-Written By Jaya Siddharth
(Reading Time: 10 min Approx)
The kid was running like a deer on hunt into the dark woods breathing hard and blood shedding from his wounds along his hands and legs. There were number of flash lights flashing through the way he was running from a long distance. Suddenly he stopped at point which was marked with X carved on the bark of long banyan tree which was frightening in the dark. He started to dug the land near to the mark as fast as he could like he was in last way of his death. The flash lights of men along with near him, came the dogs barking waiting to hunt him. After along dug he took a box made of bronze out of it and he looked at with a sad innocent face. He opens the box and was shocked to see what is inside the box. Suddenly a dog pounced on him he got fainted.
The flashback ten days back the kid was one of the joyful kids who belong to a town named Teroy. The kid belongs to small family was the only son who was grown with happiness and care. He used to go school in the morning and used to play football in night time. The kid’s father was a bank officer of the town and mother was a caring house wife. The night time was always a special thing to that kids, he used to hear story from his mom while eating and one from his dad while sleeping. The stories were a mix of spiritual and horror which made the kid’s day. The kid’s daily main activity was to mix the stories of his dad and mom and make it as a performance in front of his friends in next day school. Some kids used to consider him mad because the characters he makes in his stories does not exist. This kid used to make fear of some kids and their parents will make a complaint of him. The school management used to call the kid’s parent and warn them not to tell him stories which is turning him bad. But the parents used to go give a slight scolding but they remained telling the bed time stories as they considered their kid’s happiness is first.
One day there was an unusual story told by the kid’s father. He started saying “There were three kids who were playing a game of box under an old banyan tree inside the dark woods”. The kids had a bronze box which hidden something inside it and the rule was the kid who wins the game will have the box and should open it. The kids got the bronze box from a dug out which was under the banyan tree. The kids was playing hard to win the game at last one of the kid won the game and got the box. The other two kids refused to give the box and this one got angered hit them back in force. The fight got intense and each were badly injured. There was police raid inside the woods and dogs were barking in loud sounds. The kids got feared and the two kids who had lost the game made a long run. The kid who had won the game feared if he took the box in his hand then he may get caught. So he made a mark on the bark of the banyan tree and buried the box deep under it and ran away.
The father of the kid who was saying this story saw his son was fast asleep and he also went to sleep. Suddenly in midnight there was someone who was knocking the kid’s home door too hard and was wanting to enter in force. The kid’s father and mother was shivering in fear was about to make a phone call to police through the landline, but the wires were cut down. The power supply was gone and there was no charge in the mobile. The door was banged hard, someone was shouting from outside “To open the door or I will kill you”. The kid’s father whispered to his wife saying “It may be that guy”. The kid woke up out of fear on hearing the door bangs. He started crying aloud in fear and his mom came near to hug him. She made him comfort saying “It’s going to be alright”. The door was cracking and the father made a plan to at least make his son escape. He called his son and asked him “Do you believe the stories I tell you every night”. The kid nodded his head with an innocent face. The dad asked him back “Then you remember the story I told you right “. The kid says “Yes Papa! I remember “. The father asked him to go and find it with brave and courage. The kid was so sad hugged his parents and left through the secret passage of the home. The kid ran into the woods as his father mentioned as fast as he could.
The flashback ends, the kid was woken up by some goons with sprinkles of water on their face. The kid in fear woke up and saw many goons surrounding him. There came a guy with darker beard in gangster style laughed aloud saying “He looks innocent like his father “. The kid started to cry holding the box tight to his hands. The guy replied “In younger stage at least your father defeated me and another guy to take the box away, I don’t need another competition to win back from you”. The guy came near him and whispered in his ears “If I want to play a game we will play with each other keeping your dad and mom life as bet”. The kid was trembling and handed over the box to him. The guy laughed and said himself “At last I have won the box “. The guy told the kid he was interested about the box once his father has passed to his another friend that he has still hidden the box. The kid comes to know that the kid who won the box in the story was his dad. The kid asked about his parents to him and he in anger voice shouted “You and parents are going to be killed “. The guy opened the box and was shocked to see what is inside it. The kid laughed at him and the goons surrounding him were clueless.
On seeing inside the box, guy got flash back memories, the box belongs to a local freedom fighter who visited those three guy’s school as a chief guest. The chief guest was having a bronze box and said there is something more special than gold or diamonds in this box, I am keeping the box since childhood. The three friends decided to steal and ran into the woods. The box wasn’t open since the kid’s father had hidden under the three. On the same day the police raided the forest to look for some murderer who was running into forest.
The guy has mistaken that the box is having something precious and wants to take it back from the kid’s family. The kid laughed at him and asked him to release his parents. The guy got angry and told “He is going to kill his whole family”. Suddenly police entered the area and surrounded them.
The kid told him I have a bad habit of imitating the story told by my dad the next day. But that night when the kid dad stopped the story it ended with the police raided the forest and he went to sleep. The kid was so curious and woke up made a call to the police saying he was in danger. After that only the guys enter the house to kidnap his parents. At last the guy and his goons was arrested by the police. The kid was hugged by his parents.
The dad was curious to know what was inside the box? The kid opened the box and it had a quote saying – “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” –Albert Einstein – November 14 1965”. The father understood about the gift, the freedom fighter visited the school on day of Children Day. The guest has mentioned children as more precious than gold and diamonds. The father also feared of the police he didn’t touch the box for many years and remembered only after the guy started to blackmail him. The kid hugged his parents and asked them “He want more stories to be intelligent.”
-Written By Jaya Siddharth
