Memory of a past (Solo-Flashback)

[Waheed]

I was 17 at the time, my adopted parents were still alive at the time but my mother….. She was quite ill at the time, for me and father it was quite a stressful time. A disease had ravaged her old body and left her quite ill, I couldn’t pronounce the name of the disease for the life me. I was sitting at the table that day, father had left to help with the spring harvest while I was left with watching over mother, usually it would be a neighbor who would look after her during the morning time, but as I didn’t have classes that day I was left to tend to her. I looked at her sleeping form; my eyes still tired due to insufficient sleep ‘She was coughing again last night’ I thought as I recalled that of all the coughing fits she had, this was the worse of them ‘She’s getting worse by the day and there’s nothing we could do’ A bitter feeling came over me ‘That damned healer, why couldn’t she do anything?’ Looking at the cup of water before me, I could see my bitter visage, so full of anger I was that I was tempted to knock the blasted thing to the ground ‘But it would wake her up, she needs her rest’ It was all that prevented me from shoving it to the side and watch it break as it would if it hit the ground.

I stood up from the chair, I had to get prepare for her a small meal so I went to the cooking corner, where all the cooking utensils, the stove and all the ingredients were kept. I didn’t know how to cook, but the healer told me I just had to give her mashed food. So I took an apple, a bowl and a pestle. As I mashed the apple I could remember the flow of memories that came over me that day, I remember the bed time stories she used to tell, the times when she would scold me or father whenever we did something stupid, just so many loving memories of her taking care of us. I didn’t realize there were tears gathering in my eyes as some dropped into the bowl of mashed apples.

Soon, when I was done mashing the apples I returned to her bedside ‘Good morning mother’ She had just woken up, when I looked at her I still couldn’t believe, no matter how many times I see that withered old form that seemed to be dead, that it was once the body of my mother; who even in her old age, before the sickness had taken over, was beautiful and strong like a horse. To see this withered form before me had almost made me break the false smile that plastered my face.

She looked at me slowly, a smile creeping up on her face as she slowly raised her hand and caressed my face lovingly, her hands although withered, were quite soft ‘Like a mothers touch’ My false smile became slightly real as she looked at me like I was still a babe, perhaps I still was “I see you prepared some food, dear. Imagine, not too long ago I used to feed you similar food, you were such an adorable pup” She laughed, I just sat there next to her, a sad smile on my face as I began feeding her. Soon she had fallen back to sleep and there again I sat, watching her sleep and losing myself in thought.