text: Graveyard: Life’s reality check When it comes to the part of memories, they are not only the collection of precious moments in our treasure box but also pre-gifted power to make our upcoming moments precious. Some memories are meant to be erased, some are meant to be learned, and some are meant to be applied. You may reckon why I am describing so much about memories, but you may not know the value of the moment until and unless it becomes a memory. This story is of two young men deciding to spend the night in the graveyard, ultimately learning life’s reality. “ How long would it take a mechanic to arrive here ?” questioned Mark. “ I am trying to reach him, but due to network issues, I am not able to contact him, ” answered Jack. “ It’s all because of you and your brainless planning Jack, we are trapped here. How shall we reach back to our place? It’s getting too late, and tomorrow we have our business associate meeting. How would we be able to reach there on time? Aaah! This hell network, not able to connect anyone, I wish I could throw away this bloody network company. ” Mark exclaimed with an aggressive tone. “ Oh come on Mark, I too haven’t dreamt of such a situation, I only wished to have a long drive after hectic business days and thought you too would chill out for a while, ” exclaimed Jack again trying to contact the mechanic. “Oh God Jack, who has time for chilling, anyways, were you able to contact the mechanic person?” “ Still nope Bro,” answered Jack. Mark, a tall handsome man in his mid-thirties, a business-oriented person, only focused on making fame and money, still single, for him money matters everything, on the contrary, his business partner, Jack, a young man also in his mid-thirties, jovial, quite enthusiastic, lovable person. For him the only language that unites the whole world is love. For him, money is just a piece of paper, used to survive on this planet. A two opposite natured individual joined together in the bond of partnership, now got stuck in the middle of the forest, due to an unforeseen car repair. “What are you planning to do Jack, are you planning to spend the whole night in this dark jungle or do you have another foolish stuff in your head?” “Mark, your words are becoming so rude nowadays, try to modify your way of speaking. Anyways due to network issues, I am not able to contact a car mechanic, so as of now we have no other option to leave the car here, and go in search of help, maybe we can get the help of local people here.” “Okay we don’t have any other option other than this, lock the car and we will move further.” Jack and Mark moved further in search of help so that they can move out of this deep forest as soon as possible. They quickened their pace in search of help. But both were not aware that with every walk they are moving a step closer to their destiny. After a long walk they both could see a bright fire somewhere close to them, they walked closer to it, and in the brightness of fire, saw an old man, face covered with wrinkled all around, dark-skinned, with bright white curly hairs, seemed that from years he hadn’t shaved his hair, sitting in front of a fire and roasting a rabbit for his meal. “Hello Sir, we are stuck in this forest, as our vehicle broke down and soon we have to reach back to our place, can you help us to move out of this place?” questioned Jack “Well Listen, son, from her, you have to walk another twenty miles to reach the main highway, from there you can catch any vehicle and reach back to your place, but at this time I don’t think so, it would be safe for you to walk twenty miles, as it too late, and the next twenty miles are covered with dense forest, which is homage to various wide animals, but then it's up to you, whether you want to travel or not, it was my duty to guide you.” exclaimed old man. (Jack now in a tensed expression sees Mark to consult with him) “What shall we do now, Mark? Are you willing to move forward, or shall we stay here tonight, and move further in the early morning?” “ Hmm! No problem, we will stay here tonight”. (Who would like to stay here in this ruined area, but who too wants to be a meal of wild animals murmured Mark.) “ Sir, can we know what are you doing here, alone in this dark jungle, that too at late night?” Jack questioned Old Man. “Son, I am a gravedigger, working in this cemetery. This is my home and I stay here.” answered the Old Man. Jack and Mark hollered, “what! Is this a graveyard?” “Yes, my son” answered Old Man. “Why you didn’t tell us earlier about this graveyard? We wouldn’t have agreed to stay here, What the hell is going on here?” shouted Mark “Come on Jack, I am not ready to stay here in this graveyard, with this stinking Old man, let us leave just now.” “Ohh my dear son, I don’t have any problem, if you wish to leave, you are free to do so, but make sure you have all the weapons to handle the wild animals. I hope you would have it!” responded the Old Man. “Hello, you old coot, trying to frighten us, with your dangerous advice?” bellowed Mark. “Not at all my dear son, I only tried to safeguard you, but anyways if you want to follow your own way, you are always free to do so” expressed Old Man. “Come on Jack, let us leave from this place ” ordered Mark. “ Are you sure Mark? You are willing to leave this place, make sure we won’t be getting any help from anyone in between our journey, as from now till crossing twenty miles, not a single resident lives. So think once again” advised Jack. “Then you wish to spend the rest of the night in this graveyard?” questioned Mark. “It’s better to stay with dead persons rather than getting dead!” Jack exclaimed with a wink. “Ohh GOD what to do, anyways you got a chance to take revenge, your TIT for TAT subject would be completed here. Isn’t it?” expressed Mark “Ohh! Come on Mark, why would I even think of taking revenge on you, as I told you earlier, it was not my plan, I never dreamt of such foreseen happening, nothing was under my control, you too know it, I only planned for your happiness, but all things went out of the way” said Jack. So after a long discussion and argument ultimately Jack and Mark decided to spend the rest of the night in the graveyard accompanied by the old man. “As now, you both ultimately decided to spend the night with me, would you wish to enjoy rabbit roast with me? It tastes too delicious, and you seem tired. You can charge up your energy level.” “Ohh thank you for your dramatic concern, you enjoy your delicious meal.” expressed Mark. “Sorry sir, don’t mistake my friend, though his words may seem rude, but he is tender by heart. You enjoy your meal sir, we will have it later,” exclaimed Jack. In the middle of the forest, with a bright shiny moon, with accompanying starts embedded like a diamond stone on a black velvet cloth, surrounded by huge ancestral trees, sounds of a howling wolf, clicking bats, buzzing mosquitoes, hissing snakes, raised our heartbeats, sweat started dripping down, which made us feel cold with every touch of a gentle breeze, fragrance of wet mud filled the air and we two in middle of the graveyard surrounded by memorial sites all around. “Sir, where do you sleep? Don’t you have any hut, or kind of it to stay?” Jack asked the Old Man. “No son, this whole graveyard is my home. I am working here for the last 40 years and I started my work when I was just ten years old with my father, but soon he left us, and from then till now, I am the in-charge of this graveyard. People from all nearby places come here to bury their loved ones, and I spent my life burying those dead bodies.” “Don’t you feel afraid of staying here, sir?” Jack questioned. “ No son what is there to be afraid of, instead this is the much safer place on earth, as the dead person lived their life and now they know the value of life because they are the one who went through the reality of life, and now they know, nothing in the world is permanent, they too know that world is nothing but a mere stage, where we are just actors, and our permanent homage is the graveyard, so they don’t wish to harm anybody.” explained the old man. Mark overhearing all their conversation starts to think, are all the luxuries in which he lives, all the money which he has acquired, all the fame, prestige, and wealth which he worked for, are temporary? So does it mean all the effort spend on it is vain? So he thinks, if nothing is permanent, why we are born in this temporary stage, is our life a time pass? “If you feel graveyard is safer than any place why do people fear staying here? And if the world is a temporary stage, why GOD gave us birth? Is our life a mere time pass?” Mark questioned the Old Man. “Your answer to the first question is too simple, it’s because people prefer to believe in a beautiful lie rather than an ugly truth. You are born on this planet with a purpose, your life is not just a time pass, GOD has sent you to accomplish a great task, and finding meaning to your purpose is your ultimate destiny, But what you people do, always try to chase the worldly pleasure, without knowing the purpose of it, I am not in an opinion that money is not important, it is important to sustain life, but in the race of making money, don’t forget to make relations. Working in this graveyard for the last forty years, I have learned life’s important lesson, seeing you young guys, wish to share it with you, you may think what this old coot will deliver us, but mark my words, those are the life’s important lesson, that you may neither find in any book nor could search it anywhere” said the Old Man roasting his rabbit. “Life is too short to be lived, so enjoy every moment.” “Nothing is more precious than your time spent on your happiness, money gone can be earned, but a broken heart is hard to restitch, and even stitched it leaves behind a permanent mark on it.” “Be a person in this world, that when you die at least there are four persons who truly miss your presence.” “My dear sons love your life, you are made by a heavenly creature named god. He has spent the entire course of his life to design you, love yourself, love others, make your place a heaven to stay in, as at last you too have to come back to the same place, and your body too would be buried deep in the world”. “Have you ever guessed my sons why our body is buried deep inside the earth?” questioned the Old man. Jack and Mark seeing each other shrugged. Old Man answered “It’s only to show the reality that you are born for this mother nature, and your ultimate destiny is back to nature itself. After we die, our body has a purpose to satisfy the hunger of worms, so find meaning in every work, and love the work you do. As you work to gather money, work to gather relations too, as money can be lost one day, but true relations made are forever” After hearing life’s ultimate truth, Mark revised his course of life and understood that in the race of making money and fame, he never had time for his loved ones, but they are the one who stayed with him in a tough time, but somehow, staying a night in graveyard taught them life’s an important lesson and from that night onwards, he understood making money is a part of life but gathering relations itself is life. He too understood that the only thing man takes with him in his last part of his life is the golden memories stored in his treasure box, so they are more valuable than any other precious commodities in this world. Meanwhile, Old man prepared his handmade bed, which was nothing but a pile of dry grass, which is used to cover the coffin, before closing it with mud, and in a short while, all slept with a deep sense of peace in there mind. The dawn broke, and which the first ray of the sun, Mark and Jack decided to leave, they searched for the old man, for giving a thank note, but could find nowhere. As it was getting late for them, they left the graveyard and started their journey back to their home. While entering the graveyard they had nothing with them, but while going back, they had a collection of precious moments, which later would be their best memory of their life.