The following night kamala wore a midnight blue coloured kurtha to
make sure that no one would see her in the dark. The sea was calm.
The waves seemed to tenderly embrace the shore like a mother’s hand that stroked a sleeping baby. Kamala used to go for long walks with her father when she was young. Now, he came to visit her once in every 2
years and brought her gifts but no gift was more valuable to her than his presence. She wasn’t afraid to visit the beach at night. This was her playground. The sea shells that lay buried under the sand reminded her of her childhood. She used to collect them and make necklaces out of it.
The sky was alive. Hassan and Kamala was walking side by side. A full moon along with a few stars were present to great them. When they reached an old well, Kamala pressed her hands on the rough stones on its edge and leaned forward to look inside. This well was abandoned after the death of a young girl who drowned herself in it.
“It must be lonely down there.”, said kamala
She could see her reflection in the water inside the well but the moon
and the stars were nowhere to be seen.
“The well is too narrow to capture the beauty of the night sky.”, said
Hassan.
Kamala turned around to face him.
“I feel like my time is running out. With each passing day I am growing
weaker.”, he said.
“Do you have any plan.”, she asked.
“You have been to my house before, right?”
She nodded.
“Under the stairs there is a cupboard. Open it and you will find a black
cardboard box.”
“What is inside it.” Kamala was curious to know.
“It’s embarrassing but it is the best I have got. Could you go to my
house and take it.”
They continued walking, the clouds in the sky were also moving.
“I was 12 years old when my younger brother was born. The first time I
held him he was wearing a white cotton dress. He was sleeping but he
wrapped his fingers around mine as I stood there looking at him in awe.
I have kept that tiny dress of his. The first piece of cloth that he wore. I thought it would be a nice present to give him when he is older. This tiny dress along with a bigger one that he can wear. I know it’s stupid.” He said shaking his head. “It’s not stupid its beautiful.”, she said.
As he was talking about his brother his eyes were shinning and his face
was filled with emotions. No one would believe that he was a ghost.
Everything around them were silent. If it weren’t for Hassan talking Kamala would have assumed that the world had come to a standstill.
“Next week, on Saturday it’s my parents wedding anniversary. I used to get them flowers every year. Could you send them flowers on my
behalf.” he said.
“I would love to.”, she said.
“Do you think they’ll like it or would this make them sadder.”
He turned his eyes away and his voice was shaking.
“I am sure that they would love to hear from you in one way or
another.”, kamala said.
