The Last Rites

Chandra a teenage girl from the villages, was always fascinated by fairy tales of all sorts that her mother used to tell her. 

Her mother, was in her forties, when she was bedridden, due to a chronic illness. Her only past time was, or precisely the time killer was engaging herself in entertaining her child Chandra!..

Their only support was Raja, the breadwinner of the family, Chandra's brother. He would work day in and out to make the ends meet. 

Now that the treating doctor had said that, their mother is counting her last days, Raja was shattered. He knew that Chandra would never be able to digest such a bitter truth!. So, he would leave Chandra and their mother alone in their fantasy world. He just wanted Chandra to be happy, even though it was an irony!

 

Their mother's time to part with them had come sooner than expected, Chandra was sitting next to her when she was just telling her favorite story, "the Prince charming" as Chandra's mother had named it!.. 

As the story went, Chandra was just immersed in her imagination of how her prince charming would look, he would be adorned in all silk, shiny ornaments would wear a crown studded with gems and diamonds and would come to get her on a white horse, that's what she would think. She thought, all her miseries would end once her prince charming comes and takes her out of their house with dilapidated brick walls. She thought, she no longer would be washing those already torn, half stitched clothes, won't be fetching water from far away well, won't be drenched in the rain even when inside her house!.. 

Mother, mother!! Chandra exclaimed, as her mother was no more, as she breathed the last air, she had finished her story of 'prince charming'. "You are prince charming will come to you soon" was the last words she heard from her mother before she departed.

Chandra couldn't react, no words came out of her mouth, mother, her only favorite in the entire house, was no more!.. Will she ever come back and bring her Prince Charming?

Raja, who was out, at work, was thunder stuck once he heard the news of her mother's demise. Even though it was expected, he hadn't expected it this sooner! He ran towards his home and his mother was lying there motionless!

Chandra on the other hand had stopped uttering even a single word! 

Elders of the village, gathered around the house, raja had to arrange for the last rites!

The pyre was made, with their mother's body on it, raja lit the holy fire!.. Chandra was dumbstruck, she stood there motionless, seeing the fire swiftly burn her mother's body away, she remembered her last words. That her prince charming would come to her, would take her out of all the misery on a golden horse!.. To her surprise she could see her prince charming in the burning pyre, the image became deeper and deeper as the fire engulfed the whole pyre, it was as though her prince was approaching her, more closer! But for her dismay, the fire was short-lived.

She would think about the same, every time she would light a chulha, she would wait for her dream Prince's image to appear, she thought he would come, come again! But no, he never appeared after that instance!.. After her mother's last rites!

What was her fault, Chandra started pondering repeatedly? Is it because her mother just wanted Chandra to see her prince, but not to meet?.. or is it like, her mother never wanted them to be together because raja would be left behind, in that lonely place?.. she would never reach any conclusion!

Her longing to see the prince, with the diamond crown had reached its peak!.. To see him the one last time she did the unthinkable. She knew only one thing, to go back to the stack of wood, to that pyre, where the fire was so intense that no matter what she could find her prince charming. She lit her own self up, to be able to see him the one last time!