Saajid watched her sister lay unconscious. He wondered what else was he expecting from her after she's told that Salman expired this morning in a car crash.

As planned, Rubina rang in the living room land phone through her mobile.
An anxious Sakina ran down the stairs immediately, but even before that Sophia ran and picked up the phone.

'Heeelllooo.... '

' Yes it is Saajid Ali's house...

Yes also Sakina aapa's house...

What? Accident? Why are you telling all these? Who are you? Police?

Died?
Who died? 

Salman..... Siddiqui....

Ya Allah!!!!!! " , and Sophia threw the phone in the air with overacting.

Sakina stood like a stone behind already.

Rubina ran in the scene.
" What happended Sophia why are you screaming? "

Sophia, somehow trying to control getting caught, just for the sake of Shaahid, went on with her mega bad acting. But succeeded enough.

" Rubina....

Salman......sir.....is no more.
He died near Fareedpur's entrance on the high road. A truck collided with his taxi. And killed him and his driver. "

" WHAAAAT? " , Rubina shouted twenty decibels louder.

The other maids ran in, owing to their shoutouts.

In the meantime they heard a thud.

Sakina lay senseless on the ground.

_____

Saajid Ali sat near his sister who lay unconscious on the bed for a longtime now.
He wondered all sorts of things.

Was this the transition period? 
Was she coming out of the wonder world she was belonging to all these while?

Saajid felt his cheeks wetting up.
In the process of getting his sister rid of an illusionary love, he pushed her into another illusion eight months back. He lost his sister completely.

He patted her head.
Shaahid was absolutely right. She needed to get married now, and he would make sure that happens. He had already started searching matrimony sites. He was sure this time if she came out of this terrible situation, she would love to marry.

Saajid slowly got up, and walked out of the room.

Sophia got in after sometime, looked at the seemingly sleeping yet unconscious Sakina lay on the bed.
She placed a piece of paper on the table, and went out.

____

Sakina slowly opened her eyes to discover herself in her room, alone.

She tried to recollect what happened to her exactly. She faintly remembered someone shouting of some accident.

Who was that?
And when exactly? 

She sat up on the bed.

She could hear voices in her head that mumbled in a crowd, talking of an accident.
She closed her eyes.

All she could see was she herself making way through a big crowd, and at the end reaching a completely crashed and crunched up car.

Beside that lay two human bodies covered in white.

She slowly sat down, and removed the cover from one of the faces.

Salman!!!!!

Sakina shot open her eyes.

Salman had died.

And she had seen his body.
His pale, blood ridden face.

But when? 

Eight months back.

No, she wasn't mistaken.
She remembered the exact date as well.

16th July, 2017.

And she knew today's date. The digital calendar placed on the wall beamed.

10th March,2018.

Sakina got down the bed, walked upto the window.
She was feeling extremely restless.
She ran into the washroom, poured litres of water on her head and face.
Nothing helped..

She shot out.
And felt like screaming, crying, throwing away things.

Suddenly, her eyes fell upon a piece of paper, kept awkwardly on the table.

She went and picked it up.

A letter. Written somewhat like this.

' Sakina ji,

I know you know it all now.
I know you have come out of it as well.
I know you have remembered when he actually died.
I know you recall seeing his cadaver.

I know it was all in your brain, embedded in some deep corner. It just needed some sunshine to be exposed.

I know you have left behind the delusive world you have been living in for the last eight months.

I know you know that whatever he was, was what you imagined him to be. Neither was he your cup of tea, neither did he deserved you. You were playing the wrong game, reading the wrong story over and over again.

I know his death was not a solution, but ask yourself, you are better off without him, because feeling unimportant is the worst thing on earth.

I know you'll be happy now. Happier to be you.

Take care of yourself, that's the best gift you could give to you, for ignoring your needs all these while. '

No one signed the letter.

Sakina put fire into the letter. Tears streamed down her face.

____

Seven days later

Alvira placed a plate with two glasses of Jaljeera beside Shaahid.

They sat at her house pond, on the framed cemented stairs that led to it.
Shaahid stared unmindfully at the reflection of the moon.

" How did you see your old house? It turned into a dangerous property now, government handled.
It was such a big house, now, just a demolished castle. " , Alvira put forward a glass.

He took with a smile.
" Amma and Abba had gone to a chachu's wedding in Lucknow.
I disliked that chachu so much, that I had warned them....if you go, you won't ever see my face again.

They took none of my words seriously.
Had they done so, they would have been alive today.

I sometimes wonder, if what I say comes true, or I can just guess whatever is bound to happen. "
Shaahid's voice broke.

Alvira pressed his hand.

" Mind is a very intricate thing. You know. " , he said.

" Yeah, I know. I know as well how your mind is drifting away to Sakina Ali now and then.

Why don't you call them and ask if she has really healed? "

" I know she has healed, Alvira.
Extremely well.

I don't need to call anyone to get an answer.

I just wonder, why brain holds so much complexities. " , he smiled.

Alvira stared at him, trying to judge the complexities of his brain.

" You had said, you got a new meaning to your life.
May I ask you something? " , she said.

" New meaning, yeah...
Healing someone is a great deal, Alvira. That's why doctors get new meanings everyday. " , he grinned.

" My question wasn't that.
It rather is, are you still completely mine? " , she stared at him.

He looked into her eyes, hopelessly..
" Why are women so complicated?
Why are women so jealous?
Why don't women understand, that a man just reflecting about another beautiful woman doesn't make him less loyal to them?
Grow up Alvira! "

" I won't. "

______

Saajid was very extremely well these days.

Sakina had completely healed.
She himself told how Salman controlled her life, yet how she stuck to him unnecessarily.

She was a new human now. Jolly, talkative, going out alone, talking to all the servants, neigbours, feeding street children, buying balloons, singing out loud, drenching in the rain.

Saajid was relieved at how she realised her improper stay in a delusive world as such, that gave her no peace actually on the insides.

Saajid entered Sakina's room with a list of perfect groom options in his pocket. She sat on the bed, cleaning her violin.
She smiled seeing her brother.

" Bhai,

I wonder what I was doing with my life....

Where did all my self esteem disappear after I met Salman Siddiqui? 

Why did I try to tangle him in a web, when initially he gave me clear signals that he was not interested?

And later too, though he was using my emotions for his benefit, why did I not try getting that in my head? How did I go so blind, and crazy? 

Crazy enough, to even keep imagining him in a better form around me, even eight months after his actual death?

When I think about all these, I feel like ending myself. "

Saajid immediately stopped her with his palm.

" Hold on. No more.

You cannot think of ending yourself for someone so random. I know I should respect a dead person, but he did not deserve that. "

" I know. And it's okay on your part.
I've misbehaved with you as well. "
Sakina got up and stood at the window.

" Bhai, you were talking of my marriage, right?

I will get married now.
I need it.
I have always misjudged myself. I'm not better alone..
I need a company.
I need someone to understand me, hold my hand, talk to me when I need, heal me, care for me, bear everything without a word, and never let me change for him.

I definitely need such a person, bhai. "

Saajid got up.

" I know.

And I've been searching incessantly for such grooms who can suit you on the internet.
I have made a list too.
If you just choose one. "

He brought out the list.

Sakina very excitedly took that in hand, went through it carefully.

Saajid picked up the violin. The beautiful violin in which her soul resided.

" Wow, what prospects. They are damn good bhai. " , she placed the list on the table.

" But.....

Not as good as him. "

With this, Sakina went upto the curtain cladded wall, and pulled down the rope.

Unravelling, a portrait.

The violin crashed on the floor.

Saajid Ali stared breathlessly at the glorious portrait of Shaahid Hussain, that had now replaced Salman Siddiqui on the wall.

Sakina did not give a damn to the broken violin.

She smiled wide, and said,

" He's a god.
He's love.
He's my life.

He has understood me like no one else in this little while.

He has made me feel myself more than anyone else.

He has returned my love for me, devastatingly.

If anyone on earth can keep me happy as a husband, it's he.

So, I've decided.

Today, when he returns home from school, I'll ask him to marry me.

I know, he will. He definitely will. "

Saajid Ali did not know when the world before went black.

' Where are you now?
Was it all in my fantasy?
Where are you now?
Were you only imaginary? '

_______

Some stories do not have a happy ending.
While some others do not have an ending.
This belongs to the second kind.

I end the story in this note, with a lot of disappointments on your side, while leaving things to you as well. To think about, to reflect, and to continue in a way you like.

What does Sakina do next, or what step does Saajid take, or if Shaahid ever decides to take a look back, is not mine to decide.

But one thing I know for sure,

It's All In The Mind.

It is, it was, it forever will be.

Khudaa Haafiz.

Shabba Khair.

The Conclusion.

Ps: Don't skip the song.