A beggar named Gond, with a walking stick in his hand to support his bent backbone was standing outside of the prayer hall.
A man who used to watch him every day asked him, “Is there no one to support you?”
Gond looked at him for a while and then responded in a sad tone, “I am not a beggar, but I can’t live at my home“
That man was curious, so he asked, “I think you have a story behind your present situation“
Gond told him, “When I was young, I owned several acres of land. I was well to do, married, not very rich, but well to do. I used to carry my vegetables and fruit produce from my village on a bullock cart to the market in a town 5 miles away. But it all started one day when I was carrying my crop to the market in my bullock cart on a dusty road through the forest towards the market.
Gond was telling his story to that stranger but lost in his thoughts...
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Every night while returning home, Gond had to pass by a banyan tree, which was said to be the home of a ghost. But Gond had never found ghosts on that tree, and he didn’t even believe in ghosts. They said the ghost, Jinni, was a robber and was hanged by the king on that banyan tree.
From then on, the ghost Jinni lived on that tree and often pounced on those whom he did not like. Sometimes he used to beat them up, and sometimes he used to jump on the throats of passers-by and let them go. He did not like anybody to disturb his peace of mind by passing through that dusty trail.
But one day, Jinni was annoyed with Gond’s frequent visits from under that tree, so one night he jumped from the tree and stood in the middle of the road. He shouted, “Get down from your bullock cart! I am going to hit you five times on your back with my stick.”
Gond continued his story, “Of course, I was taken aback, but I could not see any reason I needed the permission of a ghost to pass through that shortcut that saved him one hour each side“
“I have no intention of disturbing you or any punishment from you,“ he replied.
“Get down from your cart, and don’t tell me you’re not scared of me like other men,“ Jinni shouted and jumped on to Gond on the bullock cart, “But give me a good reason I should not punish you?”
“If you kill me, you will regret it later. I am an ordinary poor peasant and I have a wife for whom I am the only support.“
“It has nothing to do with you being ordinary or poor“, said Jinni.
“Okay, then make me rich if you can, then I will stop passing through this shortcut”
‘So you think I don’t have the power to make you rich? Jinni was now enjoying the conversation.
“I challenge you to make me rich,” said Gond.
“Then keep going,” Jinni yelled, “I’m coming to your house to stay with you.”
Gond moved his bullock cart towards his village. Jinni was sitting in a bullock cart at the back.
“I’ve got the power to make myself invisible,” Jinni explained, “So no one else, but only you, will see me.” And second, I have to sleep close to you every night and no one should know about it. If you tell anyone about me, then I’ll definitely punish you.“
“Don’t worry,” said Gond, “I won’t tell anyone.”
“That’s better,” the Jinni said, “I’m enjoying being with you. ”I was myself feeling lonely living there on that tree“.
So, Jinni came to live with Gond, and they slept close to each other every night, and they got along very well. Jinni was as good as his words, and money started pouring in from “imaginable and unimaginable sources.” Then Gond was in a position to buy more land and cattle. No one knew about his association with Jinni or how he became richer.
Although it’s natural that his friends and relatives kept wondering where all that money was coming from! During this time, Gond’s wife was constantly worried about his absence at night. At first, he had told his wife that he was not feeling well, so he would sleep on the verandah. Then he said that someone was trying to steal his cows at night, so he would have to guard them. After this, Jinni and he slept in the cowshed.
Then Gond’s wife often spied on him at night, but she always found him sleeping among the cows. Unable to understand his strange behavior, she told his parents. They came to Gond and asked about his strange behavior.
Not only that, but Gond’s own relatives were also insisting on knowing the source of the increase in his income. One day, his uncles, aunts, and distant cousins, all came to his house to know where all this money was coming from?
“Do you want me to die?” After losing his patience, and irritated Gond said, “If I tell you the source of my wealth, I will lose everything.”
But they scoffed at it as a clever excuse, as they suspected that he wanted to keep all this money to himself. In the end, he was so fed up with the demands of all the people that he spilled the whole truth. They didn’t believe this, as most people rarely believe such stories, but this had given them a topic to talk about, and they went away.
But that night, Jinni did not come to sleep in the cowshed. The Gond slept alone with the cows. He was afraid that if he fell asleep, Jinni might decide to harm him. But the ghost of Jinny was so hurt that he left the place and Gond to his fate. Then Gond was quite certain that his good fortune had ended.
The next day, when he was returning from market to the village in his bullock cart, Jinni jumped from his banyan tree.
“You are a liar and a false friend,” he shouted while stopping the bullock cart, “I gave you everything you wanted, yet you betrayed me“
“I am very sorry,” said Gond, “you can take my life if you want“
“I can’t do it,” Jinni said, “we’ve been friends for a long time. "But I must punish you.“
He plucked a branch from the tree and hit it on the back of Gond so many times that his waist was completely bent.
Gond told the man at the end of the story, “I could not stand upright again, and for over twenty years I have been living in this deformed form. My wife took over all my land and money and is running the family. I am no longer fit to work or allowed to enter the home“
So I left the village and started wandering from one place to another, begging for a living. This is how I reached Manner and decided to stay here.
“At least I am not anywhere near the banyan tree that I have to cross.“
“But what happened to the money you had received from Jinni?“ That man asked.
“That all disappeared the next day when Jinni left me”. He said, “As all such things should be. “After all, there is no value in the money that you yourself have not worked for?“
#theinkwell prompt, "What if genies were real?"