A long time ago, I decided to come up with a tiny yet meaningful short story which could send a message to everyone. That’s how The Wishful Stone was born.
“Everyone is born with a purpose,” is the message I wish to convey through this story. I expect it to leave a smile on your face.
The Wishful Stone
“Oh! Being a stone, life seems so boring,” said the annoyed gravel to the other pebbles and rocks. They were all lying on a playground beside the village, while the evening sunlight fell on them and the bright red and saffron canvas of sky reflected its colors on them.
“So right you are my tiny friend! Look at those children who can laugh, run and play all day,” said the biggest rock among them profoundly. “And here are we, lying uselessly. Sometimes I wonder that why the hell on earth God created us,” it added. All other stones listened to it attentively since it was the most dominant one.
“Don’t say so. God is kind. He created everything for a reason. Maybe we too have a good reason for our existence,” said the medium sized oddest rock which barely spoke at times and was shy. Usually it was cursed and taunted by the fellow rocks for being odd, and nobody was ever concerned either to listen to what it said.
“Nobody asked for your philosophy you retard. And talk about things only as much as of your size,” said the biggest rock.
All the big rocks laughed as they found the joke funny. However the pebbles and gravels felt offended but didn’t protest.
“Okay” said the poor odd rock insecurely, swallowing the words which it wanted to speak.
Soon the sun hid behind the mountains followed by darkness. In the village the lights were turned on. The stars started twinkling, the moonlight covered the sky and brightened the ground. All the stones slept silently under the open sky, tired of doing nothing.
But the oddest one among them gazed at the sky, wondering about God and his creations. Suddenly it saw a shooting star. Unable to control the excitement, it shouted, “Look! There’s a shooting star. Wish for something, wish!” All stones got disturbed and saw up carelessly.
“You must be a fool to talk such nonsense. Now go to sleep and let us sleep,” said a rock half asleep as he yawned, and all the stones went back to sleep. The oddest stone fainted. But not minding what the other stone told, it made a wish to the star. “May I be used up for a good purpose and be blessed by my almighty to justify my existence,” it whispered slowly and closed its eyes.
Next day at early dawn, when the sun was about to rise, birds were chirping and the morning breeze flowed. The ground, on which the stones slept, started shaking slightly. The place filled with harsh sounds.
“What is it? Is it an Earthquake or some disaster,” Screamed a big rock filled with terror and waking up as fast as it could. They all saw a gigantic machine marching towards them.
“Here! Bring the bulldozer and tractor here,” they heard a man wearing a yellow helmet say.
“They have brought two giants named bulldozer and tractor here. God knows what these humans want from us now,” cried the largest rock with fear.
“Those are machines they brought to take us, and not giants. They are taking us somewhere,” Giggled the oddest stone happily.
“I know, I know. I was just jesting,” clarified the big rock, so as not to be regarded as a coward and an idiot. “By the way, they won’t take a useless fellow like you with us anyway,” it mocked at the oddest stone.
Soon the huge machines began their work. The enormous fist of bulldozer grabbed away mass of stones at once and filled them in the trailer of the tractor and then repeated again. Stones waited eagerly for their turn to be picked up. It was after hundreds of years that they were being taken to a new place. The oddest stone too waited for its turn. Slowly, the machines took stones, one after the other. They first picked up the massive ones, and then a bit smaller ones and the gravels at last. It took much time to load the biggest rock on trailer.
“Sir, this rock won’t be of any use to us. What to do with it?” asked the man with notepad in his hand to an old man standing at a distance.
The old man came near and observed the stone. “Leave it to me,” he said, smiling and placing his hands on the stone.
All the stones were taken away, leaving the oddest stone behind alone. The oddest stone wondered like a child about the reason why it wasn’t taken away along with the other stones. The untainted stone had no heart but was heartbroken. It wanted to cry but couldn’t, as it was just a stone. “Is this what you give to those who believe in you God?” it wept bitterly.
Few days later, all stones were gathered on a site. They were sorted on the basis of their size. The little ones were used up to make concrete and the ample ones were left in the safe hands of sculptors who carved exceptional designs on them. Larger rocks were turned to gorgeous pillars. The biggest rock got special attention and it was turned into a marvelous platform. Now all the stones together formed a magnificent monument. It was adored by the people who passed by it and everyone sang its praises. Its grandeur surprised everyone who entered.
“That retard was right, that we all are made for a reason,” said aloud the biggest stone which was now a beautiful platform. All other stones agreed with him and didn’t object.
“But where would he be now?” questioned a puzzled little gravel stuck to the concrete on a wall which was not tiled.
“He must be still lying there alone, wishing to the shooting stars,” joked one of the stone pillars and started laughing hardly at its own joke.
Next morning, the whole monument was royally decorated. Garlands of roses, marigold and mango leaves were hung everywhere and all the corners were decorated with lanterns. A graceful rangoli was drawn at the entrance and the delighting fragrance of incense added brilliance to its aura.
“Why is this place so crowded today?” asked the biggest stone to a pillar, as it observed the bare footed people all around.
“They call this place a ‘temple’ and today is its inauguration,” it answered, staring irritated at the child who was trying to climb on it.
Stones observed the people around who had gathered for some reason. An old person entered the temple with something which was wrapped in a red velvet cloth and tied with threads. He kept it on the platform with assistance of some people.
“Brothers and sisters, it’s my pleasure to present to you the idol of lord Krishna without which this place couldn’t be called a temple,” he announced joyously.
“Hey! Hey! He’s the same old man who had come to bring us here with the other person,” shouted the pebble trapped in the roof peeking out an uncovered corner. “Shut up! You are disturbing us,” said another pebble to silence it.
The old man untied the threads, removed the red cloth and revealed the idol he had made. The pleasant idol caught a glance of everyone. Whole temple echoed with the sounds of claps. Everyone desired to get a look of it.
The idol had a rich and minutely engraved golden crown on its head which signified its beauty. It was studded with sparkling red, blue and green crystals which reflected the sunrays like a prism. It had jewellery on it made up of both gold and silver, which seemed to be a sign of finest craftsmanship. In its postured hands was a delicate flute made of sandalwood which had a pair of white pearls tied to its one end. And above all was the glittery peacock feather tucked inside the crown which clearly reflected the religious faithfulness that dwelled inside everyone’s heart. The idol stood grandly over the stone platform in the middle of the temple hall.
“Hey! Hey! That is our…our,” the pebble became speechless. The other stones too identified their friend and became startled.
The oddest stone filled with honor and pride. It realized that it wasn’t odd but special, and recalled how it was turned to an idol out of a useless stone by the old man who admired its beauty, and how he carved it with his delicate hands and antique tools.
Now all the stones realized it’s worth and humans bowed their heads in front of it. It became thankful to God for the highest position given to it while gazing in surprise at the people chanting mantras amid the sound of tinkling bells.
“Thank you God, now my existence is justified,” prayed the stone with the most sincere emotion as it realized the significance of it’s existence which once meant nothing to anyone. But now, it represented God himself on earth. With its belief it became God.
THE END
Finally, I’d be thankful to you if you share this short story on Facebook or somewhere else. Stay connected with me on Facebook and twitter.
Also read:
The Best Way to Make Life Easier
What You Must Know About Starting Out as a Dreamer
The Simplest Way to Find Your Passion in Life
17 Ways to Inspire Others and Add Some Sparkle to Their Lives