He counted them the second time, three coins with ‘1’ inscribed on one side of all of them. Not satisfied he counted them again, but this time he was more careful than any other time: just the same, three coins with ‘1’ inscribed on one side of all of them. This mad man’s notion was that there will always be atleast one or may be more invisible coins if luck favours which one can catch hold of if he counts again and again, oh what a beggarly idiot he was!
A beggar indeed he was, his patrolling locations included all the temples in and around the city, not professional but not novice in his profession though, but worthy enough in filling his prowling stomach once twilight. That was his routine, it was not all, and also there were special occasions when he used to merry, have a hearty meal and drink and go into his own illusive world where he is the king in a luxurious palace with servants serving and daisies filling his thirst for love.
His love for a rich life started when he saw people coming to temples in pricely cars and adorned in kingly fibres. This could never happen of him coming in pricely cars and all such luxuries, yeah its true even you would agree with me but make sure this opinion does not slip into the beggar's ears else to have your mood ruined. He is a futurist with lot of unreliable hopes about future but till now all his hopes have remained futuristic but never have worked in the present.
Maybe his hopes may come true one fine and lucky day. Believe it or not it did come true! The beggar now no longer is a beggar but a young rich man. Lots of questions may be popping in your head as how the hell is the damn thing even possible? Yes it is possible…
The government was clearing all the roadside unauthorised settlers and the slums scattered in and around the city. The beggar now without his usual place to stay started searching for a new place. The city’s perimeter was a sparse forest. The beggar with no place in the city wandered off to the forest. A divine thought from God led him to a mystical lake in the forest. The lake had many Lillies floating, not the normal white Lillies but coloured ones, the lake itself had a mixture of many colours. The beggar had never seen such a beauty before, but remembered as seeing one in his illusive world. He felt that it was unearthly and his heart could not ressist from envying this unearthly beauty.
Any other human would have suspected the unearthliness of anything, but not this man. Something so divine had captured and enslaved his mind to take a dip in this holy lake. No sooner did he step into the river than did he feel intense pleasure gushing in making him to advance his step to gain more of it. This pleasure blended with all the mixed emotions pulled him further and further into the lake till his whole body was submerged. He did not bother about breathing or the gruesome pain of suffocating… he became unconscious under water.
The beggar felt his aching back sooth because of something very soft underneath. Slowly opening his eyes he started gazing around: moonlight the professional interloper of night stealthily crawled in and revealed the well furnished room and most things in the room which were worthy to be stolen and sold for high prices which would surely make the buyer feel the seller as a thief, poor moonlight who housebreaks every night with the hope of carrying something rich but never gets a chance because daylight breaks just before moonlight plans his escapade instead forcing him to flee nervously and frightened away from this wholesome planet with contrastive creatures so high in contrast that the celestial bodies would sit crying by observing such a contrast in a planet so small and droop their shoulders in subjugation and claim earth as their king!
Was he astonished? For sure he would be. What will intrigue us is that he was not at all happy, instead was more worried about what brought him here, but that too was secondary for him, what mattered the most to him currently was what the hell was that which robbed his delicacy which he was experiencing. He did not remember where he was when he was experiencing that pleasure neither what he was doing before he was experiencing it nor did he remember anything that happened after that unearthly moment. He just remembered that pleasure so well that even remembering about it would just send shivers down his spine. He wriggled. Now he tried to remember what had happened and what was that brought him here. Blank! He tried hard but could not remember anything, already tired he went to a sound sleep.
Sunlight striked through the window and scorched his eyes. Cursing, he turned away from the window and slowly opened his eyes. Rubbing them he sat up on the bed and started exploring the room. His astonishment had not left him yet. He was surprised to realize that his dream of becoming rich had finally come true. Had it? Or was it just a dream? To confirm he pinched himself, “ah” he muttered. Yes it was no dream or fantasy, it was all true. His excitement had no bounds now and unable to control his emotions he chortled with delight like a mad man. Getting out from the bed he started to the glossy mirror at one end of the room and examined himself, it was not the same old him but was somebody else. His face which had a grey tinge now had golden hue beaming up his brightness, his shaggy hair was now brushed and groomed well, and his beggarly garb was now a prince’ attire.
Happiness which had taken its place in his mind was now being driven out by questions. After colonizing his mind questions ordered him to search for the door which would lead him out of this vast room. Feeling puny he obeyed. Now it ordered him to get out and hunt for answers-so he did. Out side he found a huge hall below with rich furnitures and paintings on the wall. It was a mansion. While he was getting down the stairs which led him to the hall he saw a man running towards him.
“I am sorry sir, I should have come up, and I hope you are feeling fine now. At your service what do you desire?” the attender asked. The questions found the target to force answers out. The beggar, no, the young rich man would be better to suit his complexions, replied,” where am I? And who the hell are you?” the attender muttered,”crap! The doc was right; he surely must have a memory loss.” He replied to his boss,”sir you are at your home and I am your personal assistant.” My home? Last time I was not worthy to stay even in the streets but today a Mansion! God you are great- the rich man thought.
Overtime the young rich man learned about all that led him here. He was on a business trip to somwhere, on his way he met with an accident or some kind of attack from his rivals. After few days he was being searched and was found in a pond which was used to dump the waste from a nearby dyeing factory and was taken for medication, underwent coma for a month after which he finally ended up where he is now. That was not all; he had many large scale multinational businesses running under him which he had no idea about what they are. But that was only what he learnt from his attender, only he knew what the real story is and now his past came flashing bit by bit. The real story is that he was misthought as the rich man who met with a mishap because mostly he might have resembled the real rich man. Past was not what mattered, present is that he is a rich man and not some stupid beggar. By revealing himself he will lose this big opportunity which he believes that god himself has given. He has to pretend who ever he is right now so that he does not miss this oppurtonity.
He had inherited a great fortune now; on the other hand he would ruin it all by the slightest mistake he might make. The latter thought did not matter to him at all because he did not have any knowledge about business. The depth of business was too much for a man who was in the shallow all the long years.
Years passed. During this gradual increase in time he started losing his fortune one by one. The rate of his loss never bothered him and he just lived his dreams of liesure and royalty. His friends (the real man’s actually) turned his foes. The time of end was approaching:”A King can reign until he is off with his head.”
His losses were now hasty. His assets had fallen down like a pile of coins which once was arranged with such endurance arduously. His filthy and weak character enraged his subordinates; many were already infuriated to take up a hard task to turn back fate as how it was long ago. His rivals were powerful and now immortal in their powers after he got traitors and robbers inside the house. His partners and shareholders got furious due to the company’s losses. What was all left was just one last move to storm in a check mate and knock him off the throne.
It was time for a regular business trip. He was on high spirits that day. He and his partners embarked into the car. On their way this young man was blabbering and insulting everyone around, I guess he found pleasure in doing so, but not those around him. His partners were highly valued then, but now they did not have the little respect even which a dog has, all because of this young man. Outside, the car buildings passed, after sometime low shrubs and as dusk farewelled and night without light was welcomed monsoon trees without leaves started appearing like skeleton on both the sides of the road. Usually night accompanied moon and stars, but on this evening moon was down, instead menacing deathly silence was accompanied.
The driver stopped the car after seeing a broken down truck on the way. The young man ordered the driver to halt for a moment to check out who the hell it was who blocked their way in the middle of a forest. He sluggishly got out of the car and stretched himself out. Feeling the chillness of the night he rubbed his shoulders and took a cigar out and lighting it while walking his way to the truck. He took one gulp of the air seasoned with the cigar’s nicotine. He was blowing out the gulped in air, blank! He received a deathly blow on his head from behind. He coughed out the toxic air. It was so powerful that he had gone numb for a moment. With all his power left and fighting back the brutal pain which he now started feeling, he slowly turned to look at what it was. No sooner did he turn than he received another tight blow on just the same place, which was all, he crumbled down. He could still hear distorted voices,”It’s done with him, throw him away.” The last thing he saw that night was the moonless sky and the stars merrying in it’s absence, after which he shuts his eyes.
He felt a chill fluid all over his body. He felt an intense pleasure, the same one which led to his beginning and his end. Regaining his consciousness, he gasped for air and swam out of the pond. His clothes were torn as they were before, his hair shabby as before and his body had a black tinge, which were dried blood stains.His eyes caught up with something sparkling in the sunlight. Hoping that it would be that thing which he had parted for many years, he runs towards it. He picks it up and walks away with a grin on his face. It was the bowl which he used to beg with.
A tree’s looks are of where and how it is planted. Its roots have now cut into the dark underneath. A sudden change however contrastively powerful may be, may never uproot it to the fullest. The tree remains the same on and on until the funeral knell rings…
-Aravind Srinivasan
Story