The Local Graveyard Committee of the Dead was called before dawn, not unusual as graveyards work in moonlight. It was an emergency case, though not a new one. The elders thought it was enough.
The eldest of the graveyard cried that they were unable to do anything even when they could see all that happened in front of them for hours. That too in the broad night when all the dead were awake.
Another newly-dead-woman was dug out of her grave and was raped by two men. They came some hours after the final proceedings and did what should never have been imagined. It was neither usual nor an unusual incident for the dead but after all, it was ugly. For all. Without dissent. Because hormones decompose with the body and even the cursed ones become impotent when they are laid to rest. And they rest.
After a long discussion, the committee decided to decay themselves rapidly with a foul smell to keep living men away in such scenarios. The amendment was passed unanimously by dead-men. The elders.
But the dead-women and children retaliated. A dead-boy accused a dead-elder of sodomy back in days when both were above the surface. A dead-woman accused a dead-elder of rape in life. A dead-girl accused her teacher. A dead-male accused his qari sahib of raping him and some of his class fellows. The whole graveyard erupted in chaos.
The eldest of the graveyard cried again. He asked the heavens to fall and prayed to God to have mercy on the non-beings. He raised his hands and cursed the dead society of the graveyard that lightning may strike the ugliest one right here and right now to set an example.
And the heavens made a move.
Lightning thundered to prepare for a feast of the dead souls. The wind made a move from one grave to another to choose the most cursed one. Serial rapists. Harassers. Sodomists. Killers. Abductors. Who was to be struck down with lightning from hell?
The angels decided and inferno’s thunder fell on a grave, making a heatwave of a bomb. The whole graveyard fell in shock. The wind stopped. The thunder moved back to the open sky. The beastly angels from Hell came down to pick the most cursed soul to be transferred for punishment.
The eldest – who cried twice – was picked up. He was to be made an example of himself and for himself as he himself prayed a while back. He was punished for knowing what was happening inside the madrassah; not with one child or two but many, while he kept praying for himself and forgiveness of the mankind… knowing very well that a man is never kind.
