With a flat kuala-puri and a purple sahree that had a gold lining, Mehru stood there on the dusty marble floor of Ali's room. Old furniture and shelves were covered with blank sheets. There was a somewhat, functional grandfather clock. Obviously, nobody tended to it and it always showed the wrong time. Mehru stood there, in silence, observing the portrait of her late husband. Daylight, sneaked through the gaps of the drapes in the otherwise dark room. The sunshine illuminated the dust that was now disturbed because of her presence in the abandoned room. The tick tock of the clock reinforced the emptiness of the room. The straight face did not communicate sadness or any kind of remorse as the portrait stared back at her. She walked around the room lifting some sheets to check underneath and slowly turned around to make her way out.
creak A sound she heard. Of course the floor wasn't that bad in the room so it couldn't have been that. A swift scan around the room and she did not spot the anticipated rat. However, just under Ali's portrait was on old rocking chair, that was now rocking back and forth. In it. a dark silhouette, not clearly visible to Mehru, sat still. Mehru was now a 74 year old widow, and she had to make an effort to make out things she used to be able to without any. Enough squinting and focusing, a subtle head movement while rocking, made Ali's neat hair cut obvious to Mehru.
"Did you think I was not going to come?" Mehru awe struck as always stood still in her steps. "Mehru! it has been 40 years now and I've made sure to pay you a visit almost every year. It is commendable that you at least respect me enough to visit me on my death anniversary."
Mehru, who had no doubt now that she was in the presence of her late husbands ghost, responded sharply "Respect?!. Of course, I'd respect you. You were ... are my husband. The fact that you come back to meet me every year says something about the relationship we cherished.". "Cherished or resented? You know very well your reasons to marry me. Nobody. in their right mind, would classify that as cherishing.". "You wanted money and fortune, you got it. You wanted a big house, you got it. All in all you got the secure future you dreamt of... you planned for." Mehru who was now slightly embarrassed though of attempting a rebuttal but gave in. She was not in denial and well aware of how she was able to afford this comfortable life. At whose expense. His wife's guilt gave him some sort of pleasure and even though Mehru couldn't make out her husbands face she could see the his eyes glow amber accompanied with a snicker. Two bright dots on a back silhouette. And then the snicker broke out into a hysterical laughter.
"Oh come on! You didn't think you'll get all of this was free? An occasional bout of haunting is a reasonably good deal in exchange for all this. All this that I built and you planned to devour. This was all yours anyway, yours and the kids if you had just been patient. We could've have had a satisfying, complete and comfortable life. Nobody had to die and nobody had to be poisoned. Somethings just stay between husband and wife. The secrets we keep and the weights we carry. Nobody knows what happened, really, however you and I both know that your lust for power and your greed for money was overpowering and therefore here we are... and we will be until the day you die. Not long now before you realise how finite this material world was and that what you sacrificed just because of your mundane wants, was simply not worth it. Here I linger by your side and there you reflect and contemplate. Time passes us by as we both lie in wait for this ultimate reunion and our catch-up."