One Morning

I open my eyes slowly, escaping my sleep. I lift my head from the pillow to glance at the time. The clock reads 7:20. Today I am going to help mom in making dosa for breakfast. I hear low murmurs from outside. I crawl out of the bed and unlock the door.

Outside I see that I am surrounded by familiar faces-Anita masi, Nikhil mama and Mrs Sharma-our neighbour, and many other relatives. But no one notices me. The untimely visit of all these guests, confuses me.

Then I realize that they all are looking depressed and sorrowful. None of them is wearing even the slightest smiles. I take a few steps closer to the living room, scanning the crowd for my parents.

 My mom is sitting against the window wall, her eyes glassy with water and tears continuously dropping from them. She looks as if she has received an extreme shock. My heart sinks with pain and shock.

I inch a little more into the crowd when I see a body covered in a white cloth from head to toe. It takes me another second to realize that there’s a death in the family. My mind is blank. My body shivers with fear and grief.

Is it my grandfather? Or is it my aunt who was suffering from tuberculosis? Tears well up in my eyes. I swallow hard and move a few feet away from the body. A harsh wind enters the house, blowing the window curtains and revealing the face behind the cloth. It’s the face of a girl with a long nose and small lips. Her eyes are closed.

I have seen her. I have known her my entire life.

She is me.