Short Story: The Cradles of Joy and Sorrow by Awais Qarni

In this short story, Awais Qarni shares an imaginary conversation between joy and sorrow, talking about life, as they see it.

In a far-off land, Joy and sorrow were two friends who had been together since the very first breath of their lives. They were in cradles that hung from two fruit trees in the middle of a vast sea. The laces of the cradles were very weak, and below them lay a monstrous sea. They did not know how they had gotten there, but Joy was always satisfied with the things he had in his cradle. He thanked God or nothingness, whatever it may be because he believed that it was more than enough for him. Sorrow, on the other hand, was always sad. She was never satisfied with the things she had in her cradle and always complained about God, or that thing called nothingness.  

One day, as they were hanging in their cradles, Joy turned to Sorrow and said, “Isn’t it beautiful here? The sun is shining, the sea is calm, and we have everything we need in our cradles.”