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THE SKY AND THE STARS

It was half past ten. The station was less crowded. All the shops were either closed or on the verge of it. Ram was standing alone in the seventh platform. His coat was weary. He held a bag which was old and torn. His face was pale. His watch strap was worn out. His eyes were tired. He was not in his perfect state.

The railway speaker radio came alive.” Train number 347288, Marina express, will be delayed by one hour due to faulty rail tracks. Passengers are asked to stay patient. Please cooperate with us.”

Ram sighed. He turned around and walked to the bench in the platform. He put his bag on his side. He stretched his arms and put them on the bench. He lifted his head and looked at the sky.

It was dark. But it had a lot of twinkling stars. Ram looked up for some time. He began to remember his childhood days. He remembered his father.

“Daddy, what is in the sky?”Ram asked. “That place is empty Ram, but it is pure. It is pure because there is no human up there. It is protected from human qualities like greed, lust, and betrayal.”

“Daddy, then what is in the stars?”Ram asked again. “Son, I believe that it is a place where you can see good human qualities like faith, hope, and love. “

“Daddy, why is the sky so dark but the stars shine?”Ram asked again. “Ram, the sky is a state where most people live. In darkness. It is a state where people are not able to do good things but are neither bad. But, along with the darkness, you can see the light in the stars. The people in the stars are the few who do good things even in the sky, where people mind their own business.”

Ram grinned.”I want to be in the star, Dad.”Ram said. “You will be, my boy. You will.”

Ram came back to reality. Tears rolled over his cheek. He knew he was not in the star. He was not even in the sky. He was on the Earth. He had betrayed out of greed. He was nothing like his father expected. He was nothing like the star. In the course of life, he had lost his nobility and innocence. He was alone in that deserted station.

Ram questioned himself.”Am I worthy to be alive? Am I never going to be a star? Is this my life’s path? Will I die in this Earth?”

Suddenly, there was a tap in his shoulder. Ram turned around. It was an old beggar. He gestured his hand to his mouth. Ram took out his wallet. It was old and weary too. He searched his wallet to find the last ten bucks he had. He took it out and gave it to the beggar.

As Ram was about to put his wallet in his pocket, he noticed something. There was a picture of his boy. He was wearing a dark blue shirt with a lot of stars in it. It looked like a sky.

Ram glared at the photo for a few seconds. His eyes welled with tears. His lips curved to a smile.

He kissed the photo. He wiped out his tears.

“I may not be in the star or the sky. But, I will definitely make you one. You are my star.”The train arrived at the platform. Ram took his bag and started walking towards the train without taking his eyes off the photo.

After a long time, Ram had a strange feeling. It was a feeling which was from the star. It was HOPE.