Story

A Letter to God

By
Gregorio Lopex Y. Fuentes

The house — the only one in the entire valley — sat on the crest of a low hill. From this height one could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers that always promised a good harvest. 

The only thing the earth needed was a downpour or at least a shower. Throughout the morning Lencho — who knew his fields intimately — had done nothing else but see the sky towards the north-east.

 “Now we’re really going to get some water, woman.” The woman who was preparing supper, replied, “Yes, God willing”. 

The older boys were working in the field, while the smaller ones were playing near the house until the woman called to them all, 

“Come for dinner”. 

It was during the meal that, just as Lencho had predicted, big drops of rain began to fall. In the north-east huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching. The air was fresh and sweet. 

The man went out for no other reason than to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body, and when he returned he exclaimed, 

‘‘These aren’t raindrops falling from the sky, they are new coins. The big drops are ten cent pieces and the little ones are fives.’’ 

With a satisfied expression he regarded the field of ripe corn with its flowers, draped in a curtain of rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large hailstones began to fall. These truly did resemble new silver coins. The boys, exposing themselves to the rain, ran out to collect the frozen pearls.

 ‘‘It’s really getting bad now,’’ exclaimed the man. “I hope it passes quickly.” 

It did not pass quickly. For an hour the hail rained on the house, the garden, the hillside, the cornfield, on the whole valley. The field was white, as if covered with salt. Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were gone from the plants. Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he stood in the middle of the field and said to his sons, 

“A plague of locusts would have left more than this. The hail has left nothing. This year we will have no corn.’’ 

That night was a sorrowful one. 

“All our work, for nothing.”

 ‘‘There’s no one who can help us.” 

“We’ll all go hungry this year.” 

In the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley, there was a single hope: help from God. 

“Don’t be so upset, even though this seems like a total loss. Remember, no one dies of hunger.” “That’s what they say: no one dies of hunger.” 

All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God, whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience.

 Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields, but still he knew how to write. 

The following Sunday, at daybreak, he began to write a letter which he himself would carry to town and place in the mail. 

It was nothing less than a letter to God.

 “God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year. I need a hundred pesos in order to sow my field again and to live until the crop comes, because the hailstorm....” 

He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town. At the post office, he placed a stamp on the letter and dropped it into the mailbox. 

One of the employees, who was a postman and also helped at the post office, went to his boss laughing heartily and showed him the letter to God. Never in his career as a postman had he known that address. The postmaster — a fat, amiable and pleasant fellow — also broke out laughing, but almost immediately he turned serious and, tapping the letter on his desk, commented, 

“What faith! I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this letter. Starting up a correspondence with God!” 

So, in order not to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster came up with an idea: answer the letter. But when he opened it, it was evident that to answer it he needed something more than goodwill, ink and paper. But he stuck to his resolution: he asked for money from his employees, he himself gave part of his salary, and several friends of his were obliged to give something ‘for an act of charity’. 

It was impossible for him to gather together the hundred pesos, so he was able to send the farmer only a little more than half. He put the money in an envelope addressed to Lencho and with it a letter containing only a single word as a signature: God. 

The following Sunday Lencho came a bit earlier than usual to ask if there was a letter for him. It was the postman himself who handed the letter to him while the postmaster, experiencing the contentment of a man who has performed a good deed, looked on from his office.

 Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his confidence — but he became angry when he counted the money. God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested. 

Immediately, Lencho went up to the window to ask for paper and ink. On the public writing-table, he started to write, with much wrinkling of his brow, caused by the effort he had to make to express his ideas. When he finished, he went to the window to buy a stamp which he licked and then affixed to the envelope with a blow of his fist. 

The moment the letter fell into the mailbox the postmaster went to open it. It said: 

“God: Of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much. But don’t send it to me through the mail because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks. Lencho.” 

A Letter to God
By
Gregorio Lopex Y. Fuentes

Summary

This story has been written by Gregorio Lopex Y. Fuentes  about the life of a simple farmer. Lencho is a simple farmer who has a great faith in God. This year his corn crop gives him a great hope of a good harvest. But  very soon, it begins to hail. His entire crop is destroyed and it appears to him that he and his family would die of starvation.

Finally, he decides to write a letter to God requesting him to send him 100 pesos. He drops his letter in the mail box of the post office and an employee who collects letters is amazed to find a letter addressed to God. He reads this letter out of curiosity and to the amusement of his co-workers and the Post Master. All of them laugh but suddenly, the post master turns serious and comments that he has never seen such a great faith in God in his entire life. In order not to disillusion the faith of Lencho, the post master comes up with suggestion of answering the letter and sending the money he needs. He collects money from his co-workers and he himself contributes a part of his salary but he is able to collect seventy pesos only. When Lencho gets the money, he becomes angry and he immediately writes another letter to God and drops the letter in the letter box. Out of curiosity, the employees read this letter also. In the letter, Lencho thanks God for his timely help but he says that out of 100 pesos he has got only 70 peso. He requests God to send him thirty pesos more but he makes one more request not to send money through the post office because the employees in the post office are a bunch of crooks.

 Short Answer Questions:- 

Answer the questions given in one or two sentences each:

(1)                    Q. What did Lencho hope for?

Ans. Lencho hoped for a good harvest from the crop in fields.

(2)                    Q. What did Lencho say that raindrops are like new coins?

Ans. Lencho said so because he knew that the rains would increase his yield from the field and it would earn him money.

(3)                    Q. Why did Lencho write a letter to God?

Ans. Lencho wrote letter to God because hail storm had destroyed his crop completely and he wanted money to sustain his family and resow the fields.

(4)                    Q. Why were Lencho's feelings when the hail stopped?

Ans. When the hail stopped, Lencho's soul was filled with sadness. He said that a plague of locusts would have left more than what the hail has left in the fields.

(5)                    Q. Why does the Postmaster send money to Lencho?

Ans. The postmaster sends money to Lencho because he was moved by Lencho's faith in God. He wanted that his faith should not be disillusioned.

(6)                    Q. What was Lencho's reaction after getting the letter?

Ans. On getting the letter, Lencho was not even slightly surprised. He was fully confident that he would get the money from God.

Answer the given questions in one hundred words each:

(1)                    Q. What did Lencho write in his first letter and why?

Ans. In his first letter, Lencho wrote to God that if He did not help him, his family and he would go hungry that year. He further wrote that he needed a hundred pesos in order to resow the fields and live until the crop came. He was fully confident that God would send him money.

(1)                    Q. Explain the act of goodness shown by the Postmaster.

Ans. The Postmaster was an amiable fellow. He broke laughing at the letter but the next moment he became serious. He could not help himself praising Lencho for his unwavered and indomitable faith in God. He wished if he too had the same degree of faith in God. In order that he is not disillusioned, he decided to respond the letter but on opening the letter, he found that he would have to send the money also. He collected together 70 pesos from his coworkers and from himself and sent him. 

(1)                    Q. "The post office employees are a bunch of crooks." "what does this imply?"

Ans. It implies that post office employees have stolen a part of his money.

(2)                    Q. Rewrite the story in your own words in first person. Begin: I am a poor Mexican Farmer. My name is Lencho.

Ans. I am a poor Mexican Farmer. My name is Lencho. I have my home on the crest of a hill. From here, I can see all my fields. The corn has ripened and it is dotted with kidney bean flower. Suddenly, I saw clouds in the Northeast. I was sure it would rain. It would be very good for my crops. I was called by my wife for dinner. Hardly had I finished my dinner when it began to rain. I was happy and felt as if the rain drops were like small coins but very soon I felt that they were actually hails. I hoped that it would pass quickly. But it didn’t. My heart sank with an unknown fear. I could not understand what I should do. It hailed relentlessly for an hour. It did not leave even a leaf on the trees. The whole crop was destroyed. But what will happen to my family. Shall we go hungry this year?  I could not sleep the whole night. Who will help me? Only God can save my family from starvation. I will go to the post office tomorrow and write a letter to God.

The post office was open. They were talking loudly. A clerk had specially sharp and loud voice. I went to the window and asked for paper and ink and wrote the letter:-

“God! If you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year. I need a hundred pesos in order to resow the field and live until the crop comes, because the hailstorm has destroyed my crops.

Yours obediently,

Lencho”

I bought an envelop and wrote To GOD on it and put the letter in it and then dropped it in the letterbox. I hoped that the money would come next day.

I woke up early next day because I had to go to the post office. My wife bade me good bye to me. When I reached the post office, they had already come. I reached the window and asked if there was a letter for me. The clerk handed me a letter. He had a strange smile on his face. When I opened the envelop, it contained 70 pesos. It means these clerks are very smart. They are stealing my money. I must complain to God. I asked for paper and ink and wrote another letter to God.

“God, of the money you sent me only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest since I need it very badly. But don’t send it by mail because post office employees are a bunch of crooks.”

(3). Q. Lencho the central figure, writes a letter to God seeking His help, when hailstorm ruined his crop. What would you have done in similar circumstances?

Ans. I would have consulted the Head of the village and written a letter to the Minister for agriculture for help.

(4). Q. Why does Lencho call the post office people ‘a bunch of crooks’? This is not an award for an act of charity. Give an impression of it in a paragraph of about a hundred words.

Ans. Whatever the post office people had done was certainly an act of charity. But the paradox is that for that very act they were labeled as crooks by Lencho. It would certainly pain any person who were in similar circumstances. Some people might blame Lencho and some say that it is useless to help a fool like Lencho. But I don’t blame Lencho for whatever happened but I would blame post office people themselves. When they were behaving like Santa Clause, they should not have expected anything in return. On the other hand, they must have sent 100 pesos to maintain the integrity of his belief. Since they sent only 70 pesos, it quite natural for Lencho to suspect the post office people.

Multiple Choice Questions:- 

1. What did Lencho hope for at the beginning of the story?

a) A letter from God 

b) A hundred pesos 

c) A rain shower 

d) A good harvest 

Answer: c

2. Why did Lencho compare the raindrops to new coins?

a) Because they were shiny and round 

b) Because they were valuable and rare 

c) Because they were cold and hard 

d) Because they would bring him prosperity 

Answer: d

3. How did the rain change into a disaster for Lencho? 

a) It turned into a flood and washed away his crops 

b) It turned into a hailstorm and destroyed his crops 

c) It turned into a thunderstorm and set fire to his crops 

d) It turned into a snowstorm and froze his crops 

Answer: b

4. What did Lencho do after he saw the damage caused by the hailstorm? 

a) He prayed to God for help 

b) He wrote a letter to God asking for money 

c) He went to the post office to complain 

d) He moved to another town with his family 

Answer: b

5. How did the postmaster react when he saw Lencho’s letter? 

a) He was amused and curious 

b) He was angry and offended 

c) He was sad and sympathetic 

d) He was confused and doubtful 

Answer: a

6. How much money did Lencho ask for in his letter? 

a) Ten pesos 

b) Fifty pesos 

c) A hundred pesos 

d) A thousand pesos 

Answer: c

7. How did the postmaster and his employees collect the money for Lencho? 

a) They donated their own money 

b) They asked for donations from the townspeople 

c) They sold some stamps and envelopes 

d) They took some money from the post office funds 

Answer: a

8. How much money did Lencho receive in the envelope?

a) Ten pesos 

b) Fifty pesos 

c) Seventy pesos 

d) A hundred pesos 

Answer: c

9. Why did Lencho write another letter to God at the end of the story? 

a) To thank him for the money 

b) To ask for more money 

c) To complain about the post office employees 

d) To apologize for his mistake Answer: c

10. What did Lencho call the post office employees in his second letter? 

a) A bunch of crooks 

b) A group of angels 

c) A team of fools 

d) A pack of liars 

Answer: a

Character Sketch of Lencho

The story ‘Letter to God’ is a very extraordinary story as the title indicates. It creates curiosity from the very beginning. Lencho a Mexican farmer is its Hero.

Simple Farmer with great faith in God. Lencho is a man of simple nature. He is very optimistic. When the hailstorm comes, he hopes that it is his much needed rainfall for his crops. He says that those were not the rain drops but the coins of five and ten centavo pieces. But when it starts hailing, he still hopes that it will quickly pass. He has great faith in God. It is evident when he writes a letter to God and requests Him to send him 100 Pesos. At the end of the story when he gets the bill he is not slightly surprised. But when he counts the money, his faith in God still remains undaunted, he suspects the post office people to have stolen his money. His faith in God is still in tact. God could not have made a mistake nor sent him less than what he needed.

A Truthful Person without Greed. Lencho is not greedy. It is evident from the fact that he demands only 100 peso from God. He demands from God only what he needs. He is very truthful to God. He believes that God sees every thing.

An Ox of a Man. He is very hard working and stoutly built. The author calls him ‘an ox of a man’ in the story. He is helped by his family in his work. His crop is the evidence of his hard work.

Notes for Class X CBSE, NCERT First Flight
A Letter to God

Oral Comprehension check

1. What did Lencho hope for?

Ans. Lencho hoped for a nice harvest.

2. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like 'new coins'?

Ans. He said so because each raindrop would contribute to good harvest which will bring in money.

3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho's fields?

Ans. The rain changed into hailstorm and hailstones destroyed the whole crop in the fields.

4. What were Lencho's feelings when the hail stopped?

Ans. Lencho's soul was filled with sadness. His crop was completely destroyed by hailstorm.

Oral Comprehension check

1. Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?

Ans. He had great faith in God. He wrote a letter to God requesting Him to send him 100 pesos.

2. Who read the letter?

Ans. A postman, who was one of the employees, read the letter.

3. What did the postmaster do then?

Ans. The Postmaster laughed at the address first but immediately he became serious and admired the unshakable faith of Lencho in God. He along with his employees contributed 70 pesos and sent him.

Oral Comprehension check

1. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?

Ans. Lencho was not even slightly surprised to find a letter with money for him.

2. What made him angry?

Ans. When he counted the money and found that there were only 70 pesos in the envelope, it made him angry. 

Thinking about the text

1. Who does Lencho have complete faith in?  Which sentences in the story tell this?

Ans. Lencho has complete faith in God. His words " No one dies of hunger" and he writes a letter to God asking Him to send him 100 pesos, tell us this. 

2. Why does Postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter 'God'?

Ans. The Postmaster sent the money to Lencho because he had great admiration for Lencho for his unshakable faith in God. He wanted that his faith might remain intact. He signed the letter 'God' to show that the letter has come from God Himself.

3. Did Lencho try to find out who had sent him money? Why/Why not?

Ans. He did not try to find out who had sent him money because he had complete faith in God that God would send him money.

4. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation?

Ans. Lencho thinks that post office men have taken the rest of his money from God. The irony of the situation is that benefactors are considered thieves.

5. Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is?

Ans. People like Lencho are very rare in the real world. He is a person who is unquestioning to God. 

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