The Eagle Claw

Chimmy, the young girl came out through the thick green leaves. The cutest young girl with her beautiful blue eyes. She was popular throughout the village. She came out pushing her curly hair behind her ears. ‘Meetu’ she called walking through the wild shrubs and tall trees. 'Meetu, Meetu where are you' she kept calling. Meetu came running towards her with its tongue out and started licking her. Then, the girl tied the rope to Meetu's collar and walked out of the forest. On her way back home, she met an old man with a weird beard, he was chanting something. She went near him to listen but Meetu barked so the saint opened his eyes disturbed by the noise. He saw Chimmy close to him and asked her why she came near him. She said 'I like your ring'. The man wore a ring with a stone that had an impression of an eagle's claw. He asked her whether she wanted it. She said yes and the man gave it to her. She wore it but it was too big for her. So she put it with her pendant. Everyone was scared of the ring she was wearing. Chimmy never understood why they were scared. 

She liked the ring. She thought it was the reason for her luck. She got high scores in her exams and believed it was because of the ring. But the villagers thought the eagle claw as a sign of bad.

One fine day when she was playing with Meetu she saw the same old man again. She asked him why the villagers were scared of the ring. He smiled and went without answering. She was puzzled.

The summer vacations had started; Chimmy went around roaming through the village. Two young foreigners came to her village and saw Chimmy's ring. They followed Chimmy she was scared and ran back home.

They waited for Chimmy the next day near the Banyan tree. Chimmy complaint to the head of the village. So, they both went to foreigners and the head questioned them why they followed her. One of the two foreigners raised his hand towards her ring.

Chimmy was amazed and the foreigner said to her that they will give anything for the ring. Chimmy did not agree. They left and Chimmy went back home.

Later that night Chimmy went to sleep. Meetu kept on barking. Chimmy woke up to check what was wrong and found her ring missing.

She searched for it all over the room but couldn’t find it. Then she ran to the head and said that the ring was missing and she suspects the foreigners.

The head said to her it was late night and he went back closing the door at her face. She went in search of the foreigners but did not find them.

She searched everywhere across the village and later into the wood but found none. Chimmy's leg stared to pain and she sat there in thirst. Rising sunshine fell on Chimmy's eye which was filled with tears.

The saint came out through the wood and asked her what was wrong. She said everything that happened. The saint said that ‘the ring is with someone whom you believe' and left. She did not understand.

Later that day Chimmy saw those foreigners in the neighboring village and ran towards them. They said Chimmy that they did not take it. She did not believe so she checked their bags but did not find it.

They said to her that the ring with eagle claw is priceless and they asked her to place it in the museum but she did not agree so they left. They said 'we don't steal the happiness from kids'.

Chimmy was confused and later that day she saw the head waiting at the bus stop. When he saw Chimmy, he hid something from her. Chimmy was not in a very good mood so she left without speaking to him. Meetu started barking as soon as she saw the head. Chimmy was puzzled and saw Meetu. She jumped over the head and started to pull out the bag in his hand.

Then fell the ring from his bag. Chimmy asked him why you took it away. The head said 'Things have the right value when it is with right person'. She asked him to give it back but he did not. All of a sudden the eagle claw started to fade away. Chimmy and the head were confused the saint came and took the ring from the Head. He tied it again with Chimmy's pendant and the claw reappeared. He said 'Things have the right value when it is with right person' and walked back towards the wood. Chimmy happily went back to her home.

Everyone in the village turned aggressive when they came to know that it's was the Head, who has stolen Chimmy's ring. Everyone disrespected him and he turned lonely. One day when Chimmy was happened to see him, she felt pity and gave him the ring. He refused to accept it and said 'It is with the right person but I did not understand'. He pleaded Chimmy and left to an unknown place and never returned.