What Happens Now?

2

Mumbles and whispers were heard in a room filled with darkness. Nothing was visible in the room except darkness.

"Couldn't even keep her husband happy..." someone murmured, but no person was seen.

"I knew he wouldn't be happy with her." Another voice was heard.

"It's good he got another one. She wouldn't have been able to keep him satisfied anyways." One more taunt.

And then suddenly, a beam of light came with a figure standing infront of it.

The figure was looking black due to the light from behind.

Slowly the figure started getting clear. It was aniruddh. But suddenly another figure came beside him, too close for liking.

The figure cleared too. It was Manorama. Both were in wedding dress, garlands around their neck.

"You aren't my wife, bondita." Aniruddh said, clasping his hands with Manorama's.

"I'll never accept you as my wife."

"Manorama is my real wife. My humumra wife."

"You're just a kid."

"I'm sure he doesn't even like her."

"Manorama is my wife. And you shall accept her."

"She shouldn't even be living. They should've burnt her alive with her dead husband."

"I do not consider my marriage with you real."

"You should leave."

The words started growing louder and louder and louder, until there was a deafening sound.

"PATI BABUU!!" Bondita screamed as she woke up from her sleep.

She sat up on her bed, sweating profusely. Her hair was sticking all over her face, her chest heaving with heavy breaths.

After few moments, she realised. It was a dream. A dream or a part of reality which she seemed to face every night. And this night wasn't any different.

She closed her eyes, covering her face with her hands. She took in deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

After her breaths regulated, she looked at the clock. It was 3:46 am. The same time. She woke up from her sleep every night at the same time.

She didn't realise when she got out of the room and sat on the swing in the balcony, staring at the moon.

She loathed it. Not the moon but The time. The past. The present. Everything. She was loathing everything, even her life, at the said moment.

How easy it would have been, to just burn in that sati fire. Her life would've been so easy. It must've hurt in the beginning but after that, it had to be peaceful, she knew.

Nobody really knew about death. Even if people said that it was the end, who knew if there was an after life.

In Hinduism, it is said that people get either swarg or narak after death, considering your actions.

And bondita didn't really doubt it. But there had surely been moments of doubt, moments of curiosity. Wondering if any of it was real.

Wondering if even the life she's living was real, the breaths, the counted heart beats. Every single one of things in this materialistic world.

And the cruelty in the world made her think more. Made her wish that none of it was real. The cruelty, betrayal, cheat, Deceit, pain and what not. She wished everything to be fake and was expecting some peace after death.