Family Short Story – And the clouds went on
Photo credit: colossus from morguefile.com
I looked up in the sky, filled with homes of clouds, rays of the sun which were trying to make its way through them. Right there, in one of those homes, I saw her face. Smiling. Like nothing was wrong. It was just me and her. No one else. Her smile was free from strife. Undisturbed. Showed me ways. Gave me answers. Made my day.
While I was imagining her in the best forms of nature, my cell phone rand inside the back pocket of my trousers. I slid the green sign on the screen and received the cell. The other voice spoke –
“Mark, it’s time.”
“Hmm”
I received nothing in return of my monotonous reply, just a beep. Disconnected.
I looked at the ground in disbelief. I came down the aisle, sat inside my car and drove my way to the cemetery.
As soon as I reached there, I saw a crowd of people in white clothes. They had lots in common except the colour of their clothes – sympathy and condolence in their eyes. More than enheartened ones. It was stinging, really.
Palmer was standing the closest, to Christie, wiping her eyes off again and again with her hanky . Trying to convince them to stop. Funny, she was more concerned about saving her kajal from being smudged. Meanwhile I, in order to shrink from those tormenting looks, closed my eyes and walked through the crowd to reach her. I didn’t utter a single word, just stood next to her, close to Christie when john came and whispered in my ears .
“Mark , its time.”
She was being buried. My sister, Christie. She was meeting God. She had lost the burden of breathing . Forever.
When the brief prayer was done, she was done with the world.
With us.
People came to me, pinned holes in my chest when they had those looks while the embracing was done. Tapping my shoulder and leaving with a string of words like
“Son , this is life . “
When everybody left, I sat next to her . I looked up in the sky, the clouds were still there. Just a little dense and a change in colour. It was grey now, sending little drops of water on the earth . The drizzle.
As moments passed by, I remembered her with all my heart. I remembered her feet without shoes. Her smile without teeth . Her eyes without even a pinch of darkness.
Her sheen eyes when I would bring her feathers of different birds. She loved them. Falcons, Peacocks, Pigeons, Jacamars. She had them all. I remembered her kisses on my cheeks when I would bring her a candy and presented it like a magician. I remembered her little hands holding mine so tight when the lights went out. I remembered all of her. Every innocent bit of her ,
I was still sitting, looking down towards her when the wind slapped my face with its invisible hands and there it was, by my side. A feather. Of Dove .
“Christie, look! I bought you something.”
Hoping that she would wake up and give a smile. That worthy smile. She didn’t wake up. God, no she didn’t! She stayed motionless right inside like an icicle. She was down the earth and up in the heavens which always bedazzled her.
I kept the feather near her and left. The place. Her. Forever.
And now when I look up in the sky filled with homes of clouds , rays of sun which were trying to make its way through them. I see her. Her worthy smile and you know what?
It all sinks in.
__END__
