A Moral Tale

Christmas is a few days away and Jonu has dreams of making it special. He has his eyes set on the newly released CNC Video Game. With each passing day, his desire of owning this device increases as he sees the numerous adverts of it everywhere. But in the back of his mind, he knows that this dream of his may be a distant reality as he is aware of the family’s current financial situation. His father makes ends meet by working in a cloth mill whereas his mother stitches clothes for the neighbouring folks.

Jonu finds his happiness in the local school where he plays football and mingles with his friends discussing the intricacies of the brand new CNC video game. Suddenly, the students gaze towards Lobu, the mill owner’s son, who is carrying the much vaunted CNC video game. Now the once lonely Lobu has become the center of attention of the whole school.

On his way home, Jonu develops an envious streak for Lobu; thinking why he is deprived of the luxuries of life while Lobu has it all. He ponders upon his cousin Lesot, who has made a name for himself by indulging in illegal activities though he is now banned from the family. He thinks of taking help from Lesot in obtaining the CNC but drops the idea afterwards.

On the dinner table, Jonu is uneasy as he is engulfed by the image of Lobu holding the CNC video game. It is Christmas eve and Jonu has made up his mind. He sneaks out of the assembly, enters the empty class, approaches Lobu’s bag and grabs the video game. Jonu’s face is beaming with pride as he plays with his newly acquired possession. He is so dearly engrossed that he does not notice the bike coming his way. It brushes past him and there is a thud. He looks at the ground and sees his prized scalp broken into two pieces. Jonu is distraught and does not know how to react.

He reaches home in an abject state. He feels his heart has been broken into pieces and not the CNC. His parents cannot understand his disappointment and they let things be. It is Christmas morning, the sun’s rays beam on Jonu’s face. He wakes up and finds his parents standing in front of him. His father is holding a gift in his hand. Jonu sulks and reflects on his past gifts which haven’t come close to what he wants. Still frowning with anger, he opens the box slowly and does not believe what he sees. It is his dream, his wish, the thing that he had desired the most from the start. Tears flow from his eyes uncontrollably. He quickly grabs his gift and rushes from the house. He reaches the mansion and meets Lobu. He hands him the gift & apologizes for his wrongdoing. Lobu is stunned in silence.

Jonu returns home, hugs his father and declares, “This is the best Christmas ever.”