Luck in the Woods
In a certain town lived a young man. He was ambitious. He had several schemes in his mind. But he could not put them into practice because he had no means to do so. "Only if I could once meet the king and put forth my schemes before him, he would help me to work them out," he thought. He proceeded to the capital and met one of the officers of the court. "Meet the king, eh? If he had the time to waste on strangers like you, do you think he would remain a king? No, he would be reduced to a fellow like you," observed the officer. "In that case, what's your advice, sir?" asked the young man. "It's wise of you to ask me for advice. Now, my advice is, forget meeting the king," said the officer. "But I had come with so much hope!" murmured the young man. "Is it not enough that you saw me and obtained free advice?" asked the officer. The young man left the capital disappointed. His humiliation before the officer often brought tears to his eyes. In order to hide them from his near ones, he began spending most of his time in the forest near his village. By and by the forest exercised a spell over him.
He explored new areas of the forest and was thrilled. One day, he saw two tombs lying neglected. Beside it, there was a dry pond. Since he had nothing else to do, he devoted his time to clear the tombs of shrubs and creepers. He also dug the pond deeper and channelized the flow of a brook into it. Around the tombs, he planted a number of trees that yielded colorful flowers and useful fruits. He made a hut for himself and began living there. In a few months, the place became beautiful. The road that passed through the forest was not far from the spot. The young man cut the bushes and made a byroad to the spot. One day a batch of merchants took the byroad and reached the spot. The young man served them with cool water and a sackful of fruits. The merchants were very pleased with him. "Who lie buried here?" they asked. "A great soul and his wife," said the young man. "I guard their tombs." "You're a dutiful youth. Here is our contribution towards the upkeep of the tombs," said the merchants as they handed out some money to him. Soon the spot became an attraction for all the travelers. What was a byroad became the main route to cross the forest. All those who stopped near the tombs paid the young man some money. Soon a strange rumor was in circulation: whoever prayed near the tomb with a certain wish found his wish fulfilled! Thereafter not only did the travelers make it a point to stop at the spot and pay their respect to the tombs but also the folks from around the forest began making regular trips to the spot. The young man opened an inn and two shops to cater to the needs of the visitors.
He employed some of his chums to manage them. The news of the tombs reached the king. He sent a delegation of courtiers to look into the matter. They drew the picture of the tombs and also carried a slab of stone found near the tombs. The slab bore a symbol. The king was taken aback at the stone. It bore the symbol of the founder of his dynasty. The founder and his wife, along with a handful of trusted people, had escaped into the forest, narrowly escaping the enemy's sword. The royal couple died in the forest. Their faithful companions raised tombs over their buried bodies, but all of them were soon killed in a bloody encounter with the enemy. In the course of time, the location of the tombs had been forgotten. The king was immensely pleased at the discovery of the forgotten tombs. He summoned the young man and asked him, "Can you prove that if one prayed near the tombs with a wish in his heart, the wish was fulfilled?" "Yes, my lord, I had an intense wish to see you. But I failed to see you however I tried. Now you called me from your side - thanks to my prayers near the tombs!" said the young man. The king gave the young man a handsome reward. The area around the tombs was developed into a magnificent park. It was the young man who was appointed the superintendent over it and he happily took the job.
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