SO DA BURI book 1

Description

Three years ago in Kano, in a small house in Gandun Albasa, a young girl named Huda lived with her family. The house was old, with dusty floors and rusty doors. Life in the house wasn’t easy, especially for Huda.

One hot day, Huda was being punished harshly by her older brother Ja’afar. She was kneeling in the yard, holding shoes in her hands, trembling with fear. Suddenly, Ja’afar hit her hard with a whip, making her drop the shoes and cry out for her mother. Her mother heard but couldn’t help—she was crying and praying for a savior.

That savior came in the form of Junaidu, another member of the family, who rushed out and stopped Ja’afar. Junaidu, who looked younger and kinder, confronted Ja’afar angrily for beating Huda unfairly. It turned out Ja’afar was high on drugs and had misunderstood the situation—Huda was only sweeping the compound, not avoiding her chores.

Junaidu tried to calm things down and even paid Ja’afar 20 naira to stop his anger. Then he gently went to Huda, lifted her face and called her name. Huda, hurt and crying, ran to her mother’s room.

Just as this happened, their mother Umma and Aunt Zainab entered the house and saw everything. They were furious—not at Ja’afar, but at Junaidu for defending Huda. They shouted at him angrily and accused him of betraying them, saying he had no right to support the girl.

Inside the room, Huda cried on her mother’s lap. Mama comforted her and reminded her not to get close to Junaidu, even if he defended her. Then Huda explained everything: Jalila, another girl in the house, had lied and tricked her. Jalila was angry because Junaidu had once stopped her from forcing Huda to wash her school uniform. Now Jalila wanted revenge and made Ja’afar punish Huda for no reason.

Mama realized how deep the unfair treatment had gone. She had earlier reported to Baba Bashir (the family elder), who became very angry. He warned Baba (the father in the house) never to allow anyone to beat Huda again or give her heavy chores like before. Baba, afraid of his father's anger, made a strict rule to protect Huda.

Umma was shocked by Baba’s decision. She felt disrespected and complained bitterly, warning that spoiling Huda would ruin the family's morals.

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