KEEP ON GOING

PROLOGUE

"As I lit the pyre

I stood motionless,

Frozen by the Fire"

...

Memories of life burned away in the red flames of the deathly pyre. A man, 63, watched without a tear in his eye, for he had promised not to cry-because death is inevitable and death comes for everyone. He was the only one left now. He looked at the orange Sky of Dawn with his light blue eyes; he had been standing here all night. He had come here to fulfil a promise made long before the Fall of Dharti. He started collecting the ashes of his friend. As he picked up each unburnt bone, he was reminded of how fragile life is and how inevitable death is. Even though his friend had survived for this long and had led the world to a New Dawn alongside him, he too had fallen in the clutches of Yamraj. He puts his semi burned pelvic bone in the urn and thinks to himself "Man, I am going to miss your big dick jokes" and cracks up a smile as a tear falls from his eye. He suddenly bumps into another person who was collecting the ashes the same as him. It was weird as he hadn't noticed this person throughout the night.

"I wasn't expecting you here" he says.

"The only way to beat expectations is not to expect" other person says winking. He seems happy, not the same person he was Five years ago- burdened by leading the World into New Dawn. He had discarded his left eyepatch and now there was just emptiness in his eyesocket.

"It's been too long" the person with blue eyes says.

"Far too long" the other person replies as they hug each other for one last time.

"Guess, we are the only ones left" the other person with the empty eye socket said.

"About that" the blue eyed person says as he looks at the blurry photograph of the deceased. "Shall we fulfil our promise?"

"I already have cigars"

"They better be Partagas no. 6"

"You bet"

They finish up picking the ashes in silence, they did not know what to talk about. They only had broken memories and a lifetime of experiences to share.

They go to the blue-eyed person car and put the one-eyed person hold the urn in the shotgun. They drive for one last time together.

"I am playing the first song," the one-eyed person says.

"Be my guest" the other person replies, scared.

The other person puts on the song "vo kagaz ki kishti" – "that paper boat" by Jagjit sing and they hit the road.

GlossaryDharti- The Earth Goddess in Hinduism, it also means the Earth itself.Yamraj – The Hindu God of Death, he guides the soul to their next destination."Vo Kagaz ki kishti" – A Hindi song by Jagjit Singh about the memories of Childhood"Fall Of Dharti"- An apocalyptic event that occurred some 20-30 years ago"New Dawn" –The movement led by these two friends and a couple of others to lead the world into a new age after the apocalyptic event"