Marina was a diehard fan of Beethoven. She always wanted to see him play live in the concert. It was just yesterday that she came to know from her school friends that Beethoven was going to play for the first time in her town the next coming month. How glad she was! She had never dreamt of watching the biggest musician live in a concert. She was sure to go and watch him live.

She went home and asked her parents for money to buy the tickets. They refused her request straight away and told Marina that spending on concerts was a waste of money. Her parents were not well-off; they lived from hand to mouth. what little money they had was kept for a rainy day. Marina became sad that she would not be able to attend the concert. She felt disappointed and tried to forget about it.

The next day, she went to school as usual. Her best friend, Aliya asked why she had a down face today. She told Aliya all about how her parents refused to give her money and now she cannot attend the concert.

Aliya said, “If you cannot get money from your parents, earn it yourself.”

Marina replied, “But how?”

Then Aliya told her all about how she uses her talent of sketching to get the things she wants in her life.

Aliya explained, “My parents told me that I should try to earn myself as they don’t have money to spend on my desires. They hardly make ends meet from their income. I know I draw well, so, I thought why not I should give it a try and earn money for myself. Remember, a few days ago I bought my first-ever bicycle? Believe it or not, it was bought from my income. Great, isn’t it?”

Marina said, “You are such a hardworking person and have a lot of talent. I don’t find any talent for confidence. What should I do? I can’t sketch perfectly like the way you do.”

Aliya said, “There are hidden potentials in everybody. You must seek it from within yourself. There must be a thing you are so good at. All you have to do is think about it.”

Marina felt that Aliya had a point. There must be a way she can earn money for herself. On the way home, she met an old lady. She was searching for something. Marina asked her what she was looking for.

She said, “You see kid. I am too old to go out for a walk with my dog. Now, I have lost him and I am looking for him. Will you help me?”

Marina agreed and started looking for the dog around. Then she finally found the dog. Marina loved animals, especially dogs, and always wanted to play with them. She thought that here was her chance. Why not offer the old lady her services for taking the dog for a walk every day in return for some wages, she thought. It was a job she would enjoy doing, after all, she loved to take care of animals.

So, she asked the lady, “Can I take your dog for a walk every day? I won’t ask for much. Just some reasonable amount you can pay me for it.”

The old lady became happy and accepted the offer. She said, “I am glad my child and will readily permit you to take my dog for a walk. I am too old to do it. I will sure pay you for that.”

Marina’s happiness found no limits. She had a job and that too what she liked the most! She thought this way she would be able to make enough money in a month to see Beethoven’s concert. Some dreams are made to come true for sure!

Marina took the dog daily for a walk and the day arrived for which Marina had been waiting for so long. Finally, it was Beethoven’s concert. She went to buy the ticket and sat in the front row. She even managed to get an autograph from the musician.

It was at that moment that she realised this could also be a job, and many of her neighbours often needed someone to look after their pets. Thus she started taking her neighbours’ dogs for walks and earned money doing so. Now, she could make her own money and spend it on all her favourite things without bothering her parents. And, along with money, Marina also gained confidence from this experience.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 15th, 2025