A Leap of Fate
Bhuvan wearily threw his axe down and sat under a tree. After laboriously cutting wood for quite some hours, finally for the day he was free. Seeking to make some extra money he had started early in the morning and ventured a little deep inside the forest in search of better quality wood. The Diwali festival was around the corner and he wanted the celebrations this year to be really good.
Sometimes, his meagre income made it difficult to make ends meet and survive. He therefore did many odd jobs too, as to make a little extra money he always did strive.Hungry and tired he started eating the bhakri and chutney he had carried with him. His mood was pensive as the mind was occupied with thoughts grim. Dejectedly he looked at the small pile of wood he had managed after a long hard day’s work. He thought to himself, This year too the celebrations will not be up to the mark.
Looking around him, something caught his eye, in the bush nearby. An object glinted in the strong rays of the afternoon sun in the sky. Curious, he went closer to see what it was. Lying in the mud he saw a silver anklet that made him drop his jaws. He was surprised, and wondered how this piece of jewellery had fallen there. Slowly he looked upwards towards the sky and wondered, if this was the answer to his prayer. He thanked his stars he had been provided with the extra money he was seeking. As he safely kept the anklet in his pocket, with joy his heart was beating. Happily, he trudged back home, making plans for celebrating the festival with enough money to spend. When he approached the road on the outskirts of the wooded area, he saw a crowd at the far end. Out of curiosity he approached it with tired shuffling feet. He saw people standing around a motionless form covered with a sheet. Talking to the dozen they were trying to figure out whose unfortunate body it could be. Suddenly Bhuvan’s eyes fell on the feet half covered by the sheet a little below the knee. He froze when he saw the sight before him. There was only one anklet on the feet that were now limp. As he stared at the anklet on the leg, beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He was sure, he had seen another of the same design like the one on the body now dead. Where the missing pair was only he knew. With trembling hands, he felt the anklet in his pocket wondering now what to do. Shaking with fear he withdrew himself from the crowd. Walking further away he quietly threw the anklet deep in the bushes and hurried home, looking pale and white as a shroud. Penmancy gets a small share of every purchase you make through these links, and every little helps us continue bringing you the reads you love!