That bundle is not Angle

He named her Angel and she looked the part too. After four rowdy boys, his wife and he had prayed for a girl. He was blessed, fathering four sons or at least that is what everyone told him. However, the Easter of 2010 brought with it the true tidings of joy and blessings for him, when his Angel was born.

He have recorded every moment, every toothless smile, every shaky step and all first mumbles from her beautiful mouth. He have watched her sleep, memorising the details of her innocent face and he have stayed up with his wife dealing with every diaper change. Not many fathers can boast having cleaned spit up, but he do. He have done it all.

Which is why, he refuse to believe that this is her.

He stand here in Gulshan Iqbal Park. He rushed here from home as soon as He heard about the explosion.

 He was woken by his frantic mother to inform him that his wife and her brother had taken all the kids to the park, two hours ago. It was their ritual for Easter Sunday. It was routine.

Every year, he accompanied them, mostly because his Angel urged him to go. This year though, exhausted from night before at church, he had stayed back to get some shut eye. “Papa hum jarhay hain” (father we are going), she had waved from the door in her melodious voice. Her smiling face was the last thing he saw before he fell asleep.

And now he stand here.

They have handed him a bundle. It is soggy with dripping blood. They say it is his daughter. 

"But this looks nothing like Angel. This smells of seared flesh, nothing like her. This looks distorted and ugly, nothing like her. This is lifeless, nothing like her."

They say his boys are fine. They say his wife is unconscious in an ambulance. His brother-in-law says it was a suicide bombing. He hears what they are saying. He believes them.

"But this, this bundle is not my Angel." 

He have put it down back on the gurney. His brother-in-law is shouting at him, shaking him. Some people in uniform are blocking his way. But he have something to do. He have to look for his Angel.

"I have to go look for my baby girl. I am sure she is out there somewhere. And that bundle is not her!!!”