A Cup of Coffee with Life

The Divided Heart - 3

                  I ran fast, faster than ever, hoping to be faster the fate which can separate us. My heart thumped loudly, but more than that, the word 'Gurman' reverberated more louder. Panting, I reached Gurman's house.

                  There was nothing there, no blood, no corpses, no house at all. All it remained were the ashes which shaped the beautiful hut of Gurman's. Fighting through the rubble, I searched. But, this time, NOT TO FIND ANYTHING. At least then, I could live the rest of my life, hoping that Gurman is safer elsewhere. But, in the midst of those ashes, there existed a half-burnt pink turban lying in a puddle of blood.

                   My mind stopped thinking, and I madly started to search for Gurman, kicking through the ashes and uprooting the bushes. Nothing found. All I could do was to hold the blood-stained turban to my face and cry.

                   Baba and I searched for Gurman for the next few hours, but all our efforts went in vain. What a drastic change it was! Just two days ago, I remember enjoying the Lahore markets, just a week ago, Gurman and I were playing with the glow worms, just a few days ago, people in Bilal lived in harmony without communal differences. All of that changed by a poison called 'hate'. Two days was enough to destroy entire Bilal.

                   The sun started to set. The usual orange sun seemed to be red, reflecting the state of Bilal. Still, there was no sign of Gurman. As the time passed by, our hopes started to fade away like the fading sun.

                    Baba and I split ourselves and started searching for Gurman in every place we roamed together, the masjid street, the open fields, British office. While I passed through the Sikh lane, I was chased by a small mob and I hid myself in the bunker, which I and Gurman used to play.

                     The bunker was pitch dark, the entire world seemed to be in charcoal. The night was dead except for the buzz of insects. But, the bunker seemed weird then. I could sense the presence of another being rested there. Fearing, I turned my lamp to find Gurman drooling in blood, lying unconscious.