Wasl

۰43۰ Melancholy / اُداسی

Life is to death
As pain is to pleasure
------------------

The halls of the Hussain House were silent. They always have been silent, but today the silence was different. It radiated pain and unexplainable sadness. The grandeur of the House fell dull as the wide and long white sheets lain spread on the floors where countless beads lay. Some unread, some read. Dozens of women were present, but only a few were actively reading the Quran. Others were busy gossiping.

"I wonder what happened to her? She was fine when I last saw her".

"Must be her age. She was reaching mid seventys."

"I think it has to do something with the stress and house hold drama."

Having enough of them disrespecting the dead, Sahar slammed the tray of water with more force than necessary. The three women alarmingly looked at her and plastered fake sympathies on their equally fake faces.

"If you can't stop bad-mouthing, then please see the door."

Their mouths remained hang open in shock, but she paid no heed and walked away. She was furious at the women. Sawera's coffin only lifted hours ago and people were already talking abuse about her. She felt furious to the bone. She wanted to kick them out of the house, but refrained since it wouldn't look too great on their part and would attract unwanted attention.

The night Sawera collapsed was the most painful night for all the family. She had been battling with lung cancer that reached it's last stage three months ago. She never told anyone. She kept her disease hidden. To maintain power or to not stress the household, she didn't know. But what she knew was the gutteral expression that crossed her husband's face when the doctor announced her fatal disease to him. He looked like he took a blow to the heart which was true. The entire night he didn't say anything. He kept quiet. She too was sacred out of her mind. The news was very shocking. No one could have known that she was dying. Maybe it's because of the unbreakable aura she surrounded herself with. She showed to the world that she was untouchable, unbreakable.

That not even the most threatening circumstances could deter her. But, she lost all her power and persona to the inevitable truth.

Death.
The end of our lives and beginning of the after life.

A very eye opening realization was that no matter how powerful you are, how rich, how poor, how good, how bad, in the end, dust is what we all will return to. We'll be the soil people walk on. Six feet under the ground. All our power, allies, money, assets left behind in the perish world.

A shudder passed through her form at the thought. It was equally terrifying and bone chilling. Because some day everybody has to face this truth, one way or another.

Just like Sawera did.

Her chain of thoughts were broken when she felt a presence behind her. Turning around, she found her mother coming toward her.

"Take some rest, beta. You've been up since last night."

Last night was the night when Sawera took her last breath. She was in the hospital for three days and there nights before before finally succumbing to the eternal sleep. She never come back to her senses and died in her sleep. She never knew that the last time she talked to her was probably their goodbye. Tears again gathered in her eyes and she said to her mother

"I didn't really know her, yet I feel so much sadness."

Tanzila sighed before wrapping her arms around her daughter as she softly wept for the woman she didn't know much, but still felt a lot for. Her mother's hand softly rubbed her back as she held her while she cried silently. However, she pulled away when she found her husband entering through the front door. He was dressed in a brown kurta which was all rumpled and creased. Behind him was Zaviyar with equal appearance. Both the brothers looked half dead as their eyes were crowded with bags and their shoulders too stiff to relax.