ENVY AND HONESTY (MICRO STORY)

It's a stormy night. A girl named Rani is writing a poem in her diary. She is sitting alone in her candle-lit room. There is no electricity because she lives in a remote village of West Bengal, India.

It's lockdown time, so she is writing on a relevant topic "Corona".  She has a desire to send her writing to a contest.  Rani is an orphan living with her friend Debarati,  who is a teacher of Psychology in the Village High School. Rani is a good thinker and has a creative bent of mind.  She is making a collection of her writing to publish a book. Her friend Debarati has promised to help her in publishing the book from an authentic Publishing house. Thus, Rani tries to be financially stable like  Debarati. Rani has completed English Honours last year but unfortunately lost her parents in an accident. The poem on Corona she has written runs like this:

Nature is breathing A Furious Fire of Revenge,

We are making buildings one by one. Our pleasure dome,

So the disease COVID, Virus Corona, is making the world an Old-age home!

Ask a question yourself,

Will we get nature's help?

People are being killed merciless,

Will they be finished without a Trace?

What is the future of the human race?

- Rani stops as Debarati enters the Room. She asks "What are you doing?" Rani says : "Ohh here you are, have you completed your work? I am writing a poem to send to a Contest by post".

Debarati : "Write write, do not stop. I will be publishing all your work together."

 Rani : "I am ashamed, that I don't have any money but still live on your salary.  Tution and job are very boring."

Debarati : "That is not your Job darling, you are a creative person, and I am pretty sure, you will earn a lot of money and be able to pay my debt someday! I am only  helping you as you are  my best friend. Don't worry."

Then they prepare for dinner. Roti and Vaji. Both the friends are struggling hard to fulfill their respective dreams. Debarati wants to shift to Town by making a small house there.

As they are having dinner, suddenly a ghastly wind blows outside. The candle is blown out and it becomes completely dark. Rani leaves her plate and touches Debarati out of fear. They see that a bright green light flashes at the door.

 Rani screams in fear. "Who is there?" Debarati :" Is there anybody outside?"

 A woman fully Green in colour enters their room: I am the Envy personified, want to destroy your friendship anyhow, so get ready to be jealous of each other. By seeing that, Rani gets fainted. After a few minutes, She comes to sense, when Debarati lights up the lantern. Rani still feels sick. The woman is no longer there. But Rani was taken aback when Debarati said : "Well Rani, now let me go to my parents. What is the use of spending money for you? You are idly sitting at home doing nothing. I don't want to help you anymore. Try to earn your own livelihood from tomorrow."

Rani remembers the last night. That woman has changed her friend's mind. Debarati denies to help her anymore. She packs up her clothes and next morning, she leaves for her parents' house, leaving Rani all alone.

Rani thinks to herself, Debarati has said the correct words for her. "I will be starving from now until I get some tution. I have no right to receive patronage from anybody."

Rani completes the poem and sends it to the very contest. She finds some village students and starts earning her livelihood by doing private tuitions.

After 5 years-

 Rani has established herself. She gives free English Tution to poor students. She earns enough money by writing and publishers naturally come to her to publish her works. Now Rani is affluent enough to adopt a child and be a single mother. After that

supernatural incident 5 years ago she became  conscious enough of duality in human nature, and hence has learnt how to live alone and follow a particular goal with all honesty.