It’s Anela’s father’s funeral. There she stands on the podium, paying tribute to her beloved dad. She breathes a deep sigh, and looks up.

“My father lies on his back here today, on the first day of his eternal slumber. The crazy thing is, just a few weeks before he asked me, ‘Are you prepared and ready to die, Aneh?’ I laughed, considering how delusional his question was, but I now understand,” Anela says, bowing her head. “Father, death is the only thing that exists at the deep end of our journey. No one can escape it. Now I will look up in the skies at night where you always said lived the people of the stars,” she continues.

“You see death is a curse that can’t be or was never meant to be broken. Since we cannot break it, we shall learn. Without it, life is a game. A kind of a game that has no rules, and that everyone will lose.” Anela lifts up her glass of water and continues, “It doesn’t matter who plays best, what matters is who plays smart. Tata, I am not here to say goodbye, I am here to celebrate your life. My father’s death may have ended his life but not a relationship between him and me. Tata, rest in peace, I am coming. You have lost your game, and I will play mine for you.” Anela stands, watching her father’s casket, and says to herself, “This game is about to get interesting.”

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