Deep in my heart,I do believe!

Lights... camera... action....

Well, everyone was applauding Mr. Deep. There he stood with a smile on his face that explained so many things.......Deep received the young scientist award for his invention of " Miracle Water." He stood there amidst the applause beaming with joy and happiness.

Deep was given the opportunity to share his experience. He walked with heavy footsteps on stage, each step wanting to tell a story about his success or rather failure.....

He held the mike firmly and cleared his throat and started off with....

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am honoured to be here today. I am thankful to the "Young

Scientists" team for having chosen me for this prestigious award.

All of you might be wondering as to what lead me to the miraculous invention of what I call it as "Miracle Water."

Deep sighed and paused for a while before he could continue. "I still remember that fateful day when I had a high fever." My dad rushed me to the hospital. We were waiting for the doctor. I saw my dad's clothes were smeared with mud and little blood, which had oozed out of my mouth.

I was the youngest and the most pampered one in the house. I was the 9th son to my dad who had crossed 55 or so when I was born. My dad was a farmer by profession and used to rear a small cattle too. He was ploughing the land when he got the news that I was running high temperature. He had left everything and had come to the hospital with the muddy clothes and the stinking smell of the cattle.

The doctor came in. He checked my pulse and temperature. His forehead got wrinkles indicating that there was something wrong. He asked if I had, had a stomach ache, to which I replied "yes." The doctor scribbled something on the prescription and gave it to my dad and told him to take me to the city as during those days, we never had the hi-tech facilities in the hospital. My dad got me some medicine and told me that since it was dark already, he would take me to the city tomorrow.

I savored the bland soup, which my mother had made and swallowed the pill which the doctor had given me.

My dad was an illiterate. Despite several attempts from my grandmother, whom I lovingly called "Ammamaa," he refused to go to school. So my Ammamaa decided that she would by my first and best teacher as she had cleared her secondary school at that time. By force, she had to marry my grandfather who was a priest. He had passed away due too.

As I told you my father was an illiterate, he gave the prescription slip to my Ammamaa to read. She started reading it aloud and stopped for a while. My dad asked, as to why she stopped in the middle to which she replied "he got the same disease like your father." Thomp, came a huge noise, there my father fell down from the chair, lifeless, having suffered a massive heart attack.

My Ammamaa hid the prescription in her trunk. I was always behind her to show me the trunk, which she never used to. It was like a mystery to me. I just wanted to explore the things kept in the trunk.

After my dad's funeral, things seemed to be okay. I was feeling better and better everyday. My Ammamaa made sure that I stood first in all my exams. She was my second mother.

I topped the state in my secondary education, and I had to leave the village for higher studies. My Ammamaa made sure that everything was packed neatly and in the bus stand, she gave me a bottle of water stating that I should take it everyday and should never miss it even one single day and took promise from me. She told me that her dream was to see me in white apron as a doctor. I Itook her blessings before the bus could leave.

I started studying as hard as I could remembering my Ammamaa every now and then. My teachers encouraged me to participate in the Young Scientists competition as I was one of the brightest students in the class.

My mother called me and informed me that as my Ammamaa had fallen in the bathroom, she was hospitalized. I rushed immediately to see her. It seemed like she was lying in the bed waiting to see me. I just went near her and started sobbing. She patted my back and gave me the key to her trunk, which was safe in her room.

As exams were nearby, I had to leave the village. As I had prepared well, I topped the university and won the gold medal. My teachers also reminded me of the science competition to which I replied that I would be preparing for that during holidays.

Back to village again, as my Ammamaa was still bed ridden, I had to feed her and put her to sleep. Maybe because of old age, she had forgotten to ask for the trunk key, which I had kept it safely, after all, I had to explore it.

The trunk made a creaky sound when I opened it. It was dusty indeed. I just couldn't stop myself from seeing what was inside it. There was some foul odor coming from the trunk. There were some old papers and few of my childhood toys beneath which laid a torn paper with my name written on it. I had to search for the other piece, which I found in the corner of the trunk. I got curious and started putting the torn papers together and started reading it. I could hardly read it ..."can..cer..ous tu...mor" in the stomach. I couldn't believe it when I read it again and again, not once but twice, "cancerous tumor" in the stomach. The paper slipped out of my hand and all unwanted thoughts started running in my mind. How could I suffer from cancer for so many years and how could I live without getting any treatment and why did my favourite Ammamaa hid it in the trunk. I started crying profusely when my eyes fell on the diary. It was written by my Ammamaa. The date, same as I found on the prescription written by doctor, my Ammamaa had written everyday gomutra (cow's urine) 2 tablespoons.

As my Ammamaa's father was an ayurvedic doctor, she had assisted him in his work and knew tits and bits of ayurveda, which she wanted to try on her own husband, who did not listen to her and had succumbed to death because of stomach cancer.

So, when she got to know that I had stomach cancer, she had started the treatment of gomutra immediately. She was genius because she used to flavour the gomutra with cardamom powder and

Turmeric powder as I used to hate the smell of cattle. Lifeless, Ammamaa, laid on the bed....

My criminal mind started working now with a devilish smile. Eureka!! this was an invention in itself. I started thinking of winning the young scientist's award and the patent rights and remuneration. I immediately went to the city and got my blood test done for cancer, which of course, came as negative.

I immediately summed it up as my own invention and presented it before the jury as "Miracle Water" which fetched me this "Young Scientists " award.

However, my upbringing didn't allow me to take the credit for the things which I didn't do. To be frank, the credit goes to my Ammamaa, I am sorry for all this Ammamaa. I hope you will forgive me.

I just ran off stage to embrace my Ammamaa who was sitting on the wheelchair. I slowly brought her onto stage and handed over the trophy to her with a bottle of Miracle Water, which had miraculously saved my life. Ammamaa slowly opened the bottle and sprinkled the Miracle Water on me, to which my inner voice said, your Ammamaa has saved you miraculously from dying of guilt and shamelessness. What a miraculous escape....

Many thanks to Miracle Water....