HAPPINESS IS FREE

 

    A Short Story by Babayo U. Kabir

Narrated by the old man as he played Dara with his friend under the baobab tree, while the little children sat around watching the elders play the ancient game.

One faithful day, after it had rained abundantly the previous night, the air smelled fresh and the earth was soft and moist — perfect for planting.

The old man, moving one of his white stones on the Dara board, paused and looked at the curious faces of the children watching. He smiled and began his tale.

“The chief priest began telling his stories as usual when there were children around him.

‘I rushed to my farm to plant corn seeds as the earth was still damp that fateful morning. On reaching my farm, I realized my neighbor had arrived much earlier and had already done a little work. But to my surprise, there he was — lying comfortably on his stick-bed under a tree, resting as though there was nothing left to do in the world.’



I called out to him,
‘Why are you resting this early, my friend? The sun will soon rise and harden the ground!’

He looked up lazily and replied,
‘I am relaxing, my good friend.’

‘Relaxing? At this hour?’ I said, spitting out my irritation. ‘You’ve only tilled a few ridges and already you’re resting?’

He smiled and asked calmly,
‘What do you want me to do then?’

‘I want you to take advantage of this fine weather and plant as many corn seeds as you can before the earth dries up!’ I insisted.

He chuckled and asked again,
‘And then what will happen after I’ve done that?’

I replied confidently,
‘Then you’ll yield plenty of produce and make a good profit on market day!’

‘And what will I do with all that profit?’ he asked again, stubbornly.

By now, I was annoyed. I poured my mind out without reservation.
‘With the profit, you can change your life! Build a bigger hut for your family! Buy more farmland! Become a successful farmer! You could even leave this village for the big city — who knows what will come next? The sky is your limit, my friend! All you need to do is work hard to achieve it!’

He listened quietly, not uttering a word while I ranted on and on. When I was finally done, he sat up slightly, looked me in the eye, and asked softly,
‘And what happens after I’ve achieved all these things you mentioned?’

Without hesitation, I replied,
‘Then you can finally relax and enjoy life!’

He smiled again, and with calm wisdom, asked me one final question:
‘And what am I doing now, my friend?’

I froze. My mouth opened, but no words came out. Finally, I stammered,
‘You… are relaxing, my friend.’

He nodded slowly, a knowing smile spreading across his face.
‘Then why,’ he asked gently, ‘should I go through all those stages of wealth and struggle just to relax and be happy — when I can have both right now, for free?’

I was completely dumbfounded. Lacking any more words, I turned away, ‘filled my trouser with air,’ and left him to enjoy his morning in peace.”

The old man chuckled as he placed his stone firmly on the Dara board, trapping his opponent’s piece. The children laughed, too, though some looked thoughtful.

He then looked up and said softly,

“You see, my children… happiness has no price tag. Life is only as complicated as you make it.”

Morals:

1.    Happiness has no price tag.

2.    Life is what you make of it.

From the collection Ancient Fables, a part of the book BAMBUKA by Babayo U. Kabir.




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