The Dying Man (standard:other, 1688 words)
Author: Muhammad Nasrullah Khan	Added: Dec 01 2001	Views/Reads: 3726/2304	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A whoreson who lived like an animal and died disguting death!

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wildfruits flowers and very often mushrooms. Above all he had lot of 
stories to tell me...stories of mysterious creatures and wolves. 
Thursday and Friday were the best days for hussani. In these days the 
simple villagers would cook special dishes to put under the thick trees 
of barren fields. They believed that there lived some ghosts on these 
trees and the only way to avoid their wrath was to present them sweet 
dishes. Hussani powely would eat as much as he could and remaining 
would be wasted in the woods to affirm the belief of staunch believers. 


Years passed on, we became young, our grndparens died, elder brothers
became fathers but there was no change in Hussani’s life. His 
responsibilities increased and he had to lift more water on his feeble 
shoulders. Now my elder uncle became the head of family; he was very 
strict and often beat Hussani for his lethorgy. Only once a very 
strange change occurred in his personality. He started wearing very 
neat clothes. He had only one dress that he used to wash once in a 
month. But when he started washing once in a week, it created many 
doubts. But it did not remain hidden. He was in love with one of 
Beggars’ daughters. They lived outside the village and were even more 
detestable than Poweleys. Hussani Powely had some status of being the 
servant of the chief of the village. Soon the news of that disgusting 
love affair reached to my uncle. He could scold him alone but it was an 
event of great entertainment for the nobles of village; therefore it 
was decided to be solved in presensence of all. At night, all the 
nobles gathered at the big sitting room of my uncle. Hussani was 
sitting on the earth in the centre of crowd. " Well, Hussani, is it 
true that you are in love with the daughter of beggar", said my uncle 
in his heavy voice. Hussani did not reply and sat silently with his 
extremely bowed head. " His mother was also a great lover," said one of 
them, and there was a big laughter. Now there was a nude session, they 
narrated dirty jokes about his mother. An old man said: " We owe much 
to Hussani’s mother, she was the teaher of our youth; half of the 
popultion was on her; at her time the gays’s market was almost ruined." 
Hussani’s love died under the stifling laughters. At late night when he 
rose from that meeting he felt himself free of the burden of love. He 
lifted the pitchers and started doing his work as nothing had happened. 
After that nobody saw him near the huts of beggars. 

Later on life draged me in its vicious circle and Hussani was left far
behind. I had to leave village in search of job and was setelled in the 
town. After many years when I had to go to village to attend the 
marriage ceremony of my cousin I did not find hussani anywere. On 
enquiring I found that he was counting his last days in the barren hut, 
outside the village. He was suffering from tuberculosis and the disease 
had almost finished him. I knew he was not taken to any doctor because 
nobody would be ready to go with that donkey-like man. They considered 
it humiliating to go with him. I at once ran to that hut. He was lying 
inthat dark and cold hut. For few minutes he did not recognise me, but 
soon his eyes sparkled and he started weeping. He tried to speak but 
due to the attack of severe cough he could not utter even a word. He 
was feeling horrible pain in breathing. I could not tolerate that 
stinking atmosphere and came out saying: " Hussani, don’t worry, 
tomorrow I will take you to doctor, you will soon be alright." At the 
open door of hut I looked back at him and found shadow of death on his 
withered face. That very night he died and in morning he was burried. 
There was no religious ceremony on his death because nobody knew what 
his religion was. I still woder how did they allow his deadbody to 
burried in the graveyard of men... for he never spent a life of men. 

Now after so many years this dying donkey has refreshed that forgotten
image of Hussani Powely. I do not know why man claims to be the most 
civilized creature of the universe? Well, if making big brick walls, 
possessing nuclear power and conquering Mars is civilization then 
definetely he is right in his claim. Otherwise man is still dying in 
the cold and dark hut. I do not know who is the real man? One who is 
conquering space or the other who is dying in darkness? God knows! 

THE END Muhammad Nasrullah Khan nasar30@yahoo.com 


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