Land Of Life And Death

Separation

To see the beauty of the mountain more closely, 3 years old Aahil walks closer to it. Soft waves and cold wind greet him with the magnificent beauty of the valley. He could see breathtaking mountains and how deep the valley is. Mountains were so high that they touched the lips of the clouds. He was mesmerised by the sight and he no longer wanted to blink his eyes. He stretched his small hands to feel life little more. At that moment a giant bird came and took him away with him. His mother was sitting watching his child enjoying the beauty of this world. Shouted with pain 'No!'

Her voice vibrated in the valley. Her child was gone to a strange bird, who everyone in the valley dreaded. She kept calling Aahil, and cried her heart out in misery, pain, horror, pity, need. She was left stranded there with no help. The bird took the child away with him far across the valley. The bird crossed the rivers, oceans, cities, sky and finally disappeared into a bright light. Years passed, every year a child was sacrificed to this bird. Today was the day of Aahil.

One day in the valley, a stranger came carrying his child on his shoulder. He was starving and needed a place to stay. A woman looking at his condition took him into her house, fed him and his child for days till they both were able to function well. The man had nowhere to go, he took up a small work in the valley as a shopkeeper and sold goods to city dwellers. The women insisted them to stay with her as long as they pleased. And the man stayed in her shelter for days. And the day finally arrived a child was supposed to be sacrificed to the giant bird. The woman pleaded with the man to let her child live and give his child, Rehan away to the bird. He smiled at her as if he knew she will come to him. He agreed to let go his child but asked her to accompany her when the giant bird would take his child away thinking it was hers. She agreed at once. And 4 years old Rehan walked the soft carpet of the earth happily to reach to the place where he would be carried away to the place unknown. A giant bird arrived from the magnificent sky and took the child into his claws and fly away to the deep sky, slowly his giant image disappeared. The woman burst into tears and Rehan was gone forever.

As days passed, the man became impatient to meet his son Rehan. He became more and more reckless. One fine morning when the sun woke everyone up, the woman could not find the man in the house. He left the valley and nobody knew where he went. His small shop was shut down and everyone went back to their work. The women were left alone with her child in the house, weeping for Rehan and his father.