1854
Flames consumed the brick red minaret as the sky turned red. The fire ran so tall that it appeared to merge with the dark sky. A faint incoherent wail blared behind while the tower blazed into nothingness. Tahira sat on a rock, a mile away from the smoldering building with tear-stained cheeks and revenge burning in her eyes. But while vengeance upheld her, love broke her from within. In her arms, an infant cried. She cradled him and sang him a lullaby.
Do not sleep, my prince
Do not sleep
The flames will come for you
If you wince
They will swallow you completely.
Do not sleep, my prince
Do not sleep.
She stood up, cradling the baby and singing to him. Tahira turned to the shinning lake while the infant still cried. The hums awoke the night, and the stars sang with her. The water burbled ahead, and the dry wind lifted her hair. As she walked barefoot into the water, the baby went quiet. Tahira looked at him and said, "you have your fathers' eyes" and kissed his soft forehead. Stuffing her pockets with the heaviest rocks on the bank, she walked ahead. But then she looked back at the minaret just one last time. There stood a man, looking at her, while the flames still consumed the large building. Tahira smiled and walked forward surrendering to the water and knocking at the gates of death.
YOU ARE READING
Hotel Noor
HorrorIn the empty hotel corridors, she awaits. And she will always wait. Roohi, a photography enthusiast visits Kashmir with her crew to shoot for their new project. But little did she know that she will find herself enchanted by a mere hotel. She digs...
