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THE TRUE WINNER

Grandma was waiting at the bus stop for her grandsons Rohit and Mohit.

“The school bus is late today,” she murmured to herself.

After sometime, the school bus arrived.

The twins, Rohit and Mohit jumped out of the bus and ran up to her.

“Grandma, today I scored full marks in a surprise test on Moral Education!” said Rohit excitedly.

“Very good, Rohit! Keep it up. And what about you, Mohit?” asked Grandma.

“I wasn’t well prepared. So, I scored only 17 on 20,” said Mohit.

“That is still a good score. We shall celebrate both of your achievements with pav bhaji tonight. And I’ll ask your father to buy some ice cream on his way back from work,” said Grandma.

Rohit and Mohit jumped with excitement.

Later that evening, Rohit and Mohit were watching television when the doorbell rang. Rohit answered the door and saw his classmate Varun standing outside.

“Hi, Rohit. As you know, I was absent from school for the past few days. Can you help me with the classwork? I also need to borrow your notes,” said Varun.

“Why don’t you take help from your best friend Mahesh?” asked Rohit.

“He has gone out of town with his family and will be back only next week,” replied Varun.

“I am sorry, Varun. I don’t have the time to help you now. And my notes are incomplete,” said Rohit.

Varun was disappointed. He turned away to walk when he heard Mohit call out to him.

THE-TRUE-WINNER

“Hey, Varun! I can help you,” said Mohit, walking up to the door. “Bring your books over. We can study here.”

“Thanks, Mohit. I’ll be back in 10 minutes,” replied Varun and quickly left to get his books.

Mohit closed the door and turned around to see Rohit staring at him angrily.

“Why did you offer to help Varun? You know him well. He always troubles us in class,” fumed Rohit.

“Calm down, Rohit. Right now, he came to us asking for help and not to trouble us. There is no harm in helping him out,” said Mohit.

Rohit became upset. He went to his room and did not talk to Varun when he returned later. Meanwhile, Mohit and Varun sat down to study.

After dinner, the twins, their parents and Grandma were all gathered in the living room and eating ice cream.

“Grandma told me that Rohit scored full marks in a surprise test. Good job, Champ!” congratulated their father.

“We should congratulate Mohit as well and give him an extra scoop of ice cream as a reward,” said Grandma.

Mohit was surprised. “Me? Why?”

“Moral Science is a subject that teaches you morals and values of life and can guide you to do the right thing in a situation. Rohit might have got full marks in the test, but Mohit put those values to use today,” said Grandma.

“Oh yes, I saw Mohit helping Varun with his schoolwork when we came back home from the office,” said their mother.

“Rohit, when Varun came to you asking for help, and the right thing to have done was to help him, irrespective of whether he is your friend or not. We should not let people down when they need our help,” said Grandma.

THE-TRUE-WINNER

“I am sorry, Grandma. I didn’t realise my mistake. Now on, I shall help everyone,” said Rohit. He then turned to his brother and said, “Congrats, Mohit. You are the real winner!”

“Thank you!” said Mohit.

“I think now Rohit too deserves an extra scoop of ice cream!” said their father.

The twins enjoyed their well-pav bhaji and ice cream.

 

Chotu Finds a Home

Dr. Singh was a famous surgeon who lived in Civil Lines in Jodhpur with his wife and two sons. In their garden there lived a cat with her four kittens. The kittens were furry with green eyes and the boys loved having them around.

The kitchen had a door that opened to the garden. The cat and kittens would live in that part and would come near the kitchen step for food that Mrs. Singh would keep outside for them.

The kittens were very playful. They loved playing hide and seek, chasing each other was also their favorite sport. Once tired, they would lick and caress each other. Dr. Singh’s family loved watching their cats play.

Slowly, the kittens began to grow up. The mother cat would leave the home early in the morning after eating milk and bread and would only return at night.

All the four kittens would move around the garden but now, they too wanted to go out, learn to climb the trees and jump from one branch to the another and become independent.

Finally, the day came when the mother cat took the kittens out. The kittens were excited to be outside and see lush green parks, giant trees, plenty of people, lot of birds and squirrels.

Chotu-Finds-a-Home

They ran to catch the birds and butterflies and chased the squirrels. Chotu, the youngest of the four brothers, was scared to run and chase them. He was tinier and smaller than the rest and hence the name.

Seeing the cat with her kittens, the birds on the trees started making calls to alert the other birds about danger. The mother taught the kittens to walk without making a noise, climb a tree, and catch birds.

All the kittens watched, listened and understood but Chotu’s attention was somewhere else. He was thinking it was cruel to kill others.

Somehow, Chotu got through the day’s training but during supper at night, he told his brothers, “Other animals too have a right to live. Is it fair to kill them?”

As soon as they heard the question, the three brothers burst out into laughter.

“If a horse becomes friends with the grass, what will it eat?” they asked, making fun of him.

Young Coco said, “You mean to say, cats should become vegetarian?”

Brownie told Chotu, “If cats turned vegetarian, rats would rule.”

Chotu became quiet and scared. He had not expected such replies from his brothers.

Chotu was extremely nervous every time his mother took the four of them for hunting. He was not able to pounce, catch and kill any animal.

The mother cat was extremely worried that on one hand, Chotu was skinny and on the other, he did not want to hunt. How would he survive?

Chotu tried to climb the tree but became scared and fell when the birds began to make noise. Chotu was always lagging behind whenever their mother took them out.

Chotu-Finds-a-Home

Slowly the kittens started going out on their own. The other three brothers would look for prey in the grassy meadows and shrubs. They would walk into nearby homes but at night, all of them would come back to Dr. Singh’s house.

Chotu would join them at night but, no one knew where he was during the day.

One day, when Chotu did not return at night, all the others became worried. They mewed to call out.

Dr. Singh’s family, who understood that Chotu was missing, searched for him in every possible place. The mother cat feared that Chotu had been attacked by other animals.

After some time, everyone gave up the search. The mother cat’s search too, yielded no results. Dr. Singh’s children got tired and fell asleep.

The mother cat felt that she could not protect her weakest son. She felt that she should have paid more attention to him.

When they woke up next morning, the mother cat could hear Chotu’s voice. She ran in that direction.

Chotu was sitting in one of the houses in the colony. There was a bowl of milk, bread and chapatti in front of him. A small boy was patting him gently. And, Chotu was drinking milk from the bowl.

As soon as Chotu saw his mother, he came running to her. His mother started licking Chotu. Chotu too hugged his mother back. Happy to see her son safe, the mother cat forgot to scold him for not coming home.

Their mother reached home with Chotu. Dr. Singh’s family found out where Chotu spent the night. They felt happy that Chotu had found a cat lover and someone who loves him.

Chotu-Finds-a-Home

Chotu’s mother was also happy that her son was in safe hands and that Chotu was happy at his new home.

They all understood that Chotu wanted to spend his life without having the need to hunt.

Jamun’s Prudence

Peepal was a young tree rooted near the banks of the Dhara River in Champakvan. He had grown very tall in a short span of time. He had many green leaves on his broad and strong branches too. Whoever saw Peepal stopped to admire him and said, “Wow! What a strong and beautiful tree! What lovely leaves! What broad branches!”

Peepal felt proud every time he heard someone praising him.

Jamun was a tree too. He grew right next to Peepal. The two of them were good friends even though Jamun was much older.

Jamun genuinely felt happy whenever his young friend received any appreciation.

“You deserve it, my friend,” Jamun would smile and say. “You are a fine-looking tree indeed!”

When the rainy season began, small plants, creepers and shrubs started to grow under some of the bigger trees.

Some of the creepers held on to Jamun’s trunk too, since they were weak and couldn’t stand up without any support. Some small plants too felt secure under Jamun’s broad and leafy branches and began to grow under Jamun.

Peepal was very surprised when he noticed them. One day, he turned to Jamun and whispered, “Jamun, my friend. Why are you letting these useless plants grow under you? They are making you look so ugly. Look | at me! I have kept myself smart and neat. I shoo the small plants away if they try to grow under me.”

“Well, Peepal…” Jamun started to say but Peepal cut him short.

“Please don’t make excuses for these weaklings, Jamun,” Peepal said harshly. “Just get rid of them. Tell them to grow far away from you!”

Jamun kept quiet. He didn’t say a word to the small plants and creepers either, which annoyed Peepal no end.

The same evening, a storm hit the forest. Heavy rains and strong winds lashed the trees.

The river began to swell like never before. All the animals who lived near the river ran to save their lives. There was great danger for everyone who lived near the river.

All the trees and plants that grew near the river were terrified too. The heavy rainfall was making the river rise.

Jamun was worried too. His friend Peepal was in great trouble.

The soil holding Peepal’s roots was being washed away by the river water that was now flowing through the forest.

Peepal was finding it tough to hold on. And even though he was trying his very best, a strong wind blew and made him lose his balance. Peepal started to fall down.

But to his surprise, Jamun quickly stretched his branches out and saved his young friend from being uprooted completely.

The next morning, after the storm had passed by, the sun rose and lit the forest. Jamun at once turned to look at his friend.

“Are you ok, Peepal?” Jamun asked with concern. “I’ve been worried about you all night!”

“I’m fine, my friend,” Peepal said weakly. “But if it wasn’t for you, I would have surely been uprooted and washed away. Thank you for saving my life. But tell me something. How is it that you are standing tall and upright while I was almost uprooted and washed away?”

Jamun smiled and said, “Peepal, the small plants that grow under me have helped save me.”

“Is that so?” Peepal asked, looking very surprised.

“Yes,” Jamun said. “The small plants that grow under me held the soil of my roots firmly and withstood the fast flowing river water. If it wasn’t for them, my condition would have been as bad as yours. I would have been uprooted and washed away.”

Jamun then looked down and humbly thanked all the small plants who grew under him for their help.

 

Peepal hung his head low. He realised his mistake.

He understood that Nature had made everyone equal, no matter how great or small they appeared.

“There is place for everyone in this world. Nobody is big or small,” Jamun explained. “And so, it is best to make friends with everyone.”

Jamun’s words changed Peepal’s attitude towards the small plants and creepers.

And after a few days, Jamun saw his young friend welcoming the tiny plants that were trying to grow under his branches.

The Pitcher’s Stomach Ache

A small clay pitcher was lying in the corner of a field. The farmers who worked on the field, stored water in it on hot summer days, so that the water would remain cool for them to drink.

The pitcher had now been empty for a few days since the farmers were on a holiday. The water it contained had evaporated with the heat.

One day, Chunmun Sparrow was flying above the field when she heard the sound of wailing. She looked down and saw the pitcher weeping. Chunmun Sparrow flew down to the pitcher and asked, “What happened to you, pitcher? Why are you crying?”

“Oh!” the pitcher groaned. “My poor stomach! It has been aching since a few days! I can’t bear the pain anymore!”

Teetu Parrot heard the pitcher talking and flew down to the field.

“Well, Chunmun Sparrow,” Teetu Parrot said. “Whenever I am hungry, my stomach starts to ache. I think the pitcher must be hungry too.”

“I don’t think that pitchers feel hunger, Teetu,” Chunmun Sparrow explained.

Kagu Crow, who had been watching the scene from a nearby tree, flew to the spot too. 

“I think the pitcher must have a swelling on its intestine,” he suggested. “Usually, the stomach aches when there is a swelling on the intestine. I had a similar problem some years ago too!”

Chunmun Sparrow sighed and replied, “Kagu Uncle, I don’t think pitchers have intestines. So, there’s no chance of any swelling.”

Soon, Munmun Starling, Pintu Pigeon, Rinky Butterfly and Rangeela Peacock heard of the pitcher’s problem and flew to the field to offer their opinions.

But Chunmun Sparrow wasn’t convinced with anything they said.

Suddenly, the pitcher began screaming at the top of its voice.

“Aargh! My poor stomach!” it shrieked. “The pain is becoming unbearable! I think I’m going to die.”

The pitcher’s cries made Sweety Ant creep out of her house. She climbed to the top of a vine that was growing near the pitcher and shouted to get the others’ attention.

“Please do something! Call a doctor or else the pitcher’s stomach will burst open!” she begged.

“Sweety Ant is right. We should consult Dr. Chuheram,” Chunmun Sparrow suggested. “He’s a good doctor and will cure the pitcher’s stomachache, no matter what the ailment is!”

Chunmun Sparrow and the others then went in search of Dr. Chuheram.

They found him in his clinic and brought him to the field as soon as they could. But to everyone’s great surprise, the pitcher had disappeared from the field.

“Where could the pitcher have gone?” Chunmun Sparrow said, scratching her head. “It was right here when we left a few minutes ago!”

“This is a mystery,” Kagu Crow said.

“Hey! What is this pumpkin doing here?” Teetu Parrot said, pointing to a big, fat pumpkin that was snoring loudly in the pitcher’s place. “It wasn’t here when we left!”

Chunmun Sparrow poked the pumpkin with her beak. “Pumpkin!” she twittered. “Wake up, you sleepyhead!”

The pumpkin opened its eyes and yawned.

“Why did you wake me up?” the pumpkin asked sleepily.

“Have you seen a pitcher on the field? It was on the very spot you were sleeping in,” Kagu Crow inquired. “Have you any idea where it could have gone?”

The pumpkin then gestured to some broken clay pieces that were scattered all around.

“This is very strange!” Sweety Ant said. “I noticed that there was a pumpkin vine here earlier. But there was no sign of the pumpkin then. Pumpkin, where did you suddenly come from?”

“Well, I was sleeping here all along,” the pumpkin said, yawning again.

“Huh? Sleeping here?” everyone asked together. “Why didn’t we see you earlier? Where exactly were you?”

The pumpkin smiled and said, “You would have surely seen me had you looked inside the pitcher’s stomach!”

“What?” everyone asked, sounding very surprised.

“Yes,” the pumpkin said. “When I was just a tiny seed, the pitcher swallowed me and kept me inside its stomach. And now, when I’ve grown bigger, it cracked and fell apart. That’s how I’ve came out.”

“Does that mean that you killed the pitcher?”

Dr. Chuheram asked and looked at the pumpkin rather sharply.

“No, I didn’t!” the pumpkin said sternly.

The-Pitcher's-Stomach-Ache

“I had warned the pitcher several times even when I was a baby seed. I had told it not to swallow me. But the pitcher didn’t listen. All it wanted to do was fill its empty stomach. It laughed and didn’t believe me when I cautioned that tiny pumpkin seeds grow into rather big pumpkins.”

Chunmun Sparrow, Teetu Parrot, Kagu Crow and the others looked at the broken pieces of the pitcher and felt very sorry for it. They shook their heads sadly and returned home with heavy hearts.

The pumpkin simply closed its eyes and started to snore once again.

BEAR– HUG SUPPER

It was the coldest day of winter. Throughout the day, the sun remained hidden behind a thick layer of fog. Icy-cold winter breeze whistled through the leaves of the trees. Most of the birds and animals had not come out of their homes.

Kalulu, the rabbit, lay inside his burrow, enjoying its warmth.

Suddenly, his ears stood erect.

“Kalulu! Kalulu,” a squeaky voice was calling out to him.

He came outside and saw Moro Goro, the squirrel.

“Kalulu,” said Moro Goro, “Wild Goat is dying. She wants to see you right away.”

At once, Kalulu hopped off towards the overhanging ledge. Wild Goat lived underneath the ledge.

The Best Mother’s Day Gift

Wild Goat was groaning. She was suffering. Her entire body was covered with deep cuts and gashes. Blood was oozing out of them. Her week-old kid was standing beside her.

Seeing the rabbit she tried to get up. She said, “Kalulu, I am hurt because of Fisi, the hyena. He wanted to grab my kid. After a big fight, I was able to drive him away at the cost of my life. Please save my kid from the hyena’s cruel…”

She died before completing her sentence. The kid was very small. He could not understand what was happening around him

Kalulu was worried. He always shared everyone’s troubles and tried to solve them. He looked at the unfortunate kid who was blinking at him with innocent eyes. As he was hungry, the little one began to search for his dead mother’s teats with his mouth.

Kalulu thought, “Something has to be done at the earliest. The kid was sure to die of hunger if it did not get its milk. With the hyena around, its life would never be free from danger.” Suddenly, he remembered Mother Bear. She lived in a Dark Cave on the mountain-slope. The other day, when Kalulu was passing by, he had stopped when he had heard a sound. It was Mother Bear, sobbing.

More From Champak: The Naughty Duckling

After stepping into the cave he had asked, “Why are you so sad?”

The mother bear had replied, “O Kalulu,” my heart is broken. This morning, when I had gone to the stream to drink water, hunters took away my two-day-old baby. I feel like killing myself. What’s there to live for?”

Kalulu had murmured a few words of sympathy and left.

Remembering this incident, he told the kid, “Follow me.” They proceeded towards Dark Cave.

As he stood by the mouth of the cave, he called out, “Mother Bear, I’ve brought something for you to live for. In this jungle, a mother has lost her baby and a baby has lost its mother. One mother is dead but another is alive.”

Mother Bear shook her huge body and stood on her hind legs. Swinging her forelimbs, she walked towards the mouth of the cave.bear-hug-supper

Kalulu stood aside. Mother Bear and the kid were face to face. She bent down and picked up the kid with her forelimbs. She hugged it. The kid lost no time in finding her teat and pressed it between its mouth.

Kalulu saw tears of joy in her eyes.

“Now I’m going to take care of the hyena,” said Kalulu.

He hopped away, leaving the mother and her kid to themselves.

Fisi was walking along a narrow path. He knew that he had badly wounded Wild Goat who was going to be his supper. Her kid would be the extra ‘sweet dish’ or dessert.

“You seem to be in a hurry.”

As he heard these words, the hyena stopped.

The voice had come from a nearby burrow. It was a familiar voice…Kalulu’s!

“At the moment, I am in no hurry to sharpen my teeth on you,” said the hyena with a cruel grin. “I’m going to enjoy a different supper.”

“Your supper has already moved from beneath the ledge,” said Kalulu. “Both, the mother goat and the kid, have taken shelter in Dark Cave. Yes, the mother is seriously wounded, yet she can still be dangerous. You’ve had the taste of her horns, I believe?”

“I’m so disappointed,” murmured the hyena.

“You don’t have to be,” said the rabbit. “I can give you a clever plan. It would help you to get your ‘supper’ without any difficulty.”

Fisi, in disbelief, questioned, “Aren’t you my old enemy? Haven’t I suffered at your hands several times? How can you be helpful?”

“Your problem is that you haven’t learnt to trust those who are your true friends,” said Kalulu. “I agree. We’ve been enemies in the past. Let’s forget the past and be friends forever. My plan, which I’m going to share with you, will be a proof of my friendship.”

“What’s it?” questioned the hyena.

The rabbit said, “My dear friend, listen to my words carefully. The main trouble with you is that your presence can be felt from a distance. You look ugly and are smelly. You need to use a bit of cunning to confuse your supper.”

“I don’t understand you?” growled Fisi, grinding his teeth.

“I have no doubt that you’re an idiot who can’t understand simple matters,” said Kalulu. “Your awful face alerts everyone. Why not use a trick? When you enter the cave, move backwards, with your tail facing the cave and your face in the opposite direction. By the time the mother goat and the kid recognise you, it would be too late for them…ha…ha…”

“What a wonderful trick!” exclaimed Fisi. “Kalulu, I’m so pleased with you that I’ll eat you last…ha…ha. It will be your reward for being helpful to me. This is how we hyenas return goodness.”

Meanwhile at the cave, Mother Bear hugged the kid. After a satisfying meal, the little one was fast asleep.

Some movement at the mouth of the cave startled her. She turned her face towards it.

“What is this? A hyena, with the tail in front!” She thought.bear-hug-supper

The next moment, the hyena howled in great pain.

“What a horrid monster is this? It is boring holes into my skin.”

He helplessly wriggled and kicked. However, he could not free himself from the horrible monster. Little did he know that in this world there are only a few things that are tighter than a bear-hug?

A few minutes later, the hyena lay outside the cave, half dead after tasting his ‘bear-hug’ supper.

Courageous Brother

Didi, Didi, look at what I have.” eight year old Rohit entered Sarita Didi’s room. He showed her a trophy that he held in his hands.

“Wow, this looks beautiful. Why have you got this shining trophy, Rohit?” Sarita asked her brother.

“Didi, at the scout camp, I was chosen as the best roller skater. They gave me a cheque for Rs. 500 and a trophy.”

“Congratulations, Rohit. I am proud of you,” said Sarita.

She had tears of happiness in her eyes.

Since childhood, Sarita had been affected by polio. She couldn’t walk. She had to use a wheelchair to move around.

Despite her condition, Sarita didn’t lose heart. She was good at painting. In fact, she had just completed a painting for a competition.

After he saw her painting Rohit said, “I am sure that your painting is going to win the first prize.”

Sarita replied, “It will get a prize only if you will submit it at the Town Hall by 5 O’clock today.”

“Didi, don’t worry. I will go and submit it immediately,” said Rohit.

He covered the painting with a newspaper and left.

He had walked a little farther distance, when he heard a voice shouting, “Thief… thief.”

Rohit saw a masked man holding a black bag in his hand. The man ran ahead of him.

An old man, who was limping behind him said, “Somebody catch him, this thief is stealing my bag.”

Rohit stopped to help the old man.

“Baba, has he taken off with your bag?” Rohit asked.

The old man replied, “Son, that bag has 5 lakhs rupees in it. I was going to deposit the money in the bank. I don’t know how he snatched the bag from my hands.”

The old man started crying.

Rohit was thinking. He wanted to help the old man. Just then, he noticed a boy of his age in the nearby park. He was practicing with his roller skates. Rohit ran towards him and requested him to lend him his skates for a while.

The boy agreed to do so. Rohit immediately put on the skates on his feet and borrowed the old man’s walking stick. He then skated in the direction that the thief’ had taken.courageous-brother

Skating at a high speed, Rohit followed the thief. Onlookers were surprised to see a small child chase a thief. They moved aside to give him way.

Even in his dreams, the thief could not have imagined that someone would catch him. As soon as Rohit reached close, he pushed the old man’s stick on the thief’s leg.

“Wham!”

The thief fell flat on the road. The bag slipped out from his hands and fell at a distance.courageous-brother

Rohit quickly picked up the bag. He alerted a few passersby. A few people came running towards the thief. They tied him up with a rope so that he couldn’t flee.

Meanwhile, somebody had called the police. The police arrived shortly.

The police inspector said, “He is the most infamous criminal in the city. We have wanted to nab him for a while.”

He added, “Well done, son. You will be rewarded for your courage and presence of mind.”

Rohit was happy. After submitting the painting at the Town Hall, he returned home to his sister. He narrated the incident. Sarita hugged her courageous brother.

Story of Bread

Mayuri Peahen was a reporter at Jungle Times. When she reached her office, editor Jerry Pigeon told her, “The next edition of Jungle Times is a ‘food special. The magazine is going to be finalised tomorrow. Two pages are still empty. Prepare a nice article to fill them.”

Mayuri thought for a while. Unfortunately, no idea clicked in her mind. She couldn’t think of a topic to write on. Soon, it was lunchtime. She hadn’t brought a packed lunch. So, she left the office to get something to eat. She felt a sudden urge to eat bread.

She went to a bakery and asked for bread. The bakery owner Yaku Billy Goat asked, “Which type of bread you want, brown or white?”

“Bread has colours?” Mayuri questioned.

“Bread generally has two colours. However, there is a wide variety of bread,” replied Yaku. “Okay, what is the difference between white and brown bread?” Mayuri asked with curiosity.

“White bread is made from refined flour while brown bread is made using whole wheat,” explained Yaku. Mayuri thought, “This bakery owner knows a lot about bread. I can get a lot of information from him. Then I will be able to write an article on bread for the magazine.”

Mayuri said, “Uncle, I am a reporter at Jungle Times. Could you please give me more information about bread? I can use it to write an article.”

He replied, “Why not? Not only bread, I know a lot about every item sold in a bakery.”

“For the time being, please tell me about bread,” said Mayuri.

She took out her pen and diary. She started taking notes.

The bakery owner began, “Normally two types of bread are made and eaten. White bread is made from refined flour and brown bread is made from whole wheat flour.”

Mayuri interrupted him saying, “You have already told me this. Tell me, when was bread made for the first time?”

He said, “Most probably, bread was made for the first time at least twelve thousand years ago. Some historians say that some types of bread were made thirty thousand years ago.”

“Wow. Tell me more…” Mayuri prompted. He continued, “At that time, the dough was made from flour obtained from different grains. It was roasted on flat stones placed over the fire. In the 18th century, bread was made in the home and the hearth.”

She asked, “Is bread similar all over the world?”

He replied, “No, bread has different shapes and sizes.”

“Okay, tell me more,” said Mayuri.

He said, “In America, bread is often made from maize flour. In Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, it is generally made from rice flour. Germany adds sesame seeds, pistachios and cashew nuts to its bread. Iran and Mongolia make thick, round bread.”

She asked, “Are there other kinds of bread apart from these?”

He continued, “Yes, Africa produces bread made in hot oil. China makes bread that is slightly sour in taste and is steamed.

Germany makes salted bread. Israel makes bread that is both sweet and sour in taste. In India, white and brown bread are consumed the most.”

“Is bread eaten in different ways, in different countries?” Mayuri asked.story-of-bread

“Seventy per cent of the countries of the world enjoy eating bread. Fifty per cent of the bread made is used to make sandwiches. Apart from this, it is also used in patties, burgers, hot dogs and as a cereal with vegetables,” Yaku replied.

She asked, “Is there any country that makes all types of bread?”

“Switzerland is a country where the bread of all countries are made and sold. Britain makes more than two hundred varieties of bread, all of which taste good.”

“This is my final question. Does bread have any nutrition?” asked Mayuri.

“Bread has protein, carbohydrates, calcium, iron and vitamins that are essential for the body. Bread made from refined flour doesn’t have fibre. It contains a lesser amount of vitamins and minerals. So, it is better to eat brown bread.”

Mayuri kept her pen and diary back in her bag. She thanked Yaku for giving her so much information about bread. She went back to the office. She began to write an article on bread.

King Potato

A tiny potato emerged out from the soil. It beamed with happiness.

It thought, “Wow, what a world! I have heard a lot about the world. Fortunately, I can now see it. I am going to have fun.”

While it was looking around, it spotted a green coloured round thing, clinging on to a climber. It asked, “Hey, who are you?”

“I am a young tomato.”

“You came out before me?” the potato questioned.

The tomato replied, “I have always been out since I was born.”

The little potato felt bad. However, it soon forgot everything. It was a jolly thing. It got back to its original fun-filled mood.

It thought, “I will see the entire world.”

While it was still thinking, it saw a long, green thing hanging from a straight standing plant.

“Who are you?” it asked.

“I am chilli.”

“You also came out before me!”

The chilli replied, “I have always been out, soaking in the sunlight, breathing in fresh air.”

The potato’s face fell. There were other plants in the garden, on which tiny fruits were swaying in happiness.

The potato asked the little pea, “Have you always been out as well?”

The pea was naughty. It sensed the potato’s restlessness.King Potato

It said, “Is this a question to ask? Not only I, but everyone out here hasn’t been buried under the ground. We breathe in fresh air. All of us sleep under the moonlit sky. We wake up with the golden rays of the sun. It’s fun swaying in the breeze.”

“Hmm, this means that I am the only one who has to stay underground. How unlucky we potatoes are! Look at the others. They are all so shiny and beautiful. They live in fresh air. I look so filthy and ugly! Nobody will even notice me.”

The potato felt sad. After talking to the other vegetables, it kept quiet.

A few days later, it was kept in a basket.

It was taken to the vegetable market. All the other vegetables also went along.

“Look, the king of vegetables has been kept near me!” the brinjal exclaimed excitedly.

The potato asked, “Where? Who is it? Please tell me.”

The potato was curious. The brinjal became silent for a while.

He asked the brinjal, “Why are you looking at me like that? Am I that ugly?”

With some hesitation, the brinjal replied, “You are the king, the king of vegetables.”

“Why are you making fun of me? I am an ugly vegetable, who lives underground. How can I be the king?” the potato questioned.

The brinjal replied, “You really are the king. You have all the qualities needed to be a king. Most vegetable preparations are made with you. When there is no other vegetable you alone are sufficient. People can have a satisfying meal by just eating you.”

The pumpkin was lying close by. It said, “You are healthy. How can you not be king? You have Carbohydrates, Vitamin C, Iron, Calcium, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Carotene and Niacin.

You are enriched with so many nutrients. You are available in every season, every day. We may be here today but gone tomorrow. You are available throughout the year.”

The little potato was pleasantly surprised. It was finding it difficult to believe that it was the king of vegetables!

It thought, “Inner qualities and usefulness are more important than outer appearances. I might be ugly on the surface but my other qualities make me stand apart from others, so much so that I am their king!”King Potato

The little potato now understood its self-worth. It regretted its earlier thinking. It felt satisfied, not because it was the king, but because it knew the reason why it was the king.

Mittu, the pet dog

Deepti was very sad. She had lost Mittu, her pet dog. The previous evening, she had gone for her piano classes. She had taken Mittu with her. Mittu was playing in the garden of the piano teacher’s house. When the class was over, Deepti went to the garden to fetch Mittu. However, Mittu was nowhere to be found. She had yelled, cried and shouted out Mittu’s name at least a thousand times. Mittu never replied. She had walked home. She sadly told her Mom that Mittu was missing.

Mom reassured Deepti, “Don’t worry my dear, Mittu is very clever. He will soon come home. Now, eat your snacks and start on your homework.”

Deepti concentrated on her studies. After having dinner, she went to sleep.

A week passed. There was no sign of Mittu. Deepti’s Dad said, “We will soon buy a new puppy. You can play with him.”

Deepti missed playing with her dog. Every day, Mittu used to accompany Deepti up to the school bus. Her friends always played with Mittu. Whenever Deepti’s friends did not come to play with them, Mittu used to play hide and seek with Deepti. It was fun playing with Mittu. Mittu used to sleep under Deepti’s bed. Deepti felt that she could not love any other dog. She only wanted Mittu. Day by day, she became quieter and sadder.

One day, Deepti’s dad took her to an exhibition. He wanted her to enjoy herself. The exhibition was very big and had lots of games. Deepti’s dad got her a new teddy bear.

He said, “Deepti, now you can play with this teddy whenever you feel bored.”

Deepti said, “Thank you, daddy. This is only a toy. My Mittu was real.”

A little later, there was an announcement

“Welcome to the grand exhibition. Here comes our next item, “The Dog Show.’ See cute dogs perform different tricks, stunts and dances”.

Deepti told her Dad and Mom, “Please come with me. I want to see the dog show.”

They went to the centre of the exhibition ground. They took their seats and watched the show. Many dog owners proudly brought their dogs to the stage and ordered them to sit, jump and dance. The dogs obeyed their masters. As the shows went on, Deepti watched with great enthusiasm. Suddenly, she got up from her chair and jumped up and down.

She cried loudly, “Mittu, this is my Mittu.”

Hearing her cry, a cute dog jumped from the stage and started running towards her. It was her Mittu! Deepti was so happy that she cried and hugged Mittu. Mittu also licked Deepti. He showed his affection by barking happily. Deepti’s dad and mom were so relieved. Finally, they could see that their daughter was happy.

Meanwhile, someone from the stage came down and said, “Do you know Tommy? One day I saw him running in the middle of the road. There was a lot of traffic. I thought that this dog would get hurt. So, I took it with me.”

Deepti said, “Yes, it is my pet dog, Mittu. I lost him. Thank you for saving my dog’s life and taking care of him.”Mittu,-the-pet-dog

The gentleman said, “Oh, it is my pleasure. Mittu is very cute and smart. I had real fun with him. Anyway, since it is yours, you can now take him.”

Mittu barked loudly. He was also saying thank you to the gentleman. Deepti and Mittu happily walked away.

Graffiti’s Intellect

Bhikhu the Bear had come to Champakvan. He was a famous astrologer. The animals of Champakvan were highly impressed by his talks.

Mickey the Rabbit extended his palm and asked, “Please read my palm and tell me as to when will my days turn sunny? I think I am possessed by some evil spirits. Nothing goes right with me. Caty Aunty kidnaps my young ones when we are out for work. Please suggest a way out.”

Bhikhu said, “I will have to perform some rituals to ward off the evil spirits and that will cost some money.”

“We are ready to spend any amount for it,” said Mickey.

Foxy the Fox came to Bhikhu and asked, “Baba, I have heard that you can double money and gold. Is it true?”

Bhikhu raised his head with pride and said, “A powerful being like me can do anything.”

Foxy got excited and gave away all her valuables and money to Bhikhu.

Bhikhu became famous in Champakvan. The animals treated him like a king. They used to get lot of fruits for him. Bhikhu had involved Bhaggu the Horse in his plan. They both enjoyed all the attention from Champakvan.

Bhikhu kept telling the animals that he was performing the rituals daily. He told them that they should come to him two days prior to Diwali and take their valuables and money that will have doubled by then.

As instructed by Bhikhu, Mickey and Foxy went to Bhikhu’s house to collect their valuables. They were astonished to see that Bhikhu and Bhaggu were nowhere to be seen. They became panicky and started to weep.

Old Graffiti Giraffe Uncle had come to Champakyan. He saw Mickey crying and asked him for the reason. Mickey narrated the entire episode.

Graffiti asked, “Did Bhaggu limp while walking? Did he have chickpeas laden on his back? Does any of the two have wounds on his body?”

Some animals informed that a wounded Bhikhu was seen rushing out of his house with a huge bag in the morning. Everyone there was shocked as to how Graffiti Uncle knew so much about Bhaggu and Bhikhu. They pleaded him to take them to Bhikhu and Bhaggu.

Graffiti said, “I have no idea of their whereabouts.”

The animals took Graffiti to the police station. Inspector Shersingh started interrogating him about the case. He said, “You have given quite a lot of information about the two tricksters. Then why are you apprehensive to tell us about their hiding spot?”

Graffiti said, “When I was coming to Champakvan, I saw footprints of an animal. Only three limbs had left prints and so could guess that the animal was hobbling. There were some chickpeas scattered on the way and that made me conclude that the animal was carrying chickpeas on his back. Also, I saw some drops of blood on the way, and that is why I guessed that the animal must have been wounded.”

Shersingh said, “You are indeed very intelligent. Now you all must follow those footprints and nab the frauds.” |

The animals of Champakvan, along with Graffiti, followed the footprints.

They reached a place and Graffiti said, “Wait.

They both must be around this place.”

“How can you be so sure?” asked Mickey.

Graffiti replied, “Look around. There is no grass here. It seems someone has just finished grazing. And also there is a river nearby for drinking water.”

Just then, Bhikhu came out of the river and Mickey nabbed him. Foxy saw Bhaggu nearby and jumped on his back. Bhaggu tried to escape but in vain.short stories for kids

Bhaggu and Bhikhu were taken to the police station. The police seized all the money and valuables from them and returned the same to Mickey and Foxy.

Shersingh felicitated Graffiti Uncle and said, “You have accomplished a lot of things just by using your intelligence. You are an inspiration to all the citizens of Champakvan.”

EVERGREEN EMPATHY

Autumn had passed, winter was approaching. All the birds began to fly south. Only one little bird was left behind. It had a broken wing.

“Farewell! We’ll meet in spring,” said the birds. The little bird sighed. It said, “Oh dear! Oh dear! I need a home for the winter. If I can reach those trees, perhaps, they will help me.”

It was very cold with the frost and snow falling steadily.

The first tree that the bird saw was a Birch. It took a deep breath and pleasantly asked, “Oh, dear beautiful Birch, my wing is broken. May I take shelter in your branches?”

“For how long do you wish to stay?” The Birch asked the bird.

“Just until spring,” answered the bird.

“Oh dear! That’s too long. Sorry!” The Birch replied.

“Birch, it’s all right,” replied the bird. “Perhaps, the mighty Oak will help me!”

When the bird reached the Oak, it took a deep breath and politely asked, “Oh, dear mighty Oak, my wing is broken. May I take shelter in your branches until my friends return?”

“Oh dear! Dear me no!” The Oak sighed. “You’re a restless bird; you’ll move around and disturb me throughout the winter!

“Oak, it’s all right,” replied the bird. “Perhaps, the kind Willow will help me.”

When the bird reached the Willow, it took a deep breath and politely said, “Oh, dear kind Willow, my wing is broken. May I take shelter in your branches until my friends return in spring?”

“Oh dear! Oh dear!” The Willow said. “I don’t know you. However, I’m sure you’ll find a few trees somewhere in this forest! that’ll take in strange birds!”

The poor bird was just about to give up looking for shelter. It heard a gentle voice calling, “Little bird, where are you going?”evergreen empathy

“Oh dear! Oh dear! I really don’t know!” said the bird, truthfully. “I’m very sad and cold.”

“Come, climb up to one of my branches,” said the soft voice. “I’m the Spruce tree. You can live on my warmest branch all winter, if you choose to.”

The bird said, “Oh dear, oh, dear, how can I thank you enough?”

“It’s time at least one tree helped you, I will keep the cold wind away from you,” said the Pine tree.

Yet, another voice called out and said, “I can also help you.”

“Oh dear, oh, dear, who is that?” The bird asked.

The tree answered, “It is I, the Juniper. I can give you berries all winter long. Birds like you, love my berries.”

“Oh dear, oh, dear, of course we do!” The bird exclaimed in a happy tone.

The Spruce gave the lonely little bird a home. The Pine protected it from the cold North Wind. The Juniper gave it berries to eat. These trees spread some evergreen empathy towards the little bird. That’s why the leaves of the Spruce, Pine and Juniper are always green.

Forgetul Grandma

Grandma lived in a big house. She lived alone. Her children and grandchildren lived abroad. Forgetful by nature, she would often keep something somewhere and forget about it. Then, she would keep searching the entire house. She would be restless till she found what she was looking for. She loved children. She would often call them by wrong names.

The children found this funny. They would laugh. Grandma was very fond of watching movies. One day, she decided to go for a movie. She wore a nice fur coat. She locked the door. She began thinking as to where should she keep the key so that she could find it easily. She knew she was forgetful. She didn’t want to lose the key.

She thought, “I should keep the key in a flower-pot. However, there are so many pots here, so how will I remember in which pot I have kept the key? I can keep the key in the pot in a corner, but then there are pots in every corner. What should I do?” Grandma couldn’t make up her mind.

“I should keep the pot with the key in the car. Then I will just have to remember car and pot.” Grandma thought that this was a good idea. She heaved a sigh of relief.

Grandma kept the pot in the car and began her journey. Unfortunately, she forgot where she was going. She figured that she must have come out for some shopping. She turned left, towards the main market.

It was Sunday. The market was very crowded. Many cars were parked. Grandma thought that there were so many cars here that she would find it hard to remember where she had parked her car. Now she was in a dilemma.

Grandma thought, “It would be better if I keep the car at home and come back in a taxi.”

Grandma returned home.

By now, Grandma was tired.

“How about having a hot cup of coffee first?” she thought.

Grandma loved having coffee, while watching flowers through her kitchen window.

She reached the door.

“Where have I kept the key?’ she thought for a while.

Finally, she remembered the idea of putting the key in a flower-pot. She looked inside all the pots. The key wasn’t in any of them.

Grandma was worried.

“Oh no, what has happened to me? If I remember one thing, then I forget the other!”

In frustration, Grandma banged her hand on the car. This act reminded her that she had kept the pot with the key inside the car! Happily, she took out the pot from the car and searched. The key was nowhere to be found. “Oh my, this forgetfulness is not leaving me. Now, where shall I find my key?” Grandma muttered. Absentmindedly, her hand went inside her coat’s pocket.

“Hey, I kept the key inside my pocket and here I am, searching for it everywhere else!”kids story

Grandma was relieved. While keeping the pot in the car, Grandma had kept the key in her coat pocket. She had forgotten to put the key inside the pot!

Grandma was very happy to have found the key. She went inside to have a cup of coffee. However, she soon forgot her original plan, to go out of the house to watch a movie.

Baba Bhootnath

Idam PudamSudam” Jumpy was repeatedly chanting this when Blacky the Bear came there. He asked, “What strange thing are you saying?”

Jumpy replied, “This is a very effective chant Baba Bhootnath gave it to me and said that if I chant this 100 times, I will score very well in the school exams. He has also given me a talisman to wear around my neck.” Jumpy then showed the talisman around his neck.

Blacky had failed in the previous exam. He thought that if he seeks help from Baba, he would also score good marks. So he requested Jumpy to take him to Baba Bhootnath.

The next day, Jumpy and Blacky went to meet Baba Bhootnath. Baba Bhootnath was sitting under a Banyan tree. He was wearing a Dhoti and had applied ash on his entire body. He was sitting with his legs crossed. His eyes were closed and he was chanting something. He had already seen Jumpy and Blacky coming towards him. He asked them, “How come both of you are here?”

Blacky was stunned at this question because he wondered how Baba could anticipate that they were coming towards him with his eyes closed. Blacky really thought that Baba was a great magician.

Baba gave a talisman to Blacky in return of Rs. 100 and said that if he wore the talisman around his neck and chanted “IdamPudamSudam” 100 times a day, he would pass his exams with good marks. Blacky thanked him and returned home. He became free of tension and chanted “IdamPudamSudam” 101 times a day.

Many other classmates of Blacky also went to Baba to buy the talisman. Some shelled out from their pocket money, while some others borrowed money from friends. Cheeku the Rabbit did not believe in having blind faith or superstitions. He felt sorry that so many school students were wasting money on a talisman which they believed could fetch them good marks in the exams. His teacher and his parents had explained to him that he could score well in the exams only through hard work. He knew for sure that there was no shortcut to success. Studying hard would only help in achieving good marks.

Cheeku was surprised when he learned that even some parents had gone to Baba to buy the talisman for their children.

Cheeku wanted to make everyone realise that belief in such superstitions results in nothing. He also wanted to expose the fake Baba’s truth to everyone. So he started thinking of ideas. In no time, a very good and efficient idea struck his mind and he went to his friend Fatty the Elephant. Fatty agreed to help him with his plan.

As per the plan, Cheeku and Fatty went to Baba Bhootnath. Cheeku said, “Baba, I have an enemy. Do something so that he gets destroyed.”

Baba Bhootnath had only one solution to all the problems. And that was the talisman and the chant. Baba had to do something different as Cheeku had approached him with a different problem. Baba thus doubled the prize of his talisman and said to Cheeku, “Your problem is different, and so the talisman for you will cost Rs. 200. Also, you shall have to chant ‘Cyclones in plenty, destroy my enemy’ 202 times. Then a cyclone will strike and your enemy will be destroyed.”

Cheeku handed over 200 Rupees to Baba and took the talisman.

Cheeku said, “Baba, I will start chanting right away. I request Fatty and you to count the chants and stop me after I chant 202 times.”

Cheeku started chanting. Baba was worried now. He had thought that Cheeku would leave after taking the talisman but that was not the case. Cheeku was chanting right in front of him.

Baba had no choice but to sit there. He then thought of a plan. He thought that when Cheeku would finish chanting, he would send him to see his enemy. And as soon as Cheeku would leave, he would escape too.

No sooner did Cheeku finish chanting, than Baba said, “Go and see your enemy. He must have been destroyed by now.”

Cheeku said, “No Baba, my enemy is still alive. What you said did not happen. Your talisman and your chant are a sham. My enemy is right in front of me. I wanted to destroy you because you are my enemy.”

“What are you saying?” asked Baba.

Cheeku said, “You are a liar and a cheat and such a person is not only my enemy but the entire society’s enemy. People like you fool everyone and cheat them. You have no virtue to be called a saint.  Return my money right away.”

Baba threatened Cheeku, ”You talk a lot. Leave from here or I shall turn you into ashes.”
“Oh liar Baba!” said Fatty, “Stop threatening. You are not competent enough to do anything. Let me show you what I can do.”kids story

Fatty lifted Baba in his trunk and threw him on the nearby bush. Baba landed with a thud. By then all the animals of Champakvan had gathered there.

Baba got up and started running away from the crowd to save his life. But unfortunately, he was caught by the animals. They handed him over to the police.

Baba Bhootnath’s fraud had been exposed. All the animals were ashamed of themselves. They appreciated and thanked Cheeku and Fatty for confronting them with the truth. They also swore that they would never fall prey to such false claims and superstitions.

Miraculous Plants in Champakvan

Mimmo was a smart goat of Champakvan. One sunny afternoon when she was returning home from the market, she saw a huge crowd near a tree.

She went there and learnt that there was an old saint sitting there. He was telling about a miraculous plant that makes one wealthy and prosperous.

Mimmo asked Blacky the Bear who was standing beside her, “What is all this?”

Blacky pointed at some plants kept near the saint and said, “He seems to be a great saint. He claims that if we grow these plants in our house and later on return them to him, we can get a lot of wealth from a holy cave.”

Mimmo looked at the plants and laughed. She then turned to Blacky and said, “I don’t find anything unusual or special in these plants. They barely have some leaves and no flowers at all.”

The saint heard Mimmo’s words and said angrily, “Foolish Mimmo, you have humiliated me.”

“How do you know my name?” asked Mimmo.

The saint replied, “Child, I am omniscient. I know Jhingu, the prawn; Chinti, the ant; Kuki, the Cuckoo and Jumbo, the elephant also. I can keep a watch on all the animals of the entire world by merely sitting here.”

The saint correctly guessed the names of all the animals present there. Mimmo was impressed by this. She bowed to him and apologised for her mistake. The saint forgave her and gave plants to everyone present there.

Juju the Giraffe said to Mimmo, “See how great he is! Had he been a fraud, he wouldn’t have distributed these plants for free.”

The saint distributed plants to everyone and told them to take good care of the plants. He also said that he would return to Champakvan after a few months. The saint then returned to his holy cave in the Amazon forests.

Mimmo happily returned home and placed the plant in her small garden. After a few months, the plants grew well and bore a lot of flowers and fruits. Now the animals were eagerly waiting for the saint to come.

One morning when Mimmo was watering the plants, she saw her best friend, Caty the Cat. Two years ago, Caty had gone abroad to study. Mimmo was extremely delighted to see Caty after such a long time.

“Mimmo, you and gardening? I am impressed,” said Caty.

Mimmo told Caty about the saint and the magical plants. Caty was shocked to see Mimmo believing all this. She explained to Mimmo that all this isn’t true in this modern world. She then pulled out a book from her bag and started matching Mimmo’s plant with the ones in her book.

“These seem to be opium plants I guess?” said Caty.

Mimmo said, “Whatever it is! It doesn’t make any difference. The saint said that this is a magical plant.”

“Don’t be foolish, Mimmo,” said Caty, “Opium is also known as “Afeem’.

Planting this is illegal. The fruits of these plants are used to make drugs which are very dangerous to health.”

Mimmo stood dumbstruck for a few seconds. Then Caty and Mimmo went to each and every house of Champakvan and told the truth to everyone.

Blacky informed inspector Panther about the entire episode. Inspector Panther and King Shersingh immediately returned from Amazon where they had gone for a holiday.

They also told the animals that there is no holy cave or saint in Amazon. Inspector Panther assumed that the saint was living in Champakvan itself and that is why he knew the name of all the animals.

Just then, the saint appeared there with a truck. He saw the inspector and started turning his truck around.

Inspector Panther leapt at the truck and pulled the saint out of it. During this brawl, the saint’s false beard came off and everyone was shocked to see that it was Jojo, the fox who was dressed as a saint.kids story

Jojo was caught red handed. He said that these plants were given to him by his brother, Gogo. He had said that they would earn lakhs of rupees by selling these plants in the foreign markets.

“Oh, so that was the reason you came dressed as a saint and tried to fool us? Thanks to Caty and her knowledge of botanical science, we came to know about these dangerous plants. Had we given the plants to Jojo, who knows how many animals would have fallen prey to addiction,” said Mimmo.

King Shersingh also praised and thanked Caty for her timely support. He requested the animals to not encourage such acts that have no scientific proof.

Jojo and his brother were arrested and put behind the bars. The animals of Champakvan started growing papaya, mango, and apple trees. They exported the fruits and started earning profits in plenty. King Shersingh calls these trees as magical and wealth providing trees of Champakvan..

Bhediyanand Gets Exposed

All the animals in Champakvan were queuing up since morning to get a glimpse of Swami Bhediyanand.

Cheeku the Rabbit saw that his mother was asking for 1000 Rupees from his father and telling him that she would visit Swami Bhediyanand’s Satsang along with her Sister Meow and Cheeku.

When Cheeku reached the satsang venue, he saw that many animals had gathered in a huge stall. Swami Bhediyanand was sitting with his disciples on a stage, attired in saffron-coloured clothes. Binny the Goat got up from her place and holding the mike closer, said in a choked voice, “Maharaj, my husband is not doing well in his business since the past few days. Please help us.”

Swami Bhediyanand lifted his hand up and said, “Everything will be okay in one week.”

Cheeku was surprised to hear this. He wondered how Binny’s situation could change in one week! All the animals were touching Swami Bhediyanand’s feet and offering him money. Cheeku too, along with his mother, reached close to Swami Bhediyanand and touched his feet to seek blessings from him.

Cheeku couldn’t concentrate on any work after reaching home. He recalled that Binny the Goat lived near his friend Smarty the Tortoise’s house. He contemplated something and went to his mother, “Mom, please give me your mobile phone. I am going to my friend Smarty’s house to play.”

“Okay, Son, take the phone, but don’t be too late. Come home on time,” Mother directed.

“Okay, bye,” Taking leave, Cheeku got out of the house. He spoke to Smarty about the happenings at the satsang and told him about his plan.

As Cheeku threw the ball, Smarty hit it with full force so that it entered straight in Binny’s house. Cheeku entered the house through the gate and said, “Excuse me, Aunty, my ball has come inside your house.”kids story

“Come and take it,” Binny said.

Cheeku saw that Lallu the Wolf was present in Binny’s house at that time, conversing with her.

Cheeku switched on the recorder of his mobile phone and hid it in a flower pot.

He played cricket for half an hour and then again put the ball in Binny’s house. Then he went inside the house again on the pretext of taking the ball and took his mobile phone too from there.

After bidding goodbye to Smarty, Cheeku reached home and heard the phone recording. His suspicion turned out to be true. Lallu was instructing Binny regarding what she had to say on the mike. He even paid her money for the acting, which she had done before.

Cheeku immediately told his parents about it, who in turn informed Inspector Cheetah Singh. Bhediyanand was handcuffed the next day in the satsang. Cheeku’s picture was published on the front page of Champak Times.

MUMMY THIEF

The Bagh Bahadur Museum was a big and famous museum in Champakvan. It was very well known all over the world too. Tourists from far and wide flocked to see the antiques and valuable artifacts that were on display.

Amongst the most famous displays of The Bagh Bahadur Museum, were the mummies of the last twenty kings of Champakvan. They were King Sher Singh’s ancestors and had been embalmed and kept here for many years.

These mummies made quite an unusual sight and the tourists who saw them were both fascinated and frightened.

Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf were two wolves who lived in Champakvan. The two of them were thieves who specialised in stealing antiques and valuable artifacts.

They were very dangerous and cunning too. The wolves made their living by selling the stolen objects to collectors in foreign countries.

Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf had set their cunning little eyes on The Bagh Bahadur Museum for a very long time. They wanted to steal the mummies and were working on plans to sneak them out of the museum.

One night, Baddy Wolf sat down to make a map of The Bagh Bahadur Museum. He was drawing lines when Laddy Wolf came up to him and asked, “Baddy Wolf, what are you drawing so late at night? Are you working on a plan to steal something big and priceless?”

“You are right, my friend,” Baddy Wolf nibbled on a pencil and said. “I am making a map of The Bagh Bahadur Museum. The map will help us plan how we will steal the mummies. Once we manage that, our dream of growing rich will come true!”

“That is fantastic!” Laddy Wolf said, rubbing his hands with glee. “You have finally started work on our ‘Operation Museum.’ But how will we steal the mummies? There are tourists visiting the museum all day and night.”

“Don’t worry about that, Laddy. We will make sure the tourists run away from the museum and clear our paths,” Baddy Wolf said and laughed.

“Tell me how! I am your partner after all,” Laddy Wolf said excitedly. He was eager to hear the plan.

“Listen then,” Baddy Wolf said confidently. “I am making a map of the museum. I have also chalked out the entire plan of stealing the mummies. We will first dig a tunnel to enter the museum.

This tunnel will directly take us to the museum’s toilet area. Once we are inside, I will wrap you in white bandages that will make you look just like a mummy. You will have to act like a ghost and scare the tourists away.”

Laddy Wolf jumped excitedly. “How wicked you are, Baddy Wolf!” he said, looking thrilled. “The tourists will be scared and flee the museum. We will steal the mummies then and make our way out through the tunnel.”

“That’s right,” Baddy Wolf said and yawned. “Now go and make some tea for me. I want to finish drawing this map tonight.”

Baddy Wolf stayed up that night and after many hours of hard work, he completed the map.

The next day, Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf took the map with them and walked to the pond behind The Bagh Bahadur Museum.

Baddy Wolf began digging the tunnel with a shovel. Laddy Wolf took the mud and threw it into the pond so that nobody would suspect that a tunnel was being dug.

The distance between the pond and The Bagh Bahadur Museum was long. It took the two wolves a whole month to finish digging the tunnel.

The tunnel was dug exactly according to Baddy Wolf’s plan. It opened directly below the museum’s toilet.

After that, the two wolves spent some time making a door in the floor of the toilet that they could slide it open and enter.

Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf were very confident now. They were ready to put their plan in action.

The next night, Baddy Wolf wrapped Laddy Wolf in white bandages and sent him inside the museum.

Laddy Wolf looked just like the mummies on display. He started walking all over the museum, making eerie sounds. The birds and animals who were visiting saw him and panicked.

“Eek!” they shouted. “There’s a walking mummy in the museum! A ghost!”

Everyone ran out, looking petrified.

Soon, the news of the walking mummy spread like wild fire. Everyone in Champakvan was terrified. The tourists stayed away from the museum too.

Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf laughed. Everything was going as per their plan.

Now all they had to do was steal the mummies.

One night, they crept inside the museum and stole one of the mummies out.

When they reached their house, Baddy Wolf said, “Laddy, we should hide this mummy at a very safe place. No one should find it. After we do that, we will steal one mummy from the museum every day.

We will contact the foreign agent after we have a few mummies and sell them for a lot of money.” So, the two wolves started stealing the mummies every night. It took them just eleven days, to steal eleven mummies.

Everyone in Champakvan was shocked when they heard the news of the mummies disappearing from the museum. And everyone had a different story to tell. Some said that the mummies had come alive and were running away from the museum.

Others believed that it was the work of a sly thief. King Sher Singh was pacing to and fro inside his palace. He was very worried about the matter. After all, the stolen mummies were those of his ancestors.

He sent for Cheeku Rabbit. He too had heard of the disappearing mummies. “Maharaj, I’m shocked,” Cheeku Rabbit said. “I’ve heard that the mummies are disappearing from The Bagh Bahadur Museum. Is that true?”

“Yes, Cheeku,” King Sher Singh said with a sigh. “Eleven mummies have disappeared so far. I have asked the police to patrol the museum gates. The security has been tightened too.

But sadly, the mummies are still being stolen. There are rumours of a walking mummy in the museum. The police and security guards have heard it and are scared too. Cheeku, you are very smart. I’d like you to work as a detective and catch the thief.”

“Don’t worry, Maharaj,” Cheeku Rabbit said politely. “I will do my best.” Cheeku Rabbit then left for The Bagh Bahadur Museum. He began investigating and looked for clues all over. Soon, Cheeku reached the toilet. He checked the walls, the ceiling and finally the floor. “Aha,” Cheeku muttered. “I think someone has tampered with the toilet floor. I should tap it with a stick and see.”

Cheeku found a stick and carefully tapped it all over the toilet floor. At one particular spot, the tapping sound sounded odd and hollow.

“Aha! Cheeku shouted happily. “There is something below this floor!” Cheeku bent down and found the sliding door that led to the tunnel.

“This is clearly the work of clever thieves, not ghosts. They have stolen the mummies by entering the museum through this tunnel,” Cheeku said to himself. “I will search the entire area thoroughly. The tunnel must surely have another opening somewhere in the forest.”

Cheeku Rabbit then left the museum and began exploring the entire area. Soon, he found the pond behind the museum. He saw that the water in the pond was unusually muddy. A pile of freshly dug mud was lying nearby too.

“Hmm,” Cheeku Rabbit thought. “The tunnel must have another opening here. The thieves must be using it to enter and leave the museum.” Cheeku Rabbit looked around and found the tunnel’s opening in no time.

“Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf are only two thieves in Champakvan who are interested in stealing antiques and museum artifacts. Besides, they are the only thieves who can think so sharply and come up with such a cunning plan.”

Cheeku Rabbit then went to King Sher Singh and told him what he had found. King Sher Singh was furious.

“I will get Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf arrested at once!” he roared.

“Maharaj, please don’t do that,” Cheeku Rabbit suggested. “It would be better if we catch them red-handed so that we know where they have hidden the stolen mummies.”

“Alright, Cheeku,” King Sher Singh said.

“We will do as you say. I am giving you the authority to catch the thieves.” Cheeku Rabbit then went to the police station and met Inspector Gendamal. He was the police officer in charge of the case. They started working on a plan to catch the thieves.

That very night, Cheeku Rabbit and Inspector Gendamal took a few constables and hid behind the bushes near the pond. They waited there patiently.

Just as the clock struck midnight, Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf came along. They tiptoed towards the tunnel.

“Aha!” Cheeku Rabbit whispered. “So, I was right! It is them!”

Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf had no idea that Cheeku Rabbit and Inspector Gendamal were watching them. They walked into the tunnel and made their way to the museum confidently.

As soon as Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf returned carrying a mummy with them, Cheeku Rabbit alerted Inspector Gendamal and his constables. The two wolves walked deep into the forest.

Cheeku Rabbit and Inspector Gendamal followed them quietly. Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf soon reached an abandoned house. They were hiding the mummies in it.

“Hooray! ‘Operation Museum’is a success! We have stolen another mummy from the museum again today!” Laddy Wolf joyfully said once they had entered the house. “We have twelve mummies now. We should sell them to the foreign agent as soon as we can. If the police get suspicious, then our dream of becoming rich will never be fulfilled.”

“You are right. We shouldn’t be very greedy,” Baddy Wolf said. “I have spoken to the foreign agent. He is coming to Champakvan tomorrow night to buy the mummies.We’ll give him the ones we have. We’ll go on a long holiday after we get our money and return only after the matter has been forgotten.”

Suddenly, the house door creaked opened. The two wolves were startled. No one came to the abandoned house. “Cancel your holiday bookings, if you have any,” Inspector Gendamal shouted. “Your game is over. You cannot go anywhere.”

Cheeku Rabbit followed inside. “You have dared to steal Champakvan’s priceless treasures. King Sher Singh is furious. He is going to punish you for stealing his ancestors’ mummies,” Cheeku Rabbit told the two thieves sternly.

Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf tried to escape. But Inspector Gendamal was too quick for them. He pounced on them and had them arrested.

Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf confessed to their crimes. The police retrieved the stolen mummies and took them back to the museum.

The following night, Inspector Gendamal arrested the foreign agent who had come to buy the stolen mummies. He too was thrown behind bars and punished.

King Sher Singh was delighted that his ancestors’ mummies were back in the museum. He hosted a party in honour of Cheeku Rabbit for solving the mystery and felicitated him with a medal. Cheeku Rabbit was very proud of himself.

Unlucky

Once again, all the ants were accusing Joey the Ant for being the culprit. They said that he was responsible for all that happened. Joey was quietly standing on one side with tears in his eyes. He had just lost his leg and that was the reason why everyone pronounced him unlucky or jinxed.

It had so happened that in the morning, the Queen Ant’s son Nannu was playing where Joey was searching for food.

Nannu lost his balance and fell down and got injured. He said that it was due to Joey that he got hurt. Thus everyone thought that Joey was unlucky.

“We cannot let Joey stay with us anymore. He should be asked to leave our anthill,” said Nikki the Ant. All the ants agreed to it and asked Joey to leave. Joey had no choice but to find a new home for himself. He decided to stay alone.

Joey was proceeding towards his house when he heard someone mourning in pain. He went in the direction of the sound just to find out that an ant was badly injured. He then asked her for her residential address and safely took the ant to her house.

Joey had saved her life. Her family members praised him for his work. When Joey narrated his story, they felt sorry for him and asked him to stay with them. Joey agreed and started staying with them. He was very kind and hardworking. Everyone in his new home respected and loved him. Joey liked his new home but still missed his old anthill.

Gradually, the summer season came to an end and the monsoons arrived. Joey did not face the shortage of food as he had a lot of food in store.

One night when he was sitting in his room, he heard some noises from outside. He went out and saw that the area was flooded with rainwater and the water level was rising continuously. He quickly informed all the ants in the anthill to secure themselves at a height where the water could not rise. Joey’s presence of mind and alertness had saved many lives and once again Joey’s work was appreciated.

Just then, Joey recalled that even the ants of his old anthill might be in trouble. He immediately went there and saw that all the other ants were panicking because Nikki was drowning. He looked around and saw a leaf that was floating in the water. He jumped onto the floating leaf.UNLUCKY

He knew that there was a fallen tree ahead and was sure that the leaf would get stuck there and wouldn’t float further. The moment the leaf came near Nikki, Joey pulled Nikki up onto the leaf and saved her life.

The ants saw this and felt really ashamed of their behaviour with Joey. They apologised to Joey and asked him to stay with them. Joey was finally happy and forgave all of them.

BIG TREE SMALL TREE

A long time ago, there lived a tall and mighty tree in a big jungle. The tree was named Big Tree. Big Tree always stood erect and tall and looked down upon the smaller trees. Yes, Big Tree was quite arrogant.

When the wind blew hard, Big Tree would stand upright and tall. His trunk and branches would stay firm and wouldn’t sway by even an inch. The wind could only make Big Tree’s driest leaves fall down. Big Tree would feel proud and boast, “I am the tallest and mightiest tree in this jungle. The other trees should make me their king. My branches are thick and strong and my roots are spread wide and deep. Yes, I should be made a king.

Small Tree was a smaller tree who grew right next to Big Tree. Small Tree was very thin and weak in comparison. When the wind blew hard, Small Tree’s trunk would sway to and fro.

Big Tree would watch this happen. One day, he looked and Small Tree and said, “Small Tree, you really are weak. You must grow up soon. I feel very sorry for you when the wind makes your trunk sway.” Small Tree listened patiently and said, “Don’t worry, Big Tree. A time will come when I too will grow big and mighty like you.”

Big Tree laughed. “Little one, I pity you,” Big Tree said proudly. “Look at how great I am! I help people by giving them shade on sunny days! And there are birds, animals and insects that have built their homes on me! I am very, very important.”

“Well, you are right, Big Tree,” Small Tree agreed. “You are always doing something worthwhile. But I am sure that someday I will be able to help others, just like you do.”

“I will be very happy for you then,” Big Tree said. “You must stand erect then. You must spread your roots deep and far and raise your head high in the air, just like I do.” Small Tree smiled and thought, “I am in no hurry to grow up. I am happy with the way I am right now!” Small Tree enjoyed the rain and the warm air. He had no idea that they were slowly helping him grow. Big Tree grew bigger with time too. But sadly, he became more and more arrogant.

Every day, Big Tree would tease Small Tree and ask him to grow faster. Small Tree on the other hand, would simply smile. One day, when the two trees were talking, Big Tree suddenly said, “Small Tree, you really are of no use to anyone.”

“Why are you saying that, Big Tree?” Small Tree asked, feeling quite hurt.

“No one comes to you for shade. And no creature lives or plays on you. Look at me! There are squirrels running all over me! I am sorry to say but you are quite worthless.” Big Tree said haughtily. Small Tree felt bad but didn’t utter a word.

“One day, I will be of use to someone too,” Small Tree thought everyday as he drank the water from the earth. “One day, people will flock to me for my shelter and shade! Creatures will live and play on me too!” he thought as he made his food with his leaves in the sunshine. Then on, Small Tree ignored the harsh things Big Tree said and concentrated on growing.

All, the other trees in the jungle were growing quickly. “I’m lagging far behind,”

Small Tree realised. “For some reason, I’m taking very long to grow!”

A day came when the other trees in the jungle outgrew Small Tree. They looked far taller and stronger and covered Small Tree completely. But Small Tree didn’t mind. “I’ll grow slowly and steadily,” he thought and kept himself happy. The seasons changed and the trees around Small Tree kept on growing. Small Tree couldn’t even see how tall the others were, but he was still happy for them.

One night, a thunder storm hit the jungle. The wind howled and blew fiercely. Many strong trees found themselves falling down. Some others were uprooted. Many big trees found that their branches were being broken by the wind. There was panic and disappointment everywhere.

Small Tree on the other hand, found that he was still firmly rooted to the ground. His trunk was swaying wildly in the wind but his branches were still too small for the powerful wind to break.

The next day, the sun rose early in the morning. Its very first rays touched Small Tree since there were very few tall trees around now. The sun’s warmth made Small Tree wake up and smile. He felt very happy to be alive. Small Tree realised that his fortune was going to change for the better.

As time passed by, many tall trees kept falling down. But Small Tree grew slowly and steadily in the sunlight. Big Tree was now old and weak. He was no longer erect or arrogant.

One day, Big Tree sadly told Small Tree, “I am old now. I have become useless. Birds don’t make nests on my branches anymore as they fear that my branches will fall down. All my leaves have fallen off and no one comes to me for shade. The squirrels too prefer to skip on you as they find your bark smoother than mine.”

Big Tree then began sobbing uncontrollably.

“Big Tree,” Small Tree consoled his old friend. “Being old doesn’t mean that you are useless. You are still of great worth to me. You guided me when I was growing up. The knowledge you gave me is priceless. And it’s amazing that you are still standing with me, while all the other trees have fallen down.”

“Is that true?” Big Tree asked. “I must say, that you have been very kind to me. The seasons have changed many times and many years have passed. You have remained a true friend all along. While I lost my other friends, you stood by me and made the life of an old tree happy.”

“What I did was my duty towards you, Big Tree!” Small Tree said softly. “You appreciate my friendship and that is my biggest reward!” By now Big Tree had realised that the smaller trees were unnecessarily ridiculed by the bigger trees for not growing as quickly. He felt sorry for all that he had said to Small Tree.

And then, a day came when like the other big trees, Big Tree too fell down on the ground.

Small Tree felt bad for his old friend. He would miss him. But he also knew that a day would surely come when he would become bigger and taller. The birds, animals and insects would make homes on him then. And people would come seeking his shade. Small Tree knew he would become useful for everyone, just like his old friend.

A Match To Dimpy

Elle Elephant was a florist. He owned a small flower shop in Champakvan. Elle was a good-natured fellow and took good care of his customers. He had even hung a beautiful wooden board outside his shop. On the board was painted in bold letters, “ELLE FLORIST. Buy our flowers. They are beautiful and fragrant. They are fresh and will make you feel refreshed through the day.”

Elle Elephant was very courteous to all his customers. “He is always smiling, just like his flowers!” Elle Elephant’s customers would often say.

But Elle Elephant had a rule that he followed very strictly. He only sold his flowers to the animals and birds who paid him right away. He didn’t give credit to anyone. None of the customers even bothered to ask for credit for they knew what a hard worker the young elephant was and that he deserved to be paid right away.

Besides this, Elle Elephant’s flower shop had another speciality. Its fresh lotus flowers. Come rain or shine, Elle Elephant would wake up early every morning. He would wade in the pond and bring fresh lotus flowers from there.

Elle Elephant would sell some of the lotus flowers from his shop. He would personally deliver the others to the homes and shops of the animals who didn’t have the time to come to his shop. He didn’t charge them anything extra.

Everyone was impressed by the trouble Elle Elephant took. This resulted in good business for the shop. Dimpy Monkey was very fond of lotus flowers. He was a tailor and owned a small tailoring shop in Champakvan. Dimpy Monkey liked putting the lotus flowers in a vase that he had on his workbench. He relished their fragrance.

Like Elle Elephant, Dimpy Monkey was an expert at his work too. Everyone liked the clothes he stitched. They looked nice and fitted well. And so, Dimpy Monkey’s shop was always crowded.

But Dimpy Monkey’s nature was quite different from Elle Elephant’s.

Dimpy Monkey was a grumpy fellow. He lost his temper very quickly too. Even the pettiest matter annoyed Dimpy Monkey no end. He wore glasses and every time he got angry and shouted, his glasses appeared like they were dancing on his nose.

HONESTY PAYS OFF

Nobody liked Dimpy Monkey because of his foul temper. But there was no other tailor better than him in Champakvan. And so, all the animals in the forest had no choice but to ask Dimpy Monkey to stitch their clothes.

Elle Elephant would take fresh lotus flowers to Dimpy Monkey’s shop every day. He would politely ask him for the money after leaving the flowers near the vase on the workbench.

Once Dimpy Monkey had paid Elle Elephant the money, he would leave quietly.

One morning, Elle Elephant went to the tailoring shop as usual to deliver a bunch of lotus flowers. He found Dimpy Monkey in the middle of an argument with a customer.

Elle Elephant waited patiently till the customer left and then kept the flowers on Dimpy Monkey’s workbench. “Brother Dimpy,” Elle Elephant said politely.

“Here are your lotus flowers. Please give me my money now. I can’t wait any longer. I have to reach my shop soon. My customers will be waiting for me.” Dimpy Monkey was in a terrible mood. “Put the flowers in the vase!” he scowled and said. “I will give you the money tomorrow.”

“You know I don’t give anyone credit,” Elle Elephant said courteously. “It will take you less than a minute to reach into your pocket and give me my money.”

To Elle Elephant’s surprise, Dimpy Monkey grew furious. “Fatso,” he shouted. “I have already told you that I will pay you your money tomorrow. Now stop bothering me and get out of my shop!”

Elle Elephant lost his temper too now. He didn’t like being insulted or spoken to so rudely. “Well Dimpy,” Elle Elephant said, sounding very annoyed. “I want my money right now. If you don’t pay me right now, I’ll take my flowers back.”

This made matters worse. Dimpy Monkey flew into a rage.

Without even stopping to think, he picked up a pair of scissors and poked Elle Elephant’s trunk. “You want money, Elle Elephant?” Dimpy Monkey shouted. The glasses on his nose danced. “Well, this is your money!”

“Ow!” Elle Elephant howled in pain. He then ran out of the shop.

Dimpy Monkey laughed as he saw Elle Elephant holding his trunk and running on the street. “I’ve scared Elle Elephant away!” he thought and began cutting a piece of cloth.

More From Champak: Help Yourself

Elle Elephant walked back to his shop, feeling very annoyed. “I’ll teach that horrible Dimpy Monkey a lesson!” he thought. “He’ll never dare poke anyone again!”
Later that day, Dimpy Monkey was ironing the clothes he had just finished stitching when Elle Elephant suddenly entered his shop.

Dimpy Monkey was surprised to see him.a match for dimpy

But before he could say anything, Elle Elephant threw some muddy water that he had in his trunk all over Dimpy Monkey’s shop. The new clothes that Dimpy Monkey had stitched got dirty and there were small puddles of mud everywhere.

Dimpy Monkey was astonished. “Oh no!” he cried.

“Elle Elephant has ruined my customers’ new clothes! I have taken so much trouble to stitch them. What will I tell my customers now when they come asking for their new clothes?”

Nothing like that had happened to Dimpy Monkey before. No one had dared to stand up to him or teach him a lesson.

“I shouldn’t have poked Elle Elephant’s trunk,” he said regretfully.

When Dimpy Monkey’s customers came to take their clothes, Dimpy had no choice but to tell them what had happened.

“Dimpy Monkey,” each and every one of Dimpy Monkey’s customers said. “You always lose your temper at others. You are always rude to others. Today, you have found your match.”

Dimpy Monkey felt very embarrassed. He decided he would never lose his temper or hurt anyone again. He even apologized to Elle Elephant for poking his trunk and was never rude to him again.

Chintu’s Astuteness

Chintu Monkey and his friends studied in a school in the jungle. The school was located far away from where the animals lived. The young animals would have to walk a long distance to reach the school everyday.

Chintu Monkey didn’t like walking even though he was very adventurous by nature.

There were big trees on both sides of the path that led to the school.

One day, Chintu noticed them and had an idea.

“Hey!” he thought. “I can go to school by swinging from one tree to another tree. If I do that, I won’t have to walk to school like the others do.”

So, Chintu Monkey began swinging on the trees. It saved him a lot of time and also saved him the trouble of walking.

All the other animals watched Chintu Monkey with awe.

One day, Tiny Tortoise saw Chintu swinging on the trees and said, “Look at Chintu! He is bold and fearless. He reaches school in just a few minutes by swinging on the trees. Isn’t he lucky? We have a long distance to walk! It takes all our time!”

All the animals applauded Chintu’s decision of swinging to school. They would whistle and clap and cheer for him when they saw him swinging from tree to tree.

But Chintu Monkey had grown very proud of himself and his clever thinking. He would often make fun of his friends and bully them.

It rained very heavily one morning. There was a strong wind blowing too. Like every day, Chintu Monkey and his friends left their homes to go to school.

“My, the wind is really strong today!” Chotu Rat said. “It will surely blow me away. It’s even blowing the leaves and twigs away from the trees!”

Chotu Rat then turned to Chintu Monkey and said, “Chintu, why don’t you walk with us today? The wind is strong and it’s raining heavily.

It will be safer if you walk.”

Chintu Monkey ignored Chotu Rat’s suggestion. “I am an expert swinger!” he boasted and continued swinging on the trees.

“Ah! This wind is so pleasant,” Chintu thought. “The branches are swaying with it! I’m enjoying the raindrops too! Chotu Rat was silly to suggest that I should walk with them to school today!”

But when Chintu Monkey tried to hold the branch of the next tree, he was in for a rude shock. The branch had bent with the force of the wind and grown weak. It snapped as soon as Chintu caught it and broke into two.

Unfortunately, this branch was right above the river and Chintu Monkey found himself falling into the water below.

Fortunately, Chintu was a good swimmer. He managed to save himself from drowning and swam to the river bank.

But he was soaking wet. His books and school bag were drenched too.

“What shall I do now?” Chintu thought worriedly. “I am as wet as a sponge! If my friends see me in this condition, they will surely laugh at me. We are having a school test today so I really can’t turn around and go home!”

Chintu Monkey panicked and looked around, wondering what to do.

He spotted Tiny Tortoise walking slowly and had an idea.

“Tiny, come here!” Chintu ordered. “I want your help!”

Tiny Tortoise ignored Chintu and continued walking. It took him a very long time to reach school and he couldn’t waste even a precious moment by stopping.

Besides, Chintu had made fun of him and bullied him so many times.

“Come here, Tiny!” Chintu Monkey commanded. “If you don’t, I will tell the teacher that you haven’t studied for the test.”

Tiny Tortoise was startled. He knew that Chintu Monkey was capable of doing such things.

“Please, don’t do that!” Tiny Tortoise said and stopped. “I will do as you say.”chintu

“Good,” Chintu Monkey said. “Now listen carefully, Tiny. I am going to tell all our friends that you were drowning in the river. I will also tell them that I got wet because I jumped in to save you. You have to nod when I tell them that. I do not want anyone to know that I had fallen into the river because of a broken tree branch. Is that understood?”Chintu said sternly.

“But…but we tortoises live in water,” Tiny Tortoise said.

“We feel very safe in the water. In fact, we can swim very well. Everyone knows that!”

“Don’t worry, Tiny!” Chintu said with a laugh. “Our friends are quite stupid. They will believe my story!”

Soon, Chintu Monkey’s friends came along. They were shocked to see how drenched Chintu was.

“Chintu, what happened to you? How did you fall in the river? Did you fall from the tree?” Chotu Rat asked, looking very shocked.

“Oh! I can’t fall off a tree!” Chintu lied. “I am an expert swinger! I saw Tiny Tortoise falling in the river. He was drowning. I jumped into the water to save him. That’s how I got wet.”

Tiny Tortoise nodded as he had promised.

All the young animals began to clap. “Oh Chintu! You are a hero!” they said. “You saved Tiny Tortoise’s life! Come on! We will tell the teacher about your brave deed. You should be rewarded in front of the entire school.”

Chintu’s friends then ran to school and told Teacher Dumbo Donkey all that they had heard.

“Well done, Chintu!” Teacher Dumbo Donkey said lazily.

“As a reward for saving your friend’s life, I am giving you a holiday today. I will even exempt you from the test. Go home and play.”

Chintu Monkey ran out of the school gates happily. “Ha Ha! I fooled everyone! They think I’m a hero! And guess what? I don’t even have to appear for the test!” he said and laughed.

He then began swinging on the trees again. •

Sonu’s Ball

When Sonu came to his grandparent’s house, he was 10 years old. His uncle knew whatever Sonu liked.

“Take this plate of rasgullas and your favourite ball,” Sonu was overjoyed when Uncle gave him the things he liked.

“Thank you, Uncle, You are great,” Sonu popped a rasgulla in his mouth and went out of the house to play with the ball.

He hadn’t made any new friend here, so he started playing alone in the park. Sonu’s Ball

“Such a big ball! I am sure its weight must be more than yours,” When a girl, who was playing there with her friends, commented, Sonu blushed. The girl laughed out loud.

Just then a beautiful butterfly came there and settled on the branch of a plant. Its wings were very colourful. Sonu had seen such a big and beautiful butterfly for the first time.

He ran behind it to catch it but the butterfly flew away. Sonu tried for a long time but the butterfly evaded being caught.

A monkey was sitting on the branch of a tree in the same park. He had been watching Sonu play with his colourful ball for a long time.

When Sonu got distracted with the butterfly, the monkey came down stealthily and quickly climbed back the tree after taking the ball with him.

A monkey was sitting on the branch of a tree in the same park. He had been watching Sonu play with his colourful ball for a long time.

When Sonu got distracted with the butterfly, the monkey came down stealthily and quickly climbed back the tree after taking the ball with him.

“Oh my ball? I forgot all about it getting diverted by the butterfly. I don’t know whether I will find it or not,” Suddenly Sonu remembered about his ball. He turned back and reached the place where he had left it.

But the ball was not there. “Where did my ball go?

That girl with the red ribbon must have taken it,” Sonu muttered.

It was late evening now. The entire park was deserted. Perturbed on losing his ball, Sonu began crying.sonu's-ball

“What will I tell Uncle?” Sonu was sobbing sitting on a bench.

After some time 2 robbers came to the park carrying with them stolen goods. Taking advantage of the darkness, they began dividing the booty among themselves sitting under a tree.

Just then Sonu’s ball slipped out of the monkey’s hands, who was sitting on the same tree, and fell on a robber’s head.

“G…G…Ghost.” The robber got frightened when he got hit suddenly and shrieked and fainted.

“Something is definitely fishy. Before anything happens to me, I should get out of here,” The other robber too got frightened and ran away leaving the loot and his unconscious partner.

When Sonu came there on hearing the shriek, he was taken aback. Just as he had picked up his ball, the police arrived there. They arrested the unconscious robber and seized the stolen assets.

“We were on the lookout for this thief since a long time. Well done Son, you helped us nab him. You will be rewarded for this brave act,” The Inspector said, patting Sonu’s back

“Sonu, are you all right? You have been out for so long. We have been searching for you,” Sonu’s Uncle too reached there.

“Brother, your little but brave child has done a daring act of helping us to nab the thief. You should be proud of him,” On hearing the Inspector’s words, Uncle held his head high with pride while Sonu was wondering how all that happened.

BEST STUDENT

Mehak and Sakshi were going to school on their bicycles. They I had barely reached the school gate when Akshay pushed their bicycles.

Both of them fell down. Brushing their clothes with their hands, they got up.

“I will complain about you to the Principal,” Mehak said in anger.

“Do that he won’t believe you. Don’t you know that I am going to receive this year’s ‘Best Student’s award?” Akshay said proudly and ran away, laughing.

“He is right, Mehak. He never misbehaves in front of teachers or Principal. Just acts to be a good student,” Sakshi said, “You are a more deserving candidate for this award. You are equivalent to Akshay in both studies and sports. But you are not wicked like him.”

“I know but still I will complain about him.” When Mehak complained, the Principal said, “I have heard that Akshay is a very good boy. All the teachers too say so. Then why are you complaining about him?”

“I knew, Sir, that you won’t believe me but this is the truth. The teachers don’t know how much Akshay bosses around in the school.”

“Okay, if you bring even a single witness against him, I will cancel his award.”

Mehak tried a lot but nobody came forward to support her out of fear.

Buntu told her, “Are you seeing my swollen cheek, Mehak? Akshay had hit ! me. If I complain, he will hit me on the other cheek too.” At the end, Mehak gave up. Everyone was terrified of Akshay.

Very soon Winter Dale High Schools Annual day came close by. Many sports and programs were held in the school. That day the ‘Best Student’ award was also to be given.

Akshay got dressed up very smartly and was singing happily riding his bicycle, “Today I will get the Best Student award. La..la..la..”

Just then his bicycle got punctured. Chandu’s repair shop was nearby. Akshay took his cycle there.best-student

“Chandu, leave everything else and repair my bicycle. I have to reach school soon.”

“You will have to wait, Akshay. I am repairing Shunty’s bicycle. He came before you,” Chandu said.

“Who Shunty? What Shunty? First repair my bicycle,” Akshay said furiously. Shunty, who was standing close by, said, “You are not doing the right thing…”

“Shunty, wait, I will teach you a lesson. How dare you argue with me,” Akshay caught hold of his collar and punched him twice. Suddenly somebody caught hold of his collar and punched him twice.best-student

Suddenly somebody caught hold of his hand from behind. He looked a middle aged rich man. He scolded Akshay, “I have heard everything. You have no right to hit anybody.”

“No, first my work will be done. You mind your business. There is no need to interfere.”

“Oh, so you are bad mannered too. If you don’t stop bullying, I will take you to the police station.”

Now Akshay became mum and waited for his turn. Soon he reached school. Walking towards the function hall, he met Mehak and Sakshi. Akshay took his tongue out and teased them. Then Sakshi said, “I am sad that this year’s ‘Best Student award is going to the worst student.”

All the guests were sitting with the Principal on the stage. He got up and said, “Now I put forward Akshay’s name for the ‘Best Student award for this year.

He is not only good in studies and sports, but also helps everyone and respects elders.

“I request our school’s chairman Mr. Brajesh Mehta to give this award to Akshay.”

The entire hall echoed with the sound of applause. Akshay came to the stage very proudly.

But as soon as he saw the chairman’s face, he started sweating. He was the same man who had caught his hand at Chandu’s shop.

“What are you doing, Principal Sir? You are giving the Best Student’ award to him? He should get the Biggest FoulMouth award,” Mr. Mehta said and narrated the whole incident.

Principal Sir cancelled Akshay’s name glowering at him furiously. Then the award for the ‘Best student’ went to Mehak.best-student

Akshay came back with wet eyes and heavy heart. He had never felt so much insulted. This incident completely changed Akshay for the good.

He stopped bullying and began living with everybody very cordially. He got a good result for that. His dream was fulfilled when he got the ‘Best Student award the next year.

A Dangerous Doctor

Doctor Dunky Donkey was very sad. No patient would come to his hospital now. The reason was that whatever operations Dunky had done, had all been unsuccessful. Now all the animals had started calling Dunky as Dangerous Doctor.

One day Doctor Dunky was relaxing in his hospital. He thought, ‘No patient came today too. All animals think I am a dangerous doctor. Now I will have to do something else so that patients come to my hospital.’

Thinking so, Doctor Dunky went out in search of patients. All of a sudden, he heard a cry of pain from behind the bushes, “Meow…meow…somebody help me.”

“Who’s that? Catty, is it you?” Seeing Catty Cat writhing in pain, Dunky asked, “What happened, Catty? It seems you are sick. Tell me, I am a doctor. I have treatment of all diseases.”

Catty thought for a while, ‘If I go to Dunky’s hospital, I will die of his wrong treatment and if I don’t go, I will die of pain. What should I do now? There is no hospital nearby. I have no choice but to go to this dangerous doctor.’

Catty screamed in pain and said, “Doctor, I was running behind Chunchun Rat. I was just going to catch him that all of a sudden he jumped into my open mouth and reached my stomach. Doctor, please do something. Take out that rat from my stomach.”

The doctor was very pleased to hear Catty’s story. He thought, ‘I have to prove myself to be a good doctor this time.’

Then Doctor and Catty quickly went to the hospital.

The Doctor got engaged in the operation. Many animals gathered together in front of the hospital.dangerous-doctor

“Now Catty’s life is really in danger,” One animal said.

Doctor Dunky operated Catty with trembling hands and took out Chunchun alive. Then he put stitches on Catty’s stomach.

After that Doctor Dunky came out and happily told everyone, “My operation was successful.”

Oh, Catty is alive. This is a miracle.”

Everyone was surprised. “Wow, Doctor, you have done a good operation.”

Dunky was overjoyed. He started thinking, ‘Now many patients will come to my hospital. I will keep busy. Hahaha…’

But Dunky’s happiness couldn’t stay for many days. The next day itself Catty Cat came back with the complaint of stomach pain, “Oh Doctor, what did you do to my stomach?”

Then all animals together took Catty to Doctor Sheru Lion’s hospital in Champakvan.

When Sheru operated Catty, he found a scissor in her stomach.

Actually, Doctor Dunky had carelessly left the scissor in Catty’s stomach during the operation. That is why Catty’s stomach was paining so much.

When other animals came to know about Dunky’s blunder, they pelted his hospital with stones and shouted, “Dunky, close your hospital. You are not fit to be a doctor.” Humiliated, Dunky lowered his head and went to Dighu Dog.

The Fear of Water

All the 7 tiny yellow-coloured chicks were looking very cute with Tina Duck. “Today I will teach you to swim in a pond,” One day Tina told them.

All of them reached the pond side. Tina taught everyone how to waddle in the water and told them to descend in the pond behind her.

Tina went down in water. 5 chicks too went with her, but Nikku and Tikku did not go with them.

Tina called them many times, but they started crying, “The water will be cold, we will drown.”

Tina said, “The membrane which we have in our feet serves as a paddle, nothing will happen to you.” But both of them didn’t listen to her.

The 5 chicks that had been in water were very fresh whereas Nikku and Tikku were feeling sluggish.

They both were surprised thinking that why their siblings were not feeling cold even when the weather was chilly.

Even after many days, Tina hadn’t succeeded in making Nikku and Tikku swim in water. That day too Tina was swimming with her 5 chicks while Nikku and Tikku were watching them standing at the bank.

Suddenly 3 big goats with their horns bent, came running towards them and said, “We will eat you all.” Even their voice was very frightening.

Both the chicks got terrified and ran calling ‘Mom…mom…’ to save themselves. They were surrounded by the goats from 3 directions. So they jumped in the water out of pressure.

They started waddling as their mom had taught them. They were feeling amazed that they were neither feeling cold nor were they drowning.

In fact, they enjoyed their stint in water. They swam for a long time. After coming out they were feeling very refreshed.Fear-of-Water

“Mom, why didn’t we get wet?” They asked Tina.

“There is a gland under the tail of ducks which secretes oil. It has a particular odour too which can tell anybody about our whereabouts.

That oil spreads on our wings and that is why we don’t get wet or feel cold. You are very young. Your body doesn’t secrete that oil, so I had put mine on your body. The oil is light floats on water and doesn’t let us drown.”

“Really? That is why we could swim so easily. We enjoyed so much. Mom, it was good that the goats came and frightened by them, we got down in the water. Now we will swim daily.”

“All of them are my friends. I had told them to scare you so that you would come into the water,” Mom said smilingly.

All the three goats laughed and came out from behind the nearby bushes. Tina thanked them and said, “My chicks aren’t scared of water anymore because of you all.”

“What is there to thank? Everyone should help each other, but where were you from so many days? We were searching for you from so many days.”

“I was in the bushes, incubating the eggs. So I didn’t come out,” Tina told them.

“But we couldn’t smell your scent?”

“Yes, nature has made this arrangement to protect us. While we are incubating, our glands stop secreting oil and hence the scent stops. Our enemies don’t come to know where we are and we are able to nurture our eggs without any worry.”

“Wow…that is great. Bring your chicks to our home someday. It’s been long since we all have eaten together.”

Saying so, the goats went away.

The chicks too walked towards their home behind their mom.

Leo’s Haircut

In the forest called Greenland, there lived Chatur, the fox. He was a barber by profession.

One day, Chatur sat outside his shop feeling jealous about the queue of animals outside Malku, the bear’s barbershop.

An angry Chatur grumbled, “How long will I keep looking at them? Don’t I have any work to do?”

Chatur sighed and muttered sadly, “But what work can I do?”

Chatur continued thinking in self-pity, “Poor me! Hardly anyone comes here for a haircut and I know that I’m such a great barber. Why? These animals simply don’t have any appreciation for my great skills.”

The truth was that Chatur was such a bad barber that one could be sure of getting a bad haircut from him.

Chatur knew that sitting sadly in self-pity was not going to help. He got up and called out to the customers who were going into Malku’s shop.

“Hey Porky, come here. Shall I give you a nice trim?” Chatur cheerfully asked Porky the porcupine.

“No thanks, the last time I got one from you, I ended up looking like a sheared sheep,” Porky said angrily.

Poor Chatur’s face fell. But he did not give up.

Chatur called out to Chimpu, the chimpanzee who simply looked at him in horror and ran away.

Chatur was definitely at a loss now. He sadly wondered how he was going to earn his living. Then, he had an idea.

Chatur went to Malku’s shop and requested to meet him outside where no customer would hear them.

Malku nodded out of curiosity.

When they were alone, Chatur suggested, “Dear Malku, why don’t we enter into a partnership? That way we both can make a huge profit. You can send half of your customers to my shop and I will do the same for you.”

But Malku was clever too. He said, “What do you mean by your customers? Nobody’ is the only customer you have. Nice try, Chatur but no thanks. I will have my customers and you can have ‘Nobody’ as your precious customer.”

Malku laughed and went inside.

Just then, Chatur spotted King Leo, the lion going towards Malku’s shop.

Chatur quickly ran to him and said with a polite smile, “Sir, please honour me by getting a haircut from me.”

Surprised, Leo asked, “From you? I have heard rumours about you. I don’t know. After all, my mane is my crowning glory.”children-fiction

Chatur’s heart sank a little but he gave a quick smile. He said sweetly, “I am sure that lovely mane of yours requires to be royally pampered. And I am the best person to do it. I will first give your mane a nice oil massage, free of course for you, Your Majesty. Then I will give a haircut which will make everyone jealous. Just think about it.”

Leo hesitated but Chatur’s words were playing in his mind. He imagined his lovely mane looking all silky and pampered and being admired by many. So he decided to give Chatur a chance.

Leo gave in, “Alright. I will give you a chance. Make sure you do it right or else…”

Chatur was over the moon. Leo was his first customer in months.

Chatur immediately led Leo inside and seated him.

There was an impressive collection of beautiful oil bottles on the table.

Chatur used to keep empty oil bottles and fill them with cheap quality oils and creams unknown to even him. He never remembered what was mixed with what.

Chatur selected a fancy oil bottle and poured some of it on his hands.

Leo sniffed the air and asked in disgust, “What is that? Smells awful.”

Chatur said sweetly, “Forget the smell, sir. This oil is the best though it smells bad. It is made with thousands of herbs. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to smell it after a few minutes.”

“I hope so,” thought Chatur, for he had just lied.

Chatur rubbed the oil on Leo’s hair for some time and then picked up a pair of scissors to trim them.

Chatur accidentally chopped one section of his hair, cutting off a major chunk which fell to the ground.

Leo took one look at it and screamed, “What have you done, you clumsy fool? You were only supposed to trim it, not make me bald.”

Chatur gulped and said, “Err… don’t worry, sir. The haircut I am giving you is a very fashionable haircut. You will see at the end.”

Leo looked suspiciously at Chatur and warned, “Let us hope so, for your sake.”

The threat in Leo’s voice could not be missed.

Chatur cut another chunk of hair. He kept feeling that one side was longer than the other. In order to even it, he cut one side short and he had to redo it with the other side again.

Finally, feeling disappointed, Chatur put on a brave front and a fake smile. He said, “Your Majesty, your crowning glory can now be revealed to the world.”

Leo touched his mane but his mind was still filled with doubt.

Leo asked, “How much do I pay you?” Chatur said, “Just Rs. 100, sir.”

Leo paid him and left the shop. Chatur sniffed the oil bottle and thought, “I hope what I had used is a hair oil. I hope nothing happens to Leo’s mane.”

Just to be on the safer side, Chatur decided to close his shop and leave early.

King Leo stepped out and went in the middle of the crowd gathered outside Malku’s shop. He coughed with authority and asked, “Well?”

The animals stared at his mane with horror which now looked like it had been damaged by a group of rats.

But no one had the courage to say anything, not when Leo was looking for some admiration.

Leo again thundered, “Well, how do you find my mane?”

All the animals just stammered and looked at each other.

Leo then ran his fingers through his mane. Some of his hair came off in his hand in a bunch. Soon another section fell. This kept repeating so many times that Leo ended up having itsy bitsy hair in some places and big, round, bald patches in others.

It seemed that Chatur had used a hair removal oil instead of a nourishing one on Leo’s mane.

Everyone was horrified. Leo went to Malku’s shop to check his mane.children fiction

Leo roared furiously seeing his bald head in Malku’s mirror. By then, Chatur had already made his escape and closed his shop forever.

The Birthday Adventure

Dina, the deer decided to organise her birthday party on a ferry. She hired a ferry and invited all her friends.

It was a bright and sunny day when they set sail. Everyone on board was having a good time. When Dina was about to cut the cake, the ferry rocked, throwing everybody off balance.

The wind had suddenly picked up speed and was creating strong currents and big waves.

Spot, the deer, who was the captain of the ferry, was trying to control the ferry. From his cabin, he sounded the emergency alarm. “There is going to be a lot of turbulence! Please be alert and safe! I request everybody to wear their life jackets,” he announced.

Ricky, the rabbit ran to Captain Spot and asked, “What is wrong, Captain?”

“The ferry is out of control. The currents are too strong and I’m unable to steer the ferry. If this continues we may have to abandon the ferry,” said Captain Spot.

“Don’t worry, Captain. Please control the ferry as best as you can. I will try to come up with a plan,” said Ricky.

Ricky ran back to the deck. Everyone was scared. Ricky calmed them down. He then looked out to the sea with a pair of binoculars. There was no sign of land nearby but he spotted a school of dolphins. He quickly signalled to them by waving a red flag. Ricky hoped that his friend Dolly, the dolphin would be among them.

A few months ago, Dolly had washed up on the shore because of high tide. She was stuck on the beach, unable to get back into the water. Ricky and his friend Elna, the elephant had happened to see Dolly while walking on the beach.

They pushed her back into the sea. Since that incident, Dolly had become good friends with Ricky and Elna.

The dolphins saw Ricky waving for help and rushed towards the ferry.

“Hey, Ricky! Are you in trouble? What happened?” asked Dolly.

Ricky told her about the problem.

“Don’t worry, Ricky. My friends and I will help keep the ferry stable and we’ll steer

it towards the closest island for now,” she said.

“Thank you, Dolly!” said a relieved Ricky. He rushed to inform Captain Spot about

the plan.

With the help of Dolly and her friends, Captain Spot was able to steer the ferry towards an island. Everyone got off the ferry.

Captain Spot checked the ferry and said, “Oh no! The engine requires some repair and the compass is broken! How will we return home?”

Dina began to cry. “This is my fault! If I hadn’t insisted on celebrating my birthday on a ferry, we wouldn’t be stranded on this island.”

“It’s nobody’s fault, Dina. We’ll come up with a plan,” said Ricky reassuringly. He then turned to Captain Spot and said, “Captain, please try to fix the ferry’s engine. I’ll speak to Dolly and see if she can help us.”

“This is not a problem. Whenever the ferry is ready, just let us know. We’ll guide

the ferry back to your home. We know the way. We don’t need a compass,” said Dolly.

Captain Spot was able to repair the ferry’s engine. All the passengers boarded the ferry again. Dolly and her friends swam ahead, showing the way. Finally, the ferry reached home safely. Everybody thanked the dolphins.

“If it weren’t for you, we would have been stranded. Thank you, Dolly!” said Ricky.

“Yes. Thanks to you, my birthday party can continue. I would like to invite you and your friends to join us,” said Dina.

Dolly and her friends happily agreed. Everyone had a good time at the party.

Jijo’s New Bike

Jijo, the jackal loved motorbikes. He constantly asked his father to get him one.

“You are so little! You should just use the bicycle for now,” was his father’s reply.

Jijo thought he was old enough to use a bike. But all he had was an old and worn-out bicycle.

One day, Jijo decided to ask his father for a bike again. He went up to him and said, “I want a bike. I know how to drive one. Why won’t you buy one for me?”

His father said, “Bike is a lot of responsibility. Will you be able to take care of it? You should assure me that you will drive safely and follow all the rules.”

“Yes, yes, I will!” assured Jijo.

His father had a list of conditions for Jijo: “Every month, I’ll give you money for just four litres of fuel. You should use the

bike only to run important errands. You should always inform us before using the bike and most importantly, you must learn all the traffic rules.”

Jijo was a bit taken aback to hear so many conditions. He reluctantly agreed.

The following month, Jijo’s father got him a new bike. Jijo was overjoyed. He made up different excuses so that he would be allowed to ride it. And as he was allowed only four litres of fuel in a month, he could not ride very far. His friends too wanted to drive his bike. But Jijo felt restricted by all the conditions his father had set for him.

One day, Jijo’s friend, Fredo, the fox came to visit him.

Fredo said, “Jijo, there’s a fair being held on the outskirt of the forest. Why don’t we go there on your bike?”

“There’s hardly any fuel left in the bike. And I don’t have money to buy more fuel,” said Jijo.

“One litre is more than enough for us to go to the fair and return as well,” said Fredo.

“But Dad will not give me permission to go that far,” said Jijo.

“Ask your mother. She might have some errand for you to run and using that as an excuse, we can go to the fair and have some fun,” said Fredo.

Jijo informed his mother that he and Fredo were going to the market to buy some fruits. After she agreed, the two set off for the fair.

Jijo and Fredo enjoyed themselves at the fair. They had lots of fun eating ice creams and fried snacks. They went on different rides and spent the entire day there.

After it started getting dark, they set off for home. They had travelled only a small distance when the bike stopped suddenly. Jijo checked the fuel tank. It was empty.

“How will we go home now?” worried Jijo.

Fredo had an idea.

“Don’t worry! Sit on the bike and I’ll push it from behind.

After a while, I’ll sit on the bike and you push. This way, we will eventually reach home,” said Fredo.

So, the two took turns to push the bike and reached home late in the night. By then, both of them had become tired.

On reaching home, Jijo thought to himself, “My old bicycle is so much better! It looks worn out but it has never stopped working. It was good for my health as well.”

After that day, Jijo got back to using his bicycle and used the bike only when he needed to.

Riya’s Train Journey

Eight-year-old Riya was going to stay with her aunt, Anita for the summer holidays. While Riya stayed at Kurla, a residential area in Mumbai, her aunt lived in Thane, a district neighbouring Mumbai.

Aunt Anita had come to take Riya to her house. Riya was excited and had packed her bags well in advance. As they walked, Riya asked, Will we be taking the bus to your house, Aunt Anita?”

“No. The bus usually takes too long.

We’ll take the suburban train,” replied Aunt Anita.

“What’s a suburban train?” asked Riya.

“Unlike trains that connect one city to another, the suburban trains connect all the important locations within a city. They also connect the towns on the outskirts from where many people travel to the city on a daily basis,” explained Aunt Anita.

“This is going to be my first time travelling in a suburban train!” said Riya excitedly.

“In that case, let me explain everything about the suburban train system as we go,” said Aunt Anita. “But first, we need to buy the ticket.”

As soon as they reached the Kurla suburban railway station, Aunt Anita and Riya stood in a queue at the ticket counter.

“This is where we have to buy the tickets. However, there are also vending machines from which you can buy tickets faster. Passengers who travel regularly can buy a season ticket, which is valid for a long period like one or three months,” said Aunt Anita.

After purchasing the tickets, Aunt Anita said, “We can now board any train that will take us to Thane. There are fast trains with fewer stops or slow trains that stop at every station and take longer. Once we decide which train to take, we’ll need to check the board and find out which platform we need to go to.”

Riya and Aunt Anita climbed the stairs leading to the platform.

“Aunt Anita, when was the first suburban train service started?” asked Riya.

“The first local train service was started by the British in the year 1653 from the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus in South Mumbai to Thane,” said Aunt Anita.

After reaching the platform, the two found an empty bench and sat down. There was still some time for the train to arrive.

Aunt Anita pointed to an electronic display board and said, “Look up there. That board shows which train is coming next and where it is headed to.”

Riya looked at the board. The train to Thane was due to arrive at the platform.

Aunt Anita started telling Riya about the different train routes in Mumbai. “Mumbai has four train routes: Western line connects the western suburbs or residential areas; Harbour line connects the suburbs of Navi Mumbai to the central areas of Mumbai; Central line connects the areas within the centre of the city; the Trans Harbour line connects the suburbs between Thane and Panvel.”

Riya then looked around the train station. She noticed a cobbler shining a customer’s shoes, a vendor selling peanuts and several stalls selling food and magazines.

Soon their train arrived at the platform. Riya and Aunt Anita stepped onto the train and found a seat by the window.

“Being a weekday afternoon, the train is quite empty today. Good for us,” said Aunt Anita.

“Why were some people running to board a different compartment?” asked Riya.

“That is because there are different compartments in the train: the First Class compartments have tickets that are more expensive than the other compartments; Second Class compartments have relatively cheaper tickets; Ladies compartments are specifically reserved for women; and there’s one for the physically challenged, cancer patients and senior citizens for them to travel safely,” explained Aunt Anita.

“I also saw a couple of boys climbing onto the train’s rooftop. Why were they doing that?” asked Riya.

“It is against the law to travel on the roof of the train. But some do it to avoid getting caught for travelling without a ticket and some do it for fun. This is dangerous. You might also see some people hanging out of the train and waving their hands. That is very unsafe,” said Aunt Anita.

“Our train is so dirty!” said Riya, looking around the compartment.

“Yes, it is. But we are responsiblefor this dirt. Over 70 lakh people commute by local trains every day. It is we who litter the trains. Some passengers even chew paan and spit inside the compartment. We should be more responsible and stop dirtying our trains,” said Aunt Anita.

After an hour, the train reached Thane station. Riya and Aunt Anita got off the train.

“My first local train journey was so much fun. I got to learn so many things. Thank you, Aunt Anita!” said Riya, happily.

Aunt Anita smiled and said, “I am glad you enjoyed your train journey. Mumbai’s train services are constantly changing. So, in a few years’ time, the trains and the stations could be very different from what you see today. The government is introducing free Wi-Fi in the stations and installing escalators too. There are also plans to have air-conditioned compartments. This will greatly improve the experience of travelling in a train.”

Riya agreed. She could not wait to tell her friends about her experience of travelling in a local train.

A Happy Reunion

One day, a fawn was roaming around the forest with his mother and the rest of the herd. A colourful butterfly caught his attention and he began chasing it. After sometime, when he turned around, his family was nowhere in sight. They had moved on. He became scared and ran around in search of his mother. As he ran, he slipped and fell, hurting one of his legs. It was late in the evening. He did not know what to do.

The fawn noticed a light coming from far away. He started limping towards it. The light was from a house. When he reached the gate, a dog started barking. This scared the fawn, but since he could not run and was too tired, he simply sat down.

Eight-year-old Ankur came out of the house on hearing his dog bark. He saw a small animal sitting in front of the gate. But in the dark, he could not make out what it was.

“Dad, look! There is an animal in front of our house,” Ankur called out to his father.

Armed with a stick and torchlight, Ankur’s father approached the animal cautiously.

“Oh! This is a fawn! And I think he has hurt his leg,” said Dad.

Ankur walked up to the fawn and saw him staring back at them.

“He needs help. Ankur, hold the torch while I carry him inside,” said Dad.

Ankur’s father was a forest officer and therefore, he knew how to give first aid to injured animals. He picked up the fawn and brought him into the house. With Ankur’s help, his father cleaned the fawn’s wounds and covered them with bandages.

“He must have got separated from his herd. What do we do, Dad?” asked Ankur.

“We cannot do much now as it’s already dark. The fawn can stay in our house tonight. Tomorrow morning, we’ll look for his herd and return him to his family,” said Dad.

“But Dad, can’t we keep him with us?” asked Ankur.

“Son, you know how worried your mother and I get when you don’t return from the playground on time. Similarly, just imagine how worried this fawn’s mother would be. Just like you, he needs his family, too,” said Dad.

“You are right, Dad,” said Ankur. “Can I come along with you tomorrow?”

“Of course!” replied Dad, smiling. Next morning, Ankur and his father woke up early. Dad put the fawn inside a large box.

“Dad, why did you put the fawn inside a box?” asked Ankur.

“The fawn cannot walk properly as his wounds haven’t healed yet. So, we’ll need to carry him. It is easier to carry him with this box; this way, he will also be safe from being attacked by other animals in the forest,” explained Dad.

Ankur and his father then set off into the forest with the fawn. They searched the forest floor for tracks that may have been left by the herd of deer. After walking a short distance, they found the tracks.

“Look, Ankur! These hoofprints belong to the herd of deer. It must be around here somewhere. Walk quietly and keep an eye out for the herd,” said Dad.

Ankur and his father followed the hoofprints. Soon, they found the herd grazing in a small clearing. They stopped a short distance from the herd and took the fawn out of the box. They nudged him in the herd’s direction. As soon as the fawn saw his family, he cried loudly and limped towards them. His mother ran towards him and licked him all over. Ankur and his father were elated to see the fawn reunited with his mother.

Cheeku Breaks the Spell

Cheeku rabbit went to the palace to meet King Shersingh.

“What’s the matter, Your Highness? Why did you want to see me urgently?” asked Cheeku

“I’m sorry to have disturbed you so early in the morning, but have you read today’s newspaper?” asked King Shersingh.

“I haven’t read the paper yet, Your Highness. I was still sleeping when you called and I came immediately,” replied Cheeku.

“There is a report in Champakvan Times about a theft that took place last night. The thief has stolen lots of valuables from Blacky bear’s jewellery shop,” said King Shersingh, pointing at the newspaper.

“Two more robberies have also took place recently. The police needs to be more vigilant,” said Cheeku.

“Yes, you are right. However, I want to draw your attention to something else mentioned in the report. Here, read the newspaper report,” said King Shersingh, handing the newspaper to Cheeku.

According to the report, the thief entered Blacky’s shop at around midnight and stole all the jewellery. It also mentioned that the thief’s face was captured by the CCTV cameras installed in the shop and he was identified as Baddy fox.

Cheeku was astonished. “How is this possible? Isn’t Baddy in jail?” he asked.

“This is what I wanted to discuss with you, Cheeku. Yes, Baddy is in jail. The guards have also confirmed that he was in jail last night,” said King Shersingh.

“Could it be possible that Baddy escaped from jail for a few hours and somehow managed to get back by morning?” asked Cheeku.

“No, Cheeku. That is not possible as the jail is well guarded and there are cameras installed everywhere. There is no way he could have got out unseen,” informed King Shersingh.

“Maybe a guard may have helped him to get out of jail,” said Cheeku.

“That’s not possible either. I have full faith in all the guards working at the jail,” said King Shersingh.

King Shersingh hesitated for a moment and then said, “There is one more thing. Baddy knows black magic. Do you think he could have used it?”

“Black magic? Have you also started believing in such things?” asked Cheeku.

“A few days ago, Champak Times reporter Sonu deer had interviewed Baddy. At that time, Baddy claimed that he knew black magic and that he could use it to travel to any place and do anything. Now, more questions will be raised after these robberies,” said King Shersingh.

“This is indeed a complicated matter,” said Cheeku.

“Cheeku, you are the only one who can solve this. Please do something,” King Shersingh said.

“I’ll start working on this right away,” assured Cheeku.

Cheeku called up Meeku and requested him to help. The two then went to Blacky’s jewellery shop. After asking the police for permission, Cheeku and Meeku went inside and saw that everything was in a mess.

Cheeku then repeatedly played and checked the camera recordings. When Meeku saw a smile on Cheeku’s face, he said. “I think you have found a clue. Do tell me as well,” said Meeku.

Cheeku paused the recording and pointed to the screen. “Look carefully,” he said. “Three animals walk in to steal the jewellery. Two of them have covered their faces with a mask. However, only Baddy’s face is not covered. He also keeps looking at the camera. It appears as if he wanted his face to be captured by the camera.”

“You are right. But how is it possible for Baddy to be in two places at the same time?” asked Meeku.

On that “I am confused as well. Let’ go talk to Baddy,” said Cheeku.

Cheeku and Meeku went to the jail.

“What is the matter, Cheeku?” asked Baddy casually.

“I want to ask you a few questions,” replied Cheeku. “Where were you last night?”

“I was right here, practising black magic,” replied Baddy.

“So, it wasn’t you that broke into the jewellery shop last night?” asked Cheeku.

“Ha ha! That was me! Using black magic, I can travel to any place. These bars can’t restrain me!” replied Baddy.

“I am sure there is some explanation behind all this. I will find out soon,” said Cheeku.

“What if Baddy puts some spell on you?” asked Meeku nervously.

“Black magic is a hoax. He is trying to fool us. Come, let’s meet Jumpy monkey, the jail warden,” said Cheeku.

Jumpy was eager to meet Cheeku. He asked, “Were you able to find out how Baddy was able to get out of jail? Does he really know black magic?”

“I haven’t fully understood what is happening but I know that there is some trickery going on. Please give me the list of people who came to visit him recently,” said Cheeku.

“Only Laptu jackal comes to meet him. Both of them speak for a long time, but the guards don’t understand what they talk. They talk to each other in a different language,” said Jumpy.

Cheeku was intrigued. Meeku noted the date and time of Laptu’s visits. They then went to meet Titu butterfly. Cheeku requested her to keep an eye on Laptu. Next morning, King Shersingh called Cheeku and Meeku to the palace.

At the palace, King Shersingh said, “There was a robbery again last night. Items worth lakhs of rupees have been stolen from Damru donkey’s shop. The cameras in the shop show Baddy and two other masked animals stealing everything.”

Cheeku and Meeku were astonished. They immediately went to Titu. She told them everything she had observed about Laptu.

Cheeku and Meeku returned to their house and devised a plan. Then, he called some of the animals to help.

“We have to spread a rumour about a diamond that is kept in the Champakvan museum. Let it reach Laptu’s ears that since there are so many robberies happening, King Shersingh has ordered it to be shifted to another museum in the neighbouring forest. As this is being done in a hurry, there won’t be much security and there will only be a few cameras in the room,” Cheeku told the animals.

As planned, the rumour reached Laptu. So, he rushed to the jail to meet Baddy.

When Titu informed Cheeku about it, he said, “We will get to know everything tonight.”

That evening, Cheeku and Meeku went to the museum and hid behind some bushes from where they could see the entrance clearly.

By midnight, a vehicle came to halt outside the museum. Three animals alighted from the vehicle and entered the museum.

Cheeku quickly phoned the police. The police arrived and arrested all the three animals inside the museum. King Shersingh too arrived at the scene.

“How come Baddy is here when he should be in jail?” asked King Shersingh.

“That is because this is not Baddy, but his look-alike,” said Cheeku smiling.

Everyone was shocked!

“The look-alike is the one who committed all the robberies. While committing the crimes, Baddy would pretend to use black magic. Thus, everyone started believing that Baddy was using black magic to move in and out of jail.”

The look-alike said, “Yes, he is right. My name is Bobo. I recently came to Champakvan in search of a job. When Laptu saw me and he befriended me and then told me about this plan. I agreed to do this as I was in need of money.”

Bobo added, “Laptu would meet Baddy and make plans. They communicated in some secret language so that no one would be able to understand them.”

Meeku turned to Cheeku and asked, “How did you figure out Bobo is a look-alike?”

“Bobo’s face was clearly seen in the camera recordings of all the shops. Although Bobo looks like Baddy, if you observe carefully, you will find some differences. Also, the recording shows Baddy with long nails, but that afternoon when I visited him, he had short nails. That is why I thought that the robber was not Baddy but his look-alike.” Everyone praised Cheeku for his intelligence.