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When the phone rang, both Monu and Renu ran to attend it, but Renu reached it first. “Hello! Dad, have you reached Tokyo? Yes, I’ll tell mom,” she spoke to her father who was travelling to Japan for work.

“I want to talk to him. Give me the phone!” Monu tried to snatch the phone from Renu.

“Take it, you little brat!” said Renu with irritation.

“Hello! Dad? Please buy me lots of science-fiction comics and also the new Alien Wars video game,” said Monu. He then put down the phone with a satisfied smile.

Renu frowned. “Dad has gone to Japan on work; not for your science-fiction shopping,” she told Monu.

“Don’t worry, I’ve asked Dad to buy you a doll,” replied Monu with a wink and ran to his room. Renu ran after him, shouting, “How dare you…you know I don’t like dolls!”

This was the usual banter between 11-year-old Monu and his sister Renu, who was five years older to him.

The Aliens Are Coming!

Later that evening, when their mother returned from work, Renu told her about their father’s phone call.

“Dad has reached Tokyo safely,” Renu told her mother. “And Monu is reading a science-fiction comic again,” she said, pointing to her brother who was reading a magazine oblivious to his surroundings.

“Monu, you should also pay attention to school work; you need to be regular with it or you will find it difficult,” explained Mom.

“Mom, these comics are based on Science; I learn a lot from them,” Monu replied.

The following day was a Saturday. Mom unexpectedly received a call from her office and had to go.

“I have an important meeting. I’ll be back by evening. Please take care of your brother till then,” Mom told Renu.

“But Mom, I’ve got my school play rehearsal today,” said Renu. “And Monu is old enough to take care of himself.”

“I don’t want you to leave him alone at home. Please cancel your rehearsal and stay back with him,” said Mom and left for the meeting.

Renu paced back and forth. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She dialled a number on her mobile phone.

“Hello! Vasu, listen…” she whispered on the phone. Monu became alert. He tried to listen but Renu closed the door to her room.

After some time, Renu came out and told Monu, “I am going to my rehearsal. A friend will come over shortly to take care of you. Lock the door after me.”

“Hmm! Seems like my evil sister is up to something,” thought Monu. He forgot to close the door.

Meanwhile, in the next street, Chappu, the thief had snatched a woman’s purse and was now being chased by a policeman. As he was running, he saw the door to Monu’s house wide open. “I better hide in there till the policeman goes away,” he thought to himself.

“Hey! Who are you and what are you doing here?” asked Monu upon seeing Chappu.

The thief was taken by surprise.

“Hmmm… He must be Renu’s friend Vasu. Very well then, I’ll show him what I can do,” thought Monu with a stifled grin. “Hello! You must be Mr. Alien from planet Xoxo,” he said to Chappu.

“Why is that boy talking weirdly?” wondered Chappu. “Since the policeman is still outside, I better play along,” he thought.

“Yes, I am Mr. Alien,” said Chappu.

Monu tried hard not to laugh.

“Of course, you are. Please sit down. I’ll get you something to drink,” said Monu and went into the kitchen.

“What luck! It looks like this boy is alone at home. I’ll wait here till the policeman goes away and then escape with a few valuables from this house too,” decided Chappu, suddenly feeling happy.

Monu returned and offered him a green drink. As soon as Chappu took a sip, he spat it. “What is this? It’s horrible!” he said.

“That’s the favourite drink of people from your planet— the juice of bitter gourd,” Monu replied innocently. “Come on, now don’t be shy; drink it up,” saying this, Monu made Chappu finish the entire glass.

Then Monu brought out his mathematics book and started asking questions which Chappu failed to answer.

“Hmmm… I think you are not adjusted to Earth’s environment yet. You need some exercise,” saying that, Monu took Chappu up to his room and made him clean it. Since the policemen were still patrolling the streets, Chappu went along with Monu’s whims and cleaned up the room. By the end of it, Chappu was very tired.

More From Champak: Donkey Golu In Space

“If I stay here any longer, this boy will make me do the dishes and wash the clothes too,” he thought.

“I think you are fully active now,” Monu said to him. “Time for some science questions…let me get my book.”

Chappy moaned in horror. Fortunately for him, just then, the doorbell rang and Monu went to answer it.

Seizing the opportunity, Chappu pocketed some watches and other valuables and looked for a window to escape from. At that time, Monu was talking to a girl at the door. “How can your name be Vasu? You are a girl!” he said puzzled

“My name is Vasudha—Vasu for short, and I’ve been requested by your sister to babysit you till she returns,” said the girl.

“Oh! Then I wonder who that other person is!” said Monu running to his room.

By then, Chappu had jumped out of a window and was running through the street.

“Hey! Mr. Alien, please wait. I am sorry! Please come back,” Monu ran after him.

When Chappu saw Monu, he started running faster. Chappu spotted the policeman at the end of the street and ran towards him.

“Sir, please save me from this boy. Please arrest me and take me with you!” Chappu pleaded with the policeman.

Monu reached them, panting heavily. “Why are you handcuffing him?” Monu asked the policeman.

“Because he is a notorious thief and thanks to you we have caught him,” replied policeman said.

“A thief?!” Monu was shocked.

“Yes. And I think these belong to you,” said the policeman, handing over the things that Chappu had stolen from Monu’s house. “Come to the police station tomorrow and collect your cash prize.”

By the time, Mom and Renu also reached the spot as they had returned home and Vasu had told them that Monu was out.

“Didn’t I tell you not to leave him alone?” Mom scolded Renu. “A thief tried to break into our house. What would have happened had the policeman not reached on time?”

Monu tried to act cool. “It’s okay, Mom. You have a grown up son now. See how cleverly I handled the thief!”

While Mom was talking to the policeman, Renu dragged him alone and said, “Vasu told me that you chased after the man shouting ‘Wait, Mr. Alien’. Shall I tell Mom? Because, I think I have a clear idea as to what exactly happened.”

Monu’s face turned white. “Please, don’t tell Mom anything. I’ll share my prize money with you,” pleaded Monu.

“And you have to promise me that you’ll stop obsessing over science-fiction. Just read the books and enjoy; don’t get addicted to them,” Renu advised him.

“Oh! Don’t worry about that. Sci-fi is over. I am now ‘Monu, the detective’. I’ll read only detective books from now on,” said Monu.

Renu rolled her eyes and said, “This boy is impossible!”

Only a few days were left until Dussehra. The entire forest of Sundarvan was being decorated in time for the festivities. The fair had begun and all the animals were happily shopping and preparing for the festival.

Every year, the Sundarvan Drama Company put up plays on Dussehra. Zizo, the zebra was the director for this year’s play, and was selecting the cast. After she was done, Mongo, the mongoose came in hurriedly saying, “Zizo, I too want to take part in the play. Please give me a good role.”

“I have already selected the cast for this year’s play, Mongo. If you had come a little earlier, you may have had a chance too. Let me see if I can fit you somewhere,” said Zizo.

“But you give me a good role every year. You know I am a good actor!” persisted Mongo.

“There’s no doubt about that, Mongo. But to give you a role now would be unfair to the others who came on time for the audition,” reasoned Zizo.

Mongo was angry. He stormed out without saying a word.

Zizo then turned to the other actors and said, “Okay, listen up! Dussehra is in a few days and we have to practise and put up a good show. Read up your scripts today and learn your parts; we shall start our rehearsals from tomorrow.”

The next day, Chucky, the squirrel, Robby, the rabbit, Reena, the crow and the other actors arrived at Zizo’s house for the rehearsal.

Hiro, the horse was in-charge of the actors’ costumes and make-up. He handed over masks to help the actors get into their characters. For the next few days, they all rehearsed diligently.

On the morning of Dussehra, the cast and crew reached the ground where the play was set to take place.  The stage had been set up and decorated with painted backdrops of mountains, palaces, forests, waterfalls and trees arranged behind the stage in the order required for each scene.

A makeshift green room was built near the stage where the actors could change and get ready for the play.

“Hiro, please see to it that all actors look like the characters they are playing,” said Zizo.

“Don’t worry, Zizo. Our audience will believe that the characters are real,” said Hiro confidently.

In the evening, the crowd started coming in. Being a much-anticipated event, there was a large gathering. King Leo and Queen Leona were also expected to attend.

Hiro was finishing up the actors’ make-up, when suddenly, there was a power failure.

“What a time for a power failure!” exclaimed Hiro.

In the dark, the actors could hear Zizo saying, “Don’t worry! We have a generator. The power supply will be restored soon. Just stay where you are.”

Within a few minutes, the power was back. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Hiro quickly finished applying make-up on the actors.

With only a few minutes left for the curtains to go up, Zizo asked her actors to go to the stage. However, Chucky and Robby seemed distraught. They were looking for something.

“What are you looking for, Chucky? The play is about to start. Go to the stage,” said Zizo.

“I can’t find my crown. It was here only a moment ago,” said Chucky.

“What? You can’t find your crown?” said Zizo shocked.

Just then, Tommy, the dog said, “I can’t find my cape.”

“And I can’t find my shield,” joined Reena.

“Oh no! What do we do now? How did so many props go missing?” asked Zizo.

“We can’t let our actors go on stage without their props,” said Hiro worried.

“We don’t even have enough time to go to the market and get new ones,” said Tommy.

No one could figure out what to do. The audience was waiting for the play to start any moment now. Even the King and Queen had arrived.

While they were racking their brains, trying to find a solution, Bob, the bear entered the green room, dragging Mongo along. Bob was in charge of security.

Bob was also holding a cape, crown and a few other missing props.

“Where did you get these? We have been looking for them,” said Zizo surprised.

“When the power went off, I was on my way to check the main switchboard when I noticed someone rush out of the green room. In the dark, I couldn’t make out who it was. But I had a feeling that something was not right so, I started following the figure. It was Mongo! I searched his bag and found some props and costumes. He confessed that he had stolen them. So I brought him to you. He was the one who had switched off the main power source as well,” explained Bob.

“Why did you do this, Mongo?” asked Zizo angrily.

“I was angry because I did not get a role in the play and wanted to take revenge. I plotted to steal your props to ruin your play,” said Mongo.

By then, King Leo had come to the green room to find out the reason for the delay.  When he heard what Mongo had done, he said, “You should be punished for your actions, Mongo. But since today is a day of celebration, I have a different kind of punishment for you—you shall clean up the entire ground after the fair ends! I don’t want to find even a small piece of waste paper lying around.”

Mongo moaned at the punishment.

Zizo and the actors thanked Bob for catching Mongo. And they all went on to stage the play which turned out to be a grand success.

Balu was a poor farmer who lived with his wife Radha and son Sohan in a village. Both Radha and Balu loved their son a lot. They worked hard to provide for Sohan. Everybody in the village teased Balu because he did not allow his son to work in the fields and would ensure that he spent all his time studying.

“There goes Balu with the future IAS officer!” the villagers would joke whenever Balu and Sohan walked by.

But that was not what worried Balu. Sohan was not interested in studies. He would only sit down with his books when his father was around and then run off to play with his friends.

Balu worried about his son’s lack of interest in studies. One day, he went to Sohan’s school to talk to the teacher. “Madam, Sohan does not seem to enjoy his studies. What can we do? Would you give him extra attention?” Balu requested her.

“Sonu hardly comes to school. I thought you had stopped him from attending school,” said the teacher surprised.

On hearing this, Balu became very sad. That evening, when Sohan came back home after playing, he saw his father upset. Balu gently tried to make his son understand the importance of going to school and gaining education.

Sohan did not like seeing his father sad, so he decided to go to school regularly.

Even after a few weeks of going to school, Sohan did not find school interesting.

A few days later, Ramdin, their neighbour, fell sick. Ramdin’s wife, Saya came running to Balu’s house and said, “Can you please fetch the village healer? Only he will be able to cure my husband.”

“Saya, we need to call a doctor, not the healer. Remember what the government health worker advised us last month? Only a doctor can diagnose the illness correctly and give medicines,” said Radha.

Sohan was surprised to hear this. “How can a doctor find out what is ailing Ramdin uncle?” wondered Sohan.

Meanwhile, Balu, accompanied by another neighbour, went to the town immediately and came back with the doctor. After being treated by the doctor, Ramdin felt better.

The next day, Balu and Sohan paid a visit to Ramdin’s house. The doctor was also there to check up on Ramdin.

“Hello, Ramdin. We dropped by to see how you are doing. We were quite worried about you,” said Balu.

“I am feeling much better, thanks to Doctor Madam who treated me,” said Ramdin, smiling gratefully at the doctor.

Sohan kept staring at the doctor, curiously observing all that she was doing. The doctor too noticed Sohan looking at her.

“Hello!” said the doctor smiling at Sohan.

“Doctor aunty, can I ask you a question? How did you know how to treat Ramdin uncle?” asked Sohan.

“I am a doctor. I should know how to treat my patient, right?” replied the doctor.

“But who taught you what medicine to give?” asked Sohan.

“I studied all about that in a medical college. There, we were taught how to diagonise an illness, its treatment, and how to prevent some diseases,” said the doctor.

“Does one need to study in a medical college to become a doctor? Can anyone become a doctor?” asked Sohan with a newly-kindled interest.

“Yes, you need to study in a medical college to become a doctor. And anyone can become a doctor if they study hard and get good marks right from school,” said the doctor. “When you become a doctor, you will be able to help so many people in your village.”

That night, Sohan kept thinking about what Doctor aunty had said.

“What happened, son? Why haven’t you gone to sleep as yet?” Radha asked worried. “Is something bothering you?”

“Ma, I talked to Ramdin uncle’s doctor today. She told me many things about how to become a doctor. I too want to become a doctor, Ma,” said Sohan.

Radha smiled and said, “Why not? That is why your father has been asking you to study well. We are lucky that the doctor who came today has offered to come to our village regularly, but there are so many people out there who do not receive proper medical care. You will be able to help them all if you become a doctor,” said Sohan’s mother.

“Ma, from now on, I will study well and aim to become a doctor!” said Sohan confidently.

From that day on, Sohan’s attitude towards school changed for the better. He looked forward to going to school every day and he put his best effort to study.

After a few years, Sohan grew up to become the first doctor in his village.

Friends Kiran, Renu, Meera and Naveen were excited. They had all been assigned the same dorm room at the school N.C.C camp organised in a forest area outside the city.

As they were unpacking their bags in the room, they realised that there were five beds.

“I wonder who else is sharing the room with us,” said Meera.

Just then, they heard a voice at the door. “Hello, friends! Here I am!” Pranav greeted them with a wide smile.

The four friends were a little shocked. Pranav was infamous at school for being ignorant, yet arrogant. Now, they were stuck with him at camp.

“Eh…Hello, Pranav! Welcome!t” Kiran managed to utter.

“Oh, really?” said Pranav, dragging his bad inside and unpacking it.

On the first day, Sapan sir, the N.C.C. sergeant ordered all the cadets to pick up the garbage and clean the area around their respective dorms. Everyone started working in their groups, picking up and collecting the garbage in plastic bags. Only Pranav refused to take part in the activity.

Sapan sir noticed that Pranav’s group had not completed the task. He advised all five of them about the rules of the camp and the importance of keeping the surroundings clean.

After Sapan sir left, Pranav continued behaving irresponsibly by throwing wrappers and packets of foods outside the dorm room which his friends had just cleaned. The next day there was a heap of garbage right in front of their door as the other cadets also began dumping their garbage there.

That afternoon, before heading to the picnic, Pranav hung his clothes to dry on a wire outside the dorm. Later, at the picnic, Pranav littered all over the place. Renu angrily pointed to a board that read ‘DO NOT LITTER’. But Pranav paid no heed.

When they all returned to the camp later in the evening, Pranav found his clothes among the pile of garbage. The wind had blown his clothes there. He picked up his clothes and suddenly remembered that he had put the keys of his suitcase inside the pocket of his pants. He immediately checked his pants but the keys were not there.

“What shall I do now? The keys may have fallen in the garbage pile,” he thought. “But how will I find the keys in this dirt?”

Pranav regretted throwing the garbage near the dorm. He felt like crying. His roommates Kiran, Renu, Meera and Naveen offered to help him look for the keys. Sapan sir came to know about Pranav’s lots keys and said, “Pranav is responsible for the garbage. So Pranav shall do the cleaning and searching.”

Pranav started picking up the garbage carefully as he did not want his keys to get mixed up in the garbage and get lost. Pranav not only had to pick up his own garbage but the garbage that the other cadets had thrown as well. Pranav’s misery upset his roommates.

“Pranav, did you check the pockets of your pants carefully?” asked Kiran.

“Yes, I did! But will you please check it once more?” requested Pranav.

Kiran checked the pockets again. The keys were not to be found. Then he asked,

“Pranav, what else were you wearing this morning?”

“This shirt,” he replied, shaking it.

To his surprise, a bunch of keys fell from his shirt pocket on to the ground with a resounding clunk.

“Oh, there are my keys!” Pranav exclaimed in joy. Exhaustion and worry were gone from his face now.

“Thank you, Kiran, for helping find my keys. Not only did I get punished today, I have also learnt my lesson. I will not litter and keep my surrounding clean,” said Pranav, as tears of regret welled up in his eyes.

“Don’t worry, Pranav. We’re happy that you have realised your mistake. Let’s now celebrate with another picnic,” said Naveen, trying to cheer him up.

“And this time, I will carry a bag with me to throw all the waste inside,” said Pranav smiling.

The four friends cheered.

Musu, the little mouse lived with his mother inside the hollow of a mango tree. His mother worried about him a lot as he was quite gullible and careless. So, she constantly had to keep an eye on him.

One day, Musu’s mother had to go out to run an important errand. Before leaving, she told Musu, “Son, I’m going out for a while. Don’t go out of the house till I’m back. And do not open the door to any stranger. There are wild cats around. They are always looking for an opportunity to prey on us.”

“I will be careful, Mom,” assured Musu.

As soon as his mother left, Musu locked the door from inside. He laid down on his bed and started reading a story book.

Only a few minutes had passed when he heard a voice outside the door: “Free sweets for everyone! Free sweets!”

Musu ran towards the door but then he remembered his mother’s warning and stopped.

A while later, Musu heard the voice again: “Free sweets for everyone! Come and get your free sweets!”

This time, Musu could not resist going out and getting the free sweets. Overcome by greed, he opened the door. He peeped outside but could not see anyone.

“Whoever was giving away free sweets must have gone on ahead,” thought Musu, stepping out of the house.

Suddenly, Bobo, the scary, black cat, who was hiding behind a tree, jumped right in front of him. Musu panicked.

“You foolish mouse! There are no free sweets. Instead I get you as my free dinner,” said Bobo, eyeing Musu greedily.

Musu regretted not listening to his mother. Tears welled up in his eyes. He wouldn’t be able to outrun Bobo. Just as Bobo was about to strike him down with her paws, Billu, the cat arrived at the scene. His mouth started watering at the sight of Musu.

“This is my neighbourhood. Only I have the right to this mouse, not you,” Billu told Bobo.

“I lured this mouse out of his home. So, rightfully, he’s mine!” snapped Bobo.

Both Bobo and Billu started arguing.

“As if one cat wasn’t bad enough, now, I have to escape from two cats!” thought Musu, trembling in fear.

Musu remembered his mother’s words. “When faced with a difficult situation, keep calm and think rationally,” she had told him.

So, Musu thought calmly and came up with an idea.

“Stop fighting, you two! I have come up with a way to settle this,” said Musu, interrupting the cats’ quarrel.

“What is it?” asked Bobo.

“Let’s toss a coin and decide. If it’s head, I will be Bobo’s prey. If it’s tail, then I am Billu’s,” said Musu.

The two cats agreed.

Musu took out a coin from his pocket and said, “I am going to toss the coin now. You have to accept whatever the outcome will be.”

“Alright, toss it quickly! I can’t wait,” said Billu, flashing her claws.

Musu deliberately tossed the coin so high that it got stuck in the branch of a tree.

“Oh no! The coin’s stuck in the tree. I’ll climb up and get it,” said Musu.

“Do you think we are stupid? What if you run away? We will come with you too,” said Bobo.

“You are right, Bobo! This mouse is trying to fool us. We shouldn’t let him go alone,” agreed Billu.

Thus, the three of them climbed up the tree and Musu managed to retrieve the coin.

“Come, let’s go down and toss it again,” said Bobo.

“If we go down and toss it, it might get stuck in the tree again,” said Musu.

“What do we do then? How will we decide without a toss?” asked Bobo.

“Let me drop the coin from here. Then we can go down and see the result,” said Musu.

Musu deliberately threw the coin a little further away from the tree. Billu and Bobo immediately ran after the coin to see who won. That was exactly what Musu was waiting for. He quickly climbed down the tree and ran towards his house.

After reaching for the coin, the cats realised that Musu was running towards his house.  They tried to catch him, but it was too late. Musu had already reached his house and quickly shut the door behind him.

Musu heaved a sigh of relief. He was amused at how he managed to fool the two cats. Bobo and Billu were disappointed that they let their prey get away from right under their noses.

One day, Toto, the tortoise saw Monty, the monkey walking slowly.

“What’s the matter, Monty? Why are you walking like a tortoise?” asked Toto. “If the tiger comes by, you will be an easy prey. Quickly run and climb a tree!”

“I hurt my legs while playing this morning, so I can’t walk fast,” replied Monty sadly.

“In that case, sit on my back. I’ll drop you wherever you have to go,” offered Toto.

Monty brightened up at the idea. “Thank you, Toto. Please drop me near the mango tree on the banks of the river. It has low branches so I will be able to climb it easily,” said Monty, climbing onto Toto’s back.

Toto dropped Monty near the mango tree and told him, “Do let me know whenever you need to go somewhere. I will be happy to take you there on my back.”

Then on, whenever Monty wanted to go anywhere, he would call for Toto who would promptly shuttle Monty from one place to another on his back. This went on for several days.

Chintu’s Astuteness

One day, Toto said to Monty, “Now that your legs are fine again, you should walk on your own. Otherwise, you’ll forget how to walk!”

“Just because you helped me out for a few of days, you have started lecturing me now? I don’t have to listen to your advice!” said Monty angrily. He kicked Toto so hard that he fell on his back.

“What have you done? Put me back on my feet or I won’t be able to move!” said Toto, struggling.

“I will help you only if you promise to continue carrying me from one place to place,” said Monty sternly.

“I am the one who helped you out in the first place, and now you are bullying me! Just put me back on my feet,” said Toto, waving his legs in the air.

“In that case, you can lie upside down until you agree to what I said,” threatened Monty.

Just then, Egor, the elephant happened to pass by. “Hey, what’s happening here? Why are you laying like that, Toto? That too, in the middle of the path! What if I or some animal steps on you by mistake?” he said.

“I am not lying upside down on purpose. Monty pushed me,” said Toto.

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“Why?” Egor asked puzzled.

When Toto narrated the whole story to him, Egor was enraged. He caught Monty with his trunk and hung him upside down. “How do you feel now, Monty?” asked Egor.

“Please put me down! It’s very uncomfortable!” pleaded Monty.

“You did the same to Toto. You threatened to let him lie like that until he agrees to you.  Now, I am going to let you hang upside down till you realise your mistake,” said Egor.

“I realise now. Toto, I am sorry for bullying you. I will not behave that way again,” said Monty.

Egor put Monty down and helped Toto get on his feet, and went on his way. Toto and Monty continued to remain friends.

Early one morning, when the animals of Lush Meadows were just getting ready for the day, two woodcutters stealthily made their way through the forest.

Mike, the rabbit was the first to spot them. “Look! Those two humans with axes are eyeing our trees,” he alerted his friends.

“Woodcutters! They must have come to cut down the trees in our forest. Our homes will be destroyed. What do we do?” asked Bella, the squirrel.

“Let’s ask King Leo, the lion. He is sure to have some idea,” said Tina, the rabbit.

And so, Mike, Tina, and Bella, along with Ellie, the elephant, and Mini, the bird set off for King Leo’s cave.

“Sir! We are in trouble. Please help us,” Tina called out from outside King Leo’s cave.

“What’s the matter?” asked King Leo, coming out. “All of you look so worried. If you’ve come to me so early in the morning, it must be something serious.”

“Sir, two woodcutters have entered our forest. They are eyeing the trees that have borne most fruits. We have built our nests in those trees. If they cut those trees, we will be homeless. You must help us!” said Mini worried.

“It is indeed a serious matter. Let’s ask Neel, the cloud and his friends for help,” said King Leo.

The animals brightened up at the idea. Neel surely had the power to help them, they thought. They immediately reached out to him.

“Neel, can you help us? Two woodcutters have entered the forest. If they cut our trees, we will be homeless,” said Ellie.

“Look who’s here!” said Neel amused. “Only the other day, all of you were making fun of our shapes. And now you want our help? Sorry, but we don’t want to help you.” Neel’s friends nodded in agreement.

“Please forgive us. We are sorry. We shouldn’t have made fun of you,” said the animals, feeling bad for making fun of the clouds.

Seeing Neel and his friends unresponsive, the animals began to walk back, worried about their homes.

“Wait, friends!” they heard Neel call out to them. “This forest belongs to us as well. While I was angry that you made fun of my friends and me, we cannot turn our backs on you when you are in trouble. So, tell us. How can we help you?” asked Neel.

Arrogant Cloud

“Thank you for not deserting us in our time of need, Neel. Please make it rain so heavily that the woodcutters get frightened and are forced to leave the forest,” requested Bella.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it,” said Neel.

He and his friends moved swiftly to drink up as much water as they could from the lake until they became dark and heavy. They then floated over to where the woodcutters were and rained over them heavily, followed by thunder and lightning.

“What’s this? How is it raining at this time of the year?” the woodcutters were taken by surprise. “We won’t be able to go back to our village in this rain. Let’s take shelter under this tree for the time being,” said one woodcutter to the other.

They sat under the tree for a long time. They plucked a few fruits from the tree and started eating them.

“Imagine what would have happened if this tree was not there to give us protection from the rain. We would have got drenched and fallen sick,” said the first woodcutter.

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“You are right, my friend. We had come to cut down these trees, but those same trees have protected us. They also provide us with oxygen to breathe, and fresh fruits to eat. We have learnt a lesson today: If you cut the branch you are sitting on, it is you who is going to fall down,” said the other. “Anyway, it has stopped raining. Come, let’s go back home.”

The two woodcutters left Lush Meadows and started walking towards their village. All the animals of the forest came out in the open and started celebrating. They thanked the clouds who had helped save their precious forest. They apologised to Neel and his friends for making fun of them earlier.

“We must remember something—there is nothing shameful about accepting one’s mistake and apologising. And there is nothing better than forgiving those who repent their mistake and giving them a second chance,” said King Leo, addressing everyone.