Highly Commended Story - Gifts from the God are endless

“Gifts from the God are endless” by Abhishek Mishra, ST. Michael's High School, Digha Ghat, Patna, India, is the Highly Commended story in the sub-junior category of the second biannual Short Story Contest 2019.

Abhishek Mishra is a Class IV student of St. Michael’s High School, Patna. He has a passion for reading stories and informative books. During holidays he keeps himself engaged in reading these types of books. Charles Dickens, Warren Edward Buffett, Chetan Bhagat are some of his favourite authors. He is very a kind and obedient child and enjoys helping others. His hobbies include playing football, karate and drawing. He is an ABACUS champion and has also won many gold medals in Karate Championships. Abhishek's ambition is to become an IAS Officer.

Gifts from the God are endless

Once upon a time, there lived a very wealthy man named Ashok. He was very wealthy, who owned a lot of land across the countryside. At the same time he was an arrogant and hard hearted man who treated his workers very badly and high-handedly. On the other hand his son Mohan was an extremely sensitive young lad.

If his father would scold the servant of the house and would treat them badly, Mohan always had a soothing word for them and would ask forgiveness on behalf of his father.

One day Ashok decided to take the rounds of the land he owned through the countryside with his Son. His sole aim was to show off his son how rich they were and in what poverty the other lived in.

Much against his wishes Mohan had to go along with his father on the trip. You will soon see how much we have and we would be handful for the same,” said Ashok to his son sarcastically.

Even though Mohan knew what his father meant, he did not comment on it as he respected and loved him.

As they travelled around, there was a miserable sight of poverty all around. The father son duo spent a couple of night in the farm house of a poor family. Even though the family had sacrificed their only cot and room for the master and slept in the open air, Ashok was not happy and satisfied.

“O, how the cot hurt, the room was cold and the food was terrible”, Ashok complained the next morning. He felt in a bad temper. Mohan of course thanked the couple and the children for their hospitality and quietly gave them some money for that they had for them.

After a week, when Ashok and Mohan returned back to their grand home, Mohan was summoned by his father. Ashok asked, “So, son, did you enjoy the trip? Are you satisfied with what we have and should thank the almighty for his blessing on us?”

At this Mohan could not hold himself back and very gently replied, “Yes father, I am indeed grateful to the almighty for the small blessing he has showered upon us.

“What do you mean” roared Ashok. “How can you say things like small blessing”? We are rich. We have all the things that money can buy.”

Mohan answered, “Father, do excuse me, but this is what we have observed. We have a swimming pool, but the villages have a stream running through their village. The stream has no end. We have lights in our garden which you have purchased but they have millions of stars that light up the darkness. We can see where our house ends at the garden boundary wall, but their gardens and wall go far as the horizon and beyond. We buy our food, but they grow their owns. Our eggs come from the best markets, they have hens which lay the eggs for them. We have servants who serve us day and night, but they are immensely pleased to serve one another with the best smiles upon their faces.”

Ashok was speechless and did not know what to reply. He understood his son and from that day onward he became a different man. Ashok realized that the Gifts from the God are endless and we are to use them in the best possible way.