A Thousand Splendid Suns indeed.

One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs
And the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls



Mariam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequent at last. No. It was not so bad. This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate beginnings.

Mariam's finals thoughts were a few words from the Koran, which she muttered under her breath.

"He has created the heavens and the earth with the truth; He makes the night cover the day and makes the day overtake the night, and He has made the sun and the moon subservient; each one runs on an assigned term; now surely He is the mighty the great forgiver."