Short Story with Moral – A Day With Mother Earth
Photo credit: ameenullah from morguefile.com
“Uncle please take your money,” I said giving him 50 Rupees note, he returned me 30 Rupees along with my parceled sandwhich.
“Thank you,” I gestured him with smile and headed towards station. I was so hungry that I couldn’t control myself and started eating sandwich while walking on road.
Wow! What a spicy sandwhich.
I threw the paper plate and newspaper that was used to parcel the sandwhich on the road.
“Please save me,” I heard a voice of girl “please please.. I am in problem”.
I turned around but I found no one, I searched her in two three buildings too but I failed. I then again marched towards station but with a fear.
“Help.. Help,” again that girl shouted.
I was shaking in fear. I was biting my nails in nervousness and I started running as fast as possible. With every step I took, the volume of her voice increased even more. I couldn’t control myself and started searching her everywhere I could.
There she was, sitting near the corner of the road. Her head was bent down on the knees, her dress was made up of wrappers, newspapers and sh*ts of animals and humans and she was sobbing.
“Can I help you?” I asked her.
She lifted her head up.
Yukkkkk
She was a disaster. Her face had footprint of sandals and shoes as if someone has stamped on her face. Not only footprints but flies surrounded her entire body. She looked like a Dustbin. No, dustbin was much better than her. She was scary! I vomited looking at her.
“Who are you? Look at your condition!”
I was now afraid of her. I think she is a witch who is going to take me with her. No I think she is mentally ill. No, I think.. I can’t even think of her.
“I am mother Earth,” she replied.
“What?” I asked surprisingly. “I am Deepika Padukone”.
“I am not joking child”.
“Mother Earth is so beautiful, go and fool someone else. Before fooling, you should have googled for the image of mother earth. Haven’t you seen how beautiful our mother earth is! Are you participating in any fancy dress competition? If yes then please don’t tell them you are mother earth, they all will laugh at you. Tell them you are dustbin, yes! This name is perfect for you.”
She kept quiet for few minutes. “Beautiful! Come out of your text book and google. I will show you how beautiful I (mother earth) am, and yeah dustbin is a proper name you gave me and you know what you people are responsible for making me look like dustbin.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Spend one day with me and you will surely believe me.”
“Fine only one day not more than that.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I am going to take a train to my home.”
“Fine, let’s walk together.”
We both offered a serious look to each other and started walking.
“What is this?” she asked pointing towards the ground.
“Land.”
“Have your so called teacher ‘google’ have taught you that earth is made up of land and water?”
“Yes.”
“Great, Inspite of the dustbin kept on the opposite side people still throw wrappers, waste thing on road that is land,” She continued, “Have you ever realized this inhuman act of you people is harming me? Have you realized what all disease I am suffering from? Why don’t you people throw waste in dustbin? If you wanted to throw garbage on road why you invented dustbin? For a showpiece right.”
My eyes were gazed on the land as I was shameful being a part of this act.
Gargee! She is right. You fool you had also thrown the paper plate and newspaper on the road few minutes before. Idiot.
And if I am not wrong, even you are a part of this act,” she said.
“I am sorry,” I said as I had no proper words to say.
“Can I help you? These were your words right? How can you help me when you are the creator of my problem?”
I found myself guilty. I kept quite. I felt bad as I never realized how I am hurting mother earth. We reached station. I took her to washroom, she cleaned herself. She was atleast looking better than before and then we took train.
“Can we stand?” she said.
“Yes.”
“So what do you do?”
“I am a student, and I am really very very sorry. I didn’t know how much I have hurt you. I am not good. I now realize your beauty has faded away because of human like us.”
“I am happy you realized your mistake. I hope you won’t repeat again,” she said.
“I promise.”
All people in train passed her a dirty look, they moved aside.
“Shee.. Havent you bath for years?” someone in the public shouted.
Mother Earth smile,”They are hating me just for one percent of me, what if I show them my real condition?”
“Shut up! You moron, Do you even know who she is? And stop commenting on other, look at yourself are you Miss india? Mind your own businnes,” I shouted at that girl.
“Chill, there is no use of shouting them, they won’t understand,” mother earth said.
My mouth was wide open in shock when I saw her removing a Samsung tablet from the dirty purse that was hung on her shoulder.
“You have samsung tablet! Omg I always wanted one!”
“You will have one day,” she said “See this picture; this is a famous city Mumbai. I once clicked this picture in Malad, can you see a single tree in this area?”
“No.”
“Deforestation is one of the main causes of Greenhouse effect. Global warming is caused by an elevation in the greenhouse gases that halo our planet. Mean humans are cutting trees for land, paper, etc and because of this Global warming I am about to die.”
“She was showing me various images that she had clicked, we finally reached to my destination.
On the way to my home, there is a small river that makes my city more beautiful.
“Can you see her? Women wash utensils and clothes, men bath here. Not only here but wherever I go I see all this. Small children while bathing pee in it. Animals who drink this water gets ill, they getting affected by it but still you humans are so mean that you won’t stop doing all this. I am getting unpurified day by day.
We were walking on the road, I then saw a child shitting on the road.
“Now, did you get the reason why I am surrounded by flies?” she said.
I could not control myself and I went to that boy.
“Hello, why is public toilet provided to us? Why your are dirtying the road? Do you how much you ar affecting our environment?”
“Sorry,” he took his bucket and walked towards the public washroom. I was filled with joy when I made one kid realize his mistake.
“Thank you,” mother earth said patting my back.
“I am sorry,” I hugged her “I promise I wont repeat my mistakes again and I will make as many people aware about all this. I will see to it that we humans make you beautiful again.”
“Bless you,” she said.
I touched her feet and took blessings of her.
“It’s your, how can you gift me,” she gave me her tablet.
“It’s a reward for you, I was impressed when you realized your mistake and you stopped that boy. You wanted this right!”
“I have no words to thank you,” I said.
I clicked our picture together and promised her to make her beautiful again.
***
It was a fancy dress competition in my society, I too had participated in it.
“Shocked to see me? Are you afraid? When I look in mirror even I get afraid of myself. Can you guess me? No, you can’t coz I look so horrible right? From school till office, you have always learnt about beautiful mother earth that is me. But have you ever thought that am I really beautiful? If yes, then tell me how? Look at your own society, everywhere you will find wrappers, and waste! You keep your home neat and clean why don’t you take initiative to clean up your own society? Let me tell you guys I am in trouble but not more than you. I will suffer less but you will suffer more. I am just here as a warning alarm, I am not here to beg in front of you but to give you a chance to improve your attitude towards me. Save me and Save yourself.”
I ended my dialogue. I saw entire public giving me a standing ovation. I was happy not because I begged 1st prize but because the next day I saw dustbin in entire wing of the society.
__END__
