The Blue Bead Summary

In this article, you will be reading the blue bead summary. The Blue Bead is a work
of famous novelist and non-fiction writer, Norah Burke. It is a story depicting the
heroic deed of a twelve-year-old girl named Sibia. She saves the life of a Gujar
woman from a crocodile without wasting a moment. She was a simple Indian girl
living in poverty. Also, she finds happiness in small things, gets fascinated by
natural jewellery etc. However, she is brave and courageous. Also, she is a keen
observer and can make quick decisions.This story the Blue Bead Summary is centred
around a young girl Sibia. She was marked for work. Since her childhood, she had
been involved in husking corn, gathering sticks and drying of dugs. Also, she uses
to cook food and cut grass for fodder. In the story, she went with her mother and
others to obtain paper grass from the cliffs above the river. They use to sell it
to an agent who despatches it to the paper mills.

The women followed a dusky path towards the river. They passed a Gujar encampment
of grass nuts. There lived nomadic graziers. The Gujars were junglis. Sinai, too,
was born and bred in the forest. As women reach the river, they started shouting.
Noise frightens crocodiles. Thus, the big the crocodile did not move. All the
women crossed to the other bank safely. Further, they climbed a still hillside to
get the grass women to have to cross the river one more time to reach back home.

However, Sibia delays intentionally. She searched for the cave where she had kept
her own handmade clay moulded cups and saucers for drying. When she was wandering
around, looks at a Gujar woman who has come to collect water in her container.
Suddenly, a crocodile rises out of the black water. It grabbed the woman’s leg
between his sharp, uneven teeth.

The woman tries to grab onto a rock for saving her life. However, she fails in her
attempt as the crocodile was very ferocious. On looking at this, Sibia, without
wasting time, acted wisely to save the woman. She throws her hayfork at the
crocodile. It wretches right in its eye. Groaning in pain, the crocodile leaves the
woman. Sibia lifts the woman back onto the bank, away from the stream. She stops
the blood through the sand. Also, she binds a rag tightly over the wounded area.
Then, she assists her to the nearby Gujar encampment from where a man carries her
to a hospital.

Then, Sibia going back into the jungle to bring her grass, sickle and fork. The
fork was lying near the rock. However, she comes across an already pierced, pretty
blue bead while picking up the fork. She plucks it out of the water and was full of
happiness. Sibia returned home happily. Her mother was searching for her. She was
worried if something wrong has happened to her daughter. However, Sibia narrates
the whole incident and shows the blue bead to her mother.

Conclusion of The Blue Bead

The story conveys a very powerful message that if a person has a strong
determination to attain something and also has the patience to wait for the same
and work for it then you will receive it. Also, it shows the life of rural people
who find happiness in the little things.