mother's death

An auspicious day with a crystal-clear sky. The clouds in the sky pass slowly while the sky is looking beautiful with the orange color as it's past 5'0 clock in the evening, the sun is about to set, as it always does at this time of the year. The cool breeze is blowing slowly and gently. People are all pouring kerosene into their lanterns to lit up the dimming streets. The same routine that they all do every night, boring and yet needed as always.

Even though the world is developed with cars as well as electricity and many other technological items needed for a human to thrive. The village KISAN, in which people who solely depend on their lives on agriculture, are all still living the ancient life near the "WALL OF DEATH".

It's a very small village, with only 50 or so families living within the village. A small roaring bonfire was lit in front of every house, to keep the wild animals away at night. At night, the insects' sounds can always be heard loud and clear, especially in the calm and peaceful early night. The moon was shining brightly on this particular night, though.

Then suddenly there was a loud crying voice of a girl, this was heard all around the village.

She was wearing a short mid-length white frock, which was covered in blood. Its red liquid dying the once beautiful cloth a deep red. Along with that, her long wavy hair and her bright emerald eyes are covered with tears. Her dress is mostly ripped, the rest being bloody.

She is Zia.

Zia is a 10-year-old mute girl living with her single mother.

She is slowly dragging her feet along the rough dirt road while the hidden stones cutting and bloodying her even more with every step she takes, all the while she was also struggling to walk with her mother's dead body lying on her weak fragile small back. 

As soon as she placed her mother's dead body on the ground in front of her home, people gathered around her like flies. Though they+ all came with no sad expression, not on a single face around the whole village. It was so quiet that only her weeping noise is all that could be heard around.

Her mother's face has a 3-finger tiger claw mark, while her stomach is ripped open, leaving her intestines falling out of her body.

Zia could hear the whispers of people who had gathered around her. Their words only added more to her sorrow, just what had they done in the first place!

"I know this was bound to happen someday...”

"The cursed child must have killed her mother as well."

"Didn’t she kill her father after being born? and now her mother too!"

"Do you think we will die too if she stays any longer in the village?"

"Should we just throw her out?"

There are so many people talking so openly in front of her, their words just being wind-covered barbs, digging deeper and deeper into her mind.

Zia is not a cheerful person, she always got bullied in her school. Her mother, Althea, was the one who always had her back in whatever trouble she faced. But now...

Everyone around the village had feared Althea because she was a magic user, now as she is dead, they all openly and freely cursed Zia on her face. After all, no one would hurt them now for their words.

The loud voices of people slowly reduced as they distanced themselves as they had come. Each one slowly went back to their respective homes as if nothing had happened. Before she could blink again, she was left alone with her mother's dead body.

After weeping in front of her mother's now cold body for so long. She shakily stood up to do the rituals of death. As the only daughter of Althea and also in spite of being a girl, she has to gather the firewood to burn her mother's body.

In Hinduism, it is believed that a soul after living in the body for many years, gets attached to it and if it was buried the soul would then remain in it until the body gets rotten inside the sand and the earth. But if the body was burned after death, this then makes the soul leave the body immediately and move on to the afterlife that it deserves.

She needs the money to buy the firewood from the shopkeeper, and yet she doesn't have a single penny with her. She quickly ran inside her home and searched all over the house. Went through the draws and any kind of hidden space that she could think of. This though only leads her to find just 10 coins, which are not sufficient to buy the firewood that she needs. She then took her notebook out and started to go around knocking on every door in the village begging for money.

Even if the people hated her as well as her mother, they still had their gods to consider. They would not even deny her mother the most basic of human rights, right?

She got pushed away and got the doors slammed on her face. After knocking on all the houses within the villages, she still did not get enough money. The final effort of her for her mom had failed. Despair filling up every inch inside of her, she then came back and sat near her mother's ice-cold, dead body. She could only feel well nothing, she was empty, not even a tear now would roll down her face.

{I am sorry, I am sorry, I am the reason you can't rest in peace, mom. I am sorry!} Her thoughts caused the pain to come crashing in once more, this only leading her to cry even more. Crawling away, she slowly wrapped herself up in the corner. She then buried her face into her hands, crying.

Slowly, with her face wet from the tears, she drifted off into a painful and saddening sleep.

10'0 clock in the night.

She suddenly felt a warm hand on her shoulder, this quickly shook off the sleepless, sleep that she had been having.

Then she deftly raised her head to see Mr. Harper.

Harper is a 60-year-old man who is also the village head. Despite being old, he was a strong and healthy person.

"Come dear," he said catching Zia’s hands, and he then pulled her to a place, where there is firewood placed, enough for her to burn her mother's body.

It was a miracle! Maybe at least one man in this godforsaken village still had a shred of kindness, that at least was what she thought at the moment she saw all the firewood.

She cried once again as she touched her head to the ground, thanking him.

"It's fine, it's fine," he said calmly patting her head after making her get up and dust herself off from the ground.

He then helped her in carrying the body as she placed the body onto the wood.

Holding the wood which was lit, she hesitated for a few moments as it lit up her mother's face, allowing her to clearly see the loving face of her mother and guardian. Once she lit it, she knows she can never see her mom again, and with that thought she suddenly got afraid. This was it; this was final.

"You should do it, Zia, please give your mom the happiness of moving on to the afterlife, showing her how brave you can be" Mr. Harper patted her shoulders, giving her the little push that she needed to do what had to be done.

She, with his encouragement, lit the firewood around her mother's body, as she did this, she slacked down onto her knees crying harder than before as she saw her mother's body being burned.

"Cry all you want, child, but don't let the tears stay with you." He said kindly, then he silently stood beside her as she cried loudly, giving her a little company.

After this then walked her home, "Won't you come live with me, child?" He asked as she was about to go inside. Not only that but he is filled with warmth and care, this and his previous help were all the encouragement that she needed.

She quickly nodded and ran inside her house immediately. She then took a small bath, changed her clothes, and came out and saw the old man still waiting for her outside her door.

"Shall we go now?" he asked, while Zia nodded, following behind him silently. At least someone was showing her kindness, she quickly decided to repay him fully with everything that she could.

They then reached his large house built up of bricks.

Aside from being the village head, he was also the richest person within the surrounding area, being respected by all people around the village he became the village head nearly 20 years ago, and still, he was living and maintaining his position.

She felt happy as she thought someone didn't see her as a cursed being, little did she know that she was walking into the most dangerous place within the village.