Social Story – The Race
Photo credit: imelenchon from morguefile.com
The annual race was going to start. The organizers came on to the stage and read out rules and regulations to be maintained by the participants. Such as:
1. There would be a 100 carat of diamond stone in front of participants. Everyone should run for that stone.
2. They who would resort to any unfair means or try to hinder fellow participants, would get exemplary punishment (10 strokes of cane),
3. He, who would reach the stone first, would be owner of it
……..
And many more. But, needless to say, people took part in the race mainly for one thing – Diamond. The people in this region were too poor to afford even a pucca house of their own. They thought, they were poor because they couldn’t win the race ever and could not be owner of the diamond. They who got that, was now living a wealthy life. It was said that the race itself was their life – specifically race of life.
Both the king and his queen came to see the race and they were now eating hot dog. There were ministers, bureaucrats, aristocratic also with them. The race had an entry fee. Each contestant had to pay Rs. 10/- to get enrolled. But how could you demand money from them who had nothing? How could they give you money? So, king made a rule, they could take loan from king if they were unable to pay. So they took loan and unfortunately no man who took loan could get out of interest-cycle. The more days were passed the amount of interest got increased and increased. And all the money was payable to the government, i.e. the king.
Anyway all the participants were now ready and referee whistled. Everyone started to run with all their might. Cavalry followed them. Many started to trip out other runners. They were whipped brutally and were taken out of the field by the horse-ridden men.
Everyone was running…
Fast…
Faster…
The target must be reached. And hence they were only looking at the diamond stone set in the front of them. But if they turned aside, they could see how king and his associates were laughing and enjoying the race sitting in a safe stadium which was far from the race. They really enjoyed the event.
At last, many got wearied. Some vomited for extreme exhaustion. Some fell on the ground, foaming at the mouth, and died immediately. But the rests had no time to look for them.
* * *
The afternoon sun was getting crimson in the horizon. The last man got tired with constant running. Now he could move no more, fell on the ground. He looked at the gallery – no person left. Where was the cavalry? They departed a long time ago. He saw the diamond was still glowing with the late afternoon sunshine – untouched. He surprised to see it. Was that totally a falsehood?
At evening, some children came into the field. They used to come each time of the race. They ate leftovers scattered in the ground. Riches waste more than they eat. With that, little boys and girls were able to quench their long time hunger. So they waited for the special day.
But this time they surprised to see – thousands of people gathered at the ground. They were conversing and got irritated sometimes. The children got frightened.
* * *
Now in the palace.
Here the tension was quite palpable. All got bewildered at what spy told them.
He apprised, people got to know that it was not an original diamond. Mere a bait. They also came to know that they went round of no avail. Diamond remained untouched.
King said, ‘How did they know?’
All left silent.
– “Make them believed, the first man won that stone. They used to know that way. And so they envied fellow participants and made no noise with us. Who did inform the truth?”
The chief adviser to the king thought, ‘How many days could they be fooled, Sir? But then, he remembered the king’s order he had to accomplish. He told to his councils to get ready. They had to think how to make the people believed again.
But it was very late. When soldiers came out of palace, armored, a heavy storm was started to blow outside. They could hardly look a thick black border far away with the floodlight set in the palace. And that was coming. After a certain time, they realized the thousand people got hundreds of thousands and they came to attack the king’s house.
After a few minutes the race started again. But now it got skewed – king with his aristocrat running to save their life and people chasing them from behind.
__END__
