Once upon a time...!

Once upon a time there was a young sailor who had an immensely curious mind to understand how people change if provoked them in some way!So he would just sail from one island to another just to check people's intentions and always left with lessons to be kept for life! He would take pride in his wisdom he attained out of such experiences.

There came a time when landed up with his boat at an unknown island for rest. Lets call it the Happiness Island. He explored the place thoroughly and found that the people were very humble and kind. There was no way one could break their bond and togetherness. He got curious and thought of a plan.

Next day he announced a Lucky Draw - He said " I have some stones and gems that I would like to distribute among you all as my gratitude". However there was a condition. It was expected of them to gather and collect it while he just throws at them! The lucky ones may have gems that gives them a life full of fortune!

Everyone gathered and the process began. After a while, most of them realized that all they were able to see were just stones! People began to give up and wondered if the man was just making fun of their emotions. All of them left except one young girl who kept collecting all those stones that were left unattended. She stayed through the end and went home with all her possessions.

The young man decided to move on the next day and decided to leave saying "Thank you" and that his stay was memorable. He assumed he had learnt his lessons about the people there. While he was just about to sail, he saw a young girl waving towards him and running heavily. He waited as she reached closer to him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. She breathed heavily and said "I came here to thank you and tell you something" He understood that it could be about the stones. "Sure, you're welcome. What do you wanna tell? Is it about the stones?" He was confident there wasn't anything valuable to learn from this one. "Yes, thank you for the gems! I found them among-st the stones!" She gasped in ecstasy. The young man was stunned. He had no words. "What" he exclaimed in disgust. "That's not even remotely possible. You must be kidding. You don't have to lie young lady" He claimed. "I am not kidding. Let me show them to you" and indeed there were gems that sparkled in her palms. His eyes broadened and was in total disbelief. He somehow composed himself and mustered the courage and uttered "Where did you find them? I never had them...!!"

"You are mistaken my friend. You always had them" She claimed gleefully. "What do you even mean by that?" he quirked. "You see, when I went home and cleaned the stones I collected from you, some of them began to show a glimpse of shine. I started to rub them a bit harder and there you are! Found these gems! I was so elated that I wanted you to know about it and that's why I am here."

The man was astonished and speechless. He felt guilty for throwing the rest of the bag in the ocean. He said to her "These are mine then. Why don't you give it to me?" Her hand full of gems reached out to him and she said "By all means they are yours. You may have them. But only on the condition that you stay with me..!" He happily agreed.

Together they began to live a life of fortune and were very happy. One day she asked him "By the way where did you find these stones?" He answered sheepishly "From the backyard of your own house..!" She couldn't believe it. "What...! Wow! You never told me?" and they laughed out loud about it.

But as destiny would strike it, there came a time when the divine intervention happened. The young man was asked to make a choice from the Lord of the Life. "Young man, I am here to take your life. But I give you an opportunity to trade your life with something. You may choose between your gems or someone from this island..!"

He thought for a really long time. Took days and evaluated all the things that happened to him. He was confused. He did not feel good. But without the gems, life would mean nothing. So he chose the gems for a fulfilled life.

The next day his partner lay dead! He got anxious and angry at the Lord and shouted at him. "You cheat! Why did you take my partner away from me?" Lord addressed "I had asked you my friend. You had to make a choice. You chose the gems"

He explained his scenario. While he loved the gems because of which he felt more settled and had a fortune, he also knew that it was his partner who led him to those gems. He would have otherwise never known they existed. She was selfless and offered him to take all of it. She never chose greed over love. Lord smiled at him and said "You always learnt lessons throughout your life but mistook your wisdom. You see, It's not about choosing gems in your life but a gem of a person...!!"

By Neha Mehta