"A Place Where Two Rivers Meet..."

“ A Place Where Two Rivers Meet…”
In a small village in Gujarat, India called Kadod, two rivers meet to create a passageway, still enough to still your heart. I was able to see the beauty these two rivers created from the back of Principal Mahida sir’s backyard. A tall, deeply rooted, old-aged tree sat pleasantly before this river as if it was there when the rivers met in matrimony. The tree was their witness.

A man on a boat caressed the water lightly with his fishing net hoping to catch enough fish to sell at the market. He was the only soul in the river that day as the sun set. The river help him afloat to the upmost esteem.

A young girl sat restlessly next to her grandfather wondering why he was staring at the river so wondrously.

“Grandfather,” she said “why are you staring at the river in that way?”

He smirked, letting out a small laugh. “Have I ever told you the story of how this river came into existence?” He watched as his granddaughter perked up in her posture awaiting for him to start his story.
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King Raj stood looking out of his balcony as he watched the sun disappear out of the sky, leaving rays of color upon little water that still belonged to the river that once lay greatly amongst his presence. He had great respect for the sun, but once it began to steal from his river, he only awoke every morning with the worry that the sun would take his river from him, and indeed it did. Now, what use to be a great river full of commerce, children splashing at one another carelessly, and women washing clothes vigorously, was a puddle and dry earth.

“Sire?”, King Raj’s thoughts were interrupted by his assistant, Kumar.

“Yes.” King Raj folded his hands behind his back and walked gracefully towards his desk. Sitting down, he lightly massaged his temples and took a sip of his cup of chai. The smell relaxed the folds in his forehead for a moment.

“Sire, your people are wondering what is it they will do for food now that the river is gone. How will our market thrive if our main staple is gone?” Kumar asked nervously, careful not to irritate King Raj even more with his endless questions. King Raj thought for a long moment. Once more, he looked out of his balcony. I cannot let my people starve, I must comfort them with some hope, he thought to himself.

He got up determinedly and exited his palace. Once he saw the crowd of worried mothers holding their crying babies, fathers carrying burdens upon their shoulders as they sat restlessly on the palace step, the determination ran furiously out of him, and he too began to feel the brunt of his people’s pain.

“ My people”, he said greatly “ I know we are at the most troublesome time, for we have no water, no fish, --no river. We must pray that the clouds bless us with the sound of rain in the days to come. I will not let you go hungry. For I too will remain hungry with you until we are all fed.” King Raj watched as his people rose with his words, growing slightly hopeful, then began to cheer. He let out a deep breath and walked back into his palace, Kumar following quickly behind him.

“ Sire, what exactly is your plan?” Kumar asked cleverly.

“ I’m not sure as yet…but I will find one.”