There was once a beautiful house. In it lived Chintu, Chinki and their parents. Chintu and Chinki share the same room and it was the biggest in the house. The room had two fans hanging from the ceiling- one above Chintu’s bed and the other over Chinki’s bed.
Chinki’s fan worked hard. He would start spinning as soon as she would switch him on. He would also keep an eye on the regulator and would spin accordingly and make sure Chinki wasn’t feeling too hot or too cold. He would get bored hanging from the ceiling and Chinki’s presence always brightened his mood.
On the other side of the room was Chintu’s fan. He was lazy and would always make a face when Chintu entered the room. He hated spinning and no matter what the setting was on the regulator, he would always spin slowly. Sometimes, if Chinki wasn’t in the room, he wouldn’t spin at all and Chintu would end up using Chinki’s fan.
Chinki’s fan had warned Chintu’s fan that if he continued this way, he’d be in big trouble. “We were made to blow air. If we don’t do it, then what’s the point in being here,” he would say. But Chintu’s fan would pay no heed and the words would go in one ear and out the other.
The summers had just started and after taking a break over the winter, the fans were being switched on. While Chinki’s fan was excited to be back in action, Chintu’s fan was feeling low. While Chinki’s fan had grown bored over the winter, Chintu’s fan had a lot of fun gathering dust and doing nothing.
After playing outside, Chinki and Chintu came into their room and switched the fans on. Chinki’s fan was excited to be switched on and spun with great force. Chinki had to turn the speed down to one.
Chintu’s fan, on the other hand refused to budge. Chintu tried switching it on and off repeatedly. He even tried twisting the regulator, but Chintu’s fan wouldn’t budge. Angry, Chintu brought a stick. Chintu’s fan was terrified, but before he could get going, Chintu gave it a whack. The fan squealed and squeaked into motion and Chintu and Chinku laughed.
“Dad said the electrician will take a look at my fan tomorrow,” Chintu said to Chinki.
Chintu’s fan broke into a sweat. He knew that the electrician would definitely pull him apart and give him an overhaul. He was not looking forward to that. He tried to spin as fast as he could, but being lazy meant he wasn’t as fit as Chinki’s fan and stopped spinning. Chintu gave him another whack and he started spinning once again.
The next day, the electrician arrived and switched Chintu’s fan on. The fan groaned and grunted as he spun. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t spin very fast. The electrician switched him off and took him off the ceiling. The worst was about to happen.
The electrician used his tools to dismantle Chintu’s fan. It hurt and Chintu’s fan didn’t enjoy it one bit. His moving parts were scrubbed with a thick brush and allowed to soak in oil. Chinki’s fan watched from the ceiling. He felt bad for Chintu’s fan, but there was nothing he could do.
Chintu’s fan was regretting not listening to Chinki’s fan. If only he had listened and not been lazy. The electrician applied grease on all his moving parts and put him back together. Chintu’s fan was no longer in pain.
When the electrician put him back on the ceiling and switched him on, Chintu’s fan spun as fast as he could. He had learnt the consequences of being lazy and swore he would never be lazy again.
