The Coffin That Wouldn’t Move
Rain drummed softly on rusted tin, blending with the deep wail of funeral horns. In the courtyard, a golden-painted coffin rested on two wooden stools. Inside lay Anaya, just 25, gone too soon during childbirth.
Since marrying into the Sharma family, she had been the perfect daughter-in-law, caring for her in-laws like her own parents. “Any home blessed with a daughter-in-law like Anaya is truly fortunate,” Meera Sharma often said. But tragedy came just over a year into the marriage. The baby never cried its first breath, and Anaya never opened her eyes again.
When eight young men stepped forward to lift her coffin, it wouldn’t budge—as if some unseen force held it down. A priest whispered, “Open it. She has something left to say.”
Inside, Anaya’s serene face still glistened with fresh tear streaks. Silence fell—until her husband, Aryan, broke down. Through sobs, he confessed: she had learned of his affair the night she died. Her heartbreak had been silent, but it had destroyed her.
“Anaya… please forgive me,” he begged. The coffin trembled lightly. The priest nodded. “She has let go.”
This time, the pallbearers lifted it with ease. But for Aryan, no prayer or tear would ever wash away the image of Anaya’s sorrow—forever etched into his soul.