Reflections

Fall in Love; Rise to Grace

In the city of Heartslayers, falling in love was forbidden by the royal decree of Her Majesty. Anyone falling in love was punishable by hanging till death. The priests particularly hailed the order as the revival of the piety and chastity. The order had an immediate effect. Girls shut their doors to their lovers, as if they had never known them. Boys even failed to recognise the girls with whom they had been flirting. The promises of eternal love suddenly vanished. The city officials took great measures in implementing the order. Her Majesty's wish has to be implemented at all costs. At last sanity has prevailed. All marriages were to be sanctioned by Her Highness The Chaste Queen of Heartslayers' Royal decree. Special care was taken that there was no chance of the couple ever falling in love each other.

But there were some insane violators. They questioned the rationality of the orders. They planned to organise a demonstration holding hand sof their beloved and chant slogans outside Her Majesty's castle. All were apprehended. A swift trial was organised and they were condemned to death by hanging. To make the punishment exemplary, a public execution was organised. The violators; the arrogant offenders were to be paraded through crowd and taken to the stage to be hanged while looked upon by the city officials and surely by Her Majesty from balcony of the castle.

The day of execution came. It was a marvellous site. The way from prison to gallows was properly marked with barricades. Stones were placed for public to hurl at the bloody offenders. People were excited on the prospect of the scene which was about to be unfolded. Complete path was filled with people with special instructions to hurl abuses, taunts, laughs and stones. The last hundred meters of path was contained shards of glasses on which the offenders were to walk on foot. A sight specially staged to satisfy the ego of Her Majesty. As soon as Queen showed herself on the castle; bugles were blown to start the show. It all looked like a colosseum with people waiting with excitement for show to begin.

As soon as the doors of prison opened; there emerged group of young girls and boys. Their hairs scattered, their faces scarred, their legs shackled, hands chained to the neck; their clothes torned, lips dry, their faces bowed down. The crowd cheered and it all became electrical. The slogans of disgrace, disgruntle, slut and hussy spread in the crowd. A show was about to begin.

The group of bloody young lovers suddenly raised their heads slowly in synchronization; as if they had been practising. They looked around. A smile spread over their dried lips; their faces started beaming as if they were enjoying. The boys spread their hands and hold the hands of their beloved. The guards accompanying them started whipping them but they drew each other closer together and cried; if love is crime, then we will die again and again. Long live love; hell with piety.

Then with a jerk they started walking through the crowd. Chanting long live love and throwing kisses to the people who were showering arrows of taunts and hurling stones at them. With every taunt their voices becoming loud; with every stone their energy doubling. Long live love; hell with piety. Throwing kisses to the tormentors. With their every step, the energy of the crowd fizzled. But they kept on advancing till they reach the path with shards of glass.

They stopped at the edge and held each other in the arms. The crowd suddenly silenced. They were trying to imagine what is about to unfold. The arrogant criminals suddenly put off their shoes and with a bliss stepped on the shards. The beloved ladies followed the suit; with every step their feet injured. But instead of cries they chanted;

' Let's walk through the crowd shackled,
Let's announce that we have fallen in love,
Why to fear, why to hide;
Let our love stories spread like fire;
Let's throw smiles on the people hurling taunts and stones;
Let's dance on the shards with the joy;
Why to cry; why to cry;
Let the tyranny commit suicide;
Let's see the tormentor's will die;
Love is life; love is joy..

Slowly and passionately they danced on the shards and saw the crowd's  excitement turning into cries. Their feet bleeding, their flesh flying. There was utter silence. The mayor of the city, the priest and Her Majesty could see their power diminishing in plain sight. But the dance on the shards continued. The cries of the crowd became rising. Tears of the people flowing through their cheeks. Stones falling from their hands.

Finally the dancing criminals' feet could not bear the pain and they fell down. But they kept on crawling towards the gallows. Their bodies now bleeding profusely. Their faces turning white. But their voices as powerful as ever. Till they reach beneath the gallows. Their dance stopped. They supported each other to stand up. The crowd bending on their knees in sorrow. The faces of guards, mayor, priests and the Majesty turning white. The lovers stood up, they hugged each other and passionately kissed each other one last time. They held the ropes and wrapped it around their necks and shouted simultaneously in a loud voice;

Love is no sin,
Love is no crime,
Let's fall in love,
Till we die,
Let no tyrant stop us,
Let no one should ever try,
Love is life; Love is joy

The crowd moans turned into loud cries. The criminals signalled to the executioner to finish them at once. The executioner looked up towards the castle for Her Majesty's approval. Her Majesty's colour has turned white. She suddenly stood up on her throne and jumped from the tower of her castle. It was the only graceful exit left to Her. The Mayor turned back and ran into infamy. The guards suddenly stepped forward in anger and beheaded the priests. The criminals were unshackled finally and people could rejoice.

An act of falling in love caused lovers rise to grace; and caused grace to fall upside down.

PS: Now love reigns in the valley of Heartslayers. People of Alabama were wise enough and changed the spellings of the city's name little bit.