A wrapped corpse

By Sidra Akram

ASA College, Fall 2021

Professor Christopher Hart

There was a golden scent in the room. Today she was getting ready for her big day. Either she

was happy for it or sad she was in ambivalence. Bowing her head she was just thinking. She

could hear a vulgar song being played in the radio. Hearing the song she was questioning to

herself what kinds of girls are found of these kinds of songs. Time and again there were

announcements which she was not clear about it. She could not hear next everything which was

flickering in front of her was the fire that burnt the whole factory in her childhood. The fire was

not controlled by the fire brigadier and it burnt almost everything and human being in premises

of factory area. After few minutes her friends and cousins they helped her getting ready, did her

makeup and helped wearing the jewelry. There were sounds of firework and music. Amid the

juvenile environment all she was feeling was the burning fibers of nylon.

At this most beautiful moment of her life muneera was feeling that how with every

burned fiber of nylon the life was sobbing. But no one had idea that why muneera was feeling so

down on her big day. A tear was hanging on her eye lashes she closed her eye as well as her ears.

Today another girl was going to be lost forever wearing the traditional red colored bridal dress.

She will be ever lost and on one will be ever able to find her. The happiest person in the wedding

ceremony was mother of groom. Everyone was congratulating her that she has found a cow like

daughter in law who will not complain about anything. If the girls in our society would not have

this pessimistic attitude towards life the society will not treat them like cows.

Muneera has followed the rule of two plus two in her life and this made her very strict

towards managing the things. She was going to be married in a poor family living in the suburb
area of the city. The two plus two rule was no long working in her married life. She was visiting

her home to see her sick father after some months. She was imaging the city where living in her

father’s house she dreamed about life, where her imagination developed and she learned to value

the life. Everything was passing in front of her while she was sitting in the train and looking

outside the window.

While sitting there and looking outside beautiful girls came and sit beside her. The girl was

beautiful and young but her eyes were wet with tears and her lips were closed like she never

talked. Muneera asked her “what happened to you?” as she read her heart. She said “my

husband”. She took out a picture from her vault and showed to Muneera. This is my husband he

died. She was going to visit her parents after the death of her husband. But as soon as Muneera

saw the picture she felt a wave of cold shivering in her backbone.

The factory was burning and the she was in the employ residence area. Her father was the

manager in the factory one of his friends also died. His son was brought up by muneera’s father.

The two young children grew together and developed some kind of effectuation. After his

graduation, he was forced to live on his own by her father and Muneera never saw her again.

There was news that he had gone abroad for his further studies. She never heard of him again but

felt him and lived him. In prayers of day and night she wished to meet him. Her love grew to

such an extent that she felt him with her every breath. Till the day her wedding was finalized she

desired that he may come and she would be united with him. But it was only a wish and deep

desire which was not fulfilled. The day of her wedding was very tormenting for her but she

accepted it as her destiny. She was feeling that she was wrapped in nylon and burnt completely

with the burned fibers on the day the factory caught fire. People at wedding ceremony were

thinking that she was simple as cow and no one realized the devastation she was going through.
 After the wedding she was living with poor conditions in her in laws family. Her father

was trying to help her financially but she declined to save her self-respect. Now she was visiting

her father at second time after her wedding. The girl met in the train showed her the picture of

someone she has longed to see in her entire life. But she never imagined that when she would see

him she would not be able to meet him ever. She felt herself wrapped in nylon and burning with

its fibers.