And when she is asked..

It was a morning when it happened. That one calamitous day he refused to forget.

December 24, the last days of the year tow thousand eleven and the very beginning of the birth of his child. The husband in a foreign country while his wife endured all the tough moments for him to come back home. She went through the process of delivery alone with perseverance. And finally experienced the joy of holding her new baby and the delight of her accomplishment, embarking on this most wonderful journey called 'Birth'. Alas, their happiness wasn't destined to last long.

The morning birds chirped and the sun burned all who came at its way. The sky stood above without any pillars that any can see. It was a wonderful start to hear the good news, 'his wife delivered a baby boy.'. However, man doesn’t attain all his heart's desires for the winds don't blow as the vessels wish. It was a matter of time before it was delivered to him. "It's a girl!". Oh the words have devastated his innocent smile that crawled up at his face. {And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief.}. The mountains have boiled away and the heaven that was raised without pillars now has fallen.

It was a girl, how was he supposed to take care of her? It was a girl, how will he be able to prepare the dowry? Is she to be single for the rest of her life because he wasn't able to afford a hundred thousand lakh rupees? It was a shame. He had to decide. The last solution has now become the first and only one. She was to be buried alive. The act was partially out of compassion. His chest was stinging with pain. He cried.

A grown man crying. His sobs were heard all over the ally. A man crying. One loud cry that turned into weeping. It was enough to pierce the window of my bedroom. I heard him. Not the cry of happiness a person might cry receiving the happy news, rather it was a cry of loss, unable to influence what just happened.

Silently I heard his sobs one after the other for half an hour. The cry of a man who lost his own child under the harsh circumstances from his society.

{And when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked. For what sin was she killed.}

That's when I realized...

The first step, another step and the last one she climbed. The very last step, she felt safe and calm, raising her head looking at the fainted moon just above the sky. On her left side, where the little rock-made bin was dumped, appeared out of the shadow sticks that came altogether, coincidentally to form a creature similar to a human being not fully completed. "Ask and you shall be granted!" he spoke, voice full of pride. "I want the living things to vanish!" she demanded with tenacity. "Granted!" his voice echoed.

Night waned, one star studded the sky. Wind blew strongly. The green grass and trees danced to the rhyme ferociously. It was a moment before the collapse. Nothing seemed alive around her. Things around stopped. No sign of life could be spotted, not even a breath except hers. "I'll fend for myself." she gathered her strength and affirmed. She moved, going down the three steps, relaxing with each one. She reached the bottom, the very last step, where the ultimate place of calm entered her body and crept around her heart.

She sat, wrapping her arms tightly around her knees. It was chilly and cold. The lifeless scene and scent surrounding her from all sides. A second, a minute, an hour and so on continued. The car remained there in front of her, unable to function without a living thing. Her brother was no more and so was her mother who decided to tag along. All were engulfed in her selfish demand. She curled up into a ball resting her head on her knees. It was difficult to breathe. There was this burden that rested on her shoulder, ringing that bugged her ears, chilliness that infiltrated like wind into her very bones, shivers that annoyed every piece of her body, thoughts that immersed her head, darkness that swallowed her eyes and wound that demolished her heart. "If only I can take it back.."

Morning welcomed her when she decided to open her eyes. Sun rays diffused by the sun lighted and colored the background. Living things came back alive. Earth was full of life.
"That's when I realized I can't live without them!"