The Story-teller and his Diamond-Part 1

Once upon a time, there lived a story-teller who had his abode in the well-to-do streets of Hyderabad. He was a vivid fan of stories and spent a lot of time reading new stories while making new ones by mixing the elements of the various stories he had read to compile one that was totally unique. The story-teller had traveled to many lands, lived among different people, ate different cuisines but nevertheless, had great fun wherever he went.
One such trip was included to a visit to God's own country and his very own birthplace, Kerala. He had come there with the intention of learning something new from the place and imbibing it, thus developing his personality. He had also come looking for a long-lost diamond, one that he had last seen when he was just 11 years old.
Ever since he had set his eyes on the diamond, he knew that he wanted that diamond more than anything else in the world. He could never forget the transparency as well as the purity of its nature. He was so intrigued by its perfection that he always kept a mental picture at the back of his head. And so, he reached the city of Cannanore as he had found out that the diamond he was after was still in the possession of its maker in that very city.
As he stepped down from the train at the Cannanore station, he couldn't help feeling a sense of expectancy and exhilaration as he knew that he was closer to the diamond than he had ever been in the past 9 years. As he rode in the auto-rickshaw that took him to the maker's house, he felt pretty nervous as he had no idea of how the diamond had become after all these years.
He got out of the auto-rickshaw, paid the driver and then slowly turned the kissing gates that led to a beautiful, neat little cottage that was surrounded by trees in an orderly fashion around it. He rung the bell and waited with sheer anxiety, not sure whether his arrival would be welcome, let alone his intention to look at the precious diamond.
The door opened and he stood facing a woman in her early forties. She was thin and wheatish in complexion, wearing a green churidar. She smiled at the story-teller and asked."Yes, how may I help you?" The story-teller replied,"I am a traveler from a distant land. I heard that the famous diamond-cutter, Mr. Prakash Raj, lived in this very town. I have admired his work from a very small age and it was my desire to meet this individual and at least get acquainted with a few of his masterstrokes closely." The lady smiled and invited the story-teller in, and after offering a seat, went to get her husband.
As the story-teller waited for his host, he couldn't help but reminiscing the moment when he had held that particular diamond in his hand, drowning in the very beauty of the jewel. It was love at first sight, as he couldn't get his hands to part with the priceless stone. He wondered if the stone would intimidate him the same way as it did 9 years ago. He was just wondering about its finer points when the door in front of him opened.
He had a pictured the diamond-cutter to be man who was well-endowed with age and had wrinkles on his face and skin. Therefore, he was absolutely taken aback when he saw an athletic, well-built man, whose age was only revealed when the man came up close. On closer inspection, the man, like his wife, was also am early quadragenarian. He extended his arm forward and said,"Hi. I'm Mr.Raj. To be honest, I'm pretty surprised that even today I have people who have an affinity towards my works. Is there any particular stone that I can interest you in?"

To be continued.....