Down from Paradise

This was published here before, years ago. It got deleted somehow by mistake, so re-posting it.


Down From Paradise

From the abyss
Where lies no mortal eyes
Departed soul, come to me
Awakened, thy form, and breathe once again.

Sufia chanted in a melodious voice, buried behind the darkness of her pitch black bedroom. The windows were covered with white, silk curtains. The concave rays of candlelight, along with the aroma of holy sticks created a terrifying, yet pleasant atmosphere.

Sufia's constant chanting seemed like a Siren's song. Her light brown eyes were fixed on a long, mud-stained bone imprisoned in her strong fist.

The candles started to blow off. The mysterious lady kept on chanting:

I'm a friend, not your foe
Please come, don't say no.

After a few minutes, Sufia threw the bone on a neatly made bed. A beautiful chandelier hung just above the bed. Gradually, the chandelier swung, creating a rythmic, lingering sound like raindrops.

Above the sky
Beyond the sea
Wherever you are
Please come to me.

A thick beam of blue light pierced through the ceiling. A floral flight of stairs apperared before Sufia's eyes. Down came an attractive, slender figure, dressed in an exquisitely embroidered gown. Slowly, the attractive lady strolled towards the bed. Minutes later, she vanished inside the skeleton.

Soon after, the collection of bones turned into a human body. Wavy, thick black hair ran past the lady's shoulder. Her full, oval face enlighted with a dazzling smile any man could kill for. Her left hand was decorated with an emerald ring.

Sufia could feel a strong tide of curiosity and interest rising within her. She allowed the lady to settle down comfortably. Between sips of cold coffee, Sufia asked the lady about herself:

"I'm Tania Aman. I was the only daughter of my parents. My father had knitted many dreams surrounding me. All throughout my life, I wanted to be a lawyer, to serve the people."

Sufia's eagerness increased. Sufia was a very well known paediatric surgeon. Any doctor in the country would recognise proffessor Sufia Khanam. For many mothers with ailing children, she was like an angel. She loved a child's laughter.

Sufia practiced medicine during the daytime. At night, she used to communicate with departed souls. She could even call dead animals. Sufia always saved one or two bones when she had meat. She loved talking with the animals grazing in heaven.

Like Tania, Sufia's main motto was helping others. "Love others, and they'll love you back." She used to tell her children.

Tania was quite comfortable now. Noticing the listeners eagerness, she continued:

"Since childhood, I was an excellent student. None could ever snatch away the top position in class from me."

Tania put the coffee-mug on the table. Wiping off a few drops of sweat from her forehead, she took a deep breath. Her brown eyes reflected joy.

Sufia had learnt the method of communicating with souls from a distant relative. None, save her husband, knew about her strange hobby.Sufia found immense pleasure in helping the souls in need.

For a few minutes, both the ladies sat silently. Tania looked a bit tired. Sufia toyed with a strand of her curly hair.

Sufia's husband, a forensic expert, had found Tania's bone in the morgue. That was the first time Sufia could bring a departed human back to life. Thanks to the Radius (a bone) her husband got for her.

The candles blew out again. "Damn, how will I light them now?" Sufia sounded irritated.

"I'll help you." Tania smiled. She looked straight at the candles. A few balls of flame came out of her eyes. One by one, the candles were lit again.

Picking up a chocolate cookie from a plate beside the teapot, Sufia offered it to her guest.

"Heaven's cookies are tastier. But these are very crispy." Tania grinned, revealing the pearls inside her pink lips.

"Please carry on." Sufia urged.

"After achieving the highest degree of Law, I began practicing in the supreme court. Clients had faith in me. I tried to fight till the last moment."

Sufia was astonished at the similarity. At the begining of her professional life, she did fail to save some patients, but sorrow later turned into strength. She spent many sleepless nights going through medical encyclopedias. After a decade as a paediatric surgeon, failure slowly faded away from her life.

"Then?" Sufia asked.

"I had a paternal cousin, Tuhin. Ever since I began understanding love, he occupied a permanent place in my heart. One day, he proposed to me. I was in ecstasy. My family did not approve of the relationship, they knew I'd never be happy with him. But love made me blind, mute. deaf and dumb. We got married in a marriage court."

CRASH! Sufia's coffee mug shattered into pieces. The window curtains swished. The candle stands trembled. Sufia watched in astonishment as each small piece of glass turned into a pearl. The pearls formed into a necklace and flew in Sufia's cupped hands.

"A little gift for you, Sufia." Tania smiled.
" Thanks a lot!" Sufia Exclaimed.

Tears glistened in Tania's eyes. "After a few years, I realized my mistake. Tuhin was an alcoholic. He lost his job for misbehaving with the other employees. Even after our daughter's birth, he didn't change. Father's deeds had a bad effect on my little angel."

"One day Tuhin brought a fried chicken for me. After taking a small bite, a strong burning sensation revolved through my whole body. I could never imagine that my love could poison me."

"Within a few seconds, my world became dark. Awakened by an unpleasant sound around me, I discovered myself in the morgue. I was being intersected, and samples were being collected from my body. The radius(a bone) you had was one such sample."

Sufia looked as if she was on fire. She looked into an empty crystal bowl, and uttered the words venom and fire five times. A reddish liquid appeared. Sufia dropped a stick inside it and the liquid was set ablaze.

Actually, the fire was sent to Tania's in-laws place. They were all burnt alive. Her daughter's soul traveled with her to paradise. From then on, Tania always came down from paradise to visit her human angel.

Total-1000 words