The last Breath

The Last Breath

Lying on her bed, in the thick shade of an ancient banyaan tree, the
childless Fatima clung stubbornly on to life. Somewhere in the
distance, beyond the red brown rugged hills, a rumbling in the heavens
signalled the first signs of the overdue monsoons. In her mind, Fatima
saw waves of dark rolling clouds, flashing with sporadic bursts of
lightning; begin to blot out the blue sky. The leaves of the banyaan
tree stirred, the branches shook and the long brown dangling roots
trembled as a westerly wind began to sing and swirl, chasing away with
its coming, the hot air which had imprisoned the village for so
long.

Fatima let out a heavy sigh as she felt the wind wrapping itself around
her.

Twelve year old Yousif who had been rhythmically reciting the Quran
stopped reading and shouted excitedly,

"Fatima is about to go!"

"Ohy! rahmiyaan, you shouldn't be saying these things," someone scolded
Yousif.

The swearing made Fatima want to smile, but her dry lips just opened
slightly. Someone let out a mournful wail. A moment later everyone
started crying loudly.

Summoning all the energy in her body, Fatima let out another heavy
sigh. The wailing immediately stopped. A few raindrops pattered on the
leaves of the tree and some fell onto Fatima's leathery face. The
ground groaned and filled the air with its fresh earthy breath.

Haji Sultan, the grey bearded stone faced landowner, stood up from the
only chair in the house. He walked quietly around a throng of women,
bent over to Fatima and whispered in her ear,

"May Allah grant you a place in heaven."

Fatima's body trembled. She opened her eyes and stared accusingly at
Haji Sultan. Pointing at Haji Sultan with her long hand trembling
Fatima said in a frail but crisp voice,

"Take this son of Satan away from my deathbed..."

"She has lost her mind," someone said in a startled whisper.

"I have only just found it," Fatima answered, still pointing to Haji
Sultan. Her voice began to shed its frailty with the uttering of each
word. "This monster, for which I slaved, not only took my youth, but he
ravaged my honour as well..."

"Just before dying," Haji Sultan interrupted angrily, "she has gone
mad."

"He planted three seeds in me," Fatima cursed, "and then murdered them
when they were just born. Go see in that cave by our shrine and there
you will find three boulders. Look under them and you will see what
remains of my children."

"She is possessed by a Jinn," Haji Sultan hissed freeing himself from
Fatima's gaze. He turned and avoiding eye contact with anyone, walked
out of the house cursing obscenities under his breath.

A passing smile flashed across Fatima's quivering lips. Lowering her
arm, she felt life oozing out of her. Beckoning everyone closer to her
with both of her trembling hands she said,

"I should have said these things when they would have mattered. I ask
only two things of you my beloved people. When you go to our shrine,
sprinkle some jasmine flowers on my children. And when you bury me
later today, bury me standing."

"Why in Allah's sweet name do you want this?" Yousif implored.

As the dark clouds released the monsoon rains, Fatima took a deep
breath and said,

" Because I lived my life on my knees.