Brutal: The Heartbreaking True Story of a Little Girl’s Stolen Innocence. Nabila Sharma

at him. The boy looked up.

      ‘Stand up!’ the imam ordered in Urdu.

      The boy got to his feet.

      ‘Now go outside,’ he said, pointing towards the door. ‘Fetch a branch from one of the trees. About so long.’ He held his hands roughly a foot apart. ‘Be sure to strip all the leaves off, then bring it to me.’

      The boy was puzzled and so were we. For a moment he just stood there, thinking it must be a joke, but it wasn’t.

      ‘Are you deaf, boy? Go and fetch a stick now!’ The imam’s voice boomed across the hall. We were stunned because it was the first time we’d heard him shout.

      The lad realised the teacher was serious, so he bolted straight outside to look for a stick. There were plenty of them to be found out there, because the street was lined with trees. A few minutes later he reappeared, bringing a branch with him. He’d done exactly as the imam had asked and removed all the leaves from it. It was smooth and thin and bendy.

      ‘Now give it to me,’ the imam instructed.

      The boy walked over and handed the imam the stick.

      ‘Sit down,’ he ordered, and the boy obeyed.