A Tribute

He was sauntering through the graveyard; his old legs slowly treading over the grass surrounding the dead. Every step forward carried him back to those days. A white film emerged in front of his eyes through which he saw and felt his entire life all over again.

He opened his eyes in his mother’s arms enlightened with the feeling of touch and love as she held him close to her heart.

Being the eldest of four, he basked in taking responsibility. His brothers saw him as a singular bastion as kids. He would do anything to protect them, embrace them, encourage them and support them. His sister, whom he loved more than anyone else, would often ask him to buy her things which he would never deny. He loved them all, and he knew he was going to be a big man.

Life seemed to take turns in his teenage. With no time to respite, he worked hard to bring up his siblings’ status. His world didn’t stop with that alone. He was getting prepared for a silent battle.

He started the battle in his prime of age. He strived to ameliorate souls living in abject poverty. He strived to change things that seemed to be in awry, things that were amiss. He worked on bringing scruples into unjustly hearts and carried on being a successful benefactor. He provided the destitute souls of what he could and he smuggled the victuals from where it did not belong. In his endeavor, an ocean of obstacles seemed to be a no greater than a drop.

He set up life for his brothers and fought for the country and thus was revered for his love that he showered on people. His world seemed to bigger than her, the earth.

One day, he was lying down with his eyes open. He had become old and feeble having fought a long battle for people. He was ill and in front of his eyes, the letters of death were flying. His sight dimmed, his sense of his legs and hands started dying, he felt his heart weakening, he was faintly breathing, he was submitting himself to a new world, consciously and subconsciously – he knew he was dying.

He stopped breathing.

Today, he walked as a ghost through the soundless graveyard, alone with memories of life he lived and souls he loved.

He watched his loving brother cremating his body with tears. He smiled.

From the heaven shone a white light that invited him to new world, a world sequestrated from the human world with inhuman attributes, by volition of God. He was sey to step into this world of honour, a world for the greatly lived. Tardily, he ascended through the itinerary of the celestial light and as he moved high, he gazed at the land of reality, waved it good bye and reached the sky to settle as a bright scintillating star.

I woke up, completely awestruck by a resplendent dream. It was still dark and I realized that I had felt the dream in a calm night. I rushed to my window to see the sky.... and there it was. In the many stars that remained placid, one glistered and sparkled brilliantly. Entranced, I walked back to my bed, and lay there with my eyes open, unable to sleep, in the ecstasy of having seen him again in my dream - my Grandfather.