is now on you!”

Maryama, curled up in a corner, let silent tears fall as she thought about her siblings and her own bleak life.

That day, she didn’t get a moment of rest. As soon as she finished one chore, another awaited her. If she completed tasks inside the house, she was immediately sent on errands outside. The whole day was exhausting.

Luckily, Balaraba eventually fell asleep early, which allowed Maryama to finally rest as well. Her body ached from all the work, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, her eyes grew heavy. She whispered a prayer before drifting into sleep.

---

Najibu

As soon as he arrived in Kano, Najibu began searching for a place to spend the night before continuing his journey the next day.

After some wandering, he found himself in an area called Rijiyar Lemo. He asked someone for the name of the place, and after confirming his location, he approached a man and asked if there was anywhere he could stay the night.

The man directed him to a local makarantar Allo (Islamic school), where the teacher usually accommodated travelers.

When he got there, the teacher welcomed him after hearing his story and allowed him to sleep among the students.

At dawn, Najibu set out for a bus station to find transportation to the village where Sadiqu was studying. Fortunately, the village wasn’t far from Kano, so by early afternoon, he arrived.

He went straight to the Mai Unguwa’s (village chief’s) house and asked about Malam Surajo’s school. But to his dismay, he was informed that Malam Surajo had passed away a year ago. His best student had since taken over, but the school had declined significantly since Malam’s death.

Despite this, Najibu was eager to find his brother. He thanked them and asked to be taken to the school, his heart pounding with anticipation.

He rushed ahead of his guide in excitement, only to realize he didn’t actually know where he was going. He paused and let the guide lead him the rest of the way.

When they arrived, the students were busy with their Quranic recitations. The guide went inside and informed the new teacher, now called Malam, that a visitor had come to see his brother.

The teacher told him to wait, then soon emerged.

“You’re here to see your brother?” the teacher asked.

“Yes,” Najibu nodded eagerly.

“What’s his name?”

“Sadiqu.”

The teacher sighed. “Oh, poor boy. So you’re Sadiqu’s elder brother?”

Najibu smiled and shook his head. “No, I’m his younger brother.”

The teacher looked surprised. “You’re his younger brother? Let me call him.”

A mat was brought for Najibu to sit on while he waited. His eyes were glued to the entrance, waiting for Sadiqu to appear.

However, when a boy finally walked up and knelt before the teacher, Najibu’s heart skipped a beat.

His voice trembled. “That’s not my Sadiqu.”

The teacher frowned. “Are you sure? This is the only Sadiqu in our school. There’s no other student with that name.”

Najibu’s throat tightened. “But my father brought my brother here himself.”

The teacher asked, “How long ago was that?”

Sadiqu himself answered, “It’s been a little over two years now.”

The teacher thought for a moment, then nodded. “Oh! I remember now. Yes, Sadiqu… He was a brilliant student, very dedicated to his studies.”

Najibu’s face lit up. “Yes! That’s him! That’s my brother!”

The teacher sighed. “Poor boy… He never socialized with anyone. All he ever talked about was wanting to go home. But because of the school’s rules, he wasn’t allowed to leave unless the person who brought him returned to get him. That’s why we didn’t let him go.”

“But after Malam passed away, it wasn’t long before Sadiqu also disappeared. We searched for him, but he was nowhere to be found. Even his belongings were gone. That’s when we realized he must have run away.”

The teacher looked at Najibu with sympathy. “It’s been a year since Malam’s death, so it must have been around that time that Sadiqu vanished. But if he didn’t return home… then where did he go?”

Najibu’s vision blurred with tears. His whole body shook as he processed the realization—his brother was missing.

If Sadiqu wasn’t here and hadn’t returned home, then where was he? What would he tell Maryama? How could he go back and say their brother was gone?

Overcome with grief, Najibu cried uncontrollably. The teacher tried to console him and even brought him some food and water, but he was too devastated to eat.

Eventually, he stood up. “I need to go home.”

The teacher pleaded with him to stay the night, but Najibu refused. “I have no reason to stay. I didn’t find what I was looking for.”

And so, he left.

---

Back in Kano, Najibu returned to the same place he had spent the night before. Early the next morning, he went to the bus station to find transport back home.

As he waited, he noticed vendors selling travel souvenirs. Remembering his promise to Maryama, he bought her a small doll, despite his heavy heart.

His bus left early, and he sat in silence, lost in thought. He barely noticed his surroundings until he felt someone tap his arm.

“Laaa! Najibu, is that you?”

He turned to see Ammar, a boy from his village.

“Ammar! What are you doing here?” Najibu asked.

“I do business in Kano,” Ammar explained. “I’m just heading home for a few days. What about you?”

“I came looking for my brother…” Najibu’s voice trailed off.

Ammar sighed. “Ah, I see. I hope you found him.”

Najibu forced a small smile. “Not exactly…”

As they continued talking, Ammar noticed the doll in Najibu’s hands and chuckled. “What’s that for? Have you taken up playing with dolls now?”

Najibu smiled slightly. “It’s for my sister, Maryama. She asked me to bring her one as a gift.”

Ammar laughed. “She’s probably too grown up for dolls by now.”

Najibu shook his head. “She said she wanted it, so I got it for her.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud cry from the other passengers. A sudden jolt shook the bus.

A large animal had crossed the road, causing the driver to swerve violently.

Panic filled the vehicle as it lost control.

Screams erupted.

Then—impact.

The crash was so severe that bystanders who arrived at the scene believed no one could have survived.

Emergency responders rushed in, pulling both the injured and the dead from the wreckage. Some were taken to the hospital. Others were transported to the morgue.

---

Meanwhile, back home, Maryama was growing increasingly worried. What started as mild concern had now turned into full-blown fear.

A week had passed since Najibu left, even though he had promised to return in two days.

She sat quietly, lost in anxious thoughts, when her father suddenly called her name.