Friends Forever!

"If any one teaches you something new, whoever that be that person must be respected and should never be ill-treated."-The teacher said. The student, who was the prince of that kingdom in the southern part of India, listened to his teacher with awe and great respect. He was young and seemed in his twenties.

When he reached the palace from his teacher's home, it was judgment time. The king had pronounced death sentence for an enemy soldier, imprisoned by the king's army in a recent war. 

The prisoner was taken to a wooden scaffold. On which there was a wooden block. His arms were released from handcuff. The prisoner knelt down and placed his neck on the block. The executioner standing near him raised his huge axe. After a split second, the head of the prisoner would roll over the ground. The prince walked closer to the prisoner, his enemy. He wanted to see the prisoner's head roll down on the earth.

Before the executioner raised his axe, the prisoner spoke: "Please don't cut my pearl string. Please be careful when you lower your axe." 

"Then remove it by yourself."-- The executioner said.

"No. I will not."-- The prisoner replied.

"Why?"

"It reminds me of my freedom."

The executioner stood there without any expression, as if he had no idea of what to do next.

"What do you mean?"--The prince interfered. 

The prisoner looked blankly on the prince and said: "This pearl string reminds me of my friendship. Each pearl represents each of my friends. Each time I get a new friend, I add a new pearl to it. And in friendship there is no binding. One is free to the extent of forgetting each other. But still no one forgets any one and when the time comes, they bless each other with their nearness and smiles. And thus, this pearl string is an awareness of immense freedom and a sense of responsibility at the same time. Please, your excellency, let me have it safe until my soul takes its final leap out from my body."--He implored. 

The prince felt a voice echoing inside his head. He ordered the sentence to be abandoned; an attempt, which he knew he had to pay a great price for. He asked his servant to bring a pearl with a hole through its centre. When the pearl came, he gave it to the prisoner who was dumbfound in total surprise. The prince said: "Please feel free to add this pearl to your pearl string, friend. And thank you for teaching me something new about friendship." The prisoner stared at the prince, without knowing what. 

Friendship gives freedom--Thought the prince. Friendship gives. It gives everything, but neither takes nor remembers the profits to be taken. 

Dear readers, I have been included in The Circle of Friends by Rohini. I express my thankfulness effusively. To give away this award, I have decided to conduct a contest, which could find in my next post after two days. The contest will have five questions. Those who answers the maximum number of questions will be selected for the award. All the questions will be based on my blog. So just wait for my next post folks.