"When Death Kisses...."

The next day, the body woke up, amazed by the soul sitting on the chair with wide-open eyes. The room was warm, but the soul was shivering. As Lily passed through the hall, everything was in its place except for the lady in the rocking chair. She screamed for Mama, but only her echoes responded. Some familiar faces entered the house, hugged her, and offered their condolences. She ran back to her room, where the soul was still there, but its eyes were now closed. Yesterday, she had buried the lady she called her life. Her life was gone; it slept peacefully beneath the soil and gifted her chaos. Mama had taught her everything but forgot to teach her how to live without her.

Everyone around her was mourning, but she was not. Death had turned her into a reticence. Her eyes kept staring at the rocking chair in the days that followed. The plants were weeping, and so were the curtains.
We live as if life is forever. When death kisses, life seems lifeless. At first, death appears Kafkaesque, then lingers as a reverie, and later transforms into magical realism.

Weeks went by, then months. Lily was left alone with Rosie’s memories. She was drowning in a sea of loneliness. Her entire life had revolved around Rosie. Lily spent most of her time sitting in the rocking chair. She could see the garden blooming, but she was held in the arms of autumn. Acceptance of Mama’s death came later; meanwhile, she found comfort in denial.

When autumn walked into the garden, Lily began searching for spring. She indulged in Rosie’s habits. The void was still there, but Lily found life in remembering Rosie’s lessons. She swung between life and death through the moments they had shared. She cast away loneliness and embraced solitude.

Lily planted roses in her garden, expanding the universe Rosie had left behind.

~Aamna