She sat under the concrete canopy and faced the heavy snowfall. Her frail body shivered in the cold but she was determined. Pulling her bare hands out of her shawl again, she knocked on the door even though it was locked from the outside. Her hands were cold, weak and powerless, but the knocks emitted a loud sound. She spoke out aloud to drown the sound of the wind. ‘O Waheguru, I am here because I have no one except you. I have nowhere to go except your home. And I have no one to speak to other than you. You know it. Then why are you testing me like this? Why do you want me to fail? What have I done to face your wrath? I am not going to give up, or get up from here until you respond.’ Saying this, Bibi sat down resolutely and covered her face with her thick black shawl to protect it from the bitter cold. Soon her entire body was covered in soft white snowflakes.

At the same time, not too far away, the Granthi was uncomfortably tossing on his bed. ‘Bibi must have reached the gurdwara,’ he murmured to himself. ‘I must go and open the door, else she’ll freeze to death . . .’ Mustering all his courage, the old man stood up. He took one final look at the fireplace and the warmth it was emitting. But his mind was made up. He turned towards the door and pushed it open. The sudden gust of wind brought in tiny snowflakes that settled on his silver beard. Not letting the cold deter him, he stepped out straight into the blizzard. Holding a walking stick in one hand, he began his short but demanding journey to the gurdwara. His feet felt heavy and every step he took seemed like an onerous task. ‘Bibi will be waiting . . .’ his lips kept uttering as if chanting a mantra. These words gave him strength and he pushed his aged body forward, one foot at a time. He fell many times but refused to give up.

The gurdwara was only about fifty feet away from his house, yet the walk was no less than a marathon for his aged, frail body. After several minutes, he reached the entrance to find Bibi sitting on the steps. With frozen, shivering hands, he pulled out the key and flung open the door. He helped Bibi stand up and dusted off the snow that had settled on her head. ‘Please go inside, Bibi. Go meet your Waheguru. Tell him to have mercy on you and me too. I am sure he won’t find another devotee like you in the entire universe.’