An Inevitable

The old man took only one thing along with him- his soul!

The dying man sat on the bed with his eyes fixed on the floor. He noticed the little moth frozen in its escalating stillness with its paling wings spread over an area- an area ruled by darkness. The very air of that room was evocative of Death.

Death seemed slow, painful. From the little window of the deserted ward he saw the bustling street and realized that the world didn’t care if he existed or perished... In the next room, the loud cries of the infant could be heard down the hallway. A butterfly struggled to come out of its cocoon which hung from the potted plant kept on the window sill of the crowded ward. Everyone welcomed the new life. Life seemed blissful, easy.... At night, when the world fell asleep in the arms of the angels , singing the melodious lullaby, the old man and the infant were wide awake. They were standing on a bridge with the old man at its end and the infant at the beginning.

The end of one journey was the beginning of another. The eyes of the old man were empty and quenched of all desires while the eyes of the infant were curious and burned with desires. They communicated in a language unknown to human ears and the old man warned the young one to not to get blinded by the appealing and sparkling attire of the world . That it was nothing but an illusion which vanished before it even appeared fully. He prayed for his protection from the ruthless killers that murdered people’s innocence and conscience. He asked him to strive to keep the truth alive and to illuminate the world with the light of his knowledge that he would achieve.

The child stood still, dazed by what he heard. Little diamonds fell down from his eyes as he pictured his new abode. He knew it was the most important test of his existence and failing was not an option. The voyage he was about to set on needed perseverance and determination for it was the survival of the fittest.

The curtains that hid the world from the bright sun fell off like the bride unveiling her beautiful face and the darkness subsided. The old man went towards his final destination taking only one thing along with him- his soul! The moth had not left its place neither was anyone aware of its presence while the colourful butterfly blended with the colours of the world creating its own shades of colour. The stillness of the room grew as the last breath escaped the smiling lips of the old man while the infant in the other room cried at the top of its lungs as he breathed his first.