A stroke of bad luck

I lost my way in the secluded forest and was trying to get out. After an hour of tiring and fruitless walk in the dark wood, I stumbled upon a sage. He was sitting in trance with his eyes closed under a tree in padmasan. I knew well the story of Parikshit Maharaja who got impatient when the sage whom he addressed did not respond. In anger he put a dead serpent on his neck only to be cursed by sage’s sons that he would die in a week by snake bite. Though scared by the threatening surroundings, I waited patiently for the sage to open his eyes which he did luckily after sometime. He smiled at me gently. I was assured he was not of Durvasa genre quick to curse.

A thought occurred to me then. Why miss the golden opportunity that has come by me by divine grace? I forgot to ask him how to go out of the wood. Instead I prostrated the full length before him and sought his blessings to lift me from the poverty that I was in. I also told him that if only I had endless supply of money, I would feed the poor. He was mighty pleased at my concern for the hapless poor like me and granted a boon that I would find a five hundred rupee note every time I opened my purse. I did an instant check and found one. I asked him whether I can open any number of times. He smiled in agreement blessing me as I took leave of him.
I did not share this stroke of luck with my neighbours lest they go in search of the sage. They were all wondering at my sudden affluence and the stream of poor at my door daily collecting food packets. I was mighty happy at this fortuitous turn of events in my life till one day the Reserve Bank of India withdrew the five hundred rupee notes and introduced a new water mark in all five hundred rupee notes to be issued. The notes that I get from the purse have not been upgraded and are no more valid.

I keep searching for the sage daily in the forest and have not found him till date. The old five hundred rupee note keeps propping up in my purse whenever I open it.
Kpartha12@hotmail.com