PALM LEAVES

"But I can't see any gate here." Abdullah whispers as he looks round the garden.

"There is a gate Abdullah, but something is definitely wrong." Shamim faces his father. "Don't you think so father?"

"Ella didn't do all of these on her own, I am very sure some helped her out." Malik whispers.

"But everyone is claiming not to have done anything, it's not like she was kidnapped." shamim nags. "Nobidy wants to talk."

Abdullah clears his throat. "I think I am kind of lost here right now. There is no gate here and why are you both saying someone helped Ella out of the house?"

"There is a gate." Says Malik.

Abdullah looks round the garden and all he can see is just a beautiful area covered with beautiful scents of flowers. He spots a certain area on the wall specially covered with lovely flowers from the top to bottom. In his mid he had already imagined having a small wedding there with Elal because of he amazing atmosphere and colourful backgrounds. But something stuck him back to reality, why is only that part of the wall covered with flowers and even have palm leaves arranged in front of it resting the tips on the floor and the rest of the body on the gate. "Is that the gate?" He asks pointing to the suspected area.

"Yes." Malik nods.

Abdullah asks "But if she had use this gate, how did she manage to arrange the palm leaves back?"

"That is exactly what we are talking about." Shamim whispers sounding very tensed already. "If truly she made use of this gate gate, then someone helped her out."

"The only person that can do that is the gatekeeper." Malik whispers with alot if certainty.

"How sure are you father?"

"Follow me." He leads the way and the boys follow.

"What are we to do now?" Shamim asks as he walks behind his father.

"We need to have a word with that gatekepper, I am sure he knows something."After some seconds of walking, they finally arrive at the gate keeper's quaters. Malik deeps his hand under his shirt by his side and pulls out his pistol, stretching it forth and ready to the shoot when necessary. "Call him out for me."

"Jakiro!" Shamim calls loudly.

The gate keeper innocently walks out of his chambers and is shock to bones when he sees his master pointing a pistol at him. "Sir? What have I done?" He says with trembling voice.

"I will ask you one more time." Malik says his words one after the other making sure the gatekeeper can get everything he is saying. "Where is my daughter?"

"I don't know where she is sir." He replies with his hands slightly above his head. "Please spare me."

"You have not seen her today at all?" Shamim asks for confirmation.

"I swear to God sir, I haven't seen her at all today sir." He persists.

"You went to the garden or not?" Malik asks again.

"Yes sir, I went to the garden and the only thing I did was to arrange the palm leaves scattered of the floor."

On hearing this, Malik lowers his pistol and sighs heavily before returning it back to where he had picked it from. "You are free to go."

"Thank you so much sir." Jakiro appreciates still in fear and runs back inside his quarters.

"So, Ella acted on her own after all." Abdullah whispers. "I just hope she is safe wherever she is."

Malik phone rings loudly and he didn't waste time to answer the call as soon as he pulls the cell phone from his back pocket. "Hello." He says calmly and pauses there after probably listening carefully to what the caller is saying. After close to a minute of listening, he hangs up.

"What happened sir?" Abdullah asks.

"Was that Ella?" Shamim asks too.

"They have footage of Ella entering an abandoned mall about 10 minutes ago." Malik whispers with his head down.