Z - Zaara

Zaara stood at the entrance of the prison, hoping that they would let Veer out at least today. Her eyes looked as far as they could see, gleaming with love. And hope. As usual, the sun set and she walked away slowly. The prison guards noticed her, but nobody spoke to her. Nor did she. She came in everyday for the last twenty years, waiting for Veer to walk out of the gate as a free man. Veer was the love of her life. Being an Indian on foreign soil, he was arrested when he had come to ask for her hand. Zaara was not allowed to meet him, a promise she had made to her orthodox father. Yet, she came in everyday just to check if he was set free. She did not intend on meeting him, she wanted to honor the promise she had made to her late father. She wanted to see him only once. She would live the rest of her life with the memory of that moment.

Guards had changed in the past two decades, yet every new guard knew her story.

"I feel for her, man. I really do." One guard told the other.

"I know, me too. She is just living with the hope that someday he will walk out free." The second one replied.

"Do you think we should tell her?"

"No, this is the only hope she has, to live."

Both of them watched her walk away until her silhouette disappeared with the fading sun. They knew she will be back tomorrow. Nobody had the heart to tell her that Veer had never been arrested or held in prison. He was shot dead by Zaara's father, twenty years ago.

~ Soumya