Children Short Story – Dream Office Bag
Photo credit: cohdra from morguefile.com
Now it had been for quite long that Swapnil had been using a bag for his office. He had very recently developed a thought of replacing that with a new one, but because of time or whatever other constraints it had not been implemented.
So one night when Swapnil was returning from his office, at one bag shop, he found one beautiful bag hanging in display and immediately decided of buying that. That day again he was availing a way which he normally does not use so frequently. He went inside the shop and found the cost of the bag to be Rs 800. Thinking he might get the same bag in a much lesser cost in some other shop in front, he bargained in vain and left.
After going a few kilometres, he got to find another shop indeed with the same bag in display. He again entered the shop and on queering he got to know the cost this time to be Rs 1000. He started bargaining with them as well and even by saying that the same piece was available in a shop few kilometres away with a much lesser cost, but all in vain, as the shopkeepers and helpers started convincing him to buy from the previous shop, as there’s a difference in quality not captured in common eyes between the previous bag he saw and this one. Swapnil well knew that this was a business strategy and that though both are of same quality, they would no way confess that. Moreover within these few kilometres range again, this is the only bag shop, and so they would try to take some advantage of this and earn more. Swapnil found that it would be again tough for him to go to the previous shop that day itself with such tiring physic after whole day’s effort in office. Also as he comes very rarely in this way, and that he wants the bag immediately and cant wait, just in fear that he might not turn up in this way anymore. Also he dint want this bag to let go nor did he want to buy with higher price after hearing a price lesser than this.
Swapnil was demoralised but started thinking deeply. Suddenly he thought of a trick and went outside the shop. He knew very well that these shop servers are so very confident that within another few metres not having any more shop of this kind, people are bound to buy from here or else not, as expected never called back Swapnil. Swapnil anyway was not leaving. He came out and went inside a cake shop, just next to the bag shop. He quickly bought one cadberry covered in golden paper for Rs 10 from there. Then putting that inside his pocket went inside the bag shop once more. There he asked for a bag to check and as done in normal cases, while checking the bag from all side he started bargaining, in vain.
Then suddenly escaping everyone’s sight he quickly took out that cadberry from his pocket and dropped it in the bag and then again continued bargaining and checking. Then taking one pause, noticing that one servant watching him, he slowly put his hand inside the bag piercing the papers, kept to give a full look and feel to the bag, as if he had been able to find something, drew out a part of that cadberry. The part he took out was enough to glitter the amount it was required for Swapnil to catch any one of the servant’s sight and that it did. Swapnil immediately then pretended that noone had noticed inside the shop except him, kept back the cadberry, closed the bag, hurried to the counter and told,
“No no, its fine, take Rs 1000, but give me this bag. I am in a hurry.” and dint allow them to take out the papers inside the bag also.
To this all suspected how come a person till 5 mins back was so relaxed suddenly be in a hurry without getting any phone call. But still they were all letting it go, thinking he might have suddenly noticed the watch or remember of some important stuff, when the servant who saw the glittering called upon for the owner of the shop to come aside with him.
Seeing this Swapnil again pretended and said, “Go later, I am in a hurry. Just take the payment and leave me first.” to excite them more.
To that the servant who has seen the glittering told, “No Sir please please dont leave just give us one moment for God’s sake. We promise, we wont make you late.”
To this Swapnil laughed within himself and pretended to consider.
The owner again not knowing was about to tell, why to make the customer get late and how is the servant’s words more important than taking the payment and giving the bag to the customer.
The servant took the owner to one side and started whispering, “Sir, I have seen something inside that bag. I am sure that that came by mistake while putting the papers inside the bag. May be gold, or City Gold or any jewellery of not less than 500 rupees cost. So dont let that bag go away now. We would first check and then let it go to someone else. but cant check in front of him as he would start telling its his, fallen from his hands, as I am damm sure it was there from before as I saw him picking it up from bottom inside the bag. We might have missed that before keeping that in display. For the time being tell him that bag has some defect and give him another bag.”
The owner came to Swapnil and said, “Sir we are sorry, actually we forgot that among this kind of bags there was one disputed one. That we forgot to remove from display. And now we actually marked and kept to distictly identify and now we are seeing you have taken that bag. You wont be able to understand the mark. So you take another bag and give that to us.”
Swapnil said, “O no why would I not understand, show me the mark. I have checked this properly, this has no defect. I want this only, even if it has defect.”
The servant and the owner looked at each other as if they now became sure that there was something precious inside the bag that Swapnil is trying to take away which would compensate him paying more for this bag.
Swapnil said, “Fine since I want a bag of this kind, and you wont let this particular bag go away with me, I would surely take another one, but in that case you guys have to charge me Rs 300 less. Tell whether you are willing to give me in that.”
The owner and server thought that, according to the servant there was something precious of worth around Rs 500. So giving away Rs 300 off on the bag would still bring in a profit of Rs 200 leaving the profit of the bag alone, for them.
They agreed to pay Swapnil the bag for Rs 700.
Swapnil also cleverly dint leave the bag till all the things were over as by then if they check and finds that its simply a cadberry of Rs 10, they might even change their complete decision they agreed to till now. Telling that, “He is suspecting that he would make the payment and he would be driven off from the shop without giving any bag in his hand,” he first made the payment, then took the new bag and then returned the bag with the cadberry and immediately hurriedly went outside the shop.
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