There was chill in the air as winter was in full swing in Islamabad. There were clear instructions that children must wear sweaters and blazers to their school to keep them warm.

One morning, Zainab and Ali left for school in their winter uniform. The school was nearby so they walked to school. Zainab was a good-natured girl and Ali was compassionate and people always admired this sister-brother duo for their geniality.

On their way, they found two boys barefooted. They weren’t wearing warm clothes either. They looked feeble and cold. Zainab and Ali felt miserable for them. They wished to help them, but they were getting late for school. Both decided to help those poor kids on their way back.

While returning home, Zainab and Ali didn’t see the kids. The siblings searched for them, but all in vain. When they reached home, they told everything to their parents. After knowing the dreadful state of the poor children, their parents decided to visit the site and help the cold-stricken and homeless children.

The next day was Sunday. Zainab and Ali, along with their parents, went to the same place where they had seen those needy kids. They wanted to give few pairs of shoes and winter clothes to the poor kids.

Luckily, they found the kids. Those children, Naeem and Sajid, belonged to a poor family and couldn’t afford to buy winter clothes. So, Zainab and Ali were happy to help them.

A few days later, while returning home from school, Ali felt unwell. He started to shiver and fainted. He had caught cold. Seeing his brother in a miserable condition, Zainab started crying since they were still quite away from home.

While she was weeping, the same children, the ones they had helped, offered their help to Zainab. She was quite relieved now. Somehow, they managed to bring Ali home. Zainab’s parents immediately called the doctor and thanked Naeem and Sajid for their help.

After an hour, Ali started feeling better. The doctor had seen him and he had taken the prescribed medicines.

Both Zainab and Ali, and their parents were extremely thankful to Naeem and Sajid. They offered them tea and cookies too. The two brothers left after Ali was feeling a little better. While waving goodbye to Naeem and Sajid, the family expressed their gratitude once again for their act of kindness just like they had thanked Zainab and Ali for providing them warm clothes and easing their misery.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 16th, 2015