Fickle Fortune: A Reflective Tale of Ancient Customs and Modern Luck

The irony of life is perhaps on full display in Los Angeles, where beneath the hustle and bustle of the vibrant metropolis lies an ancient civilization, the mortals of which once thrived in its depths.

Pravin Mehta wasn't accustomed to irony. He was more familiar with hubris, the confidence derived from his stature as a Bollywood starlet in this city. For years, Pravin had lived off the excess of unthinking luck -- something which had accompanied him since he was a child. Taking his lottery-winning parents for granted, Pravin had flourished for years on that one easy investment that jumpstarted his career and nothing in the city felt too hard for him to accomplish.

But unbeknownst to Pravin, his luck began to change the moment he crossed into Los Angeles from India. A dark cloud began to follow Pravin around, tracing his steps and inching ever closer as he strutted around town.

It was barely noticeable to the casual observer that Pravin was unraveling on the inside. That fateful day, Pravin did recognize the signs of his cessation of luck and that realization came after a tiring meeting that had grown increasingly frustrating as the hours ground on.

Amidst all the chaos, as Pravin walked back to his limousine, his feet seemed to drag across the pavement as he glanced up to the skies above. Images of an ancient history passed before his eyes, symbols and images of gods, ceremonies, and myths of times gone by. As the sun began to set the colors of the ancient history illuminated in the sky shimmering faintly, yet refusing to disappear. Pravin stopped in his tracks, mesmerized by the sight of old gods and demons standing in judgment, overseeing his unraveling.

But it was as if his upbringing of South Asian ancestry distanced him even further from the possibility of any connection. His attachment to fortune too high yet his belief too low.

And then, against his own thoughts, he began to speak to the gods, demanding them to show mercy to him and their kind.

"What am I to do? How do I, unworthy me, deserve better?" Pravin asked of them.

Nothing - no response.

Through tearful pleadings, Pravin attempted one last time

"I'm not asking for more than I have. I just need to find some way of coming back, to bring something valuable to the tapestry of immortal souls".

Finally, after a few moments the heavens seemed to softly laugh in response. As it so happened, there was one last way to turn his fortune around, but it would require him to make serious and impactful changes in his life. The realization seeking his understanding more than a half-truth mere observation, finally seeping into his being like a monsoon of truth rushing onto salt markets beneath the Delhi sky and an understanding began to dawn in Pravin's mind.

He knew his luck had worn itself out and in that moment his eyes were opened to the nature of life and the cycle of which one human and his family was connected to and therein lies the real fortune none can take away...the ability to create and to endeavor at something higher than himself.

With newfound purpose Pravin embraced his intelligence, his imagination, and faith, to reach deep inside himself and to find a door where there seemed none, to boldly embark on a path to redemption and ascendance. His journey barreling through the country, learning the traditions of ancient culture, customs, and a way of life thought lost and abandoned, slowly teaching himself one language after the other and growing a deep respect for others and for the ancient power structures still standing and teaching him how to access a different kind of wealth he never knew, a wealth beyond fame and fortune, a gift for self-sufficiency and an independently-driven soul.

And, so, against all odds, Pravin becomes the most expected confidante and adviser to an ancient secret society of spiritual people, leading a grand army of the sublime. Becoming the embodiment of renewal and spiritual wealth. Witnessing a whole lifestyle and way of life, not easily revealed to those on the outside.

Through the graceless efforts of man, Pravin found the luck and solace he had been searching for all along. Renewing his faith in the ancient mechanisms and treasuring his new lesson of self-improvement and grand opportunity, which he found in the events which resulted in his own shrinking luck.

Pravin had come full circle and found himself encircled in the embrace of good fortune once more.