Short Story: The Wedding Wail by Usama

Usama shares a powerful story about the way women are treated as commodities in some parts of South Asia even now.

Laila was bent over in her room, with her head hidden between her legs. It was spring and drizzling outside with the howling wind. Beside her was a half-opened wooden window, waving with the fresh air. The wedding drums thumped loudly. Relatives and neighbors shouted, and crockery clattered. It was deafening, yet for Laila, it felt like midnight silence.

Laila stirred her head, trying to raise it, but failed. She could not bear the burden of her head. She wiped the crimson drops off her face with her trembling hand. She heard the call of her mother from the stairs that barath was about to reach.