The Wishing Well
The Wishing Well
This place is so beautiful!
Paras exclaimed when he visited his ancestral village of Raghupur, a place which was once entirely owned by his great grandfather Thakur Raghavaditya Ji.
Timeline has changed. It is a completely new era and it seems the place is still thriving with vibes of Raghavaditya!
But Paras’s jubilation was shattered to pieces, when he saw a giant figure standing in front of him.
‘Who the hell are you, and what brings you here?’, thundered the giant man standing in front of him.
Before Paras could even understand and speak anything, the man slapped Paras hard and snatched his water bottle away from him.
‘I don’t care whoever you are, if you are new here you need to pay tax to me, even if you are someone’s guest here.’ The man gave an evil smile.
The man pushed him on the ground. Paras’s eyes became moist. He was helped by Uma Tai, a lady probably in her fifties, she came running and lifted him up.
‘Get up son, come with me to my home. My husband is a Vaidh(doctor), he will treat your wounds. Come.’
Holding Paras’s hand Uma took her home. Villagers were quickly getting inside their homes and closing their doors; some stood by the roadway, staring helplessly at Paras.
Paras understood he has landed in a different era. It was not the place which his grandmother Bhanu has described.
Paras, his parents and his grandmother were settled as one wealthy family in nawabi Lucknow. It is only a few days, Bhanu has urged Paras to visit her birthplace and pay reverence to his great grandfather Raghavaditya. Paras was very caring to his grandmother.
Bhanu used to define how justice carried the day in her father Raghavaditya’s era, he being the protector of his folks.
Paras reaches Uma’s cottage.
Uma Tai labelled all the atrocities Zamindar Ranjit Singh inflicts and continues to do with the poor villagers. He is cruel beyond measure.
Next morning Paras was strolling near a farmland in the village, his birth place.
Suddenly, Paras exclaims!
‘Holy crab! This is the same wishing well, my grandmother Bhanu had the described. The beautiful black well with green, yellow and majestic purple creepers; flowers all around, colorful butterflies hovering all over, majestic birds sitting peacefully on it!
He remembers his grandmother once said how the wishing well had fulfilled her wish of getting her a beautiful clay toy; once she took a coin from her father Thakur Raghavaditya and flung it inside the well!
Paras’s grandmother Bhanu was her father’s life. Tragedy struck when saving Bhanu from a kitchen fire; Paras’s great grandfather Thakur Raghavaditya lost his life!
Paras was walking slowly towards the well when he was stopped by Uma Tai.
‘Son don’t go that side, the well’s water is terribly bitter, nobody can drink from there.’ ‘We do not know since when this well is here, but it seems it is of no use to us! Uma said this with a shrunken face. She left.
Thinking of something else, Paras needed to give it a try!
He stood there motionless as he knew he needs to bring someone to stop this evil person!
Paras’s hands were shaking. He remembered how he was heckled and beaten by Ranjit Singh, mocking him to be a descendent of Raghavaditya.
Moving briskly towards the well, he picks out a coin from his pocket. Closing his eyes, ‘Hey you! You know you need to come and sort this, this time for the sake of Bhanu’.
Paras flung the coin into the well.
‘Go back you chicken, there is only one rule, one man, one justice which prevails. And that is Ranjit Singh!’
‘Mwahahaha’ Ranjit Singh bursts into laughing.
He has a whiplash in hand. A savage, he swings the lash in air, and before he could hit Paras, just for fun.
Swishhh…..
Somebody catches the hunter in the air!
Paras finds a mighty and strong person with great courage and grace standing in front of him.
‘When Raghavaditya stands justice prevails with his folks!’
In one hand he caught hold of the whiplash in the air and with the other hand the man pulls down a locket chain from his neck. He gifts the chain to Paras, ‘Give this to my little kid Bhanu. Today is Father’s Day!’
‘Little kid! Bhanu,’ Paras amusingly smiled.
The last thing Paras still remembers is the gracious man bundling Ranjit Singh and jumping inside the wishing well!
And…
Plants and flowers, creepers all around the wishing well started blossoming much greener and brighter!
The Wishing Well
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