Page 110 - TEARS OF SUFFERING

TEARS OF SUFFERING

The whole nation prayed. In Thimphu, Samphel and his
parents prayed at Dechenphu temple for Ugyen’s safety.

At the frontiers, valiant soldiers propelled in harsh
conditions to face the militants. The hills reverberated to
the booming sounds of artillery. The soldiers swarmed
amidst the thick battle, fighting with all their might. The
bravados shot, and the militants counter-attacked. The
firing and shelling continued. Bullets whizzed
everywhere. Boom! Bang!

If I must die, Ugyen thought, let it be heroic. He neither
feared death nor wished to survive. He believed in a
predetermined fate and wished to accomplish his
obligation. He aimed and pulled the trigger. The enemy
collapsed to the ground. Soon, he got caught in the
crossfire. A bullet pierced his neck. He shrieked. The
valiant soldier fell and wriggled on the ground. Life was
ebbing away fast; he apprehended his traumatic story
must end here. “Apa…Ama…Au Lham… Au Samphel.
I am sorry.” After the split-second recollection, he
writhed and stopped moving.

The surgical strike ended. The battlefield became dead
silent, except for the smoke bestrewing the air from the
muzzles of the guns. Exploded shells lay shredded
everywhere. Ugyen lay in a heap of blood. Soldiers
gathered around the fallen. When they saluted, doffing
their hats, tears glimmered in many eyes. They put the
cadaver of Gopa Ugyen in a hearse and saluted again.

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