The Orchard

Very few know of the legendary romance of the two lovers Zarnaab and Aarman who dared to commit suicide due to the rivalry of their families getting in the way of their magical and all-consuming love for each other, the only remnants of which are the two blue silk ribbons that hang on the branches of one of the several apple trees standing in the lonely orchard somewhere in the middle of cold Murree blanketed by pure white snowsnow.

In the monsoon, when the rains flood the land and send the locals scurrying off into their basements for shelter, the tree stands upright, swaying with the force of the wild wind, withstanding the ferocious storm. Yet, the strings remain there, untouched, not having blown away in the midst of the season.

After about 15 years, a new couple moves into the house next door, looking for a change of scenery, away from the suffocating world of smoke and dirt, into nature. The husband gazes out the hazy window at the apple tree, dotted with red, looking like something out of a painting. He rubs his gloved hands together, takes his wife’s much tinier hand in his, and makes his way to the tree.

While she stands in awe of the pretty tree, he gathers a ball of snow in his hands and strikes her from behind. She laughs and tackles him to the ground and they roll around in the snow for God knows how long before a snowflake gets sucked into her nose and she blows it out with a sneeze.

They return back to their cottage and cuddle in front of the fireplace, draped in thick blankets. The strings flutter in the breeze.