Golden bag

In a mountainous area far from the town lived a boy named Aaqil with his parents. Eleven-year-old Aaqil was a fifth-grade student. His father worked with a contractor who broke mountains and sent stones to different parts of the country, while his mother did sewing and embroidery for women, and this was how they earned their living. After finishing his studies, Aaqil helped his mother.

On his mother’s instructions, he delivered the stitched and embroidered clothes to women’s houses. This way, his mother did not have to go outside and a lot of time was saved. Whatever items his mother needed from the market, Aaqil would also bring them. One day, he had to deliver clothes to a woman whose house was quite far away. When he turned back after delivering the clothes, evening was about to fall.

As he was walking along the uneven and deserted mountain path, he heard the sound of someone groaning. He felt that the sound was coming from near a large rock.

“Who is there?” he said, moving closer to the rock. There he saw a very handsome boy about his own age, holding his foot and groaning. A sharp thorn had pierced his foot, causing swelling and bleeding.

“Who are you? How did you come here? How did this thorn pierce your foot?” Aaqil asked several questions in surprise as soon as he saw him.

“It hurts a lot. I don’t even have the courage to pull the thorn out. Will you help me?” the boy asked for help. Aaqil nodded and bent down near his foot.

“Oh look, what a beautiful stone that is,” Aaqil said, pointing to one side. As soon as the boy looked that way, Aaqil quickly pulled out the thorn.

“Oh, the thorn is out! I was afraid it would hurt a lot, but you did it wonderfully,” the boy said happily. Aaqil smiled and tore the cloth wrapped around his wrist to bandage the boy’s foot.

“Thank you very much, my friend. I will always be grateful to you. Evening is falling now; we should go to our homes.”

“All right, but where is your home? You haven’t even told me your name,” Aaqil asked.

“My name is Bantu, and our home is across the forest,” Bantu replied.

Bantu slowly stood up and, waving his hand, walked off in the opposite direction. Aaqil also walked quickly toward his own home. When he reached home, he found his mother worried. She asked him why he was late, and Aaqil told her everything honestly. His mother praised him greatly

When Aaqil’s father returned home at night, tired and worried, his wife asked him what was wrong. He said that the contractor, under the cover of selling ordinary stones, was illegally smuggling precious stones. He had been caught, and the work had stopped. Now he did not know how they would manage household expenses

Days passed. The savings from sewing and embroidery were exhausted. One day there was no food in the house, and they did not even have enough money to buy anything. Aaqil’s mother gave him an embroidered kurta and asked him to deliver it to the same woman so that whatever money he received could be used to arrange food.

While returning after delivering the clothes, Aaqil saw Bantu. The two friends started talking. Bantu asked about the reason for Aaqil’s worry. Then he gave him a golden pouch and said, “Keep this safely with you. Whenever you face a problem, pray sincerely and take out one seed from it and bury it in the ground.”

Aaqil returned home and gave the money to his mother. His father bought flour from the shop, and they thanked God and eased their hunger.

At night, before sleeping, Aaqil prayed and then took out a small seed from the pouch and buried it in the soil behind the house.

The next morning, they woke up to loud knocking at the door.

“Who is it?” Aaqil’s father asked and was delighted to see one of his friends standing there.

“A big company has signed an agreement with the government for mountain excavation. The local people, impressed by your honesty, have recommended you to the company’s representative as an in-charge. Come with me; they have called you,” the friend said.

Hearing this, Aaqil’s father was overjoyed and left with him. Aaqil and his mother were very happy. Aaqil ran to the back of the house and was astonished to see a small plant growing lush and green.

One day, he prayed for blessings in his mother’s work and planted another seed. The next day, that seed also grew into a plant. Whenever Aaqil went to the mountains to deliver clothes, he would stop at the place where he had met Bantu, but he never found him there.

With time, Aaqil’s household conditions improved greatly. He kept the golden pouch and its seeds very carefully. He never forgot Bantu. One night, he made a unique wish and planted a seed.

The next day, he was overjoyed to see Bantu and a very beautiful woman in his house and ran toward them.

“Where had you gone, Bantu? So many months passed, but I never met you again,” Aaqil said.

“We had left this place,” Bantu smiled.

“Where did you go? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Impressed by your kindness and compassion, Bantu became your friend and gave you the magical golden pouch and seeds. We are friends of humans, but we do not appear before ordinary people. Because of your wish, we had to come to meet you,” the woman said. Everyone was astonished.

“What my mother says is true,” Bantu continued. “You are hardworking, kind, and compassionate. You helped me, and I helped you. If you had made a bad wish, the plant would not have grown, nor would the wish ever have been fulfilled. Respecting your wish, we have come to meet you from the fairy world.”

“So… so are you…?” Aaqil stammered.

“Yes, we are not humans. I am a fairy prince, and she is the Fairy Queen,” Bantu said. Hearing this, Aaqil was stunne

“Now we must go. Always do good deeds, avoid lies, and keep helping others, or else the golden pouch and seeds will disappear. Goodbye, my friend,” Bantu said, and before their eyes, both of them vanished.