A Trip To No Where

4) Revealing Death

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ
" In the name of Allah , the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful."

May Peace and Blessings of Allah Almighty be upon our beloved prophets, their noble companions and all the true believers present in this world or the other.
Ameen

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ تَوَلَّوۡا مِنۡکُمۡ یَوۡمَ الۡتَقَی الۡجَمۡعٰنِ ۙ اِنَّمَا اسۡتَزَلَّہُمُ الشَّیۡطٰنُ بِبَعۡضِ مَا کَسَبُوۡا ۚ وَ لَقَدۡ عَفَا اللّٰہُ عَنۡہُمۡ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ  غَفُوۡرٌ  حَلِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۵۵)
" Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day the two armies met, it was Satan who caused them to slip because of some [blame] they had earned. But Allah has already forgiven them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Forbearing."

سورة آل عمران 155

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Vafa

"Who are you?"

Her voice was hard, exact replica of the soft tone in which Halia asked me, "But your eyes look exactly like hers."

Ilia and Zeena exclaimed with surprise who had been standing all silent till now, as they yelled together, "You are her daughter!"

Yukna's hard expressions finally turned soft, as she gave a subtle smile, "Tell me please, she finally married that guy she kept talking about in the letters we used to share back then".

"Yes!", Ilia screamed, "That boy was highlight of most of her letters, we used to share so much letters back then... man, it had been decades", her voice seemed like she was reliving her memories.

"But then", Zeena said in sad tone, "she moved somewhere else, where we couldn't reach her, we tried so much to find her new address, but it was like she lived somewhere off the world, it was Halia who finally found her after all these years".

"I had to consult to an investigator for that", Halia said, "We don't know why she suddenly moved to a town far from the world, and that too after the letter in which she wrote she was going to propose that guy".

"So.. ", Ilia asked said in excitement, "Did she finally propose to him? How did she do it? We. want. full. details".

"But why didn't she come?", Zeena asked, "Don't tell me she had something important, Becuase we had all the letters posted a week ago!"

"She didn't", my voice was hoarse as I spoke, filled with raw emotions, making all of them step out of their reverie, and to look at me, "She didn't marry that guy, instead any guy for that matter. She stayed single, Becuase she said it was how she wanted to live".
I didn't look up or wait for any of their reaction.
"She..", the sobs now not in my control anymore, "She lived alone all her life, I asked her about it and she said, it was what she deserved even though I think she deserved all the happiness in the world".

My shoulder shaking with the sobs, my voice coming out in wheezes, "But still, she kept you guys always close to her heart, she always told me stories about you, to the point you guys were like hero for me who chased away that haunting look in my aunt's eyes. Becuase it faded away whenever she talked about you all, so I always asked her about you, too".

"Lots of albums", I spread my shaking arms wide as if showing them, "Lots of bulky albums filled with your photos, and memories, she always kept them close to her heart as if you guys never left her, as if you all had been there".