Page 1

It was the third day of Ramaḍān.

Uthmān sat up slowly.

His body felt heavy, and his eyes felt tired.

“Ummi,” he said softly,

“fasting feels hard today.”

Ummi smiled and brushed his hair back.

“When something feels hard,” she said,

“Allah gives extra reward for being patient.”

Uthmān nodded.

He took a slow breath.

He wanted to try his best today.

Page 2

Later that morning, Uthmān sat at the table, coloring carefully.

He chose each color slowly.

He liked how quiet the room felt.

For a moment, everything felt peaceful.

Page 3

Suddenly, his little sister bumped the table.

Crayons rolled across the floor.

The paper tore.

Uthmān’s chest tightened.

His face grew warm.

I worked so hard on this.

The words were right there, ready to come out.