Writing Competition
Written for AreeshaAhmad

                      My Grandma
A painful feeling crawls beneath my skin every time I realise that the person in the memory isn’t there with me anymore. Moments don’t always dissolve into memories. A ton of them are lived repeatedly. Out of all memories, the ones carrying dead people are the saddest. And each time I visit one, I let the tears find the way out of my eyes.

The first time I’d witnessed death of a close one was when I was in second grade. My paternal grandmother. A sweet and fragile women had closed her eyes forever and me as a child had never believed that something like death could happen so easily. I wished I’d known back then that life was like the flicker of a candle.

In the last days of her life she had become a lot more weak and fragile, wasn’t even able to walk. At one point she stopped walking altogether and had settled for a home in her chair. I remember how she used to sit there the whole day and get up only during an emergency with the help of a support.

When I visited her during summers, I would notice the silhouette of a lady sitting in her chair, the door partly open as if it was already ready for my welcome. Once she saw me, her lips would break into a smile and a tint of happiness would spread all over her face. In a way, it seemed to be her best time of the day. As if nothing else would ever match up to the moment when her little one came home.

Her face lit up and a tint of happiness was all I saw everytime she looked at me. Her very presence made me feel in heaven. Every word she spoke was a life lesson. She was the only one who lived in that big two storey building but every corner of that house was special.

As I got up one day, the thought of her leaving me and all I was left with was darkness. When this became a reality, my parents hid the fact from me as they were sure, I wasn't ready to accept it. They made excuses that summer so that I would not insist on going there. The truth is always revealed in some way or another. I was told by my cousin.

She cried over the phone as we both knew this was the end. The end of my grandma and everything associated with her. I couldn't believe it that I was not there with her during her last days. I'm sure she is watching me at all times and missing me as much as I miss her now.

Everytime I visit my native, the silence disturbs me, she is etched in my memory. I cannot see her beautiful smile anymore, the wheelchair was empty and so was the house without her. Her death is like a pit in my stomach and I can't forget her at all.

Sadly, memories live forever. People don’t.

This quote is for my grandma from me -

"You may be gone from my sight, but you will never be gone from my heart. I may not be able to see your face, but I will always see your sweet smile. I may never hear your voice again but you will forever echo in my soul."