14 February.
The bodies of Dev and Radhika were lying next to each other.
As they set ablaze the poor souls, their families thought they had successfully put an end to the love of the couple. They had never been so wrong in their entire lives...
As they set ablaze the poor souls, their families thought they had successfully put an end to the love of the couple. They had never been so wrong in their entire lives...
3 days ago
"I don't know what's going to happen, Dev. I'm really scared. We might die," Radhika said worriedly.
"Do you fear death when I'm by your side?" Asked Dev.
"No," said Radhika, mustering all her courage.
"So why are you afraid?"
"It's just that. I want to spend my whole life with you. I want to grow old with you. I can't let our love die like this."
"Our love would never die. Even if our lives do," he said as he smiled.
Radhika masqueraded a smile.
.
.
There they lay on the floor. Their bodies, half-burnt and lifeless. Their souls, slowly escaping their cadavers, were longing to be liberated of their misery. They kept wondering how much honour had the honour killing brought their families. After toiling hard to make it through their smouldered skin tissues, they were free from this cesspool, called life.
.
.
There they lay on the floor. Their bodies, half-burnt and lifeless. Their souls, slowly escaping their cadavers, were longing to be liberated of their misery. They kept wondering how much honour had the honour killing brought their families. After toiling hard to make it through their smouldered skin tissues, they were free from this cesspool, called life.
Dev had been a man of his word when his soul resided in his body. And even then, he was the same. Death couldn't part them. They had died, but their spirits were still together. Their lives had ended, but their love hadn't.
Due to the unjust play of fate, Dev and Radhika had never been able to celebrate their love. Their entire youth was spent running from their own families & the cultural champions of our society.
Karma decided how long would a soul get to stay in heaven. Karma was the
account that maintained the record of all the good and bad deeds done in a life. Their Karma reckoned it to be one day, after which they'd be reborn. So they both had one last day together. Ah! And what an occasion. Valentine's Day.
account that maintained the record of all the good and bad deeds done in a life. Their Karma reckoned it to be one day, after which they'd be reborn. So they both had one last day together. Ah! And what an occasion. Valentine's Day.
Radhika ruminated how she used to envy the ladies who could have the company of their partners on Valentine's Day, and also how her family never let her meet Dev. Her grin started fading away upon realising something.
"What happened? Don't worry, I'm with you. We're together now," said Dev as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"But Dev, it's just one day! We won't be together tomorrow. Aren't you afraid of the future?" asked Radhika.
"If I were afraid of the future, I wouldn't have proposed to you 7 years ago. I'm not afraid of the future. I'm just afraid of not loving you. For now, we're together. Seize the day, baby."
Radhika's eyes lit up as Dev uttered those words.
She had always imagined being in a world of her own, with Dev. Just the two of them. Ultimately, her dream came true.
Heaven was nothing like people had imagined. It was just a dimension beyond space and time which could mould itself into anything the soul wanted. It had no boundaries, no fountains, no perimeters. It was nothing, yet it was everything.
They closed their eyes, and pondered where they wanted to be. As soon as they opened them, a new world, one which was their own, awaited them.
The place was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Surrounded by beautiful mountains, vivacious waterfalls, and exquisite trees, sat the couple on a bench that smelled of chocolates.
"Is this your world? It's amazing," said Dev, bewitched by the beauty of the place.
"Yes. And where's yours?" Asked Radhika.
"Right by my side," he smiled as he held her hand tightly.
Radhika felt content. Never had she spent some time with her love without being tensed about the future. Here, she could love him without worrying about anything.
Dev felt content. He had never liked the way his love used to worry about their families, the society, and the future. He had always wanted to take her to a place where all her worries would cease to exist.They got up from the chair and started walking. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, and held his hand as tightly as she could, longing to never let go of it.
Moments later, they were walking on the sand beside a river. The sun shone brightly upon the water surface, and the effect looked like crystals surfacing the water. As she looked at the crystals, Dev couldn't help but look at her shimmering eyes. For some seconds, she was so hypnotised by that picturesque that she didn't even notice Dev looking at her. But he didn't mind. The smile that had engulfed her face was as soothing as it could get for him. As she realised it, her eyes met his. The next moment, she could feel the feather touch of his lips on hers. No kiss in the world could have been more beautiful than that. His fingers caressed her cheeks and moved towards her neck. Every muscle inside them tightened at that moment. After a seemingly never-ending round of tonsil-hockey, they parted their lips, gasping for breath.
"I love you, Dev. Please don't leave me," said Radhika.
"I won't. I'm with you, Radhika. Don't worry," he pulled her closer to him as he said that.
It was raining in the evening. Radhika looked as beautiful as a queen while the water dripped down her face. Nothing could be more marvellous than her hair at that moment.
They were back at the river shore. A little wooden house was situated near the shore. They decided to spend their last night together in that house.
They went upstairs on the terrace to have a look at their world. After promising each other of eternal romance, the two, on a mattress of leaves and under a blanket of stars, made love the whole night.
As they woke up the next morning, they realised that not much time was left. She cried and hugged him, who too couldn't control his tears.
"Can we have a last walk?" asked Dev.
"Yes," she replied.
Dev took her to a vivacious boulevard.
During that last walk, none of them uttered a word. They just felt the warmth of each other engulfing them as they drowned in the aura of the place.
Finally, the moment arrived. The messenger from heaven came to tell them that it was time to go.
Dev held her close to him and said, "I will always love you. In this life, in the next one, and all the upcoming ones. I will meet you, wherever you are, and die again with you, so that I can have a little piece of heaven again."
"You won't have much trouble finding me, dear. I will come to you. I will love you till the end of time," said Radhika as a tear came to her eye.
"Until next time, dear."
"Until then."
They saw each other for the last time. As they closed their eyes and buried their lips into each other, everything blacked out. The karmic cycle of birth and death had completed itself.
It was the best Valentine's Day they had in their lives, I mean 'afterlife'.