After Zahra's body was reduced to ashes, Yusuf stepped forward to complete the final duty left to the living. With solemn care, he gathered the ashes and fragments of bone, placing them gently into a clay vessel. It was for the immersion ritual, the last offering, the last journey meant to set her soul free. 😔
Soon after, Yugh's family stood together by the banks of a sacred river. The water flowed endlessly, indifferent yet holy, carrying centuries of prayers within its current. With bowed heads and heavy hearts, they released the clay vessel into the river. As it drifted away, Zahra's ashes dissolved into the water, becoming part of something eternal, something beyond pain.
The days that followed passed slowly, marked by rituals meant for the departed. Two weeks were consumed by post-death observances, rites that demanded discipline, devotion, and faith. Life outside continued, but inside the house, time seemed frozen in grief. 😫
Ten days after the cremation, Yugh's family gathered again to perform the Shraddha ceremony,the most significant ritual for the departed soul. Prayers were offered for Zahra's immortal spirit, sacred offerings were made, and gifts such as vessels and money were given as acts of merit. The ceremony was meant to guide her soul toward the next world, to ensure peace, release, and continuity beyond this life.
But Yugh was not there. 🌫
He took no part in the prayers, the offerings, or the rituals meant to heal. Instead, he drowned himself in the dim lights and bitter air of bars, day after day, night after night. Glasses clinked, alcohol burned his throat, but nothing dulled the ache tearing through his chest. 🥃
Memories followed him everywhere, Zahra's voice, her laughter, her silences, her presence. The past refused to loosen its grip. While his family prayed for Zahra's soul to find peace, Yugh remained trapped, lost between what had been and what could never be again.
For him, the rituals had ended, but the pain had only just begun. 💔