The streets weren’t safe after dawn.
“And since last three days you are going to the digging site at this time,You know very well how the lorry and bus drivers drive after dawn.Their speed limit seems very fast.Each day accidents are happening,” grumbled Prof Jagannath Rout’s wife.
“Don’t worry Sudha.I drive carefully.Now be quick.Pack sandwiches and coffee full to the brim of the fiask..”
Again she grumbled while packing breakfast.
“You and your obsession for your research drives me crazy.The gut feeling of yours that something great is going to come out from under the roots of the ancient fallen tree surprises me.May Lord Lingraj help you in your endeavours.”
Prof Rout smiled and started the engine of his car and waved to his loving wife.
*******
At the digging site the buldozing had stopped after ten days of digging a large portion around the roots of the tree, fallen by the cyclone.Since three days manual digging was going on.Ten expert workers were engaged to dig with spades, shovels, and pickaxes.To avoid the hot sun, work started from dawn to eleven in the forenoon.
The Director of Archeology and Prof, Rout were supervising the work everyday.The cordend area was heavily guarded by police and powerful bright lights were focussed on the pit.
It was the fourth day of manual digging.The professor and the director were chatting over coffee.It was around 8 am when one worker’s pickaxe touched some heavy metal .Taaaang the sound came.
“Sir”, the worker called aloud.
Both the director and professor looked at each other with wide eyes.
Hearing the much awaited sound,the professor’s brain reward system triggered the emotional responses, flooding his body with pleasure and excitement.His heart rate quickened.With a contended smile he got up from his chair.Both he and the director started climbing down the ladder to the deep pit,
*******
The Archeology head directed the working men to dig around the area from where the sound came.By 12:30 some metalic portion showed up.Everyone imagined it to be a big brass urn.The work for that day was stopped and the district officials were informed.The collector along with other officials arrived and congratulated the professor.
The collector said,”Congratulations sir .Your intuition worked.You had said that some valuables may be found there.”
All of them came to the conclusion that as the urn seemed to be huge,it would be taken out by machines only.
By the mean time the news of “some treasure under the ancient tree fallen by the cyclone had been found” had spread outside like a wild fire.
The required machines were brought there .After an hour, the machines started the work of lifting the urn up.By midnight ,the urn was brought back to the ground surface.Then it was loaded to a big truck.With guards ,the vehicle moved towards the state museum.The carcade of cars with all officers and the professor, followed the truck .The unloading of the treasure was finished while the crows had started cawing.
The following day the cleaning of the centuries’ old pot was done carefully.Finally the lid of it got opened with quite an effort.
Lo and behold, it was full with gold coins of the 14th century.
Thanks to the Odia king of yore.
A flash back of the prediction by the Face on the tree 56 years ago, came to the mind of Jagannath Rout.
“I will fall one day by a cyclone.Listen and remember.There is a pot full of gold coins deep down my roots.
He breathed heacily,”O my God ,it came out true.”
*******
Celebration was everywhere.
The morning TV news poured accolades to Prof,Rout.All the news papers praised the retired history Professor for his tremendous achievement.it was the headline in each and every newspaper.
Professor’s wife Sudha was in the seventh heaven that day.
*******
The streets might not be safe after dawn to some, but for Prof, Rout , who worked sincerely,with hope in his heart,it dawned as success and made him world famous.
Yes, one more thing to say, Prof Rout had not said to anyone, not even to his dear wife, about the supernatural thing that happened to him as a boy of nine.That secret he kept inside his heart forever.We may name it as a bad dream or a hallucination of an injured child, but for him it was a blessing in disguise.
