PURA, CAMILLE GRACE F.

GNED 15
BSTM3-1 MS. REIN ORTIGOSA

When Agha was buried,

Gulnaz and the children hoped
that their neighbors would still bring
them food, but no food was provided.
They devour whatever they see for the next
few days, such as onions and garlics. The day
arrived when all the pots were empty, and they
went to bed for the first time with an empty
stomach. The youngster shouted out that his
stomach hurt. Gulnaz told her son to go to the
store and get rice, flour, and potatoes.

According to the Muslim custom,
neighbors could send food to the grieving
family. Gulnaz and her children were
hesitant to consume the food from the
White House at first, but once they
opened the lid, they ate and felt relieved.
The next day, more neighbors delivered
food, and so on for four days.
Since the first son did not get some
groceries from the grocery store, he
returned with an empty hand and was
freezing due to the weather. He lay
down, shaking, and his fever rose.
Gulnaz was unable to think and had no
idea what to do. The little boy was also
unable to sleep due to hunger.

A young child who had gone to the fountain to get
some water shouted as he ran back to the street,
"Dursun Agha is dead." Dursun Agha is well-known
in town as the water fetcher. Gulnaz, his wife, froze
when she heard the news. She might have thought
their family's provider had passed away.
The little child asks to Gulanaz, her mother, whether his
sibling will die. Gulnaz was stunned and terrified, and she
questioned her son why he had asked that. The small boy
then replied to his mother in such a low and delicate voice
that he and his mother were barely able to hear him,
"Because then the food will come from the White House."