The light rays of the sun fell on her face. She opened her heavy eyes and looked at the window glistening with the sunrays. She groped around in her bed. For an instant Maya had forgotten yesterday. For an instant she forgot what made her eyes and head heavy. She had forgotten Suraj. She had forgotten her son!

Maya rose from her bed. She thought of all the pain her tiny little baby had endured. Those merciless needles pinned to his body. Those innumerable times they drew out his blood. Those false hopes all had given her; that some medication might work and he would have a better life.

Suraj was her six year old dead son! Dead! To think of that word always had made Maya shiver. Yet, it didnt have any effect today.

She and Deep had had a son after ten years of marriage. Their Suraj, the sun of their universe was born and then their life felt complete. He had never been a troublesome child. Even as an infant he never troubled Maya. He would sleep when Maya would cuddle him. He would wake when all awoke. He would not fall sick as often the other kids would. Maya was a proud mother and she would always heap praises in front of others.

And then destiny struck them hard. Suraj was five when he started falling sick. His temperature would rise uncontrollably and he started becoming frail. They ran hysterically from one doctor to another. After running hundreds of tests and checkups, Suraj was diagnosed of blood cancer.

Maya and Deep’s Suraj, their universe, could not be cured as his cancer was in third stage and his body was fragile to respond to the medicines. Maya went to every temple, every saint’s tomb, every church’s priest, but nothing was working. Slowly his conditions worsened and in a year, he breathed his last.

That was yesterday. Her Suraj was no more. Her Deep was broken. She was shattered. She had seen his lively and beautiful face become lifeless. She saw his smile fade. She saw his breath stop. She saw his eyes close. She saw it all.

But something was strange. Being a mother of a deceased son, she shouldnt be feeling like that. Was she a bad mother? Was she a cruel woman to feel this way after her son died? Was she going crazy? What was this? Maya kept wondering.

She felt a peace. She felt that her son was at peace. Her Suraj was at peace now. No more piercing needles into those tiny veins. No more hospital visits. No more awful medicines. No more painful cries. She felt at peace that finally Suraj was too at peace. This world was just not worthy of her son. He was an angel whom the world was giving pain beyond his endurance. Maya for once smiled as she saw her son’s picture hanging on the wall. She saw him smiling back. And then her tears started falling. Her world seemed lost but she knew he was somewhere above, smiling back at her!

Published by Syeda F R