Short Story with Moral – A Star
Photo credit: dantada from morguefile.com
20 August 2001 Kabir looked at the mountain of debris before him. Just hours before, he was travelling happily along with others in the train. Two trains clashed against each other. Rescue and relief operations were in full swing. A sea of humanity surrounded the place. There were cries of anguish and despair among loved ones. A sudden outburst of rain and thunderstorms occurred. It seemed as if Nature also emphatised with them! The rains masked the tears in Kabir’s face.
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22 August 1991
Kabir was a handsome man in his early 20s. Unlike others, he considered himself to be lucky. He had a good economic background and got a job immediately after college. As a marketing executive of a big MNC, he had enough money to support his family. He was jovial and enjoyed his work. Yet he felt something amiss in his life. He had a meeting with an important client of his company in a hotel. There he met a young woman Swetha. Swetha was the personal secretary of the client. Kabir presented his company portfolio to the client. Kabir’s eyes met Swetha’s for a brief moment. She was beautiful and her eyes had a magnetic effect on him. He continued with the presentation and the client was impressed. A business agreement was signed on the spot. Kabir could not get over Swetha. He came to her office and proposed to her. She declined and they became good friends. They exchanged numbers and chatted for long time with each other. Soon friendship turned into love. After convincing parents, 2 years of their love story turned into arranged marriage. They had two kids Amir and Mani. Swetha liked helping poor and deserving people through money. Kabir did not like this. Often arguments broke on this matter. But Kabir accepted her idea because he loved her.
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22 August 1998,
On that fateful day, Kabir had heavy work in office. Swetha requested him through phone to come soon from office and take her to the cinema. Kabir refused. Swetha became angry and cut the phone. She went for shopping during the evening. She was holding groceries on her hand and waiting for the bus.Just then a speeding car knocked her. She become unconscious and lay motionless. The crowd chased the car and beat the driver black and blue. Crowd saw blood coming of Swetha’s head. Soon she was carried over to the hospital and placed in ICU. Kabir received the news and rushed to hospital. He saw the pale face of Swetha lying on the hospital bed. Her condition became critical and doctors could not save her. He could not digest the fact that Swetha left him.The light went out of his life.
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As he watched the wreckage, memories of Swetha came back. He saw people were stuck and helped them. He saved lives. He became a overnight hero. Newspapers were splashed with tales of his bravery. In a press meet, he dedicated Swetha for change in his mindset. As the press conference came to close, he felt Swetha lived close to him with a smiling face and applauding him.
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