Warning: Death of beloved characters
OS: Even In Death
"Journeys end in lovers meeting..."
~ Shakespeare
This cannot be happening again, thought Suman as the news flashed on TV. There had been an accident. It surely must be another one of her nightmares of the day her world had temporarily stopped. His birthday from months ago. She would just need to wake up and it would be a distant memory again. None of this felt real.
She could hear them all around her, saying things, moving around, but all she did was sit there staring at the TV screen. She could hear the others searching for her. Oh, I need to see her, Suman thought, gaining strength from her fierce eyes like the last time, holding her small form, she would shower words of comfort onto me. She’ll tell me he is alive and then as if by her sheer will, he will be back here in the flesh and well.
Just as Suman was trying to muster the strength to move her wheelchair and go find her, a scream echoed in her house, someone had screamed her name. Raavi.
Before Suman could move, someone was wheeling her away from the TV, to a room, their room.
As they got closer the blood drained from Suman’s body, there she was, Raavi. Beside the bed, clutching one of the photos that hung in their room, his photo, Shiva.
She didn't need others to say anything, she already knew, the girl who lay lifelessly beside the bed, clutching the photo to her chest with a faint smile on her face, was gone. Raavi was gone.
She found half of her children scurrying away to get the doctor but most importantly to find him, Shiva. But all they brought back was more grief for the house.
Everything after that was a blur, preparations were done then people arrived. The one thing Suman remembered though was how similar both of them were, even in death. He too, when he came back, had a photo clutched in his hands, her photo, with a faint smile on his face.
They needed to get the two ready for their last rites, but no one could get the photos out of their hands, the doctor had said something about muscles after death that Suman couldn’t quite understand. All she could think of was how similar they were, stubborn, even in death.
Everyone gave up on removing the photos from their hands and instead both of them were placed beside each other. But something happened. As soon as they were laid down, their hands, holding each of the photos, had let go of it. Instead, their hands fell onto their sides, touching each other’s hands instead. So they lay there, almost holding hands, and Suman had thought, how similar they were, seeking the one they loved, even in death.
Everything for Suman fell silent after that. Time, afraid to disturb the Silence, almost stood still, refusing to indicate that the world had moved on. After what felt like forever, Suman finally opened and entered the room she’d not let anyone else touch. They had brought all his belongings back to Suman and she wanted to make sure it was right where it would be, just in case by some miracle her children decided to end this cruel prank and come back to her.
She kept his wallet on the dresser, kept his washed clothes, which she held onto for so long, back in the cupboard & then there was his watch. It was a gift from her, from the money she had earned, Suman remembered the childlike excitement on her face when she had asked Suman to keep the watch hidden until she could wrap it and finally give it to him. After her children were… well, gone, Suman had kept it just as safe as she had done before. It was broken now, from the impact of the accident. She dared not look at the time, she didn't want to know the exact moment her son had…
Neither did she have the heart to give it to a stranger to fix. Now, she sighed as she proceeded to the bedside table where he’d like to keep his watch before he slept. As she proceeded something on the floor caught her eye. It was a clock, the one they kept by the bedside she thought, every room had a matching vintage clock. Not wanting to trip over it, she picked it up. It was strange that it had fallen, no one had entered the room since they… Then she realized it must have fallen right when Raavi…
Suman knew she couldn't stay in the room longer, she hurried to keep both objects on the table. But as she did her eyes caught the time both the watch & the vintage clock showed. Both of them were broken & the time, 6.05 pm, exactly the same.
What are the odds, Suman thought both of them had broken at the same time. It took a moment for the realization to sink in.
For the first time in months, the Silence in Pandya Niwas was broken by a heartbreaking wail. When the other family members followed the sound and reached the room, all they saw was a grieving mother on the floor, mourning her children, dead.
Only Suman and Time knew that she had just learned how very similar both her children truly were. Meant to be together in this lifetime… her stubborn, stubborn children had decided to be together… even in death.
The End.
P.S: Raavi had once said, she wouldn't be alive, if her Shiva was dead, I'd like to believe it to be true, that this is exactly what happened.
I hope you liked it... Until next time ❤️
Kumkum Bhagya
Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
Shiv Shakti
