Author: Syed Suhail Ahmad
May 8, 2025
0
4 views
The morning was quiet, but not still.
A breeze nudged the trees gently, and a bird called out—a ripple of life moving through the day.
Mira walked beside her grandfather, her thoughts echoing from the story of mercy they’d shared the day before.
“Grandfather,” she began, “you said mercy plants seeds even in stone. But… what happens after? What holds it all together?”
He smiled, motioning toward a nearby stream. The water danced around pebbles, bent around fallen leaves, and embraced every curve of its path.
“Come,” he said, “let’s follow the water.”
They walked in silence, watching the way the stream kissed roots and cradled broken branches.
“Everything,” Grandfather said finally, “is connected—thread to thread, life to life. What we do to one, we do to the whole.”
He pointed to a fallen tree trunk, already becoming a home for moss, a bridge for ants, a cradle for seedlings.
“This,” he said, “is interconnectedness. It’s not just about kindness. It’s about kinship.”
Mira touched a leaf that had drifted onto her palm.
“Like how the leaf falls but feeds the soil that grows the tree again?”
“Exactly,” he said. “Or how a stranger’s grief can tug at your chest… because we’re woven from the same thread.”
They came upon a spider’s web, glistening with dew.
Mira gazed in wonder. “So delicate,” she whispered.
“Yes,” her grandfather said, “and so strong. Touch one strand, and the whole web knows.”
Mira grew thoughtful. Then her brow furrowed.
“But… Grandfather,” she asked, “what if someone cuts one thread—on purpose?”
He knelt to her level and looked into her eyes.
“Then,” he said softly, “we learn justice.”
“Justice?” she echoed.
“Yes,” he nodded. “The art of repairing the web—without vengeance. Of restoring the thread… so the whole may heal.”
Mira was quiet for a moment. Then she smiled.
“That sounds like a story too.”
Her grandfather stood, taking her hand.
“It is,” he said. “But that story… is for tomorrow.”