THE TRANSPORTER
The stork was standing still on one leg on the median between two paddy fields which looked like a beautiful green blanket. There was water in the fields with small fish and crabs playing around. A crow which was flying by observed the stork and curiously glided down and stood by the side of the stork. It went around the stork looking at it but the stork was not bothered. It was in deep contemplation standing on one leg. The crow decided to get to the root of this strange behavior this time.
“Why are you standing on one leg looking like a painted stork?” The crow asked.
“What else am I supposed to do crow?” The stork shot back.
“Well you can walk around”.
“And then?”
Peck at an insect or two”
“I have swallowed enough of them”
“Then fly around” The crow had to say something.
“I do that all my spare time”
“Well then go and sleep” The crow thought it was the next thing to do for the stork.
“I am about to take off to my nest for the night”
“Then come back tomorrow morning” The crow didn’t want to give up.
“And then?”
“Feed well and stand still here”
“That’s exactly what I am doing now”
The crow was puzzled and thought it is better for him to pretend as an agnostic at the moment.
“Hey Crow”, the stork said “know that by standing on one leg, remaining still and silent, I feel balanced well inside out. I feel perfectly happy and synchronized with the surroundings when I am still. I sway with the trees and become part of it, fly with the wind and become the wind itself, I melt with the rain and drip down like water. I found out that I can become anything I want to be if need be. I am the wind and the space, the fire in me consumes the food and propels my movements, I am the water when it rains and above all here and now I have become one with the mud on which I stand still balanced on one leg”. And then the stork started laughing aloud.
The Crow felt annoyed and thought the stork was making fun of it. It felt uncertain, restless and aimless. It was angry.
“Why are you laughing stork?”
“I suddenly had a glimpse of myself through your eyes. Not that I am bothered ever to look at myself through other’s view points. See what has happened now. I have become a crow. And the Stork changed its color from white to black and became a crow. The Crow couldn’t believe its own eyes. It thought it was in a dream. Because at that moment the Crow’s color changed to white from Black and it was transformed into a beautiful Stork.
The Stork then croaked like a Crow and flew away. The Crow was stunned and stood balancing on one leg and became absolutely still. This is the story of a wise Stork, way back, who absorbed the ignorance of a black Crow and made it shine with the light of knowledge.
