1. I did not know what happiness was until my aunt’s caring words sank into me on my
graduation day. There she was sitting on the front pew, looking at me with loving eyes,
proudly as I stood on the stage giving a speech. She was my angel. She protected me and
cared for me since the demise of my parents.
As an orphan, it was not easy for me to get acquainted to strangers. I had built a wall over
the years to protect myself from being hurt. The fatal incident of a robbery left me broken
and shattered. I could vividly remember the bloody tragedy. After my tuition class on Friday
night, I came home in my friend’s car. When I arrived, I felt strange as mom and dad did not
lock the door and left the gate wide open. Quietly and suspiciously, I walked into the house
sensing something terrible might have happened. In front of the doorstep, to my horror
were my parents and twin brothers sprawling right across the carpet. I was paralyzed with
fear. Blood was oozing. Mom and dad were lying on their stomachs holding each other’s
hands. My twin brothers were heavily injured with slashes of knife cuts on their heads and
back.
“Wh-what’s going on?” I asked with a quivering voice. “Mom, dad, Habil, Qabil …please
wake up,” I pleaded but they were motionless. It was a very horrifying scene. I found myself
screaming and howling hysterically. My neighbours who came to help. The ambulance and
police arrived within minutes but they were too late. I was so shaken that I could not stop
crying. Not even the paramedic could calm me down. I was escorted to the hospital.
Somehow, they managed to contact my aunt. Her hug and consoling words relaxed me a
little. I was given a sedative jab and I fell asleep instantaneously. When I woke up, she was
right there by my bedside. I felt safe and secured in her presence.
The police came to interview me. My aunt was with me all the while. I was kept away from
the press and television for weeks for fear of my recurring hysteria. The doctor-in-charge
put me in a psychiatric ward for half a year, under close observation to help me cope with
the terribly haunting tragedy.
After six months in the psychiatry unit, I was finally discharged and reported as being in a
stable condition. I went back to the house where the killing took place. It was a very
emotional experience. Tears kept rolling down my eyes. I could not stop it. However, I was
quiet and not hysterical anymore. My aunt was there holding my hands and rubbing my
back, giving me all the moral support and love she could. I packed my belongings, took the
family pictures hanging on the wall and put them in my bag. I was put under my aunt’s
custody.
My parents and siblings were brutally killed in a home robbery. The prime suspects were
two middled aged man. My parents were shot whereas my twin brothers were stabbed to
death. It was reported that about RM20,000.00 worth of money and jewellery were stolen.
They were finally arrested, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Despite that, the
life of my loved ones could not be returned.

2. “Hawa you must let go off the past. Don’t keep that hatred in your heart. Do not disappoint
your late parents. You have a bright future ahead of you. Stay focused in your studies, pass
with flying colours and live your life to the fullest. Realize your dreams of joining a forensic
team. Make your parents and siblings proud of you. It’s not the end of the world. I’m still
here for you,” she advised and encouraged me.
“…but I can’t forget them. Why me? Why my family?” I asked knowing that there was no
answer to that.
“Who said that you must forget them? God loves them and that is why He took them in His
care. You should be grateful that He still wants you to live their legacy, to care for the
unfortunate. They would be sad if you keep wasting your youth away,” she rationalized with
me and gave me a big hug to comfort me and take my doubts away.
Fortunately, her caring words and actions awakened me. I picked myself up from feeling
worthless and hopeless. I was only fifteen then. However I strived hard and I succeeded.
Today, I am celebrating freedom. Freedom from the bondage of anger and hatred. And I am
celebrating this new joy, this new me with my loving aunt. Without her support, I would not
have made it.