Bullseye : A Short Story

Since time immemorial, stories have helped drive home a message; Messages that have brought a change in our perspectives, our attitudes and mind-set, in general.

My earlier posts, "Walking the Path" & "Commitment meter" were very well received & this inspired me to share one more Short Story.

Once there was a warrior, an Archer. He was the best one from those times.

Being the best also brings along a little ego. Ego can make a person think that he is better than even than the teacher who taught him his skills.

And filled with his big ego, one day the archer went to his own teacher & challenged him in archery.

The teacher simply smiled and said, 'What good will it bring you, if you defeat me? If you defeat my teacher, then yes, you will undoubtedly become the best archer in the world'.

This sounded like a good idea and the archer set out looking for the exact location of the place where he would find his teachers teacher.

After walking for 3 full days and nights, he reached a small village and the small hut that was abode for his teachers teacher.

The archer found a simple looking man standing in the front yard of the hut. Anxious to defeat his teachers teacher, he challenged the simple man instantly and said 'Pick up your bow, pick up your arrows, I want to defeat you in archery'.

Stunned the simple looking man gave him a quizzical look and said "What bow! What Arrow!"

Now the archer was confused. How was he supposed to defeat someone who had no idea about what an bow and arrow was! 

He simply bowed down to the man and walked all the way back to his own teacher.

The archer asked his teacher, 'How do I defeat someone who has no idea about what an bow and arrow is?'

The teacher said with a smile, 'If you have a question, it means you want to know something you are presently unaware of. If you want to learn, you first have to accept me as your teacher again'.

The archer was desperate to attain the title of being the best and was willing to do anything for achieving the same.

Then the teacher said, 'A question can be answered only at the right place and the right time. You have to come with me without asking any further questions with a blindfold on your eyes'.

Seeing no other alternate available, the archer obliged and with a blindfold on his eyes followed his masters instructions. 

They walked and walked for two full days without food or water. And then the teacher shouted suddenly, "STOP!!". 

Stunned the archer stopped in his tracks.

The master removed his blindfold and Lo!!! what did the archer see!! He was standing at the cliff of a mountain, one further step and he would have fallen into a valley so deep, it would have been impossible to find his body.

He was shocked and terribly shaken. At that point of time, his teacher said 'Now pick up your bow and pick up your arrow'.

The shaken archer said "What bow!! What Arrow!!!".

The teacher started laughing and said "the day you are able to remember even in this shaken state of mind 'what bow and what arrow', that day you will become the best archer in the world'.