In the beautiful town of Emberdale, nestled between scenic rivers and whispering forests, lived Carla and her family. Her family consists of her dad, mom and her little sister Emily. They were one of the noble families that lived in that town and they were respected and honored in each and every corner of their town.

Carla was a beautiful girl, brown-eyed beauty with her hair as golden as the beautiful sunrise. She and her little sister Emily were loved and adored by their parents and they always got everything they wanted in their lives. Their dad Alexander, was the Duke of Emberland. He led a busy life. He was responsible for handling tax collections, governing territories and enforcing law and order in the town. He was so busy that he visited his family only once a month.

Carla’s mother named Erina, the Duchess of Emberland longed to see her husband and every time she missed him, she looked at her daughter Carla and her face lit up immediately because Carla resembles her father.

One fine day Carla’s mother received a note from the Duke’s secretary which stated that her husband Alexander would be coming home after three days, after reading that note she could not contain her excitement and rushed to her daughter’s to share about the good news that their father will visit them after three days.

Alexander the Duke of Emberland, finally reached home and when he saw his family, he smiled widely and then they all hugged each other and sat in the dining hall for dinner. Carla stared at her father, and said, Dad since my childhood you gave me everything that I wanted but now I don’t want anything else, I just want you to stay with us for a while. Carla’s father cleared his throat and said daughter, you know that I am a very busy man and you know that very clearly and I do not have plenty of time on my hands, so I cannot stay with you all the time. By hearing his words Carla was sad and disappointed.

The next day Carla’s father was heading back to work and at that moment his wife came to him and said if you visit us again, please stay a bit longer, cause we want to spend time with you and you are missing out so much, our Carla is growing up so fast and our little Emily has started to go to school, you always say you are busy and we understand that but all that we ever wanted is to spend our time with you. The Duke, Alexander showed his watch to his wife and said time is precious darling and for now, I have to go to work I’ll visit you again some other day, then he hugged her and headed back to work.

Years have passed and Carla has got married and had two kids. Her mother Erina had grown old but she was still beautiful as ever. Their precious little Emily has also graduated from her college. But till now the Duke, Alexander has had no time to spend with his family and his grandchildren as well. He led a busy life as usual.

One day Alexander fell sick and he hired great physicians, medical specialists and doctors to treat him but none of them could cure his sickness. His condition worsened. Carla and her mother came to his room and comforted him, saying that, we are here with you and you will get better soon.

Carla and her children sat around his room and told many stories, and sang him hymns and praises to cheer him up and that made him smile. His wife prepared his favourite food and dishes. By seeing their efforts to make him feel better the Duke got emotional and shedded happy tears.

The next day a well-known physician came to him and said, all you need to do is spend your precious time with your family cause you have got very little time on your hands. Hearing those words the Duke’s heart started to shatter, cause he regarded time as the most valuable thing in his life and it was at this moment he realized that, all his life he did not give that time to his loved ones who always asked him and pleaded him saying that all they ever wanted is his presence and nothing else.

His emotions started to flow and he started to cry his heart out. Hearing his cry, all of his family members rushed to him and at that moment Carla’s kids came to him and showed him the photographs and they questioned him, Grandpa, you only have ten photos that were clicked with mom aunt and grandma while they have hundreds of photos together. Hearing those words the Duke’s heart shattered more and more realizing that he took his precious time for granted and neglected his family who longed for him.

As the days passed, his condition worsened. His family gathered around him with worries and sadness in their face. Carla and her mother held the Duke’s hand and said “We forgive you”. All you ever did was for the betterment of our family. The Duke’s eyes got teary and he whispered to them all these years “I was a fool” cause now I have realized that time is indeed precious but I should have given that time to my precious family as well.

As the Duke’s final moments approached, he grasped the beauty of time. A beautiful memory of his children and his wife played inside his head. Although that memory was short but it left a strong impact on him that time lasts only for a short while, but it is in our hands to use it wisely, cause we never know when our time will end.

The Duke then began to look around his room and saw all of his loved ones gathered around him. He felt so overwhelmed and shed a tear seeing that his family was there for him until his final hours.

As the sun began to set, the Duke’s eyes became weak and his chest was stilled. In the silence that followed his family wept, but deep down they know by heart that the Duke bid farewell to them by understanding the true beauty of time.

Every year in honor of his memory, they would gather around his garden and share stories of his life, his triumphs and his achievements and most importantly about the lesson he had taught to them. They then held each other’s hand and said, 

“Time is precious, let us cherish it, and never take time for granted.”

.    .    .