MAYA

Monu, a 12-year-old boy from Kisan Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, finds a coin while planting in the veranda and shows it to his grandmother. She explains that centuries ago, people buried treasures for safekeeping due to the lack of banks and fear of invaders. She then tells the story of Dhanno, a 30-year-old widow with a 14-year-old daughter, Chhoti.
One night, Dhanno sees a golden snake emerging from the floor and follows it to a buried treasure. She takes the treasure home, but as she wears a necklace, a snake emerges from the sack, and Maya appears, offering a deal. Dhanno refuses and seeks help from Jagnu Baba, who advises her to rebury the treasure. However, Jagnu Baba, driven by greed, secretly tracks her and later digs up the treasure himself. The sack morphs into a golden snake, which devours Jagnu Baba.
The grandmother concludes the story with a lesson: greed can be dangerous, as Maya is not meant for everyone.