One year passed; it was morning time about 9 hrs. The sun was bright and the sky was clear. Then a rich lady past middle-age came in a horse carriage; she brought in two young baby-girls aged 3 years. Two lady-servants came as attendants. She showed the feet of the girls and ordered to make luxury shoes for them; she offered thousand dinars, as price, for the two pairs of shoes. She gave one week’s time. The cobbler couple were surprised to see one foot of one girl was deformed; separate trace drawing was taken for that foot. They asked the lady why the foot was deformed.
The rich lady relied; “These girls are not my children; her mother was working as my attendant for over ten years; I liked her very much; I treated her not as an attendant but as my friend well-wisher and advisor. Her husband owned twelve hectors of land; he was supervising the agriculture of our fields also; he was honest and good natured; we treated the couple as part of our own family .
Then she was pregnant; she gave birth to these twins during midnight; nobody was present then. She was alone; her husband was in the fields as watch-man of the heaps of grain. She shivered with pain at the time of conceiving; her legs pressed the feet of this baby hard; so her foot was deformed.
After some minutes the mother died, leaving these children orphans. Their father also died by snake-bite the same night. I adopted them as my grand-children. I want the shoes in three days” When the lady and her children left, Santayya smiled and look up to the sky. After three days, the rich lady came with the two babies; the shoes were ready; they fitted them well’ She felt happy; thanked the cobbler couple and Santayya, paid the charges and left.
The a miracle happened; the room was filled with sky-blue radiance; Santyya rose up; now there stood an angel. The cobbler couple were astonished. The angel spoke, “ Do not fear; I am an angel. I was once assigned the duty of bringing the life of a women to God; I went to that house; it was night; she was alone and helpless; just then she gave birth to twins. You saw them today. The mother saw me; she prayed me not to take away her life; the children become orphans & soon die of hunger. I already took away the life of the father who had snake-bite. So I felt sympathy. I returned to God empty-handed. God was angry. He asked me to go back and bring the life of that women; then I returned I took away the life of that woman. She struggled while dying; he leg trampled the foot of the infant and was deformed. I returned her life to God; God cursed me to go to earth and live there as a poor cobbler and find answers to three questions; when I get answers my curse is removed. I again become the angel and return to heaven to serve God. Today I got answers to all the three questions; my curse is removed. I regain my original angel position; now I return to God. I thank you for having given me shelter and food all these three years. I reward you these riches. Live happily.” Then the cobbler-couple bent on their knees with worship and fear; they prayed him to pardon their rude treatment to him as a worker. Then they prayed him to tell them the questions and answers.
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