The 'Death' of Miya Fooski 2

- "You're babbling unnecessarily. We don't believe that someone threw a necklace from the window and it landed around your neck"

- Jivram Joshi

I t was bedtime, and as always, little Sonu came running into the room. "Dadaji… Dadaji… What happened next to Miya Fooski?" he asked eagerly.

Dadaji smiled warmly.

"Of course I'll tell you," he said. "But before we go on, let's see how well you remember the story so far. Who will give me a quick summary?"

"Okay, Dadiji," Monu said proudly. "Here's a quick summary of what Dadaji told us yesterday about Miya Fooski…"

Jingle Jingle, Cutie Champs - this is what she narrated:

In the village of Amrapur, wealthy Sheth Chhotalal's bungalow was robbed one night by thieves who stole diamond necklaces and gold bangles. The thieves were helped by the bungalow's watchman, Fangaram, but fearing he might reveal the truth, they killed him while escaping. Early the next morning, Miya Fooski arrived at the bungalow and found Fangaram's body. Not realizing he was dead, Miya tried to help and got blood on his hands. Suddenly, a diamond necklace fell from an upstairs window and landed around his neck. Just then, Chhotalal and some men arrived, saw Miya with bloody hands and the necklace, and accused him of the murder and theft. The police arrested Miya, but he kept insisting he was innocent. After days of questioning, Miya remembered that he had fallen from a tree onto the thieves and they had dropped the loot, which he later hid. He led the police to the hidden treasure, proving he had no reason to steal if he was returning it. But the officer still didn't believe his story and took him back to the station. Meanwhile, Miya's friends, Tabha Bhatt and Dala Sheth, secretly followed the crowd but feared getting involved. Tabha Bhatt believed Miya was innocent, but Dala Sheth was sure he was guilty. At the end, Miya sat silently in the police station, while his friends worried and the real mystery - who truly killed Fangaram - remained unsolved.

"Hmm… very good!" Dadaji said with a nod. Then he leaned back and began the next part of Miya Fooski's story - the exciting conclusion.

***

Miya Fooski became quiet. The Police Inspector asked, "Why are you quiet?" Miya said, "So, what should I do now?" The Police Inspector said, "Tell me, who dug a hole in the forest and buried Seth Chhotalal's jewelry and gold bars in it?"

Miya Fooski giggled, "Feehheefoos!" The Police Inspector got angry. He picked up his stick. Miya Fooski squatted down and said, "Your habit is bad. Picking up a stick so quickly is foolish. You're getting ready to hit me again, and it makes my heart flutter!"

The Police Inspector asked, "Then why are you laughing? Is this something to laugh about?" Miya said, "Look, this story of foolishness isn't just funny, it's pure foolishness!"

Again, the Police Inspector raised his stick. Miya cried out, "Hold on, don't hit me! First, listen to what I have to say."

The Police Inspector said, "We want to know the whole story. Tell me, who buried the jewelry in the hole?"

Miya, with a slight smile, said, "You asked about the foolishness again! My good sir, it's an open secret that we ourselves buried the jewelry in the hole."

The Police Inspector asked, "Where did that jewelry come from?" Miya explained, "That's also an open secret. The thieves came under the tree and sat down to divide the jewelry. We were on the tree. We fell down right on top of the thieves, and they ran away, leaving the jewelry behind. We found it! You can't understand such a simple thing, and you keep raising your stick?"

The Police Inspector said, "If you don't tell the truth, this raised stick will sting your back! Where did the thieves get the jewelry from?"

Miya Fooski was about to laugh, but the Police Inspector gave him a whack with the stick. Miya stood up with a yelp. Mumbling "Uhh-huh-huh-huh," Miya said, "Asking questions that shouldn't be asked and then hitting an innocent person with a stick is a great sin!"

The Police Inspector asked, "So, is there anything else worth asking?" Miya said, "Ask how the necklace got around my neck? That's the main thing."

The Police Inspector said, "Then tell me, how did it get around your neck?"

Miya Fooski sat down and said, "Now, that's a good question! Think, where did that necklace come from?"

The Police Inspector asked, "Where did it come from?" Miya said, "That's also a good question. So listen, the necklace fell from above."

The Police Inspector asked, "From where above?" Miya said, "A window on the upper floor was open. Someone must have thrown the necklace from there."

The Police Inspector narrowed his eyes and stared at Miya Fooski for a moment, then said, "Why would anyone throw a necklace out of a window?"

Clapping his hands, Miya Fooski exclaimed, "Bravo, bravo, bravo, Inspector Sir! You've hit the nail on the head! Now, just think, who threw the necklace out of the window?"

The Police Inspector said, "Are you making a fool of us? Someone threw something out of a window, and it landed directly around your neck? We don't believe such a fabricated story. Why would anyone throw a necklace out of a window?"

Miya exclaimed, "Exactly! That's what we need to find out!"

The Police Inspector said, "Okay, what should we do to find that out?" Miya became quiet. After a while, he said, "Well, it's like this: they shouted 'Remove poverty,' but instead of removing poverty, inflation, corruption, and black markets took over! Instead of investigating who threw the necklace from Seth's bungalow window, you got caught up in useless questions like where the jewelry came from and who stole it. All that is clear: the thieves stole it and ran away, we chased them away, and we buried the jewelry in the hole, and we gave it back. Even if someone stole the jewelry, it's back now. The only thing left to find out is, how did the necklace get around my neck? It fell from the window. Now the question is, who threw the necklace from the window? Someone must have thrown it. Who is that 'someone'? That's what we need to find out."

The Police Inspector said, "You're babbling unnecessarily. We don't believe that someone threw a necklace from the window and it landed around your neck."

Miya said, "But we believe it, don't we? The necklace is around our neck, so we say it's 100% true!" The Police Inspector said, "Then prove it." Miya said, "We will." The Police Inspector said, "Go on, prove it." Miya said, "Let's go to Seth's house. Whoever threw the necklace from the window must be someone from Seth's house, so let's go there and ask."

The Police Inspector fell into thought. Miya Fooski softly said, "Shall I tell you the truth, sir? We never lie. Yes, we are brave soldiers! Even if we die, we won't lie. Just understand that if we were lying, after getting all the buried jewelry and gold coins, why would we come to this town? We would have gone straight home. Just think."

Miya Fooski's simple words affected the Police Inspector. He thought that Miya seemed innocent. The story about the jewelry was hard to believe, but since the buried jewelry was found just as he described, maybe this story was also true? He should investigate it. If it was false, that too would be proven. Thinking this, the Police Inspector accepted the story.

The Police Inspector set off with Miya Fooski. They reached Seth Chhotalal's bungalow. They met Seth. The Police Inspector told Seth, "You must answer truthfully whatever questions this Miya sahib asks."

Seth said, "Yes, sir. This Miya seems like a good person. He showed us all our jewelry."

Miya said, "What if we had run away with it? But we are not thieves; even a single penny from others is forbidden for us. Now, Sethji, whatever you say, please say it truthfully. If you speak the truth, the real thief will surely be caught."

Seth said, "Yes, yes, ask. We will tell the truth."

Miya asked, "Tell me how you found out about the theft in your bungalow." Seth said, "Normally, I wake up late. Our housemaid, Harfurbai, wakes up before everyone else. She prepares milk for us and semolina for the children's breakfast. Then we wake up. But that day, I woke up early. I got up. My toothbrush and a jug of water are usually kept on the gallery outside. I went to the gallery, but the toothbrush and jug weren't there. I thought the maid must have forgotten to put them out and would be in the kitchen, so I walked towards the kitchen. On the way, there was the strong room, and I saw its door open. I instinctively blurted out, 'Hey, who opened the door?'"

"Saying this, I immediately went to the room's doorway. I peered inside and saw the maid standing near the window on the left. Seeing me, she instantly rushed towards me and, in a trembling voice, said, 'The safe is open!' I immediately rushed into the room. I saw the safe lying open. My heart started pounding. I looked inside, and there was nothing in the safe. Yes, a ring was lying nearby. The thieves must have forgotten the ring while taking things."

"I asked the maid, 'When did you come into this room? Who opened the door?'" The maid said, "Just as I entered the room, you arrived. I thought you might have opened it. I peeked in and saw no one in the room. I thought, 'The safe room can't be left open.' I came into the room. I saw the safe open. I was standing near the safe to see it when you arrived. That's what happened." Miya Fooski exclaimed, "That's enough, sir! We understand everything."

The Police Inspector asked, "What?" Miya said, "We will meet that maid alone. We will ask her what we need to." Seth said, "Yes, yes, ask the maid."

The maid was called. She was made to sit in another room. Miya Fooski went there.

Miya Fooski gently said, "Look, sister, you are like my own sister. We already know what happened. When you came into the safe room, we were standing below, right under the open window of that room. At that time, we were looking at the window when suddenly a necklace came out of the window, and quickly, a diamond-and-pearl necklace was dropped out of the window. It fell on our head. That hand was exactly like your hand. We saw the same bangles on that hand that you are wearing. So it's confirmed that you threw that necklace out of the window. But we haven't told anyone about this yet. We won't tell anyone either."

The maid exclaimed, "Oh, brother, that's a great favor from you! I didn't want to steal the necklace. I first saw the necklace and ring next to the safe, so I picked up the necklace to look at it. That's when I realized that the safe door was open, so thieves must have come, and that's why the room doors must also be open. The thieves must have broken the safe and taken everything, forgetting the necklace and ring. Just then, Seth arrived. When I heard him speak, I got scared. I was so afraid that seeing the necklace in my hand, Seth would suspect that I was hiding it. Being so scared, I couldn't think of anything else. I immediately threw the necklace out of the window."

Miya Fooski got the whole story. Miya said, "Sister, it's not your fault at all. Look, the story you told me, you should tell the same story to the Police Inspector. Then the Police Inspector will also believe that you got scared and dropped the necklace on me."

The maid got scared. Miya Fooski said, "Is there anything to be scared of here?"

The maid said, "If I say that, won't everyone think I'm a thief?"

Miya laughed and said, "No, no, sister! They are not that foolish. Everyone understands that in panic, a person doesn't even have time to think, and that's when they might do something foolish or wrong. You could hide that necklace in your saree. Everyone will believe you if you tell the truth." The maid said, "I feel that if I say that, Seth might think I threw the necklace out of the window just to hide it so that I could pick it up later from outside. So I won't say that."

Miya Fooski thought, 'This girl is innocent. That's why she told me the truth, but she's scared to tell others. Explaining won't work directly, so I should scare her a little.' Thinking this, Miya said, "Look, sister, if you tell the truth, I will testify that everyone will believe it. But if you don't tell the truth, I will say that I saw a woman's hand coming out of the window. That hand was the maid's hand. The same bangles and the same hand belong to the maid. If I say this, everyone will believe that it's true, and that you threw the necklace out of the window to hide it."

Hearing Miya Fooski's words, the maid got even more scared. Fooski Miya said, "There's no need to be scared. If you do as I say, you will surely be saved. No one doubts a person who tells the truth. Truth is the form of God. God protects those who walk and speak the truth. Don't you have faith in God? If you lie, God will punish you."

The maid got scared by these words too. Miya Fooski explained further. Now she was ready to tell the truth.Taking the maid, Fooski Miya went to the sitting room. Fooski Miya said, "This maid is an honest person. She was scared, so she couldn't tell the whole story. Now she will tell the story as it happened. By telling the truth, no fault or crime will come upon her." The Police Inspector said, "Yes, yes, not telling the truth is a crime. There's no problem in telling the truth."

The maid told everything. After listening to the maid's story, the Police Inspector was convinced that Fooski Miya was telling the truth. The story of the necklace falling from above and landing around his neck was unbelievable, but with the maid's testimony, it became true.

The Police Inspector wrote down the maid's statement and took her signature. Then they went back to the police station.

Fooski Miya was very happy. He joyfully asked, "Well, sir! Were we right or not?"

The Police Inspector said, "We have to believe you are right. It's true that thieves came, it's true they stole the jewelry, and it's true that the necklace fell from the window and landed around your neck. But who stabbed the watchman Fangar?m? That hasn't been caught yet, and what about your bloody hands?"

Miya said, "We didn't steal. It's true that the necklace we got fell from the window, so we are not the thieves. The thieves must have run away. The watchman must have seen them. Then the thief must have stabbed him. We just went to lift the watchman who was lying in the dark, and that's how our hands got bloody. You have to believe our story is true."

The Police Inspector said, "That can be believed." Fooski Miya said, "Then, just release us."

Indeed, that's what happened. Miya Fooski was released. Later, the police department investigated, and the thief was also caught. Fooski Miya, being innocent, went back to the village. Seth Dala's happiness vanished. Tabha Bhatt embraced Fooski Miya heartily.