The Last Meeting with Luftchiscel

 

I met Luftchiscel last night. She was anxious and breathless. I urged her to sit and rest before her lips began quavering to display the torrent of her phlegmatic verse.

“They killed themselves,” she said.

“Who?” Whenever Luftchiscel would come, she would only talk of murder, adultery and creepy things that underwent in the midst of the thick people.

Luftchiscel gasped at my poor general knowledge, as if I had committed a blunder by not keeping myself updated to the current events.

“They were not lovers,” she said sadly. “Purely an arranged marriage. But could a woman love her man so much?”

“True love is rare these days.” I said. “Only the fortunate have the blessings from the Lord!”

“Aye, blessings from the Lord!” Her face reflected sadness. “They were blessed to die together.”

Luftchiscel paused wondering whether to continue or not. I gave her the time to think.

“I also want to die,” she said. “Will you help me?”

I waited. “Help you to die?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you want to die?”

“I have told you earlier. I ain’t explaining again.”

I smiled. “They aren’t plausible reasons to die.”

“There aren’t any reason(s) to live either. I envy you.”

“Why don’t you talk about something other than death? Like doing something or going somewhere you wanted.”

“Keep yourself in my shoes.”

I noticed she was withdrawn. I didn’t say anything.

“You know why they killed themselves?”

“Because they loved?”

“No. Because they believed in a life after death.”

“Which is just a belief without proof---” I said sadly.

“I can prove, if only you help me.”

I was undecided. Should I give Luftchiscel what she wanted?

“Don’t persuade me to do something I don’t want to.”

“You know living becomes painful if our purpose is lost.”

“Those are philosophies of life I don’t deal with. Go and live your life.”

I stood passive. Her eyes beseeched me to be considerate. 

"I ain't listening to your problems again, mam."

"Please, don't leave me."

"You should have thought about that before."

She went away slowly, the guilt killing her soul.

We all have to die, nothing new. That was the last time I talked to Luftchiscel before distancing myself away from her forever. She had her own world, as did I.

Luftchiscel was alive, not I.