"God! What did Mama ask me to buy?" Mina found herself wondering about the object for the hundredth times ruefully, wiping away the beads of sweat forming on her forehead with the back of her hand, in the middle of the Market Square.

As usual she had left the list behind on her bed despite Mama reminding her repeatedly not to forget it. Now that she was almost at the doorsteps of the Sharma's, there was no point going back home for the list. Dad would have left for his office by then anyway.

And wouldn't Mama be livid? Thinking about her mother's reaction, Mina had the cold feet. Mama was going to give it to her black and blue, she realised.

So, in that case, why didn't she have the strawberry ice-cream that she craved for and was invariably denied always, on the grounds of spoiling her teeth? She WAS GONNA HAVE IT TODAY, no matter what!

Having made up her mind, she pushed the glass door open, stepped inside the world of eye-catching and colourful stuff coupled with those nose-tinkling aromas, and found herself staring at the face of the dear lady, Mrs.Sharma with her bespectacled face and hair as white as snow.

Great Loss For Ungrateful World

"Have you ever heard of a writer who wrote more than a million words, 9 novels, nearly one thousand short stories yet never earned a penny from writing?" I asked the class.

"Sir, I heard that most writers struggle through their lives. Some even don't have any recognition in their lifetime…." Dechen quipped.

"Spot on. Mejdi was one such unfortunate writer. Talented beyond belief, she took to writing quiet late. While most of her Presidencian friends made it big here in Kolkata, she remained mostly unknown. She died a shattered woman believing till the last that she'd have her share of name and fame after her demise…" I told Dechen before continuing," Having refused to sign the Contract Papers with Web Novel, I felt let down. I felt that I wasn't destined to be a writer. The final nail in the coffin was driven when a Publisher was willing to publish one of my novels without looking at the manuscript! He asked me to sponsor my own novel! That's when I realised that I wasn't cut out to be an author and shelved all my writings…"

The class heaved a great sigh."What a great loss for the ungrateful world!"