Is there anyone to listen to my jeremiad and lessen my pain and suffering?” With tears in my eyes and fear in my heart, I wander wailing day and night, an aimless traveller.

Every morning, I wake up with a myriad of dreams and desires. But, as the day fades away, they simply shatter with my helplessness. I’m tired of dreaming. Dreams and desires do not dare take root in my mind nowadays because they doubt my capability to enliven them.

Though I do not love pain, grief and sufferings, they love me much. Sometimes, out of frustration, I’m moved to tears like an innocent baby. There is no one whom I can say mine except her, my love. And even she has deserted me. I couldn’t understand what enticed her to leave me alone. The pain that ensued is leading me to death. Along with her, my happiness, my smiles have eloped leaving me in the throes of death.

She abandoned me for someone else. The more I remember my yesteryears the more I feel the pain. Fear and grief never touched our lives, the bygone years did not ravage our appearance or weaken our strength. She seemed so lovely. We had the essence of love. But, who had conjectured that she would not keep her vow to be mine and prove herself a knave?

She remained a closed book until I was burdened with her wedding card.

No sooner was I handed the invitation, I felt my fortunes waning. The card did really augur the knell of my hopes. How could she have the effrontery to invite me? My face grew wan, discoloured, livid, and pale.

The dream my heart, soul and mind saw simmered in smoke. I could do nothing. Everything seemed in vain. Sitting in a palanquin, she went to her new home. My desire for living was her dowry. I quivered and slumped to the ground.

When I got up it was dark. Thoughts in my mind read: “For whom are you living? Whom are you waiting for? Your love has gone far away leaving you like a fish out of water. She is not the girl you knew five years ago. She in an incorrigible liar who made you a living skeleton. She trampled you down.”

I was not crying for the moon but destiny cut a severe joke. Is it fair on the part of the destiny-maker? Can he be so cruel? Why have I been pursued by misfortune?

It is not for the first time I have been made a puppet in the hands of kismet. It has already seized my mother when I was two days old. Tolstoy said: God sees the truth but waits. I agree with that. I can’t give vent to my pent up feelings. If someone promises to bring her back to me, I’m ready to go through fire and sword. But I know now it is not possible.

Everything that we encounter in life is the result of our own actions. Perhaps seeing her in my dreams and loving her in the real world was my blunder.

The pain of separation has broken my heart into pieces. My hands and legs are trembling. I’m falling down never to rise up again. Indeed my breath is stopping. My heartbeat is slowing down. I am parched, I am dying. — Prakash Poudel, Sunrise English School, Chitwan