The Path of Destiny

It was a fine day in May and the sun richly lavished its rays. The fragrance of nature in spring filled the air and the blossoms glimmered with love. In the yard a large number of people had gathered to pay their respects to Emina and her son. The pallbearers lifted the coffins and made their way toward the cemetery. A long line of people trailed down the village path behind the coffins. Even people from neighboring villages came.


Little Ira hid beneath the apple tree in the orchard and observed the sorrowful procession from a distance. Nobody noticed her. People were deep in their sadness. Tears streamed down her face. Then she remembered her mother’s words and looked into the sky, but the sun was too blinding. The meadow spread out before her like a carpet of gold.  Somewhere in the distance the dark silhouette of a house was outlined in the clear sky. Ira was too young to know what it means for a child to lose his mother. She was just scared. She felt so very alone and abandoned. She felt that she lost all love along with her mother. Now who would hold her tenderly when she had a rough time, and like her mother used to do, softly whisper in her ear, “I love you.”