short stories with moral Archives - Page 3 of 6

Bunty Bear’s Missing Key

Where are you going, Bunty?” Bunty Bear’s mother asked when she saw him going out of the house.

“Mother,” Bunty Bear replied. “I am going to show my friend Kuki my new scooter. I’ll be back in a jiffy!”

“Back in a jiffy?” Bunty Bear’s mother said. “Doesn’t Kuki live in Kesarvan which is 20 km away from our forest? It will be quite late by the time you return from there. Look! The sky is overcast too. It’s going to rain heavily. I don’t want you to get wet and fall sick, my dear.”

“Don’t worry, Mother,” Bunty Bear said. “I’ll take my red raincoat with me. It matches with the colour of my scooter too! I promise I’ll take good care of myself and not get wet either.”

“Can’t you go to meet Kuki tomorrow?” Bunty Bear’s mother asked worriedly.

“Mother,” Bunty Bear said, hugging his mother.

“Kuki is my best friend. Please let me go. I really want to show him my new scooter!”

“Okay,” Bunty Bear’s mother sighed and said. “Go if you like. But please wear your helmet. And do return home before it turns dark.”

“Thank you, Mother!” Bunty Bear said, running out of the house. “You are the best! Kuki will be really happy when he sees my new scooter! All thanks to you!”

Bunty Bear then wore his helmet and jumped onto his new scooter. He then sped away.

Vroom! Bunty Bear soon zoomed into Kesarvan.

And everyone who saw him turned to admire his red scooter.

It was bright and shiny. Besides, there were no two-wheelers in Kesarvan as yet.

“How about giving us a ride, Bunty?” some of Kuki’s friends asked Bunty Bear.

Bunty Bear grinned and willingly obliged. He then gave everyone a quick ride.

When he got tired, Kuki insisted that he visit his house to take a break and eat something.

Kuki had plucked fresh berries and found some extra-sweet honey for Bunty Bear.

“Mmm! Thanks, Kuki,” Bunty Bear said as he relished the treat. “You have served me my favourite things!”

When Bunty Bear finished eating, he realised that it was time for him to leave.

“I must leave now,” he told Kuki. “I told my mother that I will be back before it turns dark. But I promise I’ll visit you again next week!”

Just as Bunty Bear stepped out of Kuki’s house, a loud clap of thunder was heard. Big raindrops then fell from the sky.

“Oh no! It’s raining,” Kuki said worriedly. “How will you go home now, Bunty?”

“Don’t worry, Kuki,” Bunty Bear said. He then showed Kuki his raincoat and assured him that he would ride his scooter slowly and safely.

Bunty Bear quickly wore his raincoat and put his helmet on.

He then walked towards his scooter and put his paws into his pockets to pull the key out.

“Hey!” Bunty Bear suddenly said, sounding very alarmed. “Where is my scooter key? I can’t find it anywhere.”

“Have you dropped the key somewhere, Bunty?” Kuki asked.

He then called out to his parents and asked them to check if the key had fallen anywhere in the house.

Kuki’s parents searched high and low.

They moved the furniture about and even peeped under the beds. But the key couldn’t be found anywhere.

“Oh no,” Bunty Bear said with a frown. “How will I go home now? The rain’s getting heavier and heavier. I will be drenched if I walk home. And I promised Mother that I wouldn’t get wet.”

“Bunty,” Kuki’s mother then said. “Since you can’t find the key and since it is raining so heavily, you should spend the night with us. You will be safe here.”

“Well, I don’t have a choice,” Bunty Bear said as he went back into the house and sat on the sofa.

“Why don’t you take your helmet off now, Bunty?”

Kuki then suggested. “You don’t need to wear it when you are indoors.”

“Right,” Bunty Bear said, taking the helmet off. Plop! Something suddenly fell on the floor.

When Bunty Bear, Kuki and his mother bent down to see what it was, they had quite a surprise.

“Bunty, you are so funny,” Kuki said, giggling. “You had accidentally put your key inside your helmet. You must have done so when you came into the house and left it on the sofa.”

Kuki’s mother laughed too and Bunty Bear felt very embarrassed.

“I’m sorry,” he said as his ears turned red. “What a silly mistake I’ve made! My carelessness has caused trouble for everyone.”

“Don’t worry,” Kuki’s mother said.

“And do stay on as we had decided. We have already informed your parents not to expect you tonight. I’ll invite Kuki’s other friends to stay with us too. I’ll also make some snacks and dinner. You all can have a party and play some games then!”

“Good idea,” Bunty Bear said as he tucked the key into his pocket.

Bunty Bear then went with Kuki to invite all his other friends for their party.

Everyone had a good time that night, all thanks to Bunty Bear’s silly mistake!

A Taste of Their Own Medicine

For what could have been the thousandth time, Bob, the bear said to his little brother Teddy, “Stop eating so much honey! How will you climb trees to pick honeycombs if your tummy gets in the way?”

Teddy would not listen and all of his brother’s words would go in vain. His favorite word was ‘honey’ and if he ever ran, it was always towards a jar of it.

At parties, their mother would always say, “Teddy, I want you to control yourself. Leave some food for the other guests,” But Teddy couldn’t help himself.

Teddy’s fondness for food made him an easy target for all kids at school. They decided to play an April Fools prank on him. Harry, the fox, Jolly, the jackal and Bruno, the bull stopped Teddy after school.

“Hey Teddy, we heard that you love honey. This morning, we walked by a tree with a huge honeycomb on it,” said Harry. “We are going to take it down and have some honey. Care to join us?”

“No, let it be,” said Teddy. “Maybe I’ll join you some other time.” Teddy was more worried about what his brother Bob would say had he decided to go with them.

“See, I told you he wouldn’t come with us,” said Bruno. “Climbing trees and cutting down honeycombs is not an easy task especially for those as plump as Teddy. I told you he would be too scared to climb trees with us.”

Their April fool’s day prank was in action! The previous day, Bruno, Harry and Jolly had found a particularly thorny babool tree and hung pieces of gunny bags on a branch with long poles. From far away, it looked just like a huge honeycomb.

When they reached the tree, Teddy was ready to show them that he could climb any tree. He ran full speed towards the tree and began to climb it. The thorns of the babool tree cut his skin. With difficulty he climbed up to the branch, bruised and bleeding.

When he realized that the honeycomb was a gunny bag, the three pranksters jumped with joy shouting “April fool! April fool!

We got you! Yay!” and ran away.

Teddy began to cry and climbed down the tree and slowly made his way back home.

When his mom saw him, she was shocked. “What happened to you Teddy?” she asked. Teddy told her what happened.

Both Teddy’s mom and his brother applied ointment on Teddy’s wounds. “Don’t feel bad Teddy,” said Bob. “You should be more careful while dealing with such bullies. Stay strong little brother.”

A few days went by, Teddy’s mom packed toast and honey for lunch. Bob slipped a bottle of honey in to Teddy’s bag.

When the lunch bell rang, Teddy sat down for lunch and unwrapped the toast and honey his mom had packed for him. The smell of the fresh honey and the crunch of the crispy toast began to tempt Harry, Jolly and Bruno

“Hey Teddy, how are you? Are you still mad at us for the prank?” asked Jolly. “We were just having fun. Plus it was April fool’s day. Let’s all forget about all this and share some of your lunch with us”

As Jolly distracted Teddy, Bruno reached in to Teddy’s bag and pulled out the jar of honey. “I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” he cried. The three made faces at Teddy and opened the jar.

They dipped the hands in to the jar and licked up all the honey. Suddenly Bruno’s eyes opened wide. Jolly and Harry spat out whatever was in their mouths and started looking for water to drink.

Teddy smelled the jar and realized what had happened. The jar contained honey, but it also had a special ingredient- vinegar. Teddy felt happy knowing that his brother, Bob was looking out for him. Bob knew Harry, Jolly and Bruno would pick on Teddy again and planted the ‘special jar of honey to give them a taste of their own medicine.

Teddy helped Bruno, Harry and Jolly wash the taste of vinegar away. The three of them had learnt a very valuable lesson and apologized to Teddy. They never played pranks again.

Raj’s Summer Lesson

As soon as Rinki, Munni and Raj came back home after their last paper, they all began to celebrate.

“Mummy, you have to promise us that next week, you will take us to grandma’s house for our summer vacations.”

With the kids so excited, she agreed immediately, but made them promise something too.

“Kids, I want you to promise me that, when I take you to grandma’s house, you will behave like good children. I don’t want you to trouble her and I don’t want you to tease the other children there.”

The children readily accepted and promised to be good.

The week went by in a blink and it was time to spend the summer at granny’s. The kids were so excited that they had finished their packing days in advance. Mummy and the kids went to the railway station and boarded the train to their granny’s village.

When they had settled in to their seats, Raj and Rinky immediately began to think of different ways to trouble granny and tease the other children who lived nearby.

Munni tried to make Raj understand that troubling and teasing others is a bad thing. She also reminded him of the promise he had made to their mother. But no one listened.

As the sun began to set, the train began to pull in to the station. Their grandpa and their uncle awaited their arrival. As soon as the train came to a halt, Munni ran up to them and quickly began to ask about granny.

While Raj and Rinky were dreaming of all the fun they were going to have at granny’s expense, Granny had a plan of her own. She had taken the help of all the children in the neighborhood.

When they reached, Munni hugged her granny and aunt. Raj and Rinky on the other hand began to poke fun at granny. She paid no attention to their jabs and told them about the summer competitions.

“This summer, we are going to conduct a competition for all the children in the neighborhood. There will be many events to participate in and the winner will get a cycle. You’re probably very tired right now. I’ll tell you all about it in the morning?” she said.

Raj turned to Rinky and said, “I’m winning that cycle for sure,” and ran outside.

While Raj ran around the neighborhood teasing and making fun of all the children, they all remained quiet as Raj would learn his lesson soon.

The next morning, all the children were up and ready. All the children from the neighborhood had assembled there as well.

Granny addressed the gathering, “The winner of this competition will be decided on the basis of their performance across three events. The first seven children to finish the running race will move on to the painting competition. The children who paint the five best paintings will take part in the general knowledge quiz. The smartest child will be declared the winner. The competition will be held eight days from today, so start practicing. May the best child win.”’

Raj and Rinky were confident that they would win the competition and began training at the playground. All the other children were practicing here as well.

On the eight day, all the children in the neighborhood woke up early and had assembled at the playground for the competition. Because Raj and Rinky always got up late in the morning, they were the last to arrive.

At 8:00 a.m., granny announced that the running race was about to begin. All the children stood in a line and when granny said ‘Go’, they all began to run. Even though he was tired, Raj finished fourth and moved on to the painting competition. Rinky finished eighth and was eliminated.

When the painting competition started at 1 pm, Raj realized that he was completely unprepared. Even though his painting was nothing special, he kept telling all the children that he would surely win. When the results were announced, Raj found out that he had received the least marks. He accused the judges of being partial and ran home.

Munni, on the other hand finished sixth in the running race and was awarded the most marks in the painting competition. She had won the quiz as well. When Munni reached home with her cycle in the evening, Raj had just woken up from a nap.

He became very unhappy when he found out that Munni was awarded the cycle.

The next morning, all the children began to tease Raj. He ran to his mother and complained to her about all the other children. Raj’s mom explained to him that all the children he had made fun of had felt the same way. She asked him apologize to all the children he had made fun of. Raj apologized to them and he personally apologized to granny too. Seeing Raj, Rinky too apologized.

Granny had a surprise. She took two sets of keys and handed it over to Raj and Rinki. They were the keys of the new cycles. Both hugged her tight and promised to be good.

Soon the summer holidays were over and it was time to go back home.

Forgetful Pari

Pari, the squirrel, a school teacher was very forgetful. And this was always getting her into trouble.

Once when she was going to the market, she realized that everybody was giggling at her. It was only after she checked her face in the departmental store mirror, she knew why. Pari had forgotten to wash the soap off her face before leaving

Another time, the heater in her room was not working. She called the electrician and said, “Please come immediately. I am in great trouble.”

Within five minutes, she heard a siren and her door was broken down. Two men rushed in with a stretcher and tried loading her on to it. As it turned out, she had called the hospital instead of the electrician.

Needless to say the paramedics were very angry and Pari was very embarrassed.

Yet another time, when she returned from school, she couldn’t open her front door. She tried all the keys she had, but none of them worked.

When the lock was broken and she finally entered the house, she was shocked to find that the furniture looked different. Everything was placed elsewhere.

Later that evening somebody began ringing the bell furiously. When Pari opened the door, she understood why her keys didn’t work. It wasn’t her house.

While she lived on the 16th floor, Pari had mistakenly taken the elevator up to the 17th floor. The house owners were furious and Pari then spent a lot of money fixing the door.

Seeing how scattered her thoughts were, Pari’s friend Leelu, the cuckoo suggested that she make a list of all her day’s chores.

While Pari made a list every morning, more often than not, she would forget where she left her list. She would waste time looking for it and this resulted in her being late.

One morning, when Pari reached the school, the principal walked up to her and told her that she would be giving the annual day speech next week.

Pari was excited and she was determined to prove to the others that she could be perfect for the job if she set her mind to it.

She prepared and finalised her speech the same day. In the evening she went to pick an outfit and even found matching accessories. She spent all her free time rehearsing her every move.

Soon, from getting up from her seat, to delivering the speech, to sitting back down, she knew it all.

On the day of the function she got ready early, and rehearsed again. Worried that she might board the wrong bus, Pari took a taxi to school and kept checking her reflection in the mirror. The last thing she wanted was for somebody to notice that she had applied lipstick on her eyes and kajal on her lips. Fortunately, she had made no such mistake.

She entered the school auditorium ahead of time and waited at her seat. She waited and waited but nobody arrived.

“Such indiscipline,” she thought to herself. She waited some more and repeatedly checked her watch and still there was no sign of anybody. At last the peon, Peeku, the parrot entered the auditorium.

“Why are you so late?” she shouted at him. “Come on let’s get the stage and the microphones ready. We are running late and I haven’t rehearsed even once.”

Peeku was utterly confused. “What are we getting the stage ready for?” he asked scratching his head.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about the schools annual day function today,” said Pari, still angry.

Peeku burst in to laughter. “Ma’am, the function is tomorrow. Today is Sunday. Luckily I came in to pick up my umbrella. Otherwise you would have stayed here all day!”

Pari checked the date on the wall clock and realized he was right. She laughed at her own folly and went home.

Pari returned the next day and told this anecdote as part of her speech and got a big laugh from everyone present. They all appreciated her ability to laugh at herself.

Jay’s April Fool’s Surprise

Jay, the deer was naive. While, he lived peacefully with all the animals of Nandavan, the animals would always try to take advantage of Jay’s innocence. They would play pranks, but Jay would never feel bad and always had a smile on his face.

One day, the animals realized that Jay was missing for a few days. The next day, Sanju, the jackal saw Jay behaving suspiciously. Jay was headed in the direction of the old banyan tree. Sanju followed him and from a distance. He saw Jay hiding a piece of paper. Then, he went away. When Sanju picked up the paper, the note read, “Just two more weeks and victory will be ours. We will rule the forest.

When Sanju showed the note to the other animals, they were shocked. They all wondered what Jay was up to. More importantly, they were all wondering who Jay’s partner was.

Jay was nowhere to be seen for another week until Heera, the parrot noticed him sneaking up to the old banyan tree. Like last time, he placed a note there.

When the other animals read his message, they were even more upset. “The day of our victory is drawing close. I can hardly wait. In a few more days the entire forest will bow their heads before us and obey our every command,” read the message.

Now the animals needed to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Heera was given the responsibility of finding out who Jay’s partner was. He watched over the tree for five days, but nobody came.

On the sixth day he realized that the grass near the hollow of the banyan tree was suddenly fresh and green, it had been dry all this while. Heera quickly called the other animals.

There they found yet another note. “Our wait has borne fruit. The day is finally here. All necessary preparations have been taken care of. Meet me tomorrow at 9 o’clock in the morning near the peepal tree by the river. Be careful nobody should know of our plan,” said the message.

All the animals were very eager to find out who the mysterious person was and what Jay’s plan was. They decided that they would all go to the river bank and get to the bottom of this mystery. That night, the animals hardly slept. They gathered around a bonfire and discussed what they could do the next day.

The next morning, when they reached the peepal tree, they were all annoyed. Everywhere they looked, there were signs that said “April Fool!”

When all the animals began to walk back to their homes, they found Jay walking towards them. “What’s the matter?” he asked trying hard not to laugh.

“All these years you played tricks on me and I said nothing and took it in sport. I played along because I realized it made you happy. But now, I have managed to fool each and every one of you,” said Jay.

All the animals apologized for taking Jay for granted and promised not to repeat their mistake. Jay had managed to teach them a valuable lesson.

They all had a hearty laugh and walked back home with Jay on their shoulders.

The Minister of Laughs

The king of Champakvan, Maharaja Sher Singh was under a lot of stress. He stopped visiting the royal court. He just stayed in his chambers, lost deep in thought. He no longer ate or slept properly and barely spoke to the other Ministers.

“What happened to the king?”

“What caused our jolly king’s mood to turn?”

“What will become of our kingdom?”

Such questions spread across the kingdom. The people too were feeling no better. The king had given strict orders not to let anybody disturb him. Animals who set off in hopes of cheering the king up returned disappointed.

One day, the king was standing by his window. He enjoyed standing there as the greenery that surrounded his palace made him happy.

Below his window, he saw children playing. Samba, the cub was one of them.

“Look, over there,” said Samba. “It’s Damru, the donkey. Let’s play a prank on him.”

“Let’s send him to the palace,” said the rest of the gang.

They called out to him and as he walked towards them, Samba said, “Don’t forget to keep a straight face OK? If we burst out laughing, the whole plan will be ruined.”

“Oh Damru, we’re so glad we found you. We’ve been looking everywhere for you. The king wants to see you immediately,” said Samba.

“The king wants to see me?” asked Damru. “But why?”

“We’re not sure, but we heard the news from the Ministers that the King is looking for a new Minister. Your name was being brought up a few times. They asked me to go fetch you,” said Samba.

“Wow! Do you know what this means Damru? The king wants to make you his minister. Go meet the king at once!” said Lambu, the giraffe.

“We will be waiting for you right here. Don’t forget to bring us sweets!” said the children.

Damru could hardly believe his ears. He jumped with joy and quickly set off towards the palace. Once Damru was out of earshot, the children burst in to laughter.

The king remembered it was April fool’s day. He thought of his days as a young cub and all the pranks he had played. They stirred such strong memories that he too began to laugh.

His laughter grew louder and louder. A Minister ran in to the chambers hearing the commotion and found the king holding his stomach and gasping for air.

Before he could raise an alarm, the king managed to say, “I’m fine. Don’t worry. Damru is coming to see me. Ensure he is sent in. I want to meet him.”

When the Minister reached the entrance, the guards were laughing at Damru. “I’m telling you,” he said. “The king sent for me. He wants to appoint me as his minister.”

With a stern voice, the Minister said, “Let him in.”

The guards quickly stood in attention and allowed Damru to pass. They walked together in to the royal chambers where the king waited.

When he saw Damru, the King couldn’t help but smile. Damru felt a little uneasy.

“Don’t be afraid Damru,” said the King. “It seems the children have played an April fool’s day prank on you.”

Damru’s face fell.

“Don’t feel bad Damru,” added the King. “I’m still going to make you my minister. From today, you are going to be my Minister of Laughs. You will be the royal entertainer at my court.” |

Damru was so excited, he could barely control himself. He jumped with joy and danced around the room.

Meanwhile, outside the children were getting worried. Damru had still not returned. They hoped something bad hadn’t happened to Damru. They waited for him by the palace entrance when the gates opened.

The guards announced “Make way for the Royal Minister of Laughs” and out walked Damru. The children were both shocked and surprised; Damru had actually become the king’s minister.

Soon, the news of the king cheering up spread like a wildfire and all the animals of Champakvan ran to the royal court. Damru entertained them and soon, the entire forest was back to being happy.

Once the celebrations had drawn to a close, Maharaj Sher Singh addressed the gathering.

“Laughter is crucial if one needs to lead a healthy life. I have been in a bad mood all this while, it must never happen again. This is why I have appointed Damru as my Minister of Laughs.”

From that day onwards, Damru always kept the king in a good mood. With a happy ruler leading the kingdom, Champakvan prospered.

A Fun April Fools Day

Minku, the mouse was always cheerful and loved to have fun. He had left a good impression on all the animals in the jungle.

Nandu, the elephant on the other hand was jealous that the animals loved Minku more and didn’t love him as much. Out of jealousy, he would not only trouble Minku but all his other friends too. Pandu, the bear, Rana, the monkey, Kanu, the deer and Gillo, the squirrel would face his wrath as well. While Minku and the others tried being friends with Nandu, he never accepted their friendship and would always trouble them.

Minku and the others decided to play an April Fool’s prank on Nandu. According to the plan Rana was supposed to befriend Nandu by the first of April and he had succeeded.

On April 1, Rana was riding on Nandu’s back. Rana came close to Nandu’s ears and said, “Hey Nandu, lets go down to the river bank. I heard the banana trees have borne ripe bananas.”

“Ripe bananas? I love ripe bananas. Let’s go!” said Nandu

When they reached the banana trees full of ripe bananas, they found a basket full of the yummy fruits.

“Look over there, Nandu,” said Rana. “It’s a basket full of bananas. I wonder who they belong to?”

“Why don’t we ask?” suggested Nandu.

Rana called out loud, “Hey! Is there anybody here? Is this your basketful of bananas?” Rana called out loud a few more times but he got no answer. There was nobody nearby.

Nobody except for Minku and the rest of the gang who were hiding close by, ready for phase two of the plan to begin.

Nandu was finding it hard to control himself. The smell of the bananas was driving him crazy and if he could, he would eat all the bananas in one go. “I don’t think anybody is coming to claim these bananas Rana. Let’s just eat them,” he said.

He gave Rana a few bananas and quickly began peeling the rest. “Such fresh bananas!” he exclaimed before putting them in his mouth.”

Behind them, Minku and the others were trying hard not to laugh. Nandu popped banana after banana into his mouth.

Suddenly Nandu stopped. There was a foul, bitter taste in his mouth.

“What’s the matter, Nandu?” asked Rana.

Nandu immediately began spitting the bananas out of his mouth. When he noticed that the bananas were stained bright red, his heart skipped a beat.

“What is that Nandu?” asked Rana looking frightened.

Nandu took off in the direction of Dr. Max, the dog’s clinic paying no attention to Rana’s cries asking him to stop.

Minku, Rana and the rest of their gang ran behind Nandu to witness what was going to happen at Dr. Max’s clinic.

When Nandu reached Dr. Max’s clinic, he was out of breath. With difficulty, he managed to say “Doctor… my mouth.”

Dr. Max was taken aback by Nandu’s state. “How did you hurt your mouth Nandu?” asked Dr. Max. “Do you still feel any pain?”

“No doctor, I didn’t hurt myself,” said Nandu.

Dr. Max took a closer look inside Nandu’s mouth with a torch. He found no injuries there. But when he noticed the little pieces of betel leaves in his mouth, he laughed.

“What is it doctor?” asked Nandu. “Will I be ok?”

“You are going to be fine Nandu,” said the doctor. “It seems like somebody has played an April fool’s day prank on you. It seems you have eaten a whole bunch of betel leaves along with the bananas. That is why your mouth is red.”

“It was a prank?” asked Nandu looking confused. “But who would want to play a prank on me?”

Nandu heard Minku, Rana and all the other animals burst in to laughter behind him. It didn’t take Nandu long to figure out who was behind the prank now. He realized that if he got upset, the others would make even more fun of him. So instead, he began to laugh too.

Danny, the donkey brought out a huge bouquet with a card that read “Happy April fooľs Day!” Nandu graciously accepted it.

“Tell me, how did you guys pull off the prank?” he asked.

“It took a little effort, but it was worth it.” said Minku. “We picked the best bananas and soaked them in neem leaf and bitter gourd juice. We filled another set with betel leaves and the third set we left as it was.”

“We placed the ones with the neem leaves at the bottom,” Rana added, “the ones with the betel leaves in the middle and left the plain bananas at the top. This way you would spit the bananas out only after eating the betel leaves and Rana could eat a few without any trouble.”

They all had another hearty laugh and took Nandu out for ice-cream to make up for the prank. Ever since that day Nandu was accepted as part of the gang

Chimbu traps the Frauds

Wily the Wolf, who was a petty thief, left his jungle in Madhuvan and came to Champakvan in search of a good fortune. He was hungry and desperately knocked at doors to ask for food. He peeped into Blackie the Bear’s shabby home. Blackie, who lay under a sheet, was seriously ill.

When he went to Miku the Rabbit’s burrow, he saw Miku shivering with fever and a doctor checking him.

“Ugh! Here in Champakvan everyone has fallen sick. I’ve come here at a wrong time. I myself may fall sick. Phew!”

Wily looked around in desperation. “Hey! There’s someone who isn’t bedridden!” It was Kalu the Crow, an idler like Wily who was sitting in the veranda of his house at the top of a tree.

“Brother, I left Madhuvan and came here hoping for a better life. But I see the animals suffering with sicknesses. Friend, you are the only one who can help me. Have pity on this starving orphan!” Wily begged Kalu.

Kalu broke into a smile. “I myself depend on others for food. Now that everyone is struck by this mysterious disease, I hardly get anything to eat.”

“Mysterious disease! Tch! Tch! Your King’s not doing anything in this matter?”

“Our King Sher Singh died a week ago.” Kalu murmured sadly. “Ever since, there’s no one to work for our welfare.”

“Your King’s dead!” Though hungry and desperate, Wily was frantically planning how to make use of the situation. King’s dead…mystery disease spreads fast…patients worried. Whew! An ideal opportunity for spreading false beliefs and fooling the desperate patients….

Wily spoke cheerfully, “A clever one will turn adversity into opportunity. The animals are scared of the mystery disease. We can easily fool them by promising to help them with magical powers.

Wily described the plan. Kalu cheerfully agreed to assist Wily and the duo immediately got ready to carry out the plan.

Kalu flew here and there and spread the news that a sage with magical powers was camping at the cave in the Champakyan forest, and that he could cure them of the mystery disease. The news spread like wildfire. Soon a large crowd rushed to the cave. Wily was sitting inside the cave with closed eyes. The animals eagerly waited to hear the sage’s answer.

“You all have forgotten Sher Singh soon after his death. You all did nothing to honour the dead. The king’s spirit is roaming around to take revenge. The revengeful spirit has sent the mystery disease.” Wily Baba cleared their doubts.

“Oh! The spirit! Baba, tell us what’s to be done to please the revengeful spirit and get rid of it.” They were terrified.

“Ah! It’s so easy to make them believe my lies! This is the chance for me to get rich,” thought Wily.

“Offer whatever you can to the spirit that’s haunting Champakvan: tasty food, grains, fruits. Bring them to Sher Singh’s den. My assistant Kalu and I will remain in the den to deal with the spirit. Continue to send the offering until everyone is free off the disease,” Wily said.

“Friend, you’re indeed a great fraud! Haunting spirit…revenge… ha…ha…” Kalu admired his new friend’s smartness.

Every day, the terrified animals faithfully brought offerings to the den: a variety of fruits, mouth-watering food, bags of grains. The duo collected the items, stored them in a dark cell and ate and drank to their heart’s content.

Chimpu the Monkey was a science teacher had just arrived at Champakvan to work in the Jungle High School.

One day on his way to the school, Chimpu saw the animals standing with bags and baskets outside the den. He found out what was going on and why they were offering food and grains to Wily.

“Uff! What a blind belief!” Chimpu decided to trap the cheats and teach a lesson to the superstitious animals. He bought a tiny spy camera. The next day, he too joined the animals standing at the den with offerings. He entered the den along with the crowd and swiftly tucked the spy camera into a flower vase.

Chimpu eagerly waited for the next day. The next day while inside the Den, Chimpu stealthily removed the camera from the vase.

“Hurray! The cheats are caught! Chimpu screamed while watching in his T.V. the scenes recorded by the camera. Not knowing that a hidden camera was recording their actions and speeches, Wily and Kalu greedily collected the items.

“What an easy way to earn! Let’s remain here for a few more days and then escape with our earnings,” said Wily.

I must get half the collection, okay?” said Kalu.

The animals, including the sick ones, watched what was recorded by the hidden camera.

“Ugh! What a shame! We believed that Sher Singh’s spirit’s taking revenge and lost our grains and money to the crooks. Let’s run and catch the crooks before they escape.”

The angry animals rushed to the den and got them arrested.

Turning to the crowd Chimpu said, “Friends, the illness that the animals are suffering from is nothing but malaria. All over here I can see pools of dirty water and blocked drains. No wonder mosquitoes are breeding, resulting in the spread of malaria. You must get medical help instead of going to frauds who pretend to have magical powers. Your illness has worsened and you have lost your money.”

The animals nodded their heads.

“Thank you, Mr. Chimpu, for opening our eyes.”.

A Cause for Celebration

It was a big day in the Arabian Sea. All the fishes were travelling towards the Sea Palace. It was the birthday of their princess, Julia, the mermaid.

Mermaids look different from ordinary fishes. A mermaid’s upper body is human and her lower half is a fish.

A grand birthday party was organised at the palace for which all the fishes were invited. Among the invitees at Princess Julia’s birthday party were the whales, sharks, lionfishes, jellyfishes, octopuses and the three-legged fish.

They all made their way to the palace carrying gifts.

The palace lawn had the food stalls. The menu included sushi, soups, noodles and stir-fried chicken. Besides, they had Asian bamboo rice, butter chicken, kebabs, Korean vegetable dumplings, and fruit ice cream.

The guests were enjoying the delicious food and the pastry.

A stage had been set up where several young fishes were performing a variety of dances including step-dance, hip-hop, salsa.

Another big stage was set up at the centre of the palace. It was beautifully decorated with glittering garlands, balloons, flowers and glowing stars.

On the stage was a large seven-tiered chocolate cake.

Princess Julia, wearing a beautiful blue gown and a diamond crown, arrived on the stage along with her friends. The guests welcomed her with a loud applause.

As Julia cut the cake, the guests sang, “Happy birthday to you, Julia!” Princess Julia was overjoyed.

Everyone was having fun at the party when suddenly, a dolphin whistled loudly. The other dolphins too followed suit.

Dolphins can make different kinds of sounds to convey different messages. The other guest at the party knew the sound that the dolphins were making now meant there was danger nearby. When the guests asked them, one of the dolphins said, “A big fishing vessel is on the way to catch us!”

All the fishes panicked. They started running helter-skelter but a blue whale stopped them.

“Do not panic! The humans don’t know that if I get angry, I can topple the whole ship!” said the blue whale. “I am after all the largest animal known to have ever existed—I am four times larger than a large dinosaur and weigh several tonnes more. Please carry on with the party while I go and teach those fishermen a lesson.”

“Please do not harm them. Just scare them away,” said Princess Julia.

The blue whale left the party accompanied by a large shark. When the two returned after a while, everyone eagerly gathered around them to find out what had actully happened.

When the blue whale and the shark opened their jaws, four fishermen with diving gear and spears came out of them. They looked terrified.

All the guests were shocked!

“Princess Julia, we should thank the dolphins for warning us in advance otherwise all of us would have been trapped in their net. These humans had come prepared to catch even the largest of fishes. They had large nets and spears with them,” said the blue whale.

“We must punish them severely for this, Princess Julia,” said the shark.

“Yes, we must punish them!” the other fishes agreed.

The fishermen trembled at the sight of all the angry fishes. They turned to Princess Julia and begged for forgiveness.

“We will never come here again. Please don’t punish us,” the fishermen pleaded.

Princess Julia felt sympathetic towards the fishermen.

“Today is a day of happiness. Let’s not punish these men. Let’s forgive them and include them in our celebrations so that they too can share our happiness,” said Princess Julia.

All the fishes were pleased with the princess’s decision.

“That’s how a princess ought to be!” they applauded her.

A Unique Birthday Gift

Manav was eagerly looking forward to his birthday, and more so, the presents. For his previous birthday, his grandfather had gifted him a remote-controlled bike and his parents had bought him a video game. He loved them both. He also received several toys from his friends and family.

“I wish I could celebrate my birthday twice in a year. That way, I would get twice as many gifts!” Manav told his parents.

There was a whole week to go before his birthday, but Manav could not contain his excitement.

“Grandpa! What are you going to gift me this time?” he asked eagerly.

“You will have to wait till your birthday to find out,” said Grandpa smiling.

On the day of his birthday, Manav woke up early in the morning and was greeted by his parents and grandfather. He then rushed to get ready for school, as he was eager to distribute his favourite chocolates among his friends and teachers.

That evening, all his friends and relatives gathered at his house for the birthday party.

Manav was overjoyed to receive lots of presents. Everyone had a good time playing games and dancing. After the cake-cutting, all the guests had dinner and left.

After the party, Manav was too tired to stay up and open his presents. So, after returning from school the next day, he sat down to open them straight away.

The first present was from his parents. It was an action figure that he had been asking them for. Manav was elated. Next, he opened a small packet from Grandpa.

“What’s this, Grandpa?” he asked puzzled.

“It’s a bank passbook. I have opened an account in your name,” said Grandpa.

Manav was disappointed. “But what will I do with it?” he sulked.

“I know it is not what you expected for your birthday but I wanted you to start saving your money. That way, you’ll be able to use it when the need arises,” said Grandpa.

“I can use my piggy bank for that. What is the use of a bank account?” asked Manav.

“In a bank, your money will multiply as you earn interest on the money in your account. Right now, I have deposited Rs.1000 in your account. You can deposit the money you have received as birthday gifts and your pocket money in it. This amount will keep on increasing as the interest keeps getting added over time, unlike in a piggy bank,” explained Grandpa. “I can take you to the bank tomorrow if you’d like to go and explain it all in detail.”

Manav was curious to understand how a bank works, so he agreed.

Next day, Grandpa and Manav visited the bank in which Manav had his new savings account.

Grandpa taught Manav how to fill up a deposit form and deposit the money he had brought along at the counter. Then, he explained to Manav how to get the passbook updated with the entries of all the recent transaction.

This was Manav’s first time at a bank. He felt quite proud of having made his first deposit. His parents had given his some money as well. So, his account balance was now Rs.2500.

“As you keep adding money into your account, you will have enough to buy that bicycle you have been asking your parents for,” said Grandpa.

“You are right, Grandpa. I could buy a bicycle with my own money without troubling my parents!” said Manav excitedly. “But what does the bank benefit out of it?”

“The bank will use your money to loan it to others at a higher interest rate. That’s how the banks make money. For example, if a bank pays you 2 percent interest on your deposit, it could charge 6 percent interest to the person borrowing money from the bank. This difference of 4 percent is what the bank will earn,” explained Grandpa.

Manav listened intently as Grandpa continued to explain. “Besides offering loans, banks also charge a small fee for transferring funds from one account to another, exchanging currency and using their locker facilities,” he said.

“I have learnt so much today, thanks to you, Grandpa! This is indeed the best birthday gift ever,” said Manav, hugging his grandfather.

Pritam Wears An Umbrella

It was a sunny day. Pritam was on his way to school when he saw a few dark clouds suddenly appear in the sky.

“This is unusual,” he thought and continued to walk.

The sky was soon overcast with dark rain clouds. A thunder rumbled, as if warning everyone to take cover.

Pritam loved walking in the rain. But today, he did not have his umbrella with him. He did not expect the weather to change so drastically. Since he was just a short distance away from home, he decided to rush back to get his umbrella.

But by the time he came out of his home with the umbrella, the rain clouds disappeared. The sky was clear again.

Pritam was annoyed. However, he didn’t think it was wise to leave the umbrella at home.

“Who knows when the weather might change again,” he thought.

Pritam had a habit of forgetting things, especially his umbrella. He had lost four umbrellas the previous year. His parents bought him the current one only after Pritam promised to be careful.

“What if I misplace this umbrella as well? Mom and Dad will be unhappy, especially since I promised to not lose this one,” thought Pritam.

Then, Pritam had an idea. He hung the new umbrella around his neck and said triumphantly, “Now I surely won’t lose it!”

When Pritam reached his school, the students looked at the umbrella around his neck and burst out laughing.

“Where did you get this new tie?” teased one of the boys.

Pritam ignored him and proceeded towards his classroom. Once he entered the class, all his friends pointed at him and started laughing.

One of his classmates said, “Usually, people wear chains or ID tags around their neck, but what new trend is this?”

The comments and laughter continued throughout the day. Pritam was hurt but he did not remove his umbrella because he was sure he would lose it.

During the break, when he and his classmates were playing in the ground, Pritam looked up at the clear sky.

“I wonder why it didn’t rain. It doesn’t seem like it is going to rain either. I shouldn’t have taken the umbrella today. Everyone is teasing me for it,” he muttered.

Pritam continued to walk around the entire day at school with the umbrella hanging around his neck for fear of losing it.

In the evening, when Pritam started for home, the weather was still clear. “It didn’t even drizzle! I had to hang this umbrella around my neck the whole day and listen to silly comments,” he sulked.

Suddenly, there was a roar of thunder. Pritam looked up and much to his delight, dark clouds covered the sky. It began to rain. Pritam happily removed his umbrella from around his neck and opened it up. He walked home with a bright smile on his face.

A Fearful Lesson

Chimpu, the young monkey was known to be a troublemaker. He would never miss an opportunity to play tricks on others or make fun of them. He would trip Tinu rabbit’s kids when they hopped around and snatch food from Binky squirrel’s young ones.

Chimpu’s mother constantly received complaints from all the animals. She tried telling that if he rubbed everyone on the wrong side, he might get into trouble someday. But Chimpu did not listen to his mother. He continued to come up with new ways to annoy the animals in the neighbourhood.

One day, Monu deer was sitting outside his house and eating a guava. Chimpu noticed him from up a tree nearby and had an idea to annoy Pinku. He tip-toed up to Monu, snatched the guava and rushed back up the tree.

“Give me back my guava!” cried Monu.

On hearing him cry, his mother Dina rushed out to see what had happened. When she saw Chimpu up on the tree with Monu’s guava, she understood.

“Chimpu! Return the guava to Pinku right away,” said Dina sternly.

Chimpu laughed and continued to eat the guava. This angered Dina.

“That’s it! I’ve had enough of his antics. Everyone in this neighbourhood is also fed up of his behaviour. Let me teach him a lesson,” Dina thought to herself and went back inside along with Pinku.

A couple of days later, Chimpu was playing near a tree when Dina quietly came up from behind and caught him. Chimpu was taken by surprise. Dina swiftly carried him deep into the forest.

“What are you doing, Aunt Dina? Where are you taking me?” asked Chimpu, struggling to escape from her grip.

“Stay quiet, you naughty monkey! It’s high time someone taught you a lesson and I am doing just that!” said Dina.

Dina walked quite a distance into the forest and tied Chimpu to a tree.

“You can stay here till you learn how to behave,” said Dina, turning to walk away.

“Aunty, wait! Please don’t leave me here. I am scared!” cried Chimpu. “I promise not to play pranks on anyone anymore. Please take me back to my mother.”

Dina turned a deaf ear to his pleas and walked away.

Chimpu continued to cry for help, but no one could hear him. Gradually, darkness fell. Chimpu was scared and tired from all the struggling and screaming.

Suddenly, Chimpu heard some footsteps. He became scared. Sheru tiger stepped out from amid the bushes. Everyone in the forest was afraid of him.

“Please don’t eat me, Uncle Sheru!” cried Chimpu. “I am sorry for all that I’ve done. I promise not to trouble anyone anymore.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sheru puzzled. He was surprised to see Chimpu tied to a tree in the middle of a forest. He immediately freed him and said, “I came here because I heard someone crying. What happened? Who tied you up?”

Chimpu narrated everything to him. Sheru became angry.

“Come with me!” he said, dragging Chimpu along to Dina’s house.

Dina was surprised to see Sheru at the door. She became nervous when she saw Chimpu along with him.

“Is this any way to treat a child?” roared Sheru. “Whatever he may have done, you could have explained his mistake to him in a nice way. How would you feel if someone punished your child this way?”

Dina hung her head in shame.

Sheru calmed down a bit and said, “What you did was irrational. If something had happened to him, imagine his parents’ plight. There are ways of dealing with a problematic child. Inducing fear is certainly not a solution.”

“Forgive me, Sheru. I was acting out of impulse and anger. He is a child and I should have treated him like one,” said Dina. She turned to Chimpu and said, “I am sorry, Chimpu. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted you to learn that what you did was wrong and I explained that to you nicely.”

“It is okay, Aunt Dina. I know I pushed you to do this. I need to change my behaviour and I promise to do it,” said Chimpu smiling.

That day on, Chimpu stuck to his promise and everyone was happy for him.

Baddy Reforms Himself

All the animals of Champakvan avoided Baddy fox. He had a habit of picking fights with everyone and enjoyed playing mean pranks.

One day, all the animals gathered to discuss Baddy’s behaviour. They wanted to find a way to deal with him.

“We must try to avoid Baddy. Whenever he is around, we must get out of his way,” said Cheeku rabbit.

“But why should we avoid him?” asked Jumbo elephant. “He must be taught a lesson. We cannot walk around hiding from him.”

“It is easy for you to say, Jumbo. He frequently picks on us small animals,” said Meeku mouse. “I feel Cheeku is right. It is better to stay away from Baddy.”

“I am not afraid of him. If he ever dares to cross my path, I will surely teach him a lesson,” said Jumbo.

Baddy who was intently overhearing their discussion, became angry when he heard Jumbo speak.

“Who is he to teach me a lesson? I will teach him a lesson instead,” thought Baddy.

Baddy came up with a plan to prank Jumbo. He cut the pipe that supplied water to Jumbo’s field. When the field dried up, Baddy waited for Jumbo to become furious and pick a fight with him. Instead, Jumbo quietly repaired the pipe and continued farming.

After a couple of weeks, Jumbo’s warehouse caught fire. Because of Jumbo’s alertness and some help from his neighbours, the fire was put out in no time and any damage was averted.

Though Jumbo knew Baddy was behind this mischief, he did not confront him. Baddy was puzzled by Jumbo’s behaviour.

That week, Baddy was on his way to the market on his cart to sell some sacks of grains. One of the wheels of the cart got stuck in the slush. When Baddy got down to push the cart, he slipped and fell into a pit that he had dug.

No matter how hard Baddy tried to get out, he slipped and fell right back. He tried calling out for help, but there was no one around.

“If I am not able to get out of this pit, I wonder how the smaller animals would have got out. I now understand how much trouble I have caused. I should not have dug these pits at all,” regretted Baddy.

Soon, it began to get dark and Baddy was still stuck in the pit. He was cold and hungry. Even the few animals that passed by refused to help him saying he deserved it.

When this news reached Jumbo, he said, “If we too think and act like Baddy, what is the difference between him and us?”

Jumbo requested everyone to help Baddy, and they all agreed. Together, they lifted Baddy out of the pit.

“I am ashamed of the way I behaved with all of you; especially you, Jumbo. Please forgive me,” apologised Baddy.

“To accept one’s mistake is in itself a big step towards change. You should use your strength and intelligence to help others,” advised Jumbo.

From that day on, Baddy turned a new leaf. He stopped troubling others and began helping everyone.

Holi for All

Three days before the festival of Holi, some birds and animals of Sonavan convened a meeting. It was headed by Pihu peacock, the king of the birds and Simha lion, the king of the animals.

“This year, let’s not involve any of the dark birds or animals in the Holi celebrations. The colour does not show against their dark skin and feathers. It’s just a waste of colour and effort,” said Simha.

“I agree. The price of colour powder has skyrocketed, so buying extra packets just for them will be too expensive,” said Sona deer.

We also won’t be able to make special arrangements for water tankers for them like we do every year, as the nearby ponds have all dried up. Even if we have to buy water, who is going to pay for it?” asked Pihu.

All the animals agreed that banning the dark birds and animals from the Holi celebrations was a right move. Pihu and Simha signed an order to that effect.

Next day, huge banners were put up across Sonavan. They read: “No Holi for dark animals and birds. – By order of the Kings of Sonavan.”

On seeing the banners, the dark animals and birds felt humiliated and angry.

“How can they pass an order concerning us without even consulting us in the first place?” fumed Kalu crow.

“It is a common festival. Everyone has the right to celebrate,” said Bholu elephant. After much discussion, the dark animals and birds decided to organise their own Holi celebrations. They eagerly set out preparing for it.

On the day of Holi, Pihu, Simha and the other animals celebrated with great fervour. They smeared colours on each other, sang songs and danced.

Suddenly, the sound of their celebration was drowned by music coming from another part of the forest. They could also see big clouds of colour rising above the treetops.

“Who else is celebrating Holi in our forest? The music is even better than ours!” said Simha.

When Rinku rabbit saw through his binoculars, he was stunned.

They were the dark birds and animals! They were having a spectacular celebration. The bear, the dark horse, the rhino, the wilder beast and the chimpanzee were beating the drums, while the cuckoos sang and the crows danced. The music echoed through the forest.

“Well, who is it?” asked Pihu impatiently.

The dark birds and animals,” said Rinku.

Everyone was shocked.

“Not only have they defied our orders, but they are celebrating Holi grander than us!” thundered Simha.

“With their splashes of colour, they even look more colourful than us,” said Rinku, looking through the binoculars again.

Meanwhile, the group of dark animals and birds had reached them. Bholu stepped forward and sprayed everyone with colour water from his trunk.

“On behalf of the dark birds and animals, I wish you all a happy Holi!” he said.

“How dare you defy my order and celebrate Holi. You will all be punished for this!” roared Simha.

“Please do not mistake us, Sir. We would never defy your orders. You banned us from participating in your celebrations. So, we organised our own Holi celebrations and we would like to invite you all to join us,” Kalu explained politely.

Simha could not refute that point. “Well, they are right,” he thought.

“Holi is a festival celebrated to welcome spring. The colours are just part of the celebrations and not the purpose of the celebration itself. So, if you had a problem with the colours not showing on us, you could have discussed it with us, and we would have offered you a solution or we could have celebrated differently,” said Bholu.

The other animals were ashamed. Instead of looking for a solution, they banned the dark birds and animals from participating.

“Please forgive us,” said Pihu. “We were so blinded by our arrogance that we failed to see the real purpose of a festival—to bring us together.”

“Pihu is right. Henceforth, I declare that all festivals should be celebrated together. There will be no discrimination announced Simha, throwing colours on Kalu and Bholu.

Everyone cheered and joined in the celebrations!

“This is the real delight of playing Holi,” said Simha, looking at all the happy faces.

A COSTLY MISTAKE

Aditya was upset. His aunt, who he was close to, had just phoned him to inform that she would not be coming over during the summer vacation because some important work had come up.

Later that day, when Anju, the laundryman’s daughter, came to deliver the ironed clothes, she saw Aditya looking glum.

“What happened, Aditya? Are you unwell?” asked Anju.

“I am alright, Anju didi. I am just sad that my aunt, Reema won’t be coming over to stay with us during the summer holidays. I was really looking forward to her visit. She said she would teach me how to make toys with paper. We had also planned a short trip to Shimla,” said Aditya.

“That’s sad. In such cases, I have a way to make my wishes come true and it always works!” said Anju.

“What do you do?” asked Aditya, perking up.

“It’s a secret,” said Anju.

“Oh, please share your secret with me, Anju didi. I want my aunt to come as soon as possible!” Aditya pleaded.

“Okay, but you should not share it with anyone else,” said Anju.

“I surely won’t!” Aditya assured her.

“Okay. So, all you have to do is stand under a peepal tree at midnight, light a lamp and make your wish. It will come true,” said Anju.

“Who told you this?” asked Aditya.

“My grandma. She has a solution for everything,” said Anju proudly.

“I could try it but there’s just one problem: How will I step out of my house so late in the night without being accompanied by an adult?” asked Aditya.

Anju thought about it and then said, “I am older to you! I can accompany you.”

“Thank you, Anju didi!” said Aditya elated.

“You are my friend and you share all your toys with me. This is the least I can do for you. I will also bring the lamp,” said Anju.

“But didi, where will we find a peepal tree?” asked Aditya.

“Do you know the sweetshop at the junction? There is a peepal tree behind it,” said Anju promptly.

“Isn’t that a bit far?” wondered Aditya.

“So what? If you want your aunt to come, you will have to do it. I will meet you outside your house tonight and take you there,” said Anju.

“Okay. I will come out by 11.30 p.m. and meet you near the gate,” said Aditya.

That night, after his parents had gone to sleep, Aditya came out of his house and saw Anju standing by the gate. Together they walked to the peepal tree.

When they reached the peepal tree, Anju handed over the lamp to Aditya. Just when he was about to light it, a dog walked towards them barking.

Nitin’s Painting

Aditya got scared on seeing the dog and started to run. The dog ran after him, and Anju ran behind the dog. The dog caught up with Aditya and pulled his pants, because of which he fell down hard.

After sniffing around and realising that Aditya did not have any food, the dog walked away.

When Anju reached, she saw Aditya crying. Assuming that he had been bitten by the dog, Anju ran to inform his parents.

Aditya’s parents were surprised when they heard what happened. They immediately rushed him to the hospital.

Aditya woke up the next day at the hospital and saw his aunt standing next to his bed.

“Aunt Reema!” exclaimed Aditya. “How come you are here? I didn’t light the lamp under the peepal tree.”

“Peepal tree? Lamp? What are you talking about?” asked Aunt Reema puzzled.

After Aditya narrated the entire incident, Reema laughed. “Aditya, when did you start believing in such superstitions? And why didn’t you just call me if you wanted me to come?” she asked.

“Anju didi said her wishes always came true whenever she lit a lamp under the peepal tree at midnight. So, I wanted to try it too,” replied Aditya sheepishly.

“Now, because of these superstitions, look what happened—you have fractured your hand and will have to take rest for at least two weeks,” said Aunt Reema.

“But how did you come?” asked Aditya.

“It was anyway my plan. I had informed your parents, but I told them not to tell you because I wanted to give you a surprise,” said Reema.

Aditya felt foolish. His aunt was here but he wouldn’t be able to enjoy the time with her because of his fracture.

“No more silly superstitions for me!” Aditya resolved.

STANDING UP TO THE BULLIES

Run! Run!” screamed Dima, the deer, running past a group of animals.

“Why? What happened?” asked Hiro, the hippo, who was new to the forest.

“The elephants must be on the rampage again!” said Ginku, the giraffe, starting to run. “You better run too. You don’t want to be standing in the path of a big herd of elephants that is out to create mischief.”

Within seconds, the entire forest wore a deserted look—all the animals had either hidden themselves or run away.

The moles and rabbits went into their burrows, the monkeys and squirrels moved to the top-most braches of the trees and the other animals ran to the far edges of the forest.

King Sheru, the lion was among the first to run away!

In the jungle of Sonavan, every afternoon, the elephants ran to the river, unmindful of the havoc they created along the way.

At the river, too, they did not allow any other animal near while they bathed or played. If any animal dared to question them, they would toss them away with their trunk or splash water on them.

Though the animals were getting increasingly frustrated with the elephants’ behaviour, they kept away from them for fear of getting hurt.

One day, all the monkeys gathered to discuss the problem.

“These elephants need to be taught a lesson. They have ruined the forest,” said one of the monkeys.

“Yes. We are scared to even send our kids out to play,” said a mother monkey.

“We have tried talking to them and explaining to them politely, but they do not seem to listen. Even King Sheru is powerless against them,” said another.

Then, Manu, the leader of the monkeys, spoke up. “Talking won’t work anymore. We need to use our strength against these bullies. I have a plan,” he said.

All the monkeys listened intently.

“Tomorrow, before the elephants start for the river, let’s dig pits along the path and cover them with leaves. When the elephants run through the forest blindly, they will fall into the pits and be trapped,” said Manu.

“But how will small animals like ourselves dig pits large enough to trap a herd of elephants?” asked one of the monkeys.

“Our strength lies in our number. When all of us get together to do the job, it will become easier,” explained Manu.

Next day, the monkeys began digging the pits early in the morning. When the other animals found out what they were up to, they too joined in and helped dig the pits.

That afternoon, when the herd of elephants charged through the forest, the animals went to their usual hiding spots. They saw the elephants fall into the pits one after the other. After struggling for a while to get out, the elephants finally gave up.

Manu came down from the tree and said to them, “We will help you get out, but only if you promise not to trouble us anymore. You must not come back to this part of the forest again.”

“Please help us! We promise to stay on the other side of the river and not trouble you anymore,” the elephants assured him.

All the animals got together to pull the elephants out using a strong rope. As soon as the elephants got out, they ran to the other side of the river.

Everyone celebrated the victory. The monkeys were hailed for their idea. King Sheru, too, congratulated them.

“You have saved the forest from the rowdy elephants. We are proud of you,” said Sheru.

“It wasn’t just us; all of us united to beat the bullies. So, we all deserve to be congratulated,” said Manu.

A Tip For Not Getting Lost

The summer holidays had just begun. Eight-year-old Harish had invited his two friends, Rahul and Advit, to play games at his house. Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Harish’s neighbour Guddu walked in.

“Friends,” Guddu said, cheerfully. “The holidays have just begun and here you are, all cooped up in the house! Do you know that there’s a fair being held in our town?

I am going to visit it now. Are any of you interested in joining me?

“A fair?” Harish said, sounding very excited. “Where is it being held?”

“On the grounds of the Municipal Corporation,” Guddu said. “My father is already there with his friends. I’m going to join him now. Why don’t you come along?”

“Yes, we’ll come along!” all the boys said unanimously.

They all then left for the fair.

Since, Guddu knew the way to the fairground, Harish and Rahul held his hands and walked beside him. The three of them then chatted about cricket, movies, school and other things.

Advit, on the other hand, was a few steps behind. He was walking by himself quietly.

“Oh! I am so tired,” Rahul complained after they had walked for a while. “We have been walking for a long time now.”

“Don’t worry, Rahul,” Guddu said. “The fairground is just a short distance away.”

The boys then walked through a narrow lane and crossed a river. They walked a little further and finally reached the fairground. They then stopped to buy tickets from a counter and went in.

Guddu spotted his father soon after they entered the fairground. “I am going to join my father and his friends,” he said, running away. “Please manage on your own now.”

Harish, Rahul and Advit walked around the fairground. They played some games and rode on a merry-go-around and a giant wheel. They also stopped to eat some snacks and buy some candy floss.

After a while, they spent all their money and decided to go home.

But the moment they left the fairground, Harish and Rahul panicked. There were two roads right outside the gate. Harish and Rahul scratched their heads and
wondered which one would lead them home.

“Shall we go back to the fair and ask Guddu which road to take?” Harish asked.

“We’ll have to buy tickets again,” Rahul said. “And we’ve finished our money.”

Advit was standing behind. He was watching his friends quietly.

“What will we do now?” Harish said anxiously.

Suddenly, Advit broke into a smile.

Harish and Rahul looked at him angrily. “Advit!” they said. “Why are you smiling? Is it funny that we don’t know our way back?Tell us, how will we go home now?”

“Hey! Relax! Don’t worry!” Advit said cheerfully. “I know the way back. Come
with me.”

Harish and Rahul were surprised to hear Advit talking so confidently. They wondered if he really knew the way. But they realised they had no choice but to follow him quietly.

Advit then pulled out a diary that he had in his pocket. He opened it and looked at a page. He then went up to a rickshaw driver and asked politely, “Can you tell us how to get to Ajanta Theatre?”

“Go straight and then turn to the left,” the rickshaw driver said, giving Advit the
directions.

Advit thanked the rickshaw driver and walked forward. Harish and Rahul followed him. And soon, they found that they had reached Ajanta Theatre.

“Here’s Ajanta Theatre,” Rahul said. “But why have you brought us here, Advit?”

Advit didn’t reply. He looked at his diary again and asked a hawker where Jawahar Hospital was. Advit then followed the hawker’s directions and led his friends to Jawahar Hospital. There, he asked a security guard the way to the river.

The boys then followed the security guard’s directions and walked to the river.

Harish and Rahul realised that it was the same river they had crossed when they were with Guddu.

“We know the way from here!” they said happily. They then asked Advit how
he had managed to bring them back so confidently.

Advit smiled and said, “When the two of you were chatting with Guddu, I carefully observed the route we were taking. I noted down all the landmarks in my diary.”

“Landmarks? What are landmarks?” Rahul asked.

“I had written down the names of the big shops, the hospital and the theatre located on this route, so that we could find our way back with their help,” Advit said. “Such places are called ‘landmarks’. They help you find your way about. Remember to note them down the next time you’re in a place you’re not familiar with. It’s a useful tip for not getting lost.”

Harish and Rahul were amazed to see how wise Advit was. They promised to use his tip and pay attention to such details so that they wouldn’t lose their way again.

Brave Marty

“What is happening?” Little Rabbit Marty thought. Marty watched birds every day after coming from school, sitting at the lakeside. He didn’t play bat and ball or hide and seek with his friends. He was afraid that he would get hurt. And anyway, he didn’t have any close friends. Everybody called him a coward; and so was isolated in school too.

But he sensed something amiss when he reached the lakeside today. Herons, cranes, parrots…nobody was there. Only two crows were present there. A foul smell had spread in the atmosphere. Two trucks full of garbage came over and started dumping the garbage in the lake.

This act on the part of truck drivers angered even the fearful Marty. He ran towards the drivers and said, “What are you doing? Everyone drinks water from this lake. So many birds come here. You are polluting the lake.”

“Keep quiet,” Driver Gurg, the Wolf shouted at him. “My master, Seth Wiley Wolf will make flats on this area and sell them. So many people will live here. What will this dirty lake serve anyone?”

What could Marty say? He ran towards his home with tears in his eyes and told everything to his mother. Mother said, “Such greedy animals! They will even sell away the air of this jungle!”

“Where will the poor birds go, Ma? They will never come back here again.”

“Who will stand up for this cause? What will you do, son? You don’t even go out for playing for the fear of getting injured.”

Marty felt a pinch at his mother’s words. He thought, “So even mother thinks of me as a coward! Damn!” He quietly went on the terrace. Migo, the Monkey saw him and got down from the tree, “What’s the matter? Why are you looking so glum?” Marty told him everything

“This is bad news for Timberland.”

“Can we do nothing?” Marty was feeling very helpless.

“Come. Let’s complain to the jungle police.”

But to their dismay, Inspector Jared, the Jackal began laughing at them, “Kid, concentrate on your studies. This matter is not your lookout.”

“But the lake will get destroyed!”

“Let it be. Why are you bothered? Many flats too will be built there. Go, run. Do not bother me.”

When they came outside, Migo said, “It seems he is helping them. That’s why he didn’t listen to us. Now we will have to do something.”

“What can we do? Nobody even knows us.”

“My uncle’s friend Skipper, the Flying Squirrel, who lives on the Peepal tree, is a TV reporter. I will contact him with Mama’s help. He will talk about the lake getting polluted on his news channel and inform other animals.”

Skipper heard both the children and gathered some of the animals and birds of Timberland. A long discussion took place. Next day, two trucks stopped at the entrance of the jungle. Jared, who was sitting on his bike, smiled and began talking to Gurg. Unknown to them two porcupines came and punctured all the truck tyres. Skipper was recording everything on his camera.

“How did this happen?” Gurg jumped down. “All the twelve tires of both the trucks are flat! Unbelievable!” Flapping his wings, Parry Parrot began encircling around Gurg’s head, “Ha..ha..ha..have fun, son!”

“Really?” Gurg tried to pounce on Parry Parrot, but no avail. Sam and Shade, the two kangaroos reached the spot and started pelting the drivers with small stones they had carried in their pouches.

“Oh! Aah!” both the wolves, Gurg and Wiley fell flat on the ground.

Now it was Marty’s turn. Migo’s friends had pinned the wolves tightly to the ground and all the rabbits were tickling them with grass. The wolves couldn’t decide whether they should laugh or cry. Then two bears came who threw them inside the garbage of the truck. “Oh! Such a foul smell!” Both began feeling nauseated.

“Why? You were throwing this in the lake?” Marty said.

Now the last of the warriors were the birds. All the crows began throwing the garbage on the wolves. “Please leave us now,” they cried.

The Elephants got together and threw the trucks out of the jungle. Marty asked the wolves, “Will you come again to throw the garbage in the lake?”

Both said, “Never. Please forgive us.”

Marty, Migo and all the animals clapped and said, “Keep Timberland clean and never be afraid of rogues.”

This came as breaking news in the afternoon. Everybody helped in cleaning the lake. Mother hugged Marty when he returned home. “I didn’t know that
my son is so brave!” she said.

Marty had tears in his eyes – tears of happiness

THE HARMFUL HERMIT

Pussy, the cat was feeling glum. She sat under the shade of a tree, looking forlorn. The reason for her sadness was that, over the years she had put on quite a bit of weight and was having trouble catching little mice and birds. Every time she would chase them, she would feel tired almost immediately and stop to catch her breath. By then, the mice and birds would be long gone.

Seeing her friend feeling sad, Lucy the cat walked up to her and asked her what the matter was.

“Oh, I was just thinking what it would be like to get your meals served to you without putting in any effort,” said Pussy. “It’s just that I’ve had so much trouble finding food lately that I haven’t had a single bite to eat in two days.”

“Oh Pussy, don’t be silly,” said Lucy. “Everybody knows that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. You will always have to work hard to get the things you want. Stop wasting your time on these stupid thoughts and come with me. I’ll treat you to the yummy milk and cream I have at home.”

The two went to Lucy’s house and were enjoying some milk and cream when an old friend of Pussy’s walked up to them. It was Scruffy, the fox. He had changed quite a bit and had lost a lot of weight too.

“How are you, Pussy? You seem to be living well, your fat tummy proves it so,” said Scruffy.

“I’ve been alright, Scruffy. But tell me, where have you been all this while? You look different and in a good way,” sad Pussy.

“Well, I’ve given up my ways of cheating and living extravagantly and have moved to the himalayas. I spend the entire day meditating,” said Scruffy.

“The Himalayas? Isn’t is far away from civilization? What do you do for food there?” asked Pussy.

“To tell you the truth, food is the least of my concerns. The power of meditation is such that I can have the dish of my choice any time I want. In fact, anything I wish for can be had and all I need to do is meditate,” said Scruffy.

Pussy was in awe of how easy life was as a hermit. She thought of how difficult it was for her to catch mice every day, and how much she missed it. “Will you take me with you and teach me how to meditate? Life here has become too hard and I don’t like it one bit. Please take me as your student, I’ll go with you to the Himalayas and you can teach me your ways,” said Pussy.

“Oh Pussy, you don’t need to come to the Himalayas for this. I could teach you the incantation right now,” said Scruffy. “But…” began Scruffy and trailed off.

“What’s the matter, Scruffy? Please, go on,” said Pussy, earnestly.

“Well, the problem is that I can not teach the incantation to someone without accepting a teacher’s fee. You’re like my sister and I’m just thinking what I should do,” said Scruffy.

“Oh,” said Pussy and began to think. “All I have is this bowl of milk and cream,” she said. That was also all the food she had, and it wasn’t much.

“The teacher’s fee is a sign of respect and love, so the quantity does not matter. This will do just fine,” said Scruffy and whispered the incantation in Pussy’s ear.

“All you need to do is chant this incantation from sunset till sunrise the next day and the power will be unleashed. All you will need to do then is close your eyes and wish for your heart’s desire. When you open your eyes, it will be right in front of you,” said Scruffy and went on his way with the bowl of milk and cream.

The same evening, Pussy started chanting just when the sun set, chanted throughout the night, and only stopped when the sun’s rays touched the ground the next morning. She was ecstatic. She ran to Lucy’s house and said, “You treated me to milk and cream yesterday and today, I’ll be treating you to the same.”

Pussy closed her eyes tight and wished for two bowls of milk and cream. She opened her eyes expecting to see the bowls in front of her, but there were no such bowls anywhere.

Pussy tried again and once again, there were no bowls of milk and cream.

Pussy tried once more before giving up. “Scruffy said this would work,” said Pussy, feeling let down.

“What did he tell you?” asked Lucy.

“He asked me to chant an incantation and said that if I wished for something it would appear in front of me,” said Pussy.

Lucy laughed and said, “It seems like Scruffy’s been up to one of his tricks. How could you believe him?” she asked, laughing. “Nothing ever comes from nothing. For everything you need to do work, or in Scruffy’s case, dupe someone out of their hard work and trick them into giving it away.”

Pussy realised that Scruffy had cheated her out of her bowl of milk and cream and felt silly for believing him.

“Come on,” said Lucy. “Let’s go to the jungle and catch some mice.”

Pussy agreed and off they went. Pussy had learnt that the only secret to fulfilling your heart’s desires is hard work.

The Escape Plan

It was time for Munnu, the mouse to start for school. But he was worried. The previous day, he had seen Billu, the cat prowling along the path to school, looking for a prey.

Since most kids travelled together by school bus, Billu could not catch them. But Munnu usually rode his bicycle to school every day alone, so Billu was sure to catch him.

Just as he had anticipated, Munnu saw Billu standing by the side of the road, eyeing him greedily. Munnu pedalled as fast as he could and raced past him.

“That was close!” thought Munnu relieved.

However, on the way back from school, Billu was standing right in the middle of the road, blocking Munnu’s path.

“Munnu, my friend! How are you?” Billu greeted him with a sly smile.

“Oh no! I am done for! What will I do now?” Munnu wondered nervously.

Billu was stronger and faster than him, so there was no point in trying to run away.

“I have to stay calm and come up with an idea,” he thought.

At that moment, he remembered his teacher once telling him that when someone is angry, they lose their ability to think clearly. So, Munnu had an idea. He slowly got off his bicycle. “Getting ready to run away?” asked Billu, narrowing his gaze.

“Of course not! I am not scared of you. In fact, none of my friends find you scary,” Munnu taunted Billu.

Billu was taken aback. He did not expect Munnu to talk back confidently.

“Don’t my claws and teeth scare you?” Billu asked, flashing his razor-sharp teeth.

“They actually look funny!” laughed Munnu. “Moreover, I’ve seen the way you run. I can push my cycle along and walk home and still you won’t be able to catch me,” he taunted Billu, poking his tongue out at him.

“How dare you! I’ll teach you a lesson!” hissed Billu and ran towards Munnu.

This was the opportunity Munnu was waiting for. He pushed his cycle down and ran. Billu tripped on the cycle and fell down.

“Come on, Billu. Don’t sleep. I am waiting for you to catch me,” said Munnu, from a short distance ahead.

This made Billu angrier.

“Wait till I get my hands on you!” growled Billu. He got up and ran after Munnu.

Munnu continued to run. “What shall I do next?” he wondered while running as fast as he could.

Suddenly, Munnu spotted a deep pit, a few metres ahead of him. He had an idea. Instead of running around the pit, Munnu waited for Billu to catch up.

When Billu was just an arm’s length away Munnu swiftly stepped aside, revealing the pit before him. It was too late for Billu to stop. He fell into the pit.

Billu struggled to get out. “Please help me get out of here, Munnu. I promise not to trouble you anymore,” he cried.

Munnu wanted to walk away, but then, he remembered his mother’s words: “One must always help those in distress, irrespective of who they are.”

So, Munnu picked up a rope that was lying nearby, tied one end to a tree trunk and threw the other to Billu.

“Hold the rope and climb back up. I’m going home. Bye!” he waved Billu goodbye and ran home.

He was happy to have escaped unharmed.

Lazy Coco

Coco was a lazy bird who lived in Sunshine Woods. He would fool unsuspecting animals and get his work done. While some animals were aware of his ways and would stay clear of him, many fell prey to his tricks.

One day, a cyclone hit the forest. It rained heavily for days. Nobody could step out. All the animals were given a prior warning about the cyclone and were asked to stock food at home. But Coco hadn’t paid heed to the warning, so he was stuck in his nest without anything to eat.

After three days, it finally stopped raining. Coco flew out of his nest to look for some food. He was starving.

After searching for a few minutes, Coco decided it was too much effort to look for food. So, he went to meet his neighbour Becky, the cow.

“Hello, Becky! How are you?” asked Coco.

“I am okay. The cyclone was severe, wasn’t it?” said Becky.

“Yes. I was quite scared,” said Coco.

“I just met our neighbours. They were all terrified, too,” said Becky.

“I don’t care about them. I was talking about myself,” said Coco. “I haven’t eaten since the cyclone hit. I am very hungry.”

“Then what are you doing here? Hurry up, and go find some food before it starts to rain again,” said Becky.

“Where will I look for food in this slush? Why don’t you share your food with me?” suggested Coco.

“Sure. If you will eat grass, I’ll be happy to share some with you,” said Becky.

“I can’t eat grass! I’ll figure something else,” Coco said irritatedly and flew away.

“That lazy Coco always tries to reap the benefit of someone else’s hard work. He had enough time to stock food before the cyclone but he didn’t. And now he wants my food,” Becky said to herself.

Meanwhile, Coco was in search of someone who he could fool into giving him food. Just then, he saw Billy, the goat.

“Hello, Billy! How are you, my friend?” greeted Coco.

“I am doing great!” said Billy.

Coco was surprised. “Really? Didn’t you go hungry from being stuck at home for days?” he asked.

“Not at all. The moment they issued a warning about the cyclone, I collected enough food to last me for days and stored it at home,” said Billy.

You are very smart, Billy,” appreciated Coco. “But you have overlooked an important problem.”

“What problem?” asked Billy.

“When it rains, the moisture in the air increases. This moisture will spoil stored food,” said Coco.

“Oh! I didn’t know that!” said Billy.

“You need to check your food right away. I can help you if you like,” offered Coco.

“Thank you, Coco. That would be great. Please come along,” said Billy, leading the way to his house.

At Billy’s house, the two checked the sacks of food.

“This sack is full of worms,” said Coco, inspecting a sack of grains.

“Where? I can’t see anything,” said Billy.

“Your eyesight is weak, Billy. Trust me. I’ll clean this up for you,” said Coco, quickly gobbling down fistfuls of grains.

“What are you doing?” asked Billy shocked.

“Can’t you see? I am cleaning the grains,” said Coco.

“You’ve cleaned it enough. Give it back to me!” said Billy, snatching the sack from Coco. By then, Coco had emptied half of it.

“See? The grains have become clean,” said Coco.

“You think I don’t know what your plan is? You are lazy to find your own food, so you fooled me into giving you some. Why didn’t you just tell me so?” asked Billy.

“Where’s the fun in that? All you animals would have anyway stocked loads of food, so why should I take the effort to look for food,” replied Coco coolly.

“I should have listened to the other animals who warned me about you. Get out of my house, you sly bird!” said Billy angrily.

“Fine! Bye, Billy!” said Coco, flying away.

This time, it was Billy who had learnt a lesson about not trusting those who mean no good.

Rancho’s Challenge

Ever since Barry, the buffalo had won the National Forest Boxing Championship, he was on cloud nine. Having proved that he was the strongest, he began to consider himself better than the rest of the animals. He especially did not think that smaller animals were even worth talking to.

“Move out my way or else I’ll throw you aside!” Barry threatened Rancho, the porcupine, one day.

“Watch how you speak, Barry. I am not scared of you,” retorted Rancho.

“Really? Let me teach you a lesson,” said Barry, lifting Rancho and tossing him afar.

Fortunately, Rancho landed on a soft bed of grass, and was uninjured.

“Whew! That was a close shave!” said Rancho, massaging his waist.

A few days later, some animals gathered at Polly, the peacock’s tea stall to discuss Barry’s behaviour.

“Barry’s bullying is intolerable,” said Frodo, the frog. “Yesterday, he tried to trample me under his feet for talking to him. He said, being a small creature, I shouldn’t even dare to look at him.”

“That is outrageous! He thinks he is superior to all of us,” said Gina, the squirrel, enraged.

“We should do something about his behaviour,” said Misu, the mouse.

“I complained about him to our king Leo, the lion. He said that since he has just become the king, he doesn’t want to cause a rift between animals by taking a stand. Moreover, most of the larger animals respect Barry, so he doesn’t want to anger them and lose their support,” said Rancho.

“What about our support? Don’t we matter to King Leo? We have rights too,” said Polly. “We live in this forest and work as hard as any of them.”

“You are right, but who’s going to support us? Who will take a stand to protect us?” asked Anto, the ant.

Suddenly, there was a commotion. Barry had come out of nowhere and was charging towards them. All the animals who had gathered at the tea stall, ran helter-skelter. Rancho tried to stop them, but no one listened to him. Rancho was left to face Barry alone.

“So, you are the leader of these animals! How dare you rally them against me?” fumed Barry.

“We were discussing how your behaviour has got out of hand. We, the smaller animals, have decided to not tolerate your bullying anymore,” said Rancho.

“Oh, really? What do you plan to do? Fight me?” Barry laughed.

“Yes! Let’s meet at the ground tomorrow in the presence of all the animals and fight. If I win, you should apologise to all of us and stop bullying us,” said Rancho.

“I accept. But if I win, you should accept you are inferior to me and do my bidding,” said Barry.

Rancho agreed much to the shock of his friends who had gathered around by then.

“See you tomorrow, loser. Get ready to serve me,” said Barry, walking away.

“What have you done, Rancho? How will you fight him?” asked Gina worried.

“If it takes a fight to win back our dignity and respect, then so be it. But I will need all your support,” said Rancho.

“You’ve taken such a big risk for our sake; we will definitely support you!” all the animals assured him.

Next day, everyone, including King Leo, gathered at the ground to witness the fight. They all felt sorry for Rancho.

“How will this tiny porcupine defeat the strong and mighty Barry?” they wondered.

“Are you ready to lose, you tiny creature?” Barry taunted Rancho.

“Wait and see who is really going to lose,” said Rancho. He swiftly landed a punch on Barry’s stomach and ran.

“Come back, you coward! Let me teach you a lesson,” Barry shouted and ran after him.

As soon as Barry started to run, his feet sank into the ground. He struggled to move.

“What is the matter, you big bully? Can’t you run?” teased Rancho.

This enraged Barry even more. But the more he struggled to get out, the more he seemed to sink into the ground. He was helpless. The spectators laughed at Barry.

“Look at our boxing champ struggling to even walk!” said one of them.

“He let a small porcupine get the better of him,” laughed another.

Barry was embarrassed.

Rancho walked up to him and said, “You are indeed stronger than all of us, but you should use your strength to help those who are weaker than you; not bully them.”

Barry felt bad for the way he had treated the smaller animals. “Forgive me, Rancho. My arrogance blinded me. I apologise to everyone.”

Rancho and his friends accepted Barry’s apology, and helped him get out.

Later that day, King Leo invited Rancho to the palace to applaud him for his win over Barry. “How did Barry sink into the ground and you didn’t?” he asked Rancho.

“Last night, I got the help of my mole friends who dug several tunnels under the ground and made it loose. It was done in such a way that if any large or heavy animal walked or ran on it, the ground would cave in, trapping the animal,” said Rancho.

King Leo appreciated Rancho’s smartness.

Lattu Gets Fooled

Bhola, the donkey worked at Kaalu, the elephant’s sweet shop.

One day, Bhola came into work looking upset.

“What is the matter, Bhola? Why do you look worried?” asked Kaalu.

“I am worried about my son Lattu,” replied Bhola.

“What happened to him? Is he unwell?” asked Kaalu concerned.

“He is fine. I am worried because he does not show any interest in studying. I am tired of trying to make him understand that going to school is important. But he does not listen to me,” said Bhola.

“We have to think of some other way to make him understand. Bring him to meet me tomorrow. And don’t worry, everything will turn out alright,” said Kaalu.

Next day, Bhola brought Lattu to the sweet shop to meet Kaalu.

“Hello, Lattu. Your father tells me that you are not interested in going to school. Why is that so?” asked Kaalu.

“I don’t like studying, Uncle Kaalu. I want to start working right away and earn some money like my father,” said Lattu.

“Alright, you can start working in my shop. What sweets and snacks can you make?” asked Kaalu.

“I don’t know how to make any sweet or snack,” replied Lattu.

“In that case, why don’t you sell some papads? You can carry some with you and sell them to the animals you meet along the way,” said Kaalu.

“Yes! I can do that,” said Lattu.

Kaalu gave him 20 papads in a basket and said, “Sell each papad for Rs.10. After you’ve sold them all, come back to the store to collect your payment for the work done. Just remember: Don’t give the papad to anyone without taking Rs.10 first.”

“Okay, Uncle Kaalu,” replied Lattu and went out to sell the papads.

Lattu met his school friend Munnu, the fox on the way.

“Hey, Lattu. What do you have in the basket?” asked Munnu.

“These are papads from Uncle Kaalu’s shop.

One papad is Rs.10. Do you want to eat one?” asked Lattu.

“Uncle Kaalu’s papads are famous. I do want to eat one. But I have only Rs.5. Will you give me half?” asked Munnu. “No. If someone does not buy the other half, it will go waste. Uncle Kaalu has asked me to sell all the papads,” said Lattu.

“You’re right, Lattu,” said Munnu. He had an idea. “Do you have Rs.5?” he asked.

“Yes, I do. My father gave it to me before we left home this morning,” said Lattu.

“Why don’t we pool our money to buy one papad and eat a half each?” suggested Munnu.

“This does not seem like a bad idea,” thought Lattu and agreed.

Lattu collected Rs.5 from Munnu and put it in his pocket along with his money. Then, the two shared a papad.

“That was yummy! I feel like eating some more,” said Munnu.

“So do I!” said Lattu.

“Then let’s share another,” said Munnu.

“But we don’t have any money,” said Lattu.

“Yes, you do. Didn’t we just pool in our money to buy one?” asked Munnu.

“Yes, but that’s the money I made from selling the papad we just ate,” said Lattu.

“Half of that money is mine. So, take our money again and buy another papad,” said Munnu.

“That seems logical.Uncle Kaalu did ask me to take money before selling a papad. So I am taking our money with which we bought one papad and buying another one,” said Lattu, considering the idea. “You are right, Munnu. Let’s buy another papad with the money I made from selling the first.”

Lattu “took” the money from his right pocket and shifted it to his left, after which the two shared another papad. The two applied the same logic and ate up all the 20 papads. Finally, Munnu bid Lattu goodbye and continued on his way to school, while Lattu returned to the shop.

“Uncle Kaalu, I sold all the papads!” Lattu announced proudly.

“That’s great. Can you give me the money?” asked Kaalu.

“Sure,” said Lattu, handing over Rs.10.

“Where is the rest of the money?” asked Kaalu.

“This is all the money I made, Uncle Kaalu. Like you said, I did not take out a papad without taking Rs.10 first,” said Lattu.

“If you had 20 papads and you sold them each for Rs.10, then how much money should you have made?” asked Kaalu.

Lattu could not answer as he did not know how to calculate.

“You should have Rs.200,” Kaalu answered for him. “Tell me what exactly happened.”

After Lattu narrated what he and Munnu had done, Kaalu laughed. He said, “So, you thought you could use the same Rs.10 to buy papads from yourself? And since you did not know that selling 20 papads would get you Rs.200, Munnu tricked you easily.”

Lattu was ashamed.

“This is a lesson for you to realise why going to school is important. At school, you would have learnt to calculate and Munnu couldn’t have tricked you,” said Kaalu.

“Yes, you are right, Uncle Kaalu. I will start going to school from tomorrow,” said Lattu.

Bhola was surprised to see the change that had come over his son. “Thank yousir! Because of your idea, my son has finally realised the importance of going to school.”

“You should thank Munnu, as well. He, too, was in on the plan,” said Kaalu smiling.

The Aliens Are Coming!

What was that?” asked Squiggy, the squirrel startled.

“What? Where?” asked Danny, the deer, looking around.

“There!” said Squiggy, pointing to the sky. “It flew over the tree to the other side.”

“I didn’t see anything,” said Danny, still confused. “What did you see?”

“I don’t know. It looked like a plane but there was no sound,” said Squiggy.

Danny came to the conclusion that it must have been an alien spaceship. He immediately told his friends about it and the news spread like wildfire across the forest. Even the news channels started reporting it.

“Did you really see an alien spaceship?” asked King Tammy, the tiger.

“I did see something fly past but it was unlike anything I had seen before. So, I am not sure what exactly it was,” said Squiggy, thinking hard.

“Did it make a sound?” asked Minister Monty, the monkey.

“No, it did not,” replied Squiggy.

“Hmmm…then Danny must be right. They are aliens!” declared Monty. “If aliens have come to the forest, we must welcome them. I’ve heard that they are very powerful.”

“You are right, Monty. Even I’ve read that their technology is several years ahead of ours. Let’s organise a grand welcome party for them,” said Tammy.

The entire forest prepared for the welcome party. A large open spot was chosen where balloons and banners were put up. Then, all the animals waited patiently for the aliens to show up.

Three days had passed and there was still no sign of the aliens or their spaceships.

“I don’t think the aliens are going to come,” said Tammy disappointed.

“Perhaps Squiggy lied about seeing the aliens,” said Monty.

“I think so too. Squiggy made a fool of us!” said Tammy angrily. “Bring him to me!”

Squiggy went up to Tammy and said, “I did not lie, Your Highness. I really saw something, but I did tell you that I am not sure what it was,” said Squiggy scared.

“We trusted you and made so many arrangements, and now we look like fools! It was an utter waste of our time. You will be punished for it,” roared Tammy.

“But…but…,” Squiggy tried to explain but Tammy wouldn’t listen.

“I give you a day’s time to find out what it really was or get ready to face your punishment,” said Tammy, before walking away.

“This is my fault!” thought Danny, realising what he had done. “If I had not spread the news, my friend would not have got into trouble,” he regretted.

Danny too began looking for the spaceship. He came across a clearing where he finally found the aliens!

That evening , Tammy was taking a walk, when all of a sudden, he saw something fly swiftly over his head.

“The aliens are here!” he screamed in joy.

Hearing the commotion, the other animals of the forest quickly gathered around.

“I just saw the alien spaceship! It flew over my head,” said Tammy excitedly.

“Squiggy was speaking the truth”, said Monty.

“Yes. There’s no need to punish him now,” said Tammy, waiting for the aliens to show up again.

Suddenly, a small helicopter flew over Tammy’s head and landed before him. Everyone was puzzled.

“That’s not alien spaceship, Your Highness,” said Danny, making his way through the crowd. “While looking for the alien spaceship, I found a few kids playing with their remote-controlled toy airplanes and helicopters close to where Squiggy and I were talking the other day. Squiggy must have seen one of these toys and got confused.”

The realisation downed Tammy. “So the aliens were actually living among us,” he said smiling. He then turned to Squiggy and said, “Please forgive me for accusing of you lying. I should have verified the rumour instead of trusting it blindly.”

“You are right, Your Highness. This is a lesson for all of us,” said Monty.

All the animals agreed.

Wicked Friendship!

________________________________

Story: Abrar Mohsin
Illustrations: Sonal & Sumit, Freepik

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The Boy Who Could Carry the Mountain- An Indian folktale Retold by Rohini Ramakrishnan

Rakesh and Ramu came running to the riverside. They wanted to be the first to reach, so that they could grab the best aerial roots of the big banyan tree to swing on.

“Where is Hari?” asked Ramu. Their friend was nowhere to be seen.

“He must be still eating his breakfast,” joked Rakesh.

“Yes. He does loves his idlis,” said Ramu.

“His mother makes the most delicious onion chutney and drumstick sambar,” said Ramu, remembering the breakfast he had shared with Hari recently. The river flowed on smoothly. The sun was shining brightly. It was a warm morning. Rakesh and Ramu looked up at the banyan tree. None of the other children from the village had turned up yet, so they were free to choose their roots leisurely. Usually, an argument would erupt over the choice of roots.

“Where is this boy?” grumbled Rakesh.

Suddenly, the two boys heard Hari shouting out to them.

“Raamuuu! Rakesh! Come here quickly!”

They saw Hari almost rolling down the small hillock a few metres away.

“What happened?” they asked.

Gradually, Hari’s panting stopped and he was able to speak.

“You must come and see this,” said Hari.

“See what?” asked Ramu.

“I’ll tell you in a bit; just come with me now,” said Hari, running back the same way he had come.

The other two ran behind him. Together, they climbed the hillock. When they came down, they were near the village boundary. The river water tumbled over the big, black boulders. There were goats grazing and they could hear the buzz of the bees around a hive that was on an enormous jackfruit tree.

Hari kept running till he reached a boy standing near the river. He was of their age. As they went near him, Hari turned to his friends and introduced the boy, “This is Sethu. He is new here. He says he can carry this mountain on his shoulders.”

Rakesh and Ramu turned to look at the mountain behind Sethu. They knew the mountain all too well. They had climbed up its slippery slopes numerous times to search for lost goats. They had even hid behind the huge boulders while playing hide-and-seek.

“This is the funniest thing we’ve heard all day!” the two laughed loudly.

Hari felt bad. He looked at Sethu, who simply smiled a quiet, wise smile. Rakesh and Ramu were puzzled by his smile.

“You really mean it?” asked Ramu surprised.

“Of course I do,” replied Sethu calmly.

“Then prove you can lift the mountain!” said Rakesh.

Sethu continued to smile confidently and said, “Alright. I will prove it to you but only on one condition.”

“What condition?” asked Ramu.

“You have to feed me for three days and on the fourth day, I will carry the mountain,” replied Sethu.

Ramu, Rakesh and Sethu huddled to discuss it.

“Do you think he can really carry the mountain?” asked Ramu in a low voice.

“There is no harm in giving him a chance to prove his claim,” said Ramesh.

“And besides, if he does carry that mountain, we would be the first among our friends to have seen such a thing. Then we can use this fact to demand the best roots to swing on every day,” said Sethu excitedly.

The three friends agreed. For the next three days, the three friends took turns to feed Sethu.

On the first day, Hari brought a big tiffin carrier filled with big, fluffy idlis, sambar and fiery, red-hot onion chutney. Sethu gulped them down within minutes.

On the second day, Rakesh and Ramu brought lunch, which included tamarind rice, potato fry, papads, curd with pickles and a big bottle of buttermilk to wash it all down. After eating, Sethu laid down under the shady banyan tree to have a nap.

On the third day, the three brought whatever snacks their mothers had made at home—murukkus, samosas, laddus, roasted groundnuts, vadas and so on.

“Some rotis and chicken curry would have been nice. But these will do, too,” said Sethu, while munching on a samosa.

Sethu enjoyed three days of tasty meals and relaxing naps.

“This must be in preparation for the feat,” thought the three friends.

That night, the boys were so excited that they could not sleep a wink.

The next day, as discussed, the friends met at 4 p.m. at the foot of the mountain. As soon as Sethu joined them, the friends could not contain themselves anymore. They started to ask Sethu all sorts of questions.

“Did you bring a shovel to dig the mountain?”

“Are you going to use a magic spell to lift the mountain?”

“How can you hold it up with your skinny hands?”

Sethu did not answer them. Instead, he took his time assessing the mountain—walking up and down, stopping in between to get a good look it, and holding his head thoughtfully as wondering which would be the best way to lift the mountain.

Finally, he turned to look at them and gave them a calm, wise smile and announced, “Okay, I am ready.”

The three friends looked on wide-eyed in anticipation.

Sethu took his position near the mountain and said, “Now you three can lift the mountain and carefully place it on my shoulders.”

The friends were stunned.

“Hurry up! I don’t have all day,” said Ramesh

“But…but…” is all the other three could say.

Looking at the confusion on their faces, Sethu said, “I said I would carry the mountain on my shoulders; not lift it off the ground.”

The boys realised that Sethu had tricked them. Their shock turned to a frown.

“Please don’t hate me. I did it for a reason,” said Sethu, smiling sheepishly.

“What is the reason?” asked Sethu.

“I had heard so much about your mothers’ cooking that I wanted to try some for myself. So, I came up with this plot to get you guys to feed me,” confessed Sethu.

The three friends looked at each other and then burst out laughing. The sound of their laughter filled the valley.

“You sly fox!” said Ramesh laughing.

“I have an idea! How about we use this to trick the other kids into giving us the best roots to swing on?” suggested Ramu. “This is a great idea!” they all agreed.

The four friends ran back to banyan tree, eager to try the trick.

Mischievous Trixie

Dixie duck and her seven chicks lived in the forest of Everwood. Whenever Dixie stepped out, her chicks would follow.

Every day, they would go to the store and then head to the pond for a swim, before returning home. On the way back, they would stop over at Pinto, the donkey’s house for a quick hello.

Among the chicks, Trixie was the most mischievous one. She would eat her siblings’ share of food, peck them when they were asleep and play tricks on them. She would venture out on her own and stray from her mother when they went out together.

Dixie shared her worry with Pinto. “I am worried about Trixie. She roams around on her own without telling me. What if something happens to her? No matter how many times I tell her, she never listens to me,” said Dixie.

“Don’t worry, Dixie. She just likes exploring her surroundings. Moreover, everyone knows her in this forest, so even if she does get lost, she will be able to find her way back,” consoled Pinto.

One day, Dixie had to make a quick run to the store leaving her chicks at home. Within a short while, Trixie started feeling bored and decided to go out on her own. Her siblings tried to stop her, but she did not listen to them.

After walking around for some time, Trixie decided to head back home. But she realised that she had ventured farther than usual. She couldn’t figure her way back, and began to panic.

Trixie saw a parrot sitting on a tree and asked, “Do you know the way to the pond?”

“No, I don’t. But you look hungry. Do you want a piece of my guava? It is sweet,” offered the parrot.

“No, thank you. I am not hungry. I just want to go home,” said Trixie and walked on.

“After some time, Trixie met a squirrel. “Have you seen my mother?” she asked.

“No. But do you want to rest in my house for a while?” asked the squirrel.

“No, thank you. I don’t want to take rest.

I want to go to my mother,” replied Trixie.

Trixie continued to walk until she reached the river. There she saw a frog eating some insects.

“Have you seen my mother?” Trixie asked the frog.

“No, I haven’t. You look tired. Drink some fresh river water and eat some insects. You will feel better,” said the frog.

“No, thank you. I only want my mother,” said Trixie, walking away.

Jojo, the jackal had been following Trixie since the time he found her talking to the parrot and learnt that she was alone and lost. He had been waiting for the right moment to pounce on Trixie and make a meal out of her.

When Trixie walked away from the river, Jojo came up to her and said, “Hey, little one. I saw your mother just now. She is there, behind that bush, looking for you.”

Trixie became elated and ran towards the bush. As soon as she turned her back, Jojo pounced on her and pinned her to the ground. Trixie started crying.

Suddenly, someone hit Jojo on the head. It was Pinto! Jojo became scared and ran away.

“Uncle Pinto! I am so glad to see you! Thank you for saving me from that jackal,” said a relived Trixie. “But how did you find me?”

“I have been following you since the time you left home. Your mother knew you would be up to some mischief, so she asked me to keep an eye on you,” said Pinto.

“Then why didn’t you help me earlier when I was lost?” asked Trixie.

“I didn’t help you because I wanted you to learn a lesson. But when I saw that jackal, I knew I had to step in to save you. Now do you realise why your mother worries about you and asks you not to go out on your own without informing her?” asked Pinto.

“Yes, Uncle Pinto. I have learnt my lesson. I will listen to my mother and not venture out on my own,” said Trixie.

“Good. Let me take you home now. You’ve had enough adventure for one day,” said Pinto.

When they reached home, Dixie was happy to see Trixie back home safe. Trixie narrated what had happened and apologised to her mother.

“Thank you for saving my little one, Pinto. I am sure from now on Trixie’s mischief will be restricted to the house,” said Dixie smiling

Trixie laughed in agreement.

Go to the Jungle, Sam

Dr. Fancy and Mac were headed to the jungle in the African savannah. Sam, the lion, was sitting quietly with them in their jeep.

Dr. Fancy caressed Sam’s head affectionately and said, “Sam, lions are supposed to live in jungles, not in human homes. You should also learn to enjoy living in the jungle.”

Sam hung his head low. Dr. Fancy again said in a loving tone, “I understand, Sam. You must be thinking how will you live alone without us, isn’t it? Sam, you have grown up now. You can certainly live on your own. You don’t need to be scared. All the lions of the jungle are just like you. The only difference would be that they would be ahead of you in certain things. But then, even you are a lion! So don’t be frightened.”

Dr. Fancy’s words could do nothing to soothe Sam’s fears. He turned his face in the other direction and sat quietly.

Some years ago, Dr. Fancy and Mac had brought Sam home. He was just a cub then. He had lost his mother and looked very vulnerable.

Dr. Fancy and Mac had raised him in their home, but when Sam grew up; they realized his need to live in a jungle. So they decided to take him to his real home in the African jungle.

Sam was now a pet lion. He had grown very close to Dr. Fancy in all these years. Naturally, he was upset at their decision.

Soon they reached the jungle. It was time to leave Sam there.

“Sam, don’t be scared. We will stay with you until you get comfortable here. So Sam, go on. See what the jungle is like. After all, this is going to be your home,” Dr. Fancy kissed him tenderly.

Sam walked on. He had tears in his eyes, but what could he do? He couldn’t disobey Dr. Fancy. Also, he was curious to see the jungle.

He had just gone a little further when he saw some wild buffaloes. Sam became stiff upon seeing them.

When the wild buffaloes saw him scared, they saw this as a chance to dominate him. When they moved towards him, Sam ran back and hid behind Dr. Fancy.

“Sam, they are just wild buffaloes. You got terrified of them!” Dr. Fancy realized now that he had deprived a lion of his actual wild nature. Dr. Fancy prepared himself and trained Sam to fight them.

Sam was ready now. He walked towards the jungle again. This time he met a pack of wolves. Sam stopped in his tracks, but then he remembered Dr. Fancy’s words, “You are a lion, Sam.” Sam walked ahead with confidence. All the wolves got intimidated and ran away.

Sam had gained some self-assurance by now. He kept wandering in the jungle through the day, but he hadn’t met any lions till then.

Later that day, Sam came running to Dr. Fancy around midnight. Dr. Fancy didn’t notice it until he switched on the torch that Sam was badly wounded.

“Oh, his condition proves that he has met other lions. They have attacked him savagely,” Mac said.

Dr. Fancy felt disappointed. Sam had not been able to fight and this fear had led him to come back to them.

It was a question of Sam’s life. He couldn’t do anything without Dr. Fancy.

Dr. Fancy began giving him intense training from the next day. Sam would enter the jungle every day, but would come back injured.

After a few days, Sam didn’t return at night. That entire night the jungle reverberated with the roars of lions. Dr. Fancy got very worried about Sam.

With the breaking of the dawn, Dr. Fancy and Mac set out to find Sam. What they saw lit their faces up.

It was Sam, who had injured four lions. Sam had woken up to his nature. Now he was ready to be a part of the jungle. Sam strengthened this belief and Dr. Fancy was happy now.

Sam had made a place for himself in the jungle now. All the lions were afraid of him. He was treated as the king of the jungle.

Seeing this Dr. Fancy and Mac were happy. They gathered their stuff and moved towards their vehicle. Right then, they saw Sam running towards them.

“Hey Sam! What are you doing here? Have you come to bid us goodbye?” Dr. Fancy and Mac became very emotional. “There is no danger to you now. I am happy that you will be able to become the king of the jungle.

I was worried about your safety, but now that fear is gone. You are very brave. Go, and be happy in the jungle.”

Dr. Fancy patted Sam’s cheek, but Sam had tears in his eyes. He climbed up the vehicle, as if saying, “You wanted me to be brave, and I did that. Now take me back. I can’t live without you.”

Dr. Fancy read Sam’s feelings from his eyes and hugged him tightly while sobbing himself.

“How will I live without you, Sam? What a fool was I that I thought that you were coming to us out of fear, but you were coming for us and even now you are pleading so much. But Sam, your future is in the jungle. Please understand.”

Dr. Fancy caressed Sam. Mac switched on the ignition, but Sam didn’t get down.

Dr. Fancy insisted on waiting for a few hours and then the vehicle sped towards the city. Sam was still sitting in the rear seat.

Little Zena

Zena was a little girl. She was small for her age and small in size. She was an active and a happy child until she was very small. As she started growing up, things began to change.

Zena used to drink milk. She also ate milk products like butter, cheese and milk sweets.

However, when it came to eating vegetables and other healthy foods, she would not touch them. Her mother used to worry.

Her mother thought, “What will happen to my Zena if she doesn’t eat well? Where will she get energy from?”

So Zena’s mother came up with an idea. She bought a pet dog, Gimps for a little Zena. During meal times, she used to keep the dog with Zena. With the dog for company, she would eat well.

However, things soon changed. Since Zena didn’t like the food, she began to feed all her food to Gimps when her mother was not looking. This went on for a while.

After a few months, when Mummy took little Zena to the doctor, she had neither grown in height nor in weight. Her skin was paler.

Unlike before, she also began to cry over little things. This surprised both Zena’s mother and the doctor.

The doctor asked Zena’s mother, “Why is it that your baby is not growing into a healthy child? Don’t you give her proper food?”

Zena’s mother didn’t know how to answer this question. She had thought that Zena had finally been eating well.

This situation remained so for a few months.

Then, one day a strange thing occurred. Little Zena was sleeping. Gimps, her pet dog, was also sleeping near her on the floor.

While sleeping, Zena dreamt that her dog Gimps was eating all her food. Day by day, he was growing into a bigger dog, whereas Zena had remained the same tiny little girl.

Not only her dog, but all the insects in the house, and the birds and animals that passed by her house had started growing. All of them looked like giants.

As she saw them, Zena was terrified.

Suddenly, she woke up from her nightmare and started crying.

Her mother, who was sleeping next to her, also woke up with a start.

She tried to console her little girl. She offered her milk as she thought Zena might be crying as she was hungry.

However, Zena continued crying. She asked her mother for green vegetables. This made her mother smile.

Perhaps Mummy now knew the reason why Zena had finally agreed to eat healthy foods.

From that day onwards, Mummy never had to force Zena to eat healthy foods. As the years passed by, Zena grew up to become a very healthy and strong girl.

The Horned Hyena

“O Kalulu,” Moro-goro the Squirrel had said, “I overheard Fisi the Hyena, mumbling to himself, ‘I know the wild goat has given birth to a kid in a small cave below the Black Rock. I’ll make a meal of both the mother and the kid just after sunset ha…ha… ha… But the goat may hit back with her horns. I’ll give her a surprise. She shouldn’t know that I’m coming.’ Kalulu, can’t you do anything to save the goat and the kid?”

“Let me think about it,” murmured Kalulu. After a little thought he spoke to Moro-goro for a long time. The squirrel twitched its whiskers, raised the tail and said, “I’ll do exactly as you’ve told me.

What a wonderful mind you have, Kalulu, only you can find a way through such situations,” the squirrel said.

Moro-goro slithered off and went up a tree trunk as it saw the hyena coming.
“Fisi!” the squirrel called out, “You are very stupid. Don’t you know that your
body gives off a foul odour. It can be smelt even from a distance. The goat might give you a tough fight although you’ll win in the end. Why not play safe and use some trick?”

“So, you know my plan,” growled the hyena.

“Give me some idea about how to hide my presence. I’m dying to have the goat and the kid in my jaws.”

“That’s easy,” replied the squirrel, jerking her head.

“Cover yourself in black mud to hide the foul odour. Try to fix a pair of goat’s horns on your head and bleat like a goat when you approach the cave. The goat
would not know what you are; she’d be confused, thinking that you are a
strange kind of goat.”

“What an idea,” exclaimed Fisi joyfully. “You deserve a reward. I’ll try to eat you
last as your reward.”

Maddy Wolf was in a bad temper. He was not really mad but his temper gave him
the look of madness. He swore at everything, cursed everyone and snarled
his teeth at his imaginary enemies. He was often overheard mumbling, “I’ll dig my teeth into your neck and tear you from limb to limb. Between my jaws no
one remains alive for long. You don’t know me.”

He even howled at the trees and bushes. “You’re in a dangerous mood but you’ll
have the gentlest and sweetest temper once you have your mate.”

Maddy stopped in his path and howled,

“Who’s that?”

He looked at the thick bush from which someone had spoken to him.

“I think I know the voice,” spoke Maddy.

“Isn’t it Kalulu? What is this talk about the mate? What do you mean?You know how long I’ve been waiting for a mate but she never comes. I’m cursed to remain a lone wolf.”

“You deserve pity and sympathy,” came the voice, “Listen carefully. Tonight you
should stay in the cave beneath the Black Rock. If you’re lucky you may see a black horned-hyena bleating like a goat. Grab the horned hyena and force him to show you your mate. Don’t let him go before he does it. Don’t be fooled if he plays
any trick on you.”

“A black horned hyena, bleating like a goat!” repeated Maddy, “What wild talk
is this? Are you sure you aren’t fooling me?”

“You’ll see for yourself this evening,” replied Kalulu, leaving Maddy in deep
thoughts.

As the evening sun set behind the hills and twilight covered the jungle, Fisi
walked towards the Black Rock.

The very idea of digging his teeth into the juicy goat meat was making his heart
dance with joy.

“No one can guess what I am,” he said, happy with the idea. “I’ll give wild goat a
terrible surprise. Thereafter I’ll gobble up both the mother and the kid.”

Meanwhile, Maddy was getting restless. He could see the black hyena with two
horns oddly placed upon his head trying to bleat in a horrible way: “Maaa, maaa… he-ha, he-ha, maaa, maaa… he-ha… heha…”

“This strange hyena ‘howl-bleats’. I’m really in luck,” muttered Maddy.

The next moment he pounced upon the strange creature, growling, “Give me my mate this moment.”

His pointed teeth began to rip the hyena’s skin. “Give me my mate,” cried Maddy.

“What mate?” wailed the hyena. “How can I give you something I don’t have? You can’t be the wild goat. I know you now. You are Maddy. Don’t you know me? I’m Fisi, your humble servant. Your dreadful teeth are tearing me part.”

“Don’t try to fool me,” snarled Maddy. “Who ever heard of a black hyena with two horns and ‘howl-bleating’? You have all the signs which assure me that you can give me my mate.”

Wild Goat was watching the whole scene from a safe distance. She had the kid with her. Kalulu was standing beside her.

“Kalulu, my dearest friend!” bleated the goat, “I can’t thank you enough for saving our lives. If you weren’t there for us, we would be dead by now.”

Fisi lay still under the jaws of Maddy who was tearing and ripping him apart.

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