– a Talesmith short by Rajesh Muthuraj
In a sugarcane field somewhere in India, stood Ramu the Cane; tall, green, and extremely proud of himself. Ramu believed height was personality.
He often looked down (literally) on shorter plants and said, “Look at me. Six feet of pure potential.” The grass rolled its eyes. The tomatoes unfollowed him. Ramu was convinced life’s purpose was simple: stand tall and look impressive.
Life, however, had other plans.
The Unexpected Layoff
One fine morning, Ramu was cut. He was not given any notice period. As he was loaded onto a cart with other sugarcanes, Ramu noticed something horrifying.
Everyone looked the same. Tall. Crooked. Confident. All equally chopped.
That’s when reality whispered: Outside the field, nobody cares about your height.
The Machine (or Life)
Then Ramu saw the Juice Machine. It was big, loud, and unforgiving. Rolling cylinders spinning like they had no sympathy.
Sugarcanes went in proudly and came out flat, emotionally and physically.
Ramu panicked. “This is it,” he thought. “I should’ve been kinder to the grass.”
The machine pressed Ramu with enthusiasm. He screamed (no sound came out).
His juice flowed freely. And suddenly he got clarity.
Nothing meaningful comes out without pressure.
Life wasn’t punishing him. Life was extracting his best part.
The Promotion
Ramu, now in liquid form, was filtered, iced, stirred, and served in a tall glass. A tired office worker picked it up. One sip.
“Aah,” the man sighed. Instant energy. Instant happiness.
Ramu had officially upgraded to “instant relief.”
That’s when Ramu realized:
You don’t become valuable by standing tall.
You become valuable by being useful.
Even the Waste Gets Work
Even Ramu’s leftover fibre became useful. It became fuel. It became compost. It became part of something else’s success story. Nothing complained. Nothing was wasted.
The Talesmith Takeaway
Life will cut you.
Shake you.
Press you hard.
Not because it dislikes you, but because there’s something sweet inside you that the world badly needs.
So when life puts you through the grinder, don’t panic. You might just be on your way to becoming someone’s moment of relief on a very hot day.
If a sugarcane can survive pressure and still make people smile, so can your story.
Send it to Talesmith. We’re always thirsty for good writing. What story do you want me to write about, in Talesmith style? Mention in the comments below.
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