"The Traveler Beneath the Road"

Once upon a breath of wind and sickness, a traveler wandered into a strange land.

Weary from his journey, the traveler stumbled upon a grand mansion shimmering under the golden sun. Laughter echoed through the walls, where children played and the air danced with joy. It looked like heaven. He stood at its gate, eyes wide with longing.

But something was wrong.

Within the mansion’s gardens, behind bright flowers and marble paths, ran a black, choking nullah—a river of rot and discarded things. No one else seemed to notice. The traveler stepped closer, heart uneasy. Then, without warning, a boy with fire in his eyes and his father with steel in his hands dragged the traveler into the filth.

They tore away his cloak, stripping him of all dignity. The garbage clung to him like a second skin. Ants and insects swarmed him, feeding on his silence. He wanted to scream, but the pain had stolen his voice.

The father raised two knives—one in each hand.
"Choose," he hissed, his eyes burning with the promise of cruelty.
The traveler, trembling, chose the lesser blade.

But before the steel could meet his skin, the mother of the house stepped forward. She took one of the knives and vanished into the mansion, like a ghost who had changed her mind.

The traveler found himself cast out—thrown beneath the road, where the sky was only a memory. He dug into his tattered pocket and found a single coin—fifty rupees. With a heart still full of kindness, he handed it to the boy, hoping to end the hatred.

But mercy was a foreign language here.

The boy and father returned, more furious than before. They chased him. He ran, but their hate was fast. They caught him. Wrapped a rope around his neck. Pulled him to the edge of a tree that had never known sunlight.

And there, in silence, the traveler cried without sound.

The world grew dim. The tree groaned.

Then—light.

A vehicle, strange and unfamiliar, rolled down the road above. It stopped. The driver saw the terror. The father and son fled into the bushes like rats avoiding the flame.

The driver climbed down, reached out his hand.

And lifted the traveler back to the world.