Author: Editor Melissa

It was a usual Saturday at Suhani’s house. Her father had gone to work in the morning and she was having breakfast.

After eating, Suhani went to the kitchen to drink water and screamed, “Rat! Rat! Ma, there’s a rat in the house.”

Her siblings who were playing in the backyard heard her scream and ran into the house. “What happened, Suhani didi?” asked Jay and Akash, her brothers.

“Come here, quickly. There’s a rat in the house. Chase it away,” said ma who came running out of her bedroom.

Her aunts, Palak and Pari, stood on the sofa, afraid the rat would run over their feet while being chased.

Ma and Suhani pointed towards the cabinet where they last saw the rat.

Jay and Akash quickly took a broom and a stick and forced the rat out of its hiding place.

The rat first ran all around the kitchen, then in the hall, then towards the cupboard and then hid under the bed.

Everyone screamed each time they spotted the rat. The tables in the house were turned upside down to ensure the rat had fewer places to hide.

When Krish and Mohit, aunt Pari’s sons entered the house, they couldn’t stop laughing looking at the chaos.

After about 25 minutes, Jay and Akash managed to shoo the rat outside the house. Then everyone settled down.

Akash and Jay kept the broom and stick aside and sunk into the sofa, exhausted.
“I don’t know who chased whom but it seemed like the rat chased us,” said Jay who was out of breath.

“Yes, we need to ensure we keep the door shut or the rat may come back,” said Suhani.

“I wonder why these creatures exist. They do us no good,” complained Akash.

“Don’t say that, Akash. I know the rats are a menace but they are also an integral part of our life-cycle. They may roam inside our houses and trouble us but that’s because they are looking for food. We should shoo them and not hurt them,” said Jay.

“I don’t think they are an integral part of our life-cycle. We can’t always shoo them away. We should put an end to all rats,” retorted Akash.

“Rats are scavengers. They eat trash or any food that is left unprotected. They have a good sense of taste and can identify certain substances, including rat poisons, after tasting just a little bit of it,” informed Jay.

“Also, a man, inspired by rats, became a billionaire,” he added.

“What? Rats inspired someone?” asked Krish and Mohit together.

“Yes, Mickey Mouse, a beloved character, is a mouse. Walt Disney was inspired by a mouse and created this character that made him a billionaire,” replied Jay.

“That’s true. And here I was thinking that rats are only a menace,” said Akash.

“That’s an interesting fact, Jay,” said ma.

“Now, who wants to go out and watch an animated movie?”

“Let’s all go,” said aunt Pari.

“Let’s watch a movie that has rats in it,” giggled Akash.

Everyone laughed, and got ready to watch the movie

“O Harsh! Please switch it off now. You have been watching the television since morning,” Mummy shouted from the kitchen.

It had been raining erratically the whole day. The sun would shine for some time and then it would rain suddenly.

The washed clothes were hanging out on the clothesline to dry.

Mummy wished that Harsh would get up and bring them in. But he was busy watching the television and the clothes were wet again.

Harsh was in grade 9 and he preferred watching the television and playing games on his mobile.

If he was not outside the house, he would spend his whole time inside watching TV. His favourite channels were Discovery, National Geographic, BBC Earth and Animal Planet.

His parents approved of these channels as they were helpful in imparting knowledge. But they also thought that such excess screen time was damaging his eyes.

He often tried to explain to them that LED televisions did not harm the eyes as much as the earlier televisions. But they were not convinced.

Different kinds of programmes were shown on the Discovery channel, from cookery lessons to unknown facts about animal life.

Harsh was thrilled by watching these programmes. He loved animals and birds. He also liked the various cartoon channels, but his parents did not allow him to watch them much.

Harsh often wondered that if J L Baird had not invented the TV, then what would have happened? We would never be able to see the remote forests, the deep oceans and the snow-covered mountains.

Harsh’s house was near the park. Since it had been raining a lot the past week, there was abundant greenery all around. A rainbow could also be seen in the sky today.

Harsh’s father was at the office and Mummy was busy in the kitchen. Harsh was on the terrace watching the rainbow when he suddenly heard Mummy’s loud scream.

He came running down and saw that she was shocked, unable to form any words. She was pointing towards the can of flour in front of her, with eyes wide open.

Harsh looked in that direction. A snake was coiled on the flour can. His heart started beating fast, but he did not lose courage.

He quickly pulled out his mobile and dialled the phone number of the snake catcher. But no one picked the phone, so he left a voice message asking for help. There was no one in the neighbourhood who could help them.

He slowly signalled his mother to move away from the snake, while he kept a watchful eye on it. A little mistake could endanger their lives.

Just a few days ago, he had seen a snake exactly like this one on the Discovery channel. He knew it was not a poisonous species of snake. But he noticed that the snake’s tail was hurt and hence it was hissing.

Harsh and Mummy were both frightened, but the snake could not be left alone until help arrived.

Harsh quietly picked up a stick and an empty container from the storeroom.

He then switched on all the lights in the kitchen. He gave Mummy the responsibility to keep an eye on the snake, while he proceeded cautiously and cleared the path between the kitchen and the main door.

With his heart beating fast, he slowly approached the flour can. Mummy was shocked and could not understand what Harsh was doing.

He opened the lid of the empty container that he was holding and placed it in front of the snake. Then he carefully tapped on the snake’s tail. The snake entered the can straight away and Harsh closed the lid quickly.

Mummy looked at him in astonishment. She did not expect Harsh to be so brave and courageous.

Harsh put the container in a big paper bag and went out through the front door. Fortunately, the snake catcher also arrived at the same moment.

He praised Harsh’s bravery profusely. The snake was not a poisonous one, but catching a snake safely was a praiseworthy deed, especially if done by a child. The snake catcher assured them that the snake would be released in the forest.

By now the neighbours had also gathered outside the house. They were all praising Harsh wholeheartedly. After everyone left, Mummy asked him, “How did you manage to do that?”

Harsh pointed to the television. Mummy did not understand it. He then explained, “I had seen this kind of snake on the Discovery channel a few days ago. I knew this snake was not poisonous and that it was to be caught by its tail. I learned this by watching the television.”

Mummy looked lovingly at Harsh and thought to herself, ‘After all the television is not all that bad’

One day, Sona deer, Balu bear and Tilu fox were standing near a lake looking at a distant run-down house.

Sona whispered, “The house looks spooky.”

“There are… stories about it,” said Balu, nervously,

“Those are just rumours to keep people away from it,” scoffed Tilu.

“Yes, there could be some gold boxes waiting for brave Tilu,” mocked Balu.

“Or maybe, there’s some treasure kept for you,” replied Tilu.

“No. I have no intention of going in,” said Balu, firmly.

“Why would you! You’re scared of your own shadow. You won’t be able to step in,” joked Tilu.

Balu was irritated but said nothing. He was scared but didn’t want to admit to it. Unfortunately, so did Tilu.

“How about we go inside the house tonight? Each of us will enter alone. The one who fails to enter will have to treat the others,” said Tilu, challenging everyone.

“I am ready to take up the challenge. You two be prepared to treat me tomorrow,” said Sona, excitedly.

“You wish! I will be the one to receive treats,” said Tilu. And Balu had no choice but to agree.

“As a precautionary measure, I will wear my lucky locket or maybe, I can show that I am entering the house but not go inside. Sona and Tile will not know because it will be so dark outside,” he thought.

Balu felt relieved thinking he could sneak out of the challenge and still keep his dignity intact among his friends. He smiled to himself.

As though reading Balu’s thoughts, Sona said, “How will we know the others haven’t cheated?”

Balu was startled. He felt his heart sinking. He glared at Sona for reading his mind. Now, there was no escape.

All three of them started thinking.

Then suddenly, Sona cried, “I got it! The first one who enters the house leaves a paper with his name written on it. The paper has to be kept at the entrance. The second one who enters will write his name on the same paper and so will the third. Now, you both bring your torches, pencils and I will bring the paper with me.”

Tilu agreed.

Balu brightened as he found a loophole in their idea.

“Sona is a real fool. And so is Tilu. The third person can still cheat by not entering the house and writing his name. And there is no one to check on him. Maybe, I can be that person,” he thought and couldn’t contain his excitement. That night, they all met by the lake. But their enthusiasm had dampened by now.

Fear was written all over their faces. But none could admit that they were scared and call off the challenge.

Each one was waiting for the other to do it but pride forced them to look brave.

Somewhere an owl hooted making them jump. Balu’s hand instantly went around his locket.

They glanced towards the house looked threatening against the dark sky.

Sona asked meekly, “Who is going first?”

“I am going to be the last person,” said Balu.

Suspicious, Tilu asked, “Why last?”

Balu realised that he had no reply and it was difficult to fool Tilu.

Balu stammered, “I…I…”

Not knowing what to say, he cringed.

“We have to play this fair and square. I am going to toss a coin to see whose turn it is to go first,” said Tilu.

Balu felt like banging his head for his haste foolishness.

Tilu tossed a coin and it was decided that Sona would go first, followed by Balu and then Tilu.

Balu looked miserably at the house.

Sona cautiously walked towards the house using her torch to throw light in the darkness.

When she went near the house, she thought she could hear a loud sound. She realised that it was her heart pounding loudly. The house looked scarier as she came near it.

Sona cursed herself for agreeing to the challenge. She thought, “What if something happens to me?”

She looked through the window and saw something move inside but couldn’t make out what it was.

“Bet or no bet. I am not going inside,” she said and sprinted back to her friends. When they enquired whether she had gone in, she managed a silly smile and didn’t reply to them.

Now, it was Balu’s turn to go. Sick with fear, he reached near the house. Suddenly, he heard a door creak and without a second thought, he ran back screaming with his hands tightly grasping his lucky locket.

Once at the meeting place, he breathed heavily and stood with his legs trembling like rubber pillars.

Sona stood silently wondering whether Balu knew that she hadn’t entered the house as there was no paper at the entrance.

“Did you see anything?” asked Tilu.

“I managed to get in somehow. Saw your name on the paper, Sona,” lied Balu.

Sona was astonished to hear this and knew Balu was lying but kept quiet.

Now, it was Tilu’s turn. He had tried to be bold but was sweating with fear.
As he walked to the house, his shirt became damp.

Peeping inside the house, he thought he caught a glimpse of something in white. Absolutely petrified, he yelled and ran back.

Panting, he reached his friends and shouted, “I saw your names on the chit. What do you think of me? No one can scare Tilu.”

Both Sona and Balu knew that Tilu was lying.

Feeling relieved they went home swearing that this was the last bet they would
ever make,

Chandanvan suffered from a drought this year because of which most birds and animals had left their homes and travelled to other forests to build new homes.

Kerry koel also shifted to a nearby forest with her family to build a
new house.

Kerry was a shy bird, but she was also talented. She soon made many friends in her new school.

Peeku pigeon was a proud bird who also went to this school. She always made fun of others.

She saw Kerry was making new friends. This made her jealous and she started looking for an opportunity to demean Kerry.

Peeku started teasing her because of her dark skin and sometimes called her a coward because she was shy. But Kerry never said anything and always laughed it off.

A few weeks later, on her birthday, Kerry brought a lot of chocolates to school and distributed them among her friends.

Peeku too took a piece of chocolate and said, “You should have told me about your birthday. I would have brought you a gift.” Everyone was surprised when she said that.

The next day, Peeku gave Kerry a gift wrapped in bright golden paper and said, “This is for you. You can open it in now.”

All the friends gathered and Kerry eagerly opened the gift in front of them. There was a small soap bar and a fairness cream bottle in it.

Kerry’s eyes welled up with embarrassment and hurt. Peeku was unaffected by Kerry’s reaction, instead, she laughed heartily.

Kerry’s friends were mad too and told her to give a befitting reply to Peeku, but Kerry did not want to fight. She said, “Mummy has taught me that sometimes silence can solve hundreds of our problems. If I say something now, then the quarrel will become fiercer. Therefore it is better that I keep quiet.”

Days later, all the classmates drifted away from Peeku because of her pride. While Kerry’s friend circle kept growing because of her kind behaviour.

Over time, Peeku became lonely, but this did not change the way she was.

Soon, the Annual Day celebrations arrived. A music competition was organised by teachers this year.

Seeing Kerry getting her name registered for the competition, Peeku also decided to register for it.

On the day of the competition, as soon as Peeku’s name was called out, she proudly went on the stage and started screaming in a harsh tone.

All the children started laughing hysterically. They shouted, “Down
with Peeku. Down with Peeku.”

She somehow completed her song and left the stage.

It was Kerry’s turn and she performed beautifully. The whole auditorium applauded her performance and also demanded that Kerry sing again. Everybody enjoyed her melodious singing.

Peeku was sad, but since she also enjoyed Kerry’s victory, she congratulated her. Kerry smiled and thanked her. Peeku knew that she was wrong. She knew that outward appearance and beauty is not everything. Kerry had a good heart and was nice to Peeku even though she was mean to her.

Peeku apologised to Kerry who forgave her easily. From that day, Peeku and Kerry became good friends.

Dinku bear and Bobo monkey were sitting on a log, wondering how to earn their living.

“I can’t think of anything, Can you?” asked Dinku, glumly.

“Stop disturbing and let me think,” snapped Bobo.

Bobo scratched his head thoughtfully.

Suddenly, he snapped his fingers and excitedly cried, “I got it! Why don’t we start our eatery? We wil need to pitch in some money to buy utensils and ingredients.”

“But which one of us will cook?” asked Dinku.

“Hmm…how hard can it be! I think you should cook and I will serve food,” said Bobo, confidently.

Horrified, Dinku asked, “What do you mean? I do not know how to cook. I can’t even boil milk. It won’t work.” “So, who asked you to boil milk? Just serve it unboiled. No one would know the difference. I have my grandma’s old cookbook at home. I will get it for you. Just follow the instructions written in it, that’s all,” said Bobo.

Dinku didn’t raise any more questions as he feared Bobo’s anger. He just went along with the plan.

Soon, the duo set up a small eatery named, ‘Dinku & Bobo’s Eatery’. Tables and chairs were set up for the customers and a slightly nervous Dinku was all set in the kitchen with the cookbook and vegetables spread around him.

Dinku opened the cookbook curiously and came across the words teaspoon and tablespoon many times.

He looked at the different sizes of spoons in front of him and wondered what was the difference.

Instead of asking Bobo who himself was unaware of these things, Dinku decided to experiment.

Next, he started making chappatis and ended up making dry, burnt ones.

He was proud of at least being able to make something, even though it was inedible.

The eatery was due to open soon and Dinku had somehow managed to make simple gravies and sandwiches.

On the day of the grand opening, Bobo asked, “Ready?? The customers are beginning to arrive.”

“I am not too sure. I made a few dishes but I don’t know what it tastes like,” said Dinku, nervously.

“Who cares? We are just giving customers new choices of food!” said Bobo, offhandedly.

Then Bobo picked up some sandwiches and hurried outside.

He served the sandwiches to Pinky and Chinky rabbits.

Chinky smacked her lips and said, “Hope there are some juicy grated carrots inside.”

Her smile vanished as she picked the slice of bread to see what’s inside.

“What’s this? It looks weird,” cried Chinky.

Bobo took a peek and wondered what Dinku had made as none of the sandwich contents looked familiar.

“That’s our speciality,” Bobo smoothly said, with a smile.

Chinky stared suspiciously at the sandwich and took a whiff.

“It smells horrible. I don’t want it,” she said and pushed the plate away.

But Pinky wanted to taste it. She took a big bite and instantly spat it out.

“Blecchhh! It’s pathetic. You call this food?” she demanded.

At once, Bobo called Dinku out to explain to the complaining customers. Not knowing what to say, Dinku mumbled, “As he said, it is our speciality. It is very nutritious…and we…we had these…secret ingredients…ordered from far off. This will make your skin glow. Trust me.”

The word ‘glow’ caught their attention and they hesitantly ordered another sandwich and ate them. After paying the bill, as soon as they were about to leave, both of them caught their tummy and howled in pain.

“It must be those horrible sandwiches,” wailed Chinky.

“We will complain. Oooohh…,” Pinky threatened.

“The nutritious food doesn’t agree with some people and maybe you are one of those,” Bobo replied cheekily.

The rabbits, unfortunately, were in no state to argue further, so they rushed from there.

Next day, Sanjah wolf arrived and ordered a vegetable soup. When Dinku got the order, he quickly flipped through the cookbook. Unfortunately, the page with the recipe was torn.

He looked blankly at the vegetables and thought, “What to do now?”

Since he couldn’t back out of it, he just decided to make a puree of vegetables and water.

He picked up some vegetables and pureed them in the mixer. Then he diluted the paste with water and seasoned it. It was ready to go!

Unfortunately, the soup was not well received by Sanjah who felt his stomach churn at the very bitter taste of it.

Similarly, things didn’t go well with the other customers too.

The gravies served were either too hot or too sour, the vegetables uncooked or burnt. Sometimes funny looking things crept up in the plates.

Everyone yelled at them and left, promising to never return.

Bobo sadly went to meet Dinku in the kitchen to inform him about the mess.

Dejected, Dinku lectured, “I warned you before that it would be a disaster.”

Bobo snapped, “Don’t blame me. It is all because of your lousy cooking.”

“Why don’t you simply admit that it is because of your lousy idea that the whole thing flopped? Now, what are we to do with all these vegetables? They will rot if kept for long,” retorted Dinku.

Bobo thought for a while and brightened up and said, “Let us offer a 50% discount. I will put it up on the board outside. Hopefully, we get some customers. In two days, we have only earned `50!”

Their discount didn’t work as the news of their bad food had spread like wildfire. Not a single customer was seen near their eatery.

Tired of waiting, they decided to eat at somebody else’s restaurant and spent `30. With the remaining money, they decided to buy a lock for their eatery!

Khainchu mule ran a sweet shop in Gopavan forest. He was an expert confectioner. The aroma from his sweet shop was famous to everyone in Gopavan.

Next to his shop lived Sallu fox. His house would always be filled with the aroma of the sweets and he could never resist them.

One day, when Sallu came out of his bath, the smell of tasty jalebis reached him. “Wow! jalebi!’’ he exclaimed in excitement. He could name the sweet just by its scent!

He started thinking of a plan to gobble jalebis as he put on his clothes.

“Mom… Mom,” he called out.

“What is it?” questioned Sallu’s mother, knowing what Sallu wanted.

“Mom, I feel like eating jalebis today,” said Sallu, innocently.

“Sallu, you feel like eating sweets daily! But I cannot buy sweets every day.” explained his mother.

“But I saw you keeping some money in the cupboard yesterday. Give me some,” pleaded Sallu.

Not wanting to argue with him any further, his mother took out a few coins from the cupboard and gave them to him. Sallu was disappointed “This can buy me only 100 grams of jalebi,” he said. “Buy whatever you get for this money. Your teeth will decay if you eat too many sweets,” said his mom.

“Fine! I am going,” said Sallu and rushed towards Khainchu mule’s sweet shop.

He was overwhelmed to see the sweets on display! Kalakand, as white as snow, the jar filled with brown balls of Badusha, a bowl full of spongy Rassogullas. His mouth started watering on seeing all of them! Rassogullas were his favourite. He was desperate to eat them but with the money he had, he could only buy jalebis.

Suddenly, he had an idea! “Uncle, can you please give me 100g of jalebis?”
he requested.

As soon as Khainchu went to weigh the jalebi, Sallu moved to the corner where the bowl of Rassogullas was kept. He glanced around, put his hand into the bowl and quickly gobbled up one piece of Rassogulla! However, he didn’t notice that he had also gobbled up a wasp that was sitting on that piece. As Sallu tried to swallow the Rassogulla, the wasp gave him a sharp sting in his throat. Sallu shrieked in pain!

“What’s the matter son?” he asked Khainchu who was concerned by Sallu shrieking. He then saw the Rassogulla and the wasp that Sallu coughed outlying
on the ground and understood what had happened.

“Oh! This is why you screamed. You do have to pay for your misdeeds,” said Khainchu and smiled.

A huge crowd gathered near the shop hearing Sallu scream. All of them broke into laughter when they understood what had happened! Sallu felt ashamed and promised himself that he would never steal anything thereafter.