The Twinkling Star

                                                           

It was a spring season. Trees started getting new leaves; flowers blooming, fragrance spread everywhere. Wherever one goes, one would find plants laden with full bloomed flowers with bees buzzing around. Arun and Satish are two good friends; the way they behave with one another makes people go confused. If one hurts other, one does not take too long to reconcile. They seemed as if they have been destined only to be with another in this world. However, luck has some other ideas. There has been no single occasion where one went leaving other. With passage of time, both of them realized they have to go towards different direction as per demand of the situation they were. Before parting from one another, they discussed all their secrets and promised many things.

“Satish, I know you have given me your helping hands during all my trying circumstances, so tomorrow you are leaving me here in the village. I’m very sad that I couldn’t give you anything except my love. I wish May almighty help you in realizing all your dreams. I don’t know for whatever reason I couldn’t have the fate you have. I fully know you would become an established person one day and you will definitely be coming home carrying prestige, reputation, honor and love as well. So, if tomorrow I die, please help my children and show them good path showing your example,” Said Arun in an emotional tone.”

“Hey, what are you saying? No need to show such emotion ok! I’m gonna nowhere right; I have been with you and will be with you forever. Tell me what happened to you today!” saying Satish shook him and gave a warm hug. “Nothing, just wondering how I have to wait for again five years to see you here, even I don’t know what I will have become by then,” he further added. Next day Satish went to City for his further study after shedding tears while leaving Arun the only true friend he has ever had in his life. The fate began showing signs during all those long five years!

Arun had a marriage right two years after Satish left him. He sent him a letter mentioning everything about his wedding. Satish used to reply him saying he would come and joke with his new ‘Babhi’. It has been a long time no mutual correspondence was going on between the two. Satish was so occupied with his research works that he had little time to keep in touch. Here Arun had to work for entire day to look after his family comprised of his two kids, wife and his ailing father. He lost his mother when he was twelve years old. That year was a year of drought; crops failed to flourish and he had to borrow money from others. Day after day his Dad’s health was deteriorating, it was very hard to find job during those rainy days in the village. One day he met a man known as ‘Setji’. The man knew his condition and took no time to convince him about his drug business. He was offered certain amount of money and the only work he had to do was to keep drugs supplied by some group of people and sell them to others. Finally, he after contemplating for sometime accepted the offer.

That evening he all narrated to his wife in the evening. His wife refused it and told him to return the cash. She knew once he starts the business, he would also be addicted to it. Few days later his father passed away. Now all those people involved in the business kept visiting to his home which was not tolerated by his wife. There were always quarrels between both him and his wife. Whatever his wife earns, he takes half earned money to buy drugs to keep him satisfied. Out of frustration and depression, one day his wife took her two children to far away to a relative. While returning both the kids were crying looking their only mother leaving them behind. They both followed for some distance and her relative took away. On asking she told her relative that she had some urgent work to do and once the works get finished, he would come back to take away her children. On that evening she put kerosene oil all over to her body and burnt down herself. Looking her doing so, some neighbors rushed towards her and put off the fire. They took her to nearby hospital. Soon later her drug addicted husband reached to hospital. Next day she passed away leaving her two poignant kids behind.

 One day both the kids sat under their father’s lap. They were under bright moonlight, cool breeze kept blowing. One of the kids asked his father about the twinkling star in the sky, saying, “Dad, what are these high in the sky twinkling blue, white, red and green?” He said these were the mothers of many little children like them watching them play from the sky. One day Arun went to hills to cultivate Jhum cultivation. Staying there for a couple of weeks, he fell seriously ill. One of the villagers gave him 1500 Rupees to cure his illness. But he, instead of purchasing medicine, bought drugs and some days later he also passed away. All of a sudden these two kids became orphans. Was it their sins done in previous birth or simply got irresponsible parents for their orphanage?

This year Satish successfully passed out of his course and got a lucrative job. He thought he would purchase a new lifetime gift for Arun and his wife from the very first salary he would draw. However, before that someone told him what happened to Arun and his wife and their two little children. He even knew the message that some of people in the village were looking for people who take care of orphans. Having heard the information, Satish rushed back to village and called up an urgent meeting. In the meeting he almost abused everyone about the incident. He said, “Had you all been helpful, Arun and his wife would not have done these things, shame on all of you!” saying he wiped out his slow dropping of tears. Thereafter, he started taking care of those two kids like his own children and finally established them who went on leading successful lives unlike their parents.