Tell your story#27 Into the world of Homo sapiens (children).

Last week I went to the fun fair at my sister's school, with my mother, sister, and cousins. It was an open invitation for everyone to come, get Sun tan & burn, and leave.

At the gate, we had to purchase super expensive tickets for the entry and I am sure they must have made 3-4 million from that.

Anyhow, we made our smooth entry into the school and there were people all around, countless people. I didn't see this crowd when I visited it two years ago.

And do you know what did I think first?

What would happen if a terrorist blast happened here?

This is the typical mentality of an average citizen who grew up in a country fighting the war on terror.

When I was in high school, activities of fun fairs were diminished to only a few stalls here and there without any rides.

To ensure Less attraction.

So that fewer students and outsiders come to make sure less crowd.

Why?

Because of the threat of terrorist attacks.

When I went to college they banned fun fairs altogether. It was the time when we had the worst terrorist attack of our history, in a school(army school) that massacred 100+ children.

Our college teacher used to give us instructions on how to tackle the situation if terrorists visited us at any time.

Can you believe it?

Instead of studying, we were forced to believe that we were on our own to defend ourselves.

My sister's school is barely five minutes ' drive from our house and she was in kindergarten at that time. Her school as per the source was on the hit list because It is near the cantonment.

Can you imagine how dreadful it was to send her to that school and live in constant terror of what would happen?

We all become super sensitive when the cost is our children and siblings.

Our fears live in our subconscious and come out when we encounter a similar situation again like mine came out on this fun fair.

But I'm glad that the situation has become less deadly than it used to be, at least in Punjab. Authorities are arranging proper fun fairs for children and women(men are not allowed except for stall and ride owners).

Coming towards the fun fair

Young girls, women, and children were present there.

Some were dressed up as if they were at any wedding function.
Some were casually dressed for a party
Some were dressed modestly
Some didn't even bother to dress up and judged everyone for their choice of dresses(us, the audacity, who are we seriously?)

There was an air of merry-making.
Humans were eating, playing, clicking pictures, and making vlogs, and others were getting tired (us) because we had a baby with us.

As soon as we reached the playground we got hungry. We came without having our breakfast. There was no point in eating packaged food. We needed the energy to survive.

We opted for biryani (rice+chicken), fried Naan (bread), and dahi Bhalla (lentil dumplings and yogurt).

We were so hungry that we didn't bother to sit down or take any photos.

Food reviews?

I know We shouldn't say bad about any food but it was the worst in taste and very unhygienically prepared.

We barely ate it, cursed many times on our choice and wished to eat packaged food instead. My sisters on the other hand ate high-quality food while I along with my cousin seriously questioned our decision-making skills (on an empty stomach).

When we got a little energy from that below-average food( one wouldn't eat but hunger is the most powerful thing) we looked around.

Children were carelessly playing, running around, and taking rides.

There were camel rides available too, I don't know how young girls and kids dared to sit on them. It was a matter of sheer confidence. It was the sight for all the people out there like a billboard Anyone could take anyone's photos.

It has become so common to preach other's privacy with a single click. I'm that preacher.

There was also a lottery on tickets that students purchased from their school a day before.
To know the results and see who wins we had to wait and stay there till 4 pm.

Judges (teachers) were sat on the stage under the shade, cool, but the heat on the ground on a sunny December day wasn't tolerable( and crowds suffocate me terribly).

Therefore, we rushed towards the less crowded area of the school. We finally sat on the sidewalk and made a groan.

By that time my nephew was dehydrated and we forgot to bring water with us. The poor soul was so thirsty that he kept looking for a water bottle a girl was holding beside us.

Shamefully we asked her for the water bottle. She was so nice to give us, our baby had water, and that nice girl left immediately with her bottle(out of the fear that we would also ask her for water).

There was no water cooler nearby, the canteen was closed and we had to go to the main ground for drinks. We also didn't have the energy to move and now I seriously wonder how we used to enjoy parties and funfairs without getting tired.

Kids around us were charged up as if they had eaten Popeye's spinach.

However, one thing was surely there, peace and freedom, and mothers safeguarding their kids.

It was so good to see the children enjoying in their school and not getting massacred or terrorist threats.

These innocent souls are meant to be loved and held near our hearts instead of living under constant fear of terrorism.

Hi @mehwish-almas and @naina9, wanna share your story?