By Pranathi Rathore
'Now the wait is over' I thought as I checked my letter box. After my parents' death, Grandpa Sherley is the one who brought me up. He gave me a home, he became my father, my mother, my teacher, my friend and my only hope in this hopeless world. He taught me to read and write, to be independent, he gave me direction whenever I was lost in the wilderness. When I turned eighteen, I decided to leave the village and shift to the city and settle there. On the outside, he was really supportive but inside, he was extremely upset. Since then, we write letters to each other every month, except now when I have not received a single letter from him in the last three months. I decided to go to the village and check upon Grandpa Sherley.
I packed enough clothes for two days, called a charioteer and set off to the village. On the way, the charioteer told me about his young and selfless daughter who he lost in a village fair, years ago and never got the chance to see her again. He said "She always took care of me when I returned from my job tired. She told me that when she grows up, she would start an orphanage for the young children who have no hope in the world. She was very generous. Once when there was a drought and there was only one drop of water in a bottle, she gave that to another kid while she was herself thirsty.".I asked him "Did you try to look for her after you lost her?", he answered'' Yes, I did try looking for her for at least two years. My life has been very incomplete without her and every now and then, when I see a small girl, I wish to kill myself for loosing her. I haven't given up looking for her, I still look for her. I just hope that wherever she is, she is happy".
When we reached, I was surprised to see the place evolved from a little village to a grown city. At the sight of my old house, I was glad that my house hadn't changed even a little bit even after so many years. I knocked on the door of my old house and a young man answered. On inquiring about my grandpa, I got to know that he had not been living there for more than three months. As I stood there with disappointment, I saw my old aunt who had always offered me her sweet cherries whenever I walked past her house. She looked at me and then gasped, she had recognized me. When I asked her about Grandpa, she told me that he had been living in a cottage nearby. The charioteer drove me to a small cottage. I knocked on the door of the cottage. A young girl opened the door. and before I had the chance to utter a single word, she exclaimed "Are you Joe?". I replied "yes" with a confused expression. Her eyes brightened "Thank god, you are here. Your grandfather asks me about you every day". "But what is Grandpa Sherley doing here?" I spoke. The girl replied "Your grandfather has been really sick for three months. I took him to the doctor, but he showed no signs of improvement. The second time I took him to the doctor, she told me that he needs to be taken to a better infirmary in the city, since I don't have enough money, I have been waiting for you". "Who are you?" I inquire. "Oh, I am Maria, I used to sell milk to your grandfather and one day, after seeing him sick, I decided to take hold of him". "Thank you, Maria, thank you so much"; where is my grandpa?" I spoke. She leads me to a small room with one window and a bed, on which lies my sick Grandpa. As I walked towards him, He lifted his head to look at me and his eyes brightened as they saw me "You are here, my son", he said with a hoarse voice. I reply" yes, I am, and I will take you to the city with me". "I am just grateful that you are here" he smiled and then closed his eyes and stopped breathing.
Through the window, I saw Maria run towards the charioteer and scream "Father, you are here".
By Pranathi Rathore
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