A Birthday wish

They say, when you die, you still have seven minutes of brain activity left. Spiritualists say it's a life review as the soul leaves the body. Scientists say it's a hallucination caused by the dying brain to shut down completely. Mine wasn't a hallucination, nor was I leaving my body yet. I saw a boy with the widest grin on his face, holding my hand and walking with me in the old streets of home, my own little mobile version of a home hand in hand with me.

Once upon a time, there was a girl in ruins who lived in a broken home. One fine day, while she was with her friend, the dandy ruins of a building that told her the most amazing tales that filled her with wonder, she met a beautiful boy. Soon enough, they became the best of friends and more and the girl realised that the boy believed he ruined beautiful things.

In my few remaining minutes on earth, I had an epiphany. When I looked at this guy, I looked at his eyes of the softest kind of brown. When I looked at you, I looked into eyes that held me captive forever and a day. When I looked in those eyes, I saw love, so warm that any cold remains in my heart melted away so quick all I had to hold on was you. When I looked into those eyes that could only belong to you now, I saw myself in them, myself and love.

Together, the girl who cherished broken things and the boy who placed confidence in his ability to break them, were finally able to find peace. They fit in together. She could see the beauty in dilapidation and he could find the cracks and flaws in what the world thought was beautiful.

In my last moments too, I find you. I find you like you found me. And then I know that if there's a heaven for me it's with you, I'll wait for you there, and if I go to hell, I will love you still, by holding onto your memory, our memory, the best gift anyone could ever give me.

Seeing the two so joyous, merry and high, a jealous Death decided to do something and soon the lives of the boy and the girl were laced with tragedy. Alas an accident struck the girl and she could be seen no more. The boy though unable to see her invisible, still held onto her hand. But one day, as he went deep into slumber his hand slipped away and she was never to be found again.

I will follow you. As my unseen head rests on your lap, my unheard voice whispers a lullaby to lull you into sleep, my gentle hand caresses your tears away and if you find me absent, I will still be there. I will. I promise I will.

This devastated the boy greatly. He was shrouded by grey clouds of grief which poured on him endlessly. He wept with the clouds, mourning the loss of his beloved. He plunged into madness as he visited the ruins they first met in. Finally, Death, not so diabolical after all, seeing the little boy so desolate, sent a fairy to help him.

I have often stared into oblivion, you have seen me then. Will you not see me, as I fade into oblivion? As my eyes close I see only you, smiling. As my eyes open and close, all I can see is you. All that comes into my mind is your words. I could remember my favourite poem (it's words and rhymes elude me) that I once recited to you in perfect memory and tone so flat you'd not recognise it was mine if not for my voice, but all I can, all I want to remember is you and your words. My sweet, sweet love, won't you say you love me one more time? I hear your voice in my head but it is nowhere near the original, the one that sparks my heart and causes planetary collisions by a single note that has forgotten it's melody. Do not forget that wayward note amidst the choir of white wails, do not forget those words amidst the pages and pages of doleful eulogies.

Soon the little boy could dance and sing and make merry again. He married the fairy and they lived happily ever after but never did the boy forget his friend with skin like porcelain and eyes like the sky on a moonless night. In the end, the beautiful boy couldn't ruin the ruined girl. He only made her more beautiful, for ruins are inherently beautiful, more so, than art.

I never gave you enough credit, did I? For being so, so strong and so, so esprit. I also never told you how much I loved you. But I love you so, so much.
So when you visit our rubble and our ashes, you'll here the wind scream it at you- I love you more than the oceans loved the moon, more than the world loved its pride, more than the mountains loved the skies and the weary bird her nest after a long, long day.
"Happy birthday Nitish! 21 ke ho gaye tum."

                                                                    -  Shreya Sethi


P.S - Thankyou so much Shreya Sethi for writing this Masterpiece.