Rays of light

Zefra marched with her feet chained, one step after another.

Her head remained bowed.

Her eyes had long since dried after shedding tears for days.

Crowds lined the road, hurling insults and throwing scraps of rubbish at her as the procession passed. Zefra barely reacted.

Eventually, the city disappeared behind them.

She was taken to an abandoned village, dry and devoid of life.

They halted when they reached a dry well.

Zefra was asked to sit on a wooden platform, which was slowly lowered into the well.

As the platform descended, Zefra raised trembling fingers to her cheek.

For one fleeting moment, she remembered Sheikh’s laughter and the warmth of his fingers gently pinching it.

A broken smile touched her lips.

Looking up from the well, she glanced upward to the final rays of light that would ever reach her eyes.

One by one, bricks were placed on top of the well, with cement and mortar sealing the well with Zefra inside.