Acid attacks remain one of the leading ways of torture on women in all over the world, especially South Asia, with very little to no decrease in the recent years.
Despite the laws made to protect these women and put the culprit behind bars for a minimum of 10 years, many women still don't report these incidents due to either no knowledge about this law or to keep the family name intact.

In the first story of "Memento Vivere" I introduce you to Haya, an acid attack survivor.

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"The fire that warms us can also consume us; it's not the fault of the fire" -Swami Vivekananda
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Fire.
It's strong. It's powerful. It burns. It destroys.

Humans first created fire by rubbing two objects together until the objects gave in and ignited, giving the humans comfort.

Humans used that fire to keep themselves safe from the cold.

But how cold does a person have to be to light someone else on fire for their own comfort, their own satisfaction?

There was a fire inside her, ready to burst out and end all that she had with him.

However, he had other plans.

He didn't wait for the fire in her, he didn't care for the fire in her.

He lit her up, he burned her, and watched as he ended all that was left to their relationship, all that was left to her

She burnt and burnt until she felt like nothing but a useless heap of blazed skin.

The pain tore through her face and hands and she felt like she was temporarily transported to hell and there was nothing around her but fire.

The water tried to soothe her pain but it failed, the wind tried to whisper in her ear and tell her that it would all be alright.

But how would it be alright?

She wasn't burning because she decided to.
She was burning because he decided that she didn't deserve a good life.

For a few moments, she felt like she was floating and floating and she tried to smile because she thought that that was it, that she was finally dead, that the pain had won, that at least she wouldn't have to live with the constant reminder of him every time she looked at herself.
Then the pain tore through her flesh again and she realized it hadn't ended.

Haya's otherwise gloomy world felt flared up.

The only thing she could feel was the pain, it wasn't slowly ebbing away or pinching her, the pain shook her body and shredded her soul.

In the initial moments, she didn't even realize why it hurt so much.

All she felt was fire, the worst kind.
Never in her wildest dreams had she thought that he would be capable of so much inhumanity.

He kept saying those two words over and over again

"Rot, bitch, rot"

And the words rang in her ears and embedded themselves in her soul until the only wish she could make was to die then and there but alas, fate had other plans!