The Sakhipur Vault

Chapter 2

Inflation in Digantapur is skyrocketing for no apparent reason. Every day, new money is being added to the economy. But how is this possible? Rosgupta Hossain, the head of the state's money-producing institution, the mint, secretly told Digantapur's Finance Minister Chokha Sardar, "In the past year, we haven't printed even one extra note beyond what was necessary, so there's no justifiable reason for inflation to exceed five percent."

So how is new money entering the economy? The amount of money currently in circulation in the country is one and a half times more than the money printed by the mint. Knowing this, Chokha Sardar's forehead furrowed with concern. He must find the root cause of this crisis, otherwise, his position and status will be at stake. Because the public's latent anger on this issue is gradually building up. Did you know about all this before I told you?

Take our Sacchu Khan, for instance. What didn't he do once? While living in the village, he made a living by stealing chickens, jackfruits, goats, cows and even sandals from mosques in his early days. Then he joined politics, becoming the favorite of local leader Rashidul. Rashidul provided him with free rice, lentils, and kept a protective hand over his head. Sacchu Khan thought, how great is this! The political life is much better than the life of a thief! Then one night, just as he was about to go to bed after a feast, Rashidul arrived at his house. Stroking Sacchu's head, Rashidul said, "Sacchu, my brother, I need you to do a job for me. You need to set fire to the blue-tin-roofed thatched house next to the banyan tree in Gopiballavpur. If you can do this job, your rank will go up a notch."

What kind of job is this? With a matchstick and a barrel of petrol, Sacchu Khan could easily do it. When the house catches fire, the people inside will flee. If such an easy task gets him a promotion in his political career, then how wonderful that would be! After this job, maybe his house will turn from a tin house to a brick house. His fate would change instantly with Rashidul's touch. So, he blindly agreed to do the job. However, later, when Sacchu Khan went to gather information for his operation near that thatched house, his mind changed! Compassion and empathy arose in him. He overheard an old woman saying, "Old man! How many days do we have left in this world, tell me?"

The old man replied, "One more day." There was no doubt in the old man's voice. The old woman wasn't anxious either. She said to the old man, "If we die, who will put us on the funeral pyre? Who will light our bodies on fire?"

The old man, unperturbed, said, "You don't have to worry about that. If our bodies burn to ashes here, then what's the need for a pyre?"

Curiously, the old woman asked, "How do you know all this? Did your Dream Deity tell you these things?"

"Yes, you guessed right! You know, my Dream Deity doesn't lie to me. Think for yourself, if we are asleep, and someone sets our house on fire today, will we have the time to get out of this house?" The old man continued with a sorrowful voice, "Will our bodies be able to get out? If the wicked Sukhlal were alive, he might have dragged us out. That Sukhlal drank himself to death and went to the crematorium."

Hearing about her son, the old woman's heart ached, her eyes filled with tears, but she couldn't mention Sukhlal by name! How beautiful her son was at birth! How innocent he was! After growing up, he started drinking under the influence of local ruffians, and that's why he died under the wheels of a train. The old woman, without mentioning Sukhlal, changed the subject and said, "If we die and burn, who will take this homestead, old man? We have no descendants."

The old man replied indifferently, "Who else? Just as vultures eat flesh, there are land-grabbers ready to devour our homestead. They will relish taking our land. They will be the ones to burn us to death."