The rain poured down over the vast field taking everything under its effect, telling all the people gathered in the army cemetery of her presence. They all looked grief stricken. Faces expressionless but eyes giving out the pain they were hiding.

Few man carried a heavy casket covered with the national flag all of them had vowed to never let down. They placed in in the middle of the field taking two steps back. The chief of special branch of armed forces came forward and put the garland over the coffin as his gesture of gratitude. A typical demonstration how the heroes of the nation are honored.

Gazing at the unfamiliar wooden box covered with the colors of white and green, a sob escaped Khadija's lips. She had lost her everything today. Her father in law patted her head. His face was expressionless as always. Those hard eyes of Yahya Duraid Ali had seen so much that nothing could surprise him anymore. But still the frown on his face and the pain in his eyes were telling the untold. He had loss his grandson. The loss was more than they all could endure.

The whole family stood there silently mourning over the death of one of them. The one they all loved dearly. The one for whom they all wanted a better fate. But life's never in our hands. Fate is never in our hands.

Soon the casket wasn't in sight anymore. The were taking it to the designated place in the graveyard few steps away. Mocking them that It's life who can play whatever game it wants and you'll have not an option other than playing along.

The people started following the trail. But Khadija and Yahya remained frozen. The General chief came towards them and stood next to Yahya.

"Major Zaviyar Ali will be remembered."

____________

Darkness. That's what her life had become. There was once a time she was afraid of it. But not anymore. Her days were being spent in her bed away from the world outside. She didn't even once looked in the mirror for she didn't want to see the torn woman she'd become. Life had gone drastic in the blink of an eye.

Losing the only person you had loved all your life is never easy. But she felt as if she was losing her sanity. As if the darkness was going to eat her alive. And she wanted it to do it. She wanted to be swallowed. Nothing was there for her in this world anymore. The echoes of the past were also fading. She was losing them as well.

The door of the room creaked open and the old worn out face of Mrs Aneesa Yahaya came into view.

"Harram?"

Harram hid her face in her pillow. The tears were back rolling down her cheeks. Aneesa sighed with a dejected heart and reached her side making Harram look up at her. Mrs Aneesa's heart broke some more seeing the once full of life girl changing into this mess of nothingness.

"I can't do this anymore, Dado."

"No, honey. Don't say this. He wouldn't want this for you."

A bitter smile appeared on Harram's face.

"He? It doesn't matter what he would've wanted. He left me. Alone. What would his say have anything to do here. He is lost. Everything he was is...gone."

She placed her head in Aneesa's lap. A tear drop had stopped at the bridge of her nose. Not falling down. Not getting back. Just like her life. Stranded. Lost.

Closing her eyes she tried remembering a known face.

The details were vivid.

But the life was gone.

A memory.

That's what remained.

An echo.

That too being lost.

Oblivion surrounded her. Shutting her mind.

Aneesa looked at the weak form of Harram and wiping her tears come out. She had again drifted off to sleep without eating anything. This was not right.

Once outside she straight went to the lounge where the usual chirpiness was turned into an air of mourning. They all wanted to scream at the fate. Aneesa straight came to Hamail.

"Call the doctor. She needs to be examined."

Hamail immediately got up dialing the number when Mrs Aneesa dropped herself on the couch.

The doctor was on her way. They all looked at each other and then sighed.

"What we do now, Ammi? If things keep on going like this she's gonna lose the baby."

Khadija almost cried looking at her mother in law. Mrs Aneesa and everyone around her was silent. There was nothing they could say. Nothing they all could do.

The voices weren't muted from the lonely figure in the pit darkness of the basement of the mansion.

He closed his bloodshed eyes fisting his palms at his sides until the knuckles turned white.

This Life's never easy.

This Love is far more difficult.

Because with the demons around, you don't know when you'll turn into just an echo.

That too a losing one.

A fading one.

__________________________

Okay I'm nervous. Drop in what you feel about it.