Mug Pie

Anniversary

6th November.
The date of their anniversary.
Their wedding anniversary, as well as her death anniversary.

Kabir tenderly pulled the blanket away from his body as the sound of the fajr prayer slowly filled his room. He rubbed his eyes, and with a headache that ascended in spirals, got up. Another sleepless night.

The bathroom tiles felt cold on his feet. The water jolted him awake. Muttering a dua under his breath, he performed his ablutions with ease and care, making sure not to rush. A cup with two toothbrushes sat in front of the mirror. Once the holy ritual was over, Kabir picked up her brush.

"What? Are you going to use my things now?"

He spun around, goosebumps rising.

Her dark, deep-set eyes stared back at him. Sharp, calm, mesmerizing. Her raven black hair fanned out below her hips, and a carmine red kameez hugged her body in all the right places.

"Naveera."

"Kabir."

They held each other's gaze for a split second before enclosing one another in a tight, painful embrace. Naveera was the first to gently break it off. She fixed Kabir with a sad, accusatory look.

"Kabir, what have you done?"

"Allah forgives all sins."

"Not like this," she whispered, tears pooling her eyes. "You're better than this."

A painful ache spread across Kabir's chest. "I was better with you. Nothing has been the same. I see you in my dreams, I think about you when I'm awake. I can't eat, I can't work." He clasped her hand. "One last time. I needed to see you one last time."

Naveera looked away. "Where's the body?"

"I dug it out of the grave and-"

Naveera held out her palm to silence him. "I'm part of the underworld now. Such things...we are used to them now. I have seen things that I will never be able to unsee. But you Kabir. You're different. You're alive. Why dirty your hands like this? What will come out of it?" 

"The punishment of the grave," Kabir touched Naveera's hands. Icy cold. "What was it like?"

"I don't remember much. I just remember that...I was with you...and then I wasn't. I was in a white bed next, red rose petals spread all over. Candles around a darkened room, a figure looming over. I thought it was you but when I reached out...it wasn't..."

"Naveera...?"

"Kabir...I..." Naveera straightened her posture. "I am to be wed."

Hurt flashed across Kabir's eyes, which slowly ranged between concern, anger, and confusion.  

"It's not what you think it is. I can't escape it. They say it is destiny. Jinni, they call me. I am to be wed to a Jinn. There are still people from other faiths here. Some Christians call him an Incubus."

"What have they done to you?" 

"I do not wish to speak of it, I am not allowed to, anyway. But you're not allowed to call me like this, love. Promise me, this will be the last time. Black magic is not something you tamper with. I found out too late."

"How do you expect me to live without you, Naveera? How will you survive in that world? I won't be able to keep the promise, I won't."

"You must, or else you'll be in danger. My Jinn husband will get jealous, he will threaten to possess you or tamper with your health and finances. He'll curse your family line, trust me on this Kabir. Just forget me. Live a good life. Remarry. Perhaps we will meet in the afterlife."

Kabir let go of his inhibitions and cried into his hands. "And what about you? Who is going to look after you in that wretched place? How are you going to stay there? What will become of you?"

"All hope is not lost, love. I don't have all the answers, but I have heard I need to go through a few soul cycles, and multiple deaths to keep being reborn again. I won't have this form forever, I will get to leave that wretched underworld, and staying with that Jinn will help deteriorate my health. They feed off life source and sexual energy."

Kabir clasped Naveera's hands into his. "Promise me, wherever you are, you will try your best to stay safe and happy?"

Naveera nodded. "Until the next time we meet, Kabir."

"Until the next time."