It was a bright and sunny Monday afternoon. The sun shone brightly in the clear, blue sky and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen for miles. The day seemed full of promise.

There lived a 17-year-old girl in a big, white house. Her name was Ruth and she had been spoilt since birth. She had gotten everything she wanted because of which she had turned into a girl with a dominating personality. She had thick, black hair and was very tall, with a strong built. Her parents, Mr and Mrs Spring , were very kind and helpful, so no one could understand how Ruth had turned out the way she had.

When Ruth’s parents left for the grocery store where they had tried and failed to take her to, Ruth’s lips broke into a smile like that of a venomous snake before it strikes. She walked out of the front door and crossed the street to go to her school classmate Maria’s house. Maria was a short girl with straight, brown hair. Maria was very shy and timid and one of the many victims of Ruth’s bullying.

Ruth had found out that Maria’s parents were away for the day and had decided to go and boss her around. Ruth rang the bell and as soon as Maria opened the door, Ruth pushed her way inside, without even waiting to be invited.

With a smirk on her face, Ruth shouted, “Give me your literature notebook. I’ll copy the answers and submit it tomorrow. You can come and collect your notebook in an hour. If you tell anyone about this, you’ll regret it.”

Shaking with fear, Maria handed over her literature notebook to Ruth. As Ruth walked back without bothering to pay any need to the street signal or traffic, a car crashed right into her. The owner of this car was Mr Evans, a kind and respected businessman. He looked at Ruth and her pale, white face as she lay on the street. He called an ambulance and took Ruth to the hospital. While he waited at the hospital, he also called Ruth’s parents and explained what had happened.

Along with Ruth’s parents the police had also arrived. However, it was soon clear that Ruth had been careless and come out of nowhere on the road. Mr Evans was not at fault.

Ruth’s leg had been broken, but she was unharmed otherwise. Despite the fact that she had not been very friendly to those around her, many people, including Maria, visited her in the hospital and wished her well.

When Maria came to visit her, Ruth looked embarrassed and said, “I am sorry for the way I treated you. I should never have behaved in such a horrid manner and I have been punished no more than I deserve. Here’s your literature book.”

After saying this, Ruth burst into tears, which flowed from her eyes like rain from the sky. Maria put a soothing hand on her shoulder and consoled her.

A similar scene took place with all the people whom Maria had treated unkindly. From the next few weeks, Ruth went to school in a wheelchair, but she was no longer the girl whom everyone feared. Now, she was a kind and helpful girl who was always there for her friends when they needed her and who was loved by everyone. The new Ruth worked hard and did well in her tests instead of cheating.

Ruth learnt that the real treasure of the universe was within her. She understood that happiness came from making others happy.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 30th, 2021