The Hidden Treasure
Once upon a time, there lived three friends Chathur, Viswa, and Dhruva in a village. They were always interested to wander and take adventures. Chathur was very quick-witted. Viswa was good at archery. Dhruva can fly fast as a bird. They go to the forest to gather food for their family. In the village, everyone admired the three friends for their humble nature. One day the sun shined bright and the sky was clear. The three friends thought to go deep into the forest. The three friends were bold. They walked into the forest thinking to visit a new place and gather any valuables to improve their living. The forest was thick with huge trees and wild animals inhabited it. The thick green cover and cool air made them refreshing. Viswa saw a running deer and made it lie down with his arrow. The next moment they all gathered and had their tasty meal. They walked forward in search of water and found an image of a cave in the river water. Chathur heard about this cave earlier. He had previously read in an old book written by a great sage that a treasure was kept hidden inside the cave. Chathur was a shikshya of sage Kashyap. He learned many tantras and embedded himself with numerous magical spells. He knew that inside the cave, there would be numerous obstacles and saviors for that treasure. Chathur being quick-witted made a plan meticulously and told to his friends. They slowly entered the dark cave with courage. Dhruva lightened up a wooden stick to make their way. The soil under their feet was wet which indicated that water flowed earlier. They moved forward and found a point of trisection in their way. One way was found with footsteps imprints. The second was a small tunnel where only one person could go inside. The third path was dry and wide enough with tiny sun rays falling to the ground from the holes atop. They were in a dilemma to select the path. Chathur told his friends "The tiny sun rays indicate that the tunnel is heading upwards towards an exit. The second way is too narrow in which a man can't survive due to lack of air. So, the wet path with footsteps would be our way to treasure". They all started to go through the wet path. Going forward they found the skeletons of previous treasure hunters after which a big water spring appeared in front of them. Water was continuously coming out of it. When they thought to cross the water spring a great snake came out of the water hissing terrifically. Dhruva adeptly carried both his friends into the air when Viswa fired arrows at the forked tongue of the huge snake to make it calm. The snake cooled down and carried them to the other bank which opened up the way into a new place with undulated terrain covered with wildflowers. The flowers looked beautiful. As soon as Dhruva stepped into the flower path, the flowers gathered together to catch his feet trying to pinch with their horns. Chathur seeing the act dragged his friend backward. Then Viswa with a thread and arrow made a ropeway to a huge tree that was hollow in its trunk. They crawled on the rope and reached the tree trunk. The tree with its gigantic structure extended over a vast area. It looked terrific with its branches rising to enormous heights. They entered the tree trunk and saw many birds nested inside it. At that moment Chathur caught a glimpse of a rare reptile species whose presence can be found both in water and on land. They climbed the tree and traveled on the branch which ended in a crevasse of a glacier. When they stepped on the ice block, the ice blocks were broken due to their weight and dispersed. All three were drenched in the ocean water and somehow managed to float on the water with the help of ice blocks. They floated for days together and reached a small island. On reaching the island they were very hungry and went to find food. While passing a river, the stones in the water were shining brightly. the island was completely filled with diamonds, pearls, and all precious metals. The three friends were astonished to see huge wealth on that island. They felt extremely happy. They danced and enjoyed themselves like anything. They took the wealth as much as they could and went back to their home. They lived happily for the rest of their life with the found treasure.