Nandhu's Saviour (815 words)

Nandhu was scared in that dark and dingy room. A fearful man who forcibly kidnapped him from the crowd in the temple was standing outside the room smoking a beedi and keeping a vigil on him. Nandhu saw through the window he was in a building in a dark grove with lots of trees. He cried and pleaded with the man to let him go to his mom. The man threatened to throw him in the well if he cried or pestered him.

Nandhu was just seven years old. He recollected how happily he had started with his mom to Venugopala swami temple in the evening. His mom had told him there was a special puja that day being Janmashtami. The temple was jampacked with devotees. He remembered that he could not see the deity and his mom had to lift him on her shoulders for him to have a glimpse of the God. More than God Krishna in blue colour with his flute in hand, he liked the white cow behind him with its head lowered and touching Krishna’s leg.

“Amma, I want that cow behind Krishna, I will hold it in my hand and take care of it. It will give milk to our house. Please get me the same” he pleaded with her.

She patted him on his cheeks and replied “It is Lord Krishna’s cow. You should not desire what is God’s. I will get you another cow when you grow a little older. They have horns and will hurt if one is not careful.”

The boy was adamant and cried, “No, I want that cow only. I do not need any other.”

She took him away from the sanctum and waded through the crowd with the boy in hand. He suddenly wrenched himself away and ran inside the crowd toward the sanctum saying, “I will not come without the cow. You go home.”

She got scared and went behind him calling his name. The boy did not respond to her repeated calls and disappeared into the crowd. Countless times of shouting his name and the efforts of others to trace him yielded no result. The crowd was so much that she could not easily move. The boy was lost. She wailed with many devotees sympathising with her.

Nandhu saw from the window of his room, the dreadful man walking towards a big well possibly to quench his thirst. Nandhu quietly pushed the door that luckily opened and slipped away to hide behind a bush a little away. He saw soon the man with two others frantically searching for him. After a search for quite some time in the darkness, they gave up the search.

Nandhu too was afraid of the darkness but dared not come out lest he be caught. He remembered his mom telling him frequently to pray to God whenever he faced difficulty. He thought of Krishna and the cow and prayed to them to take him home though his mind was more on the cow. He started sobbing when nothing happened and slowly drifted to sleep.

 He did not know how long he had slept till he found something licking his face. He woke up with a start and found the white cow, he saw with Krishna at the temple standing by his side. It nudged him to stand up. He held the rope on the cow’s neck that had several bells and slowly walked with it. He was afraid that the jingling bells may alert the terrible man but the cow walked confidently.

Lo, in a matter of a few minutes, he found himself opposite to his house. It was midnight when he knocked on the door. His mother with swollen eyes, who came rushing out fearing some bad news, was greatly surprised to see Nandhu standing as if nothing had happened. When she asked where he went, with whom and how he came home alone in the dark night.

” Amma, don’t you see the cow standing beside me as it did at Krishna’s temple? It brought me here from the dark forest safely from the clutches of a fearsome man. I hope you will permit me to be with us hereafter,” Nandhu replied with joy.

His mom looked behind him and said “What are you prattling about? I do not see any cow behind you. Are you dreaming or what? Do you know who kidnapped you?”  Nandhu turned and looked behind to see no cow and started weeping loudly when he did not see the cow.

 “I promise, Amma, the cow really licked and nudged me when I was asleep in the forest and brought me here from the dark woods safely unafraid of the jingling bells waking the evil man. His mom lifted her hands and folded towards the direction of the temple.

“Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation."