Author: Aradhya Rathi, Class VI F
“Psst! Psst! Hey you! Human!”, said the bird in a clear tone. The man, named Henry, was obviously shocked, and said, “Wh-who is i-it?” in a stammering voice as he was frightened. The bird got annoyed and said, “Do the humans never look up or do they always have a neck sprain?”. Henry looked up and stood petrified, just like a statue with his mouth open.
He took 5 minutes to recover. Then he said, “C-can you ta-talk?”, still startled. The bird replied, “Of course I can talk but not that fluently as I am still learning English. But the source of my learning is none of your concern. I am here to tell you a safely guarded secret.” Henry asked, “Wh-what sec-secret?”
The bird replied, “Latience, my dear human. Oh sorry, is it patience? See, I told you, I am still learning English. Now, the secret is that there is an ancient ktepwall, no, ancient stepwell at the end of the forest. When you climb down the steps, you will see 9 temples of different gods like Lord Rama, Lord Ganesha etc. Also, there will be another room which is very extraordinary. Why, you ask. It is because it has water more valuable than immortal nectar that the gods use. If you take that water and share it with ALL living organisms, it would be beneficial and advantageous for all of us. But if you use that water only for your benefit then it could be disastrous.”
“Wh-where is the st-stepwell?”, Henry enquired. The bird said, “Start digging!” After digging for a long time, he finally found the stepwell and entered the special room. Then, he took the water pot and giggled cunningly. The bird asked,” Will you share it with us?”.
Karma moment: Will Henry share it or keep it only for himself?
“Of course I will use this precious water for myself alone”, Henry replied.
Bad action, bad action!
The bird said, “You greedy human! Now you will remain in that stepwell forever!”. The stepwell closed and Henry remained in the stepwell for several years.
One fine day, another man named Jack was passing through the same forest which contained the stepwell. Again the bird told the same story of the stepwell to Jack. Excited, Jack started digging and saw the enormous stepwell. The special room which had the water also had Henry who had become very weak because of the lack of food in the stepwell. Jack thought open-mindedly, and then told Henry, “Have you any forethought of how helpful and useful it would be to share this priceless water with other living organisms? The whole world would be full of happiness, and you would be proud to see the giggling children playing in the park as you have given the cheerfulness to them.” Henry knew now that Jack was absolutely correct and agreed to support the whole world. They came out of the stepwell and Henry apologized to the bird. While they were returning, the bird winked at Jack, who, in the form of a reply, winked back at the bird.
“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.” – Mahatma Gandhi
