Coin of five

A pure heart when asks for miracle that he deserves, the universe indeed have something planned for it…

As he waddled down the market alley where business couldn't reach its accomplishment unless bargaining takes it toll. Wrapped in raggedy clothes, filth smeared across his face. Beady eyes peeking down his dark jet mop like hairs and broken flip flop stitched together wore his feet. Amidst the choir of market one can’t hear others summoning or a conversation cannot take place without a few glitches. A young boy of ten could only hear the grumbling of his empty stomach and feel his mouth salivating as he spotted delicious food kept decoratively at the stalls.

Being famished and penniless the poor boy could only stand out of the shop and devour the sweetness of gulab jamun (Indian desert) and drool over by imagining the salty sweetness of kachori through the glassy door. The boys of his age enjoying the delicacies inside the shop only made his entrails jump as if something clawed inside him. He saw a man inside the shop paying the shopkeeper by pulling out money from his pocket. So he too enacting shoved his hands inside the pocket and clawed inside hoping something would conjure up. But nothing as he had anticipated.

Disheartened by his desire and saddened by his vulnerability he only walked off the shop kicking the imaginable stone in his path. Hidden within the commuters he made his way through the walking limbs and rolling wheels. His world had dusty road and glimpses of shoes that were old, tattered, sewn, shiny or sometimes he get to  see the action of pick pocketing to which he always wondered how engaging a man could be? That he can’t even notice the theft. That surely enticed him but he barred the thought anyhow.

He never quite gazed higher above those shabby, tin roofed shops where those magnificent tall building's kissed sun. He never even cared to be in one of those. Albeit  those were nothing but just mountains to him which seemed beautiful enough to watch but can't wonder to actually live there.

His eyes were scanning only what he scarce and in desperate need. Those clinking shiny coins, rupee notes  transferring from hand to hand, pocket to pocket. Only if he had that kind a money he would've devour the entire shop of  those exquisite delicacies.

There was that same blind beggar like every day  in his ragged coat and tattered pant that couldn't hide his ankle. silver bushy beard that looked greasy, Old as if turned hundred, years ago. Sitting at his usual place quite and statue like, with a round hat that seemed bitten by rats over the years on the head hiding his eyes.

He was motionless as if counting each coin dropped in his bowl placed before him by their sound.

The clinking was audible to the boy as the coins dropped to that beggars bowl by each passerby.  His feet gained towards the bowl just to peek inside that bowl out of curiosity. Silvery round and glinting in sun were in pile. He could just swoop down and fist out a hand full of coins. That should suffice for a piece of gulab jamun. His stomach grumbled even more as the idea of opportunity conceived his mind. And then for  a fraction of second he heard that last coin bumping off the rim of bowl and landed right in front of his feet. It was a five rupee coin, enough to buy one piece or may be two.

As if  the universe heard roaring his stomach and spared him that opportunity. It wasn't hard for him to blame it on god for that miscalculated aim that didn't end up inside the bowl but landed at his feet. Now there is no theft in picking up the coin off the road.

He looked at the beggar still as rock, only his bushy beard seemed to sway by air. The boy was shivering now, tantalizing his next act. With a blink of an eye he stood facing the other way. Couldn't look at the beggar now, not after what he has done. He felt a stone dropped down his gut, sweating more than before. And a coin of five locked inside his fist.  Even though the beggar was blind the boy felt his eyes boring in his back. Beggar saw him picking up the coin that wasn't his, he thought. He felt terrible. It was a strange and ugly situation for him. His conscience never accused him before of what he was feeling now. He doesn't want that and all he could think of that theft he had committed. Grumbling wasn't audible  to him anymore.  He has to make it right. He spun around and Retrieve those steps and threw back that didn't belonged to him. To his wonderment the coin made an unusual noise as it dropped. It wasn't clanking, more like a pebble that dropped in  water. Whatever it was, That wouldn't help him with his food today. He has to find something for the beast that roared inside him.

Containing a strange amalgamation of pride and hunger the boy walked away in the discovery of food. May be he could wash a few dishes at that fast food stall that might get him a vada pav (Indian burger) or he could go to tea stall to clean off  a few cups. That will earn him a few cookies and a glass of tea. But it was already hot that day and he was starving. So restaurant will offer him good food.
On his way back to his usual restaurant, there in between lies that same shop of Indian delicacies where he stand against the glassy door outside the shop drooling over those sweets and deserts. He never failed to throw a quick glance inside. But this time he didn't just pass by peeking at those luscious gulab jamun, although his feet stopped in the middle of the road in front of the shop. His face had an expression of disbelief when he felt something enclosed in his hand. To his wonderment he had his hands inside the pocket. He may have picked up that habit of rummaging his pocket while gazing the shop over the months. But with no radicalism it went unnoticed each day. But today he felt his fingers wrapped around something metallic. Cars were honking behind him but that didn't waver his astonishment. He was certain of his pocket being empty but now whatever it was that conjured inside his pocket was miracle to him. A gasp of excitement slipped his lips as it glimmered his eyes. Silvery shining in his hand was a coin of five.