The Sinner
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The Sinner
Far away in the deep valley of the mountains, in a village lived a woman ‘Radha’ along with her five-year-old son. Both mother and son used to make colourful bamboo baskets for their livelihood, which they used to sell in the shops of the nearby town.
One day, while returning, as they walked down the mountains, it started raining heavily. Fearing that the rains would stay longer, Radha helplessly looked around for shelter and not far away she found a lone hut, with light coming from inside. Tugging her son on her back, she walked to the hut and knocked on the door.
A man opened up the door who she could recognise. He was the head of the village. He first hesitated then let her come inside. She noticed the hut was crowded with no place to even stand. She could recognise many familiar faces from the village. It took no time for her to understand that they too had taken shelter from the rains.
She stood in one corner of the hut and tried to make her son asleep. As time passed by, instead of slowing down, rains increased its intensity with lightning and thundering. Everyone was now tensed and scared for their lives, and also started talking that soon the village will submerge in water.
Suddenly an old man got up and pointed to her, and shouted, “She and her son are the sole reason why today it is raining heavily. God is punishing us for her sins. Every one of us will die in these rains. She must leave the hut.”
The people around started talking, soon the voices turned louder and louder. Scared she hid her son in her shawl.
One from the crowd, shouted at her, “You must get out of this hut, or we would drag you out. You are an unwedded mother, no one knows who is the father of this child. Both of you are sinners!”
And the crowd supported him in one voice.
Radha pleaded with tears-soaked eyes, “Where I would go in this heavy rains? I fear for my son’s life.” and she waited for the village head to say a word but he remained a silent spectator.
Sensing that the crowd was agitated and may turn violent, an anguished Radha picked up her son and came out of the hut. The villagers immediately shut the door.
Outside the hut, it was pitch dark, the tall dark trees swayed and howled, along with the whistling winds. The heavy rains splashed on her face, she could hardly open her eyes. Scared in her heart, she started walking on the muddy ground.
Suddenly, she saw a bolt of huge lightning in the sky along with a thundering sound. The sound was so loud as if it had struck the earth. She closed her eyes to face the wrath of God, for now she too believed that villagers were right, “She is a sinner!”
After a while, she opened her eyes, she was still breathing, and so was her son. She looked around, the hut was burning. The lightning had fallen on the hut.
She started crying, her tears shone with happiness and gratitude.
Slowly, the rains stopped.
*****
The rules of life are not set by Humans.