moral stories for children Archives - Page 6 of 7

The Magic Rattle

Champak, India’s favourite children’s magazine presents a story about “The Magic Rattle”.

Story: Abrar Mohsin
Illustrations: Sonal & Sumit

Kukku Crow lived on a Neem tree. He had the habit of showing off. Sharmaji’s family lived in a bungalow near the tree. Sharmaji had bought a new red-coloured car. He began parking his car under the tree.

Kukku loved the car. Every day Sharmaji would drive in it to his shop. By the time he returned, Kukku would have fallen asleep. So the crow used to get up early every morning to play on the car.

One morning, when Kukku woke up, he saw Sharmaji and his entire family boarding a taxi. They had a lot of luggage. Kukku realised that they must be going for a long vacation. He knew that the car would be parked all the time under the tree. He spent the entire day on the car.

A pigeon, who lived on a tree nearby, asked, “What is the matter, Kukku? Why are you sitting on this car?”

Kukku told him that he had bought the car. Hence, he would stay on it.

“Really? Where did you get so much money from?” the pigeon questioned.

“I had saved money. Who are you to ask?” Kukku said.

The pigeon wondered, “We can’t even save a few grains. How could he have saved so much money?”

Chinchin Sparrow asked, “Won’t you go for a ride in it?”

Kukku replied, “What fun can we high-fliers have on the road? I have bought it to spend some time on it.”

Within three days, all the birds living nearby got the news. They came together and asked, “Kukku, won’t you let us sit in your car?”

“First go and look at your face in the car mirror. Are you worthy of sitting in it? Don’t you even dare to look at it,” said Kukku.

Everybody went back, disappointed.

The next Sunday, Kukku informed his relatives and friends that he was giving a party on his new car. In the evening, nearly 20 crows were perched on top of the car. They were feasting on the food brought by Kukku. Their cawing could be heard everywhere.

Meanwhile, Sharmaji’s family returned from their trip.

Sharmaji thought, “What is this noise?”

When he saw the crows on top of his car, he was furious. He waved his stick towards the crows. He chased them away shouting, “How dare you dirty my car!”

Kukku fled. His guests also flew away after making fun of him. Sharmaji soon built a garage in his bungalow’s backyard. He began parking his car in it.

Kukku didn’t have the guts to meet anyone or show off.

All his neighbours were saying, “This is what happens when one tries to show off.”

Kukku had learnt his lesson.

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.

“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.

Smart Mice

Sonu was staring at the piece of cake fallen on the floor for quite some time. Two tiny mice quietly came to gobbleup the cake. Before they could do that, Sonu clapped once and scared them away. He was really amused by this and started laughing.

“What happened, brother? Why are you laughing?” asked Sonu’s younger brother, Monu.

“Just before, two mice had come to eat this piece of cake that is lying on the floor. I clapped loudly and they both got petrified and thus fled,” replied Sonu.

“Wow!” exclaimed Monu. “It would be so much fun to scare away the mice. Where are they?”

Sonu replied, “They are hiding somewhere. You come and sit next to me on this cot. They will come again after a while.”

Sonu suddenly recalled something and said, “Wait, let me do something else, it would be more fun.”

“Do what?” asked Monu.

“You just wait and watch,” said Sonu. He then tied the piece of cake to a string and suspended it a few inches above the floor.

Monu asked, “Why did you do that, brother?”

“Don’t ask anything now. Just wait and see what happens,” said Sonu and both of them sat patiently waiting for the mice.

After a few minutes, one of the mice came, stood on its hind legs, and tried to reach the piece of cake in vain. Upon trying further, the mouse lost its balance and tumbled down.

Sonu and Monu burst out laughing and the mouse ran away from there. Sonu and Monu burst out laughing and the mouse ran away from there.

A few minutes later, another mouse came and tried to grab the cake. Some other mice too came there but none of them succeeded in reaching the piece. They tried desperately but had to return empty handed.

Sonu and Monu enjoyed the desperation of the mice and kept laughing at them.

Sonu yawned and said, “Monu, let us go to sleep now.”

“What about the cake?” asked Monu.

Sonu grinned and said, “Let it be hung and let the mice keep trying.”

“It was fun seeing the mice desperate and irritated,” said Monu.

“See how I troubled the mice who generally trouble people. Am I not great and intelligent?” asked Sonu with pride.

“Yes I totally agree that you are indeed intelligent and great,” replied Monu and went to sleep.

The next morning when they woke up, they were astonished to see that the piece of cake was missing from the string

“Where has the cake gone?” asked Monu.

“I have no idea,” replied Sonu.

Monu said, “Mom or Dad must have thrown away the cake.”

“That is not possible. Had they thrown the cake, they would have thrown away the string too. Since the string is untouched, they have not done it,” said Sonu.

“Then how did the cake vanish?” asked Monu.

“I think the mice have devoured the piece of cake,” replied Sonu.

Monu asked, “But they could barely reach the cake, then how can they eat it up?”

Sonu said, “If we want to find out, we will have to hang another piece of cake in a similar manner and keep a watch.” Sonu got another piece and suspended it in the same manner.

Sonu and Monu quietly sat on the cot observing the mice. One of the mice came there and tried to reach the cake but failed.

“This happened yesterday too,” whispered Monu.

Sonu signaled him to be quiet and watch on

Just then, another mouse came there and stood on its hind legs. The mouse that was already present there climbed on the other mouse’s back and quickly cut the string. The mice then took the piece of cake and fled.

Sonu was shocked to see this. He said, “I never thought mice could be so clever.”

“That is true,” said Monu, “The mice have also proven two things.”

“What are they?” asked Sonu.

“They proved Unity is Strength’. If we work together, then we can even accomplish difficult tasks with ease. The second thing that they proved is that one should never underestimate anyone. Others can be more clever than you are,” said Monu.

Sonu smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

And the Fire Began to Burn

Long time back, the mice of Mushakvan didn’t know about fire. Once it was very cold, and the mice didn’t dare get out of their holes. They impatiently waited for the winter to end.

One day, it was less cold than usual. The leader of the Mushakvan, Chunchun, called for a meeting.

“Dear friends, as we all know, the weather is very chilly these days. We will have to think of some way to protect ourselves from this extreme cold. Can anyone suggest what we can do to survive this cold?”

“Chunchunji, we should run around the entire day. This will keep our body warm and thus we will feel less cold,” Chaplu Mouse stood up and said.

“Chaplu, this is not the solution to the problem. How long can one run? And even if we do follow it, only the young mice can do it. The small and the old mice won’t be able to do it,” Chunchun said.

“Chunchunji is right. We will have to think of some other way,” Cheenu Mouse said, shivering with cold.

“Let’s sit near the paddy grains inside our holes. You all must have noticed that some grains like paddy emanate heat,” Chantu Mouse suggested.

“Chantu, even this suggestion is not suitable as the heat given out by such grains is not enough to give us much protection in this intense cold,” Chunchun said.

After that, all the mice gave their suggestions but none seemed useful.

“No suggestion is such which can relieve us from this cold,” Chunchun was very disappointed.

“If only we could bring down the heat from the sky, then we would have found some respite from this biting cold.” These words by an old mouse surprised everyone.

“The heat from the sky? How’s that?” Chunky Mouse asked.

“Chunky, some years back a hot lightening had fallen from the sky on our jungle, which had illuminated the entire place and had caused a lot of heat,” another old mouse said.

“So much heat that we started perspiring!”

“Dadaji, it could be summer season which led you to perspire, but you thought that it was because of the heat from the sky!” Chimpu Mouse tried to make fun of the older mice while playing with some stones.

“You should be ashamed, Chimpu. Here we are discussing something very important and you are playing with stones and making fun of us. Throw away these stones,” Chunchun said angrily and snatching the stones from Chimpu’s hands, threw them away.

As soon as the stones touched the ground, sparks flew out of them but nobody noticed this except Chimpu.

The other mice got busy talking again. Chimpu went close to the stones and looked at them intently. He didn’t find , anything special in the stones. So out of curiosity, he picked them again and threw them on the ground. This time there were no sparks.

Chimpu didn’t lose heart and kept repeating his act again and again. When he saw sparks coming out two-three times he began rubbing two stones against each other.

This caused a spark to emerge which touched Chimpu’s hand. He let out a shriek.

Chimpu, you are not giving us any good suggestion, but you are successfully distracting us by creating noise. This is not good,” an elderly mouse said.

“I have found heat,” Chimpu said while caressing the burn caused by the spark on his hand.

“What do you mean?” When all the mice asked him, Chimpu rubbed the stones and showed them the spark.

“But how will this help? We won’t get any protection with this little heat,” Chaplu said.

“I have seen that the lightening from the sky burns dry trees and plants. We should also collect small dry plants, wood and grass and try the same thing,” one mouse suggested.

They made a pile and after some efforts, that heap caught fire with the sparks. When heat emanated from the burning mound, the mice felt extremely happy. After all, they had found a way to beat the cold and also to generate the heat from the sky (fire).

New Year’s Magic

It was a lousy morning. The sunrays were slowly scattering in all the directions. Cheeku, the Rabbit woke up when his room was entirely brightened by the glistening rays of the sun.

Cheeku’s parents entered his room and wished him a Happy New Year. He had forgotten that it was the first of January. His friends had told him that the year 2019 will be a magical year. They had said that every act done on the first day of the year 2019 would be multiplied throughout the year.

Cheeku was an eighth standard student. He woke up late because he had a holiday from school. He took a bath and had his breakfast. His mother was planting a sapling in their garden. He asked his mother about the same and learnt that she had resolved to plant a sapling every year.

Cheeku was impressed by his mother and he too wanted to take a resolution for the New Year. He started thinking about what resolution he should make. Mother suggested that Cheeku should resolve to inculcate some good habits, like getting up early in the morning and studying, doing his homework on time, eating healthy food, etc.

Cheeku liked mother’s suggestions and resolved to do all his work on time. He was lazy and also ate junk food in plenty. Thus he also decided to eat healthy food and always be active.

It was not easy for Cheeku to live up to the resolutions. The next day he managed to wake up early since he had school in the morning, but he felt lazy to study in the morning. He started doing some reading after his mother encouraged him to study.

Cheeku also found it difficult to shake off his fondness for junk food. Mother helped him this time too. Whenever he asked for junk food like pizza, burger, chopsuey, etc, she gave him carrots, cucumber, spinach and other nutritious fresh vegetables. This made Cheeku feel that his stomach was full and then he couldn’t gorge on junk food.

Mother was impressed by Cheeku’s resolutions and helped him to devote appropriate time to study as well as play. Cheeku and his friends initially created a lot of nuisance in the house, but now Cheeku had become much disciplined.

It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit. This means that if one practices an activity for 21 days at a stretch, it automatically becomes his habit.

It was more than 21 days that Cheeku was practicing good habits. All his friends were surprised at his disciplined behavior. Cheeku too observed that by doing everything on time, he got sufficient time to play. He started excelling in his studies. Subjects like algebra and geometry which were a scare for him previously were now very interesting.

One day, Cheeku recited his self-composed poem in front of his school teacher. His teacher liked the poem and praised Cheeku. All the students also congratulated him. Everything was going well with Cheeku ever since the New Year started. He secured a rank amongst the top students in his class. He also started to enjoy studying. Cheeku was now considered as one of the clever students of the school.

Cheeku’s parents were very happy with his progress in studies. His friends started inculcating good habits as Cheeku had done. They studied and played at pre-decided timings. In the remaining time, they nurtured the plants that Cheeku’s mother had planted.

Cheeku and his friends also excelled in sports. They won medals and secured places in big tournaments. Their parents were proud of their success and showered praises on them.

Cheeku’s mother had planted saplings some time ago which had now grown into plants. In the same way, Cheeku’s resolutions had also grown into a good habit that gave him a happy life. He was now a source of inspiration for all his friends, he was a hero! It was indeed a magical year for Cheeku!

Golu Learns to Think for Himself

Gabbru, Dhenchu and Golu were three donkeys who worked for one master.

Gabbru was the wise one. He feared no one. Dhenchu was the clever one. He worked smart, not hard. Golu, on the other hand, was the simplest of them. He would listen to anybody.

One day, all three of them were walking toward the market carrying their master’s goods. There was a river on their way, which they had to cross.

Clever Dhenchu could smell the goods and figure out what he was carrying. If the master put heavy bags on his back, he would pretend to feel dizzy. So his master would not put the heavy bags on his back.

Today, he had a sack of salt on his back.

While crossing the river, Dhenchu suddenly dipped himself in it.

“Hey, Dhenchu! What are you doing?” asked Golu, surprised. “Are you taking a bath?”

“No, no, Golu! I’m reducing my weight by taking a dip in the river,” said Dhenchu.

“Can the load become lighter by dipping in the river?” asked Golu.

Golu did not realise that by dipping in the river, the salt on Dhenchu’s back would dissolve and the weight of the bag would reduce.

“Oh yes,” said Dhenchu. “If you want, you too can take a dip and see for yourself,” said Dhenchu and laughed. He was amused by Golu’s foolishness. He had seen the empty jars packed on Golu’s back.

Gabbru cried out, “Golu! Don’t listen to him! He always makes losses for our master. And now he’s just taking you for a fool.”

“What? But how is this making a fool out of him?” said Dhenchu, angrily to Gabry. “Come on, tell me!”

“You took a dip in the river, to lessen the load on your back. Our master is clearly going to face losses,” Gabru replied.

“I don’t care. The weight on my back got reduced. I now have to carry less weight!” saying so Dhenchu turned towards Golu and said, “If you want to reduce the weight on your back, you too should take a dip.”

“Really?” asked Golu, in excitement.

“Yes, it worked for me! Ask Gabbru if you don’t trust me. When the salt dissolved away in the water, did the weight of the sack get reduced or increased?” asked Dhenchu.

But before he could finish, Golu said, “I too will take a dip in the water. Gabbru, you too should take a dip if you want to lose some weight.”

Gabbru had cotton sacks on his back, which were lightweight anyway. He did not take a dip in the river. He knew that if he did, the cotton would become wet and heavier.

He screamed at Golu, “Hey, wait! Listen to me…” But Golu had already taken a dip.

There were empty jars on Golu’s back which were now filled with water. As soon as he came out of the water, Golu realised that he was now carrying three times the weight as earlier. He began feeling dizzy.

His legs shook but somehow he managed to walk ahead.

“What’s this? I took a dip, but my weight increased!” Golu said to himself.

“That’s exactly why I was shouting. But you did not stop to listen! And now you must bear the consequences,” said Gabbru, as he walked with him.

Golu somehow reached the marketplace. His waist and legs were aching severely.

Since then, Golu stopped simply copying others without giving it a good thought.

Golu realised that unless you use your brains, merely copying others is useless. It could actually be harmful.

Unique Christmas Tree

Christmas was around the corner. The forest was buzzing with activity. Like the other festivals, Raja Singh, the tiger celebrated this festival with a great deal of funfair. This time he announced a unique competition-the best-decorated tree would win a prize.

Everyone got busy with the preparations. The shops that sold decorations were crowded. The animals bought beautiful expensive things so that they could win the prize.

Minnie, the squirrel had also taken part in this competition. However, unlike the others, instead of buying decorative things, she was collecting old items from everyone’s house.

Sometimes she would pick an old bulb, at times an old bottle from the garbage. Sometimes she would collect pieces of broken bangles or gathered leftover cloth pieces from the tailor’s shop. Everyone made fun of her.

Christmas day arrived and everyone brought their beautifully decorated trees to the venue. Raja Singh dressed as Santa Claus and distributed gifts to everyone. They ate different kinds of cakes and puddings. All sang and danced together.

Soon it was time to announce the winner of the competition. Raja Singh looked at all the Christmas trees very carefully and gave the prize to Minnie.

Everyone was disappointed by this decision. The King explained, “Look carefully at Minnie’s tree. She has made the tree herself from waste materials.

She has made a fish, boat and puppet from old plastic bottles according to their size and covered them with paper and leftover cloth pieces. She has made small toys out of pieces of bangles, thermocol and mud, coloured them and put them on the tree.

Today our greatest problem is excessive garbage. It piles up in many places. Germs, mosquitoes and flies, they are everywhere because of this. Soon the world will be covered with garbage.

We should segregate paper and plastic and reuse them. Make manure out of fruit and vegetable peels by burying them in the ground. Then this problem can be tackled.

All of you have decorated your trees beautifully, but Minnie’s tree is different. She recycled things and made something beautiful. Hence, she deserves the prize.”

Arrogant Cloud

Cloudy Cloud was a young cloud. He liked floating in the sky and causing trouble wherever he went. One day, when Cloudy took a whole lot of water from The Old Sea, The Old Sea felt that it was important to give the young cloud an important lesson.

“When you come across people craving for water,” The Old Sea said, “or farmers standing in the fields who are waiting for you to shower raindrops, don’t disappoint them. Open your heart and quench their thirst. For that is the real purpose of being a cloud. And please, don’t cause trouble or harm anyone.

“Well, I shall see,” Cloudy Cloud said and quickly drifted away. He didn’t like The Old Sea telling him what to do.

“Ha! Everybody wants to give you a lesson and impose their thinking on you,” Cloudy Cloud grumbled. “I will shower raindrops wherever I want. I will do what I please. Let The Old Sea say whatever he wants. I don’t care!”

The people of a village saw Cloudy floating in the sky. Their eyes shone with joy. “Look there! There’s a rain cloud in the sky! It will shower raindrops on our lake! We will have lots of water to drink! Our thirst will be quenched!” the villagers said happily.

But Cloudy Cloud ignored the villagers and drifted away. “Why should I bother if you are hungry or thirsty, huh?” he said and left the poor villagers pining for water.

Cloudy Cloud then floated ahead arrogantly.

After some time, he stopped over a field. The farmers in the field looked up and clapped their hands. They were overjoyed. Their field was parched and they had been eagerly awaiting the rains.

“Now we will get the elixir of life! Our field will receive rainfall! Our crops will grow! We will have grains to eat! This cloud will surely shower rainfall!” the farmers sang and danced.

“Surely shower rainfall, huh?” Cloudy muttered. “Why should I shower rainfall on your field? Am I your servant? Do you think I’ve brought the water especially for your field from so far, huh? Well, I really don’t care about you or your crops!”

Cloudy then made a rude face and moved on. The farmers below blamed The Wind.

“Oh! The rain cloud was blown away! Wind, why did you do that? Our crops won’t grow now! We won’t have food to eat!” they wept.

The Wind who had been watching quietly felt very bad. He scolded Cloudy, “Cloudy, I am being blamed for your mistakes. Why aren’t you showering rain? You are disappointing everyone.”

“Mind your own business!” Cloudy Cloud told The Wind rudely. “Don’t you dare meddle with me or poke your nose in my affairs.”

“Don’t be so arrogant, young fellow” The Wind told Cloudy Cloud. “People will be grateful if you shower rain in places where it ! is needed.” Saying so, The Wind went away, hoping Cloudy would understand.

But Cloudy Cloud didn’t care. He had made up his mind to do what he wanted. He wanted to play pranks and have fun.

He found an old potter who was making mud pots and drizzled all over him.

“Oh no!” the potter cried. “All my efforts have been wasted. The rain has softened all my pots even before they could dry and take shape. I am ruined!”

Cloudy Cloud grinned. He enjoyed seeing the old potter cry. The Wind noticed this and felt very upset. But he knew that no matter how he tried, explaining anything to Cloudy was quite useless.

Cloudy Cloud decided that he would cause more mischief. He showered big drops of rain right above a lawn where a marriage reception was being held. The tents fell apart with the rainfall and the guests at the reception found that they were drenched. The food too was soaked with water and became inedible. There was chaos as everyone was running for shelter.

Cloudy Cloud laughed. He enjoyed having fun at the expense of others. He then drifted ahead, looking for more places to cause trouble. The Wind who had decided to follow Cloudy couldn’t bear to see the damage he was causing. He was very annoyed now.

The Wind then went to his old friend, Tall Mountain. “Tall Mountain, we must do something or this wicked, young cloud will go on troubling everyone.”

“You are right,” Tall Mountain said. “I have been watching Cloudy too. He really is wicked. Don’t worry. I have an idea. We will stop Cloudy from doing any further harm.”

Tall Mountain then explained his idea. A short while later, The Wind found Cloudy Cloud. He was showering raindrops above a clothesline full of dry clothes. “Cloudy Cloud, I won’t stop you from doing what you want! But I have a special request!”

The Wind said politely. “I hope you will listen.”

Cloudy stopped and turned around. He was curious and wondered what The Wind would say. “What is it?” he asked arrogantly.

“Please don’t go close to Tall Mountain! He has a high fever and a bad cold! The doctors have warned him not to get wet,” The Wind told Cloudy. “Is that so?” Cloudy Cloud asked mischievously.

“Yes,” The Wind replied, knowing exactly what Cloudy would do. Then, just as Tall Mountain had predicted, Cloudy enthusiastically drifted towards Tall Mountain’s peak. “I will shower raindrops on Tall Mountain’s peak and make him wet,” Cloudy Cloud said and laughed.

Now Cloudy Cloud didn’t know how high and strong Tall Mountain was. He rushed towards Tall Mountain’s peak with all his might and collided into it with a loud bang.

To Cloudy Cloud’s dismay, all the water he had within him splashed out in the form of heavy rain. And soon after that, he began breaking into pieces, like cotton balls.

“Help! I am vanishing! Please help me,” Cloudy Cloud cried as he slowly faded away “I don’t want to disappear!”

The last words that Cloudy Cloud heard before he faded away completely were, “This is what happens to those who cause trouble and try to harm others.”

Cloudy Cloud realized that The Wind and Tall Mountain were talking about him. “I wish I had been a good cloud and listened to The Old Sea and The Wind!” Cloudy Cloud said. He then disappeared completely.

Greater Happiness

Chulbuli Squirrel considered herself very lucky. She had a big banyan tree for a house. She lived there by herself in great comfort.

There were lush green pastures and fields near the banyan tree. The crops would sway in the fields when the wind blew. And grains scattered and fell on the grass every single day.

This made things very easy for Chulbuli Squirrel. All she had to do was to climb down the tree whenever she was hungry and help herself to the grains.

There was a small pond near Chulbuli’s tree too. It never went dry. In fact, the pond was full of cool and clear water throughout the year. Chulbuli Squirrel had to simply skip to the pond and drink its water whenever she was thirsty.

The weather too was always pleasant. The skies above the tree were covered with soft, white clouds. And a cool and gentle breeze always blew around the tree.

Chulbuli Squirrel would run up and down the tree and enjoy herself thoroughly. She didn’t have a care in the world. “I am so happy!” Chulbuli Squirrel would often say to herself. “Nothing can make me happier!”

A short distance from Chulbuli’s tree was a field with a barn. Babloo Rabbit and the barn owner’s dog who was called Tommy Watchdog lived there. They were Chulbuli’s friends and often played with her.

Tommy Watchdog worked very hard during the day. He was also very alert during the night. If he ever saw anyone coming near the field or barn, he would start barking loudly and alert the barn owner.

One day, Chulbuli Squirrel met Tommy Watchdog near the field. He hadn’t slept too well the previous night and looked very tired.

“I feel very sorry for you, Tommy,” Chulbuli Squirrel said. “You guard the field all day and night. You have to bark all the time. Your jaws must be aching with all the barking you do. Its hard work, isn’t it?”

Tommy Watchdog kept quiet. He listened as the little squirrel went on. “Look at me! I am so happy!” Chulbuli Squirrel went on cheerfully. “There’s no happiness greater than mine. There’s nothing that can make one happier than living in a comfortable house and having an easy life.”

Tommy Watchdog who had been listening patiently all this while finally said, “You are wrong, Chulbuli. A day will come when you will know there are other things that can make you happier. You will realise that there are other things that can warm your heart besides living in a comfortable house and having an easy life.”

The Boring Day of Pickly Wibble the Hedgehog

Chulbuli Squirrel didn’t understand what the dog meant. “Er… Tommy, my friend,” she said. “Let’s discuss this some other day. It’s lunchtime now. I must go to the field. There are golden grains of corn waiting for me.”

The grains of corn lying on the field was soft and sweet. Chulbuli Squirrel ate them all and then rested on the grass below her tree.

She looked up at the sky and saw that there were soft, clouds above her. The breeze too was cool and refreshing. Chulbuli Squirrel felt very happy.

“Ah! What beautiful weather! My life is perfect!” she thought. “There is nothing else that can make me happier!” She closed her eyes and fell asleep on the grass.

Suddenly, the sound of screaming pierced Chulbuli Squirrel’s ears. She opened her eyes at once and looked around. She quickly hopped towards the direction where the sound was coming from.

Chulbuli Squirrel hopped further and stopped. “Oh no!” she cried as she spotted her friend Babloo Rabbit.

He was wincing and groaning in pain. Chulbuli saw that a big thorn had pricked Babloo Rabbit’s paw. It was bleeding and Babloo Rabbit looked very distressed. There was nobody around to help pull the thorn out of his paw.

Chulbuli Squirrel quickly hopped towards Babloo Rabbit and tried to pull the thorn out with her teeth. But the thorn was thrust deeply and did not come out easily.

Chulbuli tried harder. But the thorn still didn’t come out. In fact, it pricked Chulbuli’s mouth. “Ouch!” Chulbuli Squirrel cried in pain. The thorn had stung and scratched her mouth badly but she decided to ignore it. She was more concerned about helping Babloo Rabbit. She couldn’t bear to see her friend in such great agony.

Chulbuli Squirrel tried to console Babloo Rabbit. “Don’t worry, my friend!” she said in a reassuring tone. “I know that I am small but I will try my best to help you.”

Chulbuli Squirrel then held the thorn tightly with her teeth. She loosened it at first by pulling it from all sides. She then pulled as hard as she could. To Babloo Rabbit’s great relief, the thorn now came out in one go. But Chulbuli Squirrel lost her balance in the bargain. She fell against a rock and injured her little back.

Babloo Rabbit felt relieved as soon as the thorn came out of his paw. He stopped groaning and smiled. Chulbuli’s mouth was still stinging. And her back was badly injured too. But the moment she saw Babloo Rabbit smiling, she forgot all about her pain and watched her friend.

Tommy Watchdog, who had heard the commotion, came along.

He saw his two friends and immediately understood what had happened.

“Chulbuli, you are hurt.” Tommy Watchdog told the little squirrel with concern. “Let me apply some medicine on your wounds.”

“Forget about my wounds, Tommy!” Chulbuli Squirrel smiled and said. “They really aren’t bothering me. I’m feeling very happy now. I helped remove a thorn from Babloo Rabbit’s paw. It was causing him great discomfort.”

Tommy Watchdog smiled. “I’m sure you’re feeling very happy now, Chulbuli,” he said.

“But is this happiness greater than the one you get from living on your comfortable tree?”

Chulbuli Squirrel thought for a moment and then said, “No, Tommy! This happiness is far greater. I am happier to have helped a friend in need than living the same old comfortable life. I now understand what you tried to tell me. The greatest happiness comes from helping a troubled friend.”

Tommy Watchdog smiled. Chulbuli Squirrel had finally understood what he meant.

Indeed, the greatest happiness comes from helping a troubled friend.

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.

“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.

“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.

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.

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.

“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 Ride

One day Tuffy Elephant’s son Golu went to Chunchun Rat’s house early morning itself and called him out. Chunchun had got up from sleep at that time and came out, rubbing his eyes.

“What is the matter, Brother Golu? Everything is all right?” he asked.

“Yes, everything is fine. I just came to tell you that from today onwards I will ride on you and roam everywhere.”

At first, Chunchun thought that he was still not completely awake, so he might have heard it wrong. But then he understood everything.

Actually, from the past few days, the schools were having summer vacations. Most of the children watched television in their homes. Golu too was fond of watching television. Ever since he had seen the people of cities driving fast cars, he wanted to ride on Chunchun who would run very fast. So he came early morning to Chunchun’s house to tell him about his thoughts.

Chunchun was very small, but he had a very sharp brain. So without getting petrified, he told Golu, “Brother Golu, today I am not well. You come after 3-4 days.”

“All right,” Golu said and left.

Chunchun delayed the problem for 3-4 days, but he knew that Golu will come again and he will have to be prepared beforehand.

Chunchun was wondering on whom to ask for help when he remembered Peelu Monkey. Peelu was his good friend and they would help each other.

He got ready and went to Peelu’s house and told him everything.

After hearing the whole story, Peelu laughed and said, “You don’t worry, Chunchun, I have a solution to this.”

Then Peelu told Chunchun about his plan and they both started working on it. After 3 days of hard work, they were ready to deal with Golu.

When Golu came to Chunchun’s house on the fourth day, he found Chunchun to be very happy. Golu asked, “Chunchun, are you ready?”.

“Yes, of course,” Chunchun said, “I will just come in a minute.”

Then Chunchun went inside the house and came out with something the size of a rat.

“What is this?” Golu asked.

Chunchun said, “Brother Golu, these days I am not keeping good health. That is why I have called my cousin from Sundervan to take you for a ride. Its name is ‘Skate Board’. You climb on it and kick. Then it will take you everywhere.”

Golu liked Chunchun’s idea. He enjoyed the ride on the ‘Skate Board’ so much that he forgot Chunchun.

Chunchun took a breath of relief and went towards Peelu’s house to thank him.

We Won’t Fight

That little garden had something special about it. Various kinds of flowers were always smiling on the branches of plants.

Their fragrance always pervaded the garden. People would be astounded on coming over there. Everyone would lavishly praise the beauty of the flowers.

Queen Honeybee, Beauty Butterfly and Gungun Bumblebee were friends with each other. All three would work together in the garden.

Queen Honeybee would collect nectar from the flowers and make honey.

When Beauty Butterfly would flap her beautiful wings and talk to the flowers, they would start swaying joyfully. Gungun Bumblebee was different than everybody.

When he would sing, the garden’s flowers would forget everything.

One day they all had an argument on who was the best among them. The argument turned into a fight and each started claiming to be the best.

“You both don’t do any work, just roam around. I am better than both of you because I work hard and make delicious honey,” Queen Honeybee said, praising herself.

“So what if you make honey? You only eat it. Have you ever given us honey to eat? Selfish bee,” Beauty Butterfly said angrily to Queen.

“In my opinion, I am better than both of you. Neither do I sting like Queen nor do I become discoloured like Beauty even when she is gently touched,” Gungun opined, “I am the best.”

“Leave it, leave it. Your heart is as dark as your colour. You just act as if you are singing. In reality, you are jealous of our beauty and spread negativity about us,” Queen and Beauty both scolded Gungun.

The fight increased and reached a point where they were ready to beat each other. When the breeze saw this, it felt very sad. Seeing the situation, it turned into a gust of wind and flew all of them in different directions.

The wisdom of breeze stopped the fight that day but their attitude didn’t change.

Next day they were fighting again. The king of flowers Rose was hearing them intently.

“Friend, you decide who is the best amongst us. We will go by your decision,” they went to Rose and said.

Rose was very intelligent. He had sensed that they were in anger, so explaining anything to them would be a waste.

“You all come tomorrow. You will get an answer to your question,” Rose asked them to wait for a day.

They returned back on hearing Rose. As time passed, their anger reduced. They were eagerly waiting for the next morning.

When they reached the garden the next day, the sight of the place made them astonished.

Not even one flower had blossomed. The garden was looking appalling without the flowers blooming.

The flowers didn’t blossom even when it was evening. Without the flowers, how could Queen collect nectar for making honey? She became very sad.

Where would Beauty linger if not on flowers? She too began crying.

Gungun forgot singing and went and sat on a branch dejectedly. They all realized their mistake. They requested the flowers to blossom.

“Now you must have got your answer,” Rose told them.

“Friend, forgive us. You answered our question without saying anything. How incomplete we are without the flowers, we know this truth now,” All three of them said.

“Everyone has importance in this world. So thinking about being big or small or best is foolishness. You all are the best,” As soon as Rose said this, all the flowers of the garden bloomed together.

The garden was looking picturesque again. Queen, Beauty and Gungun’s happiness knew no bounds.

They promised Rose that they won’t fight ever again. Together they would increase the splendour of the garden.

Rose smiled at their assurance. It congratulated them for showing sensibility and wisdom.

THE SECRET OF THE STONE

Today all friends had come to Meet’s house. All four were playing carrom. Then Aneesha told Aryan, “Let us leave now, Brother, it’s already 7 O’clock. Mother must be waiting for us.”

“All right. Okay Meet, we will meet in school tomorrow. Goodbye,” Aryan said. All of them had come on their bicycle, so they were returning alone.

Aryan’s bicycle got punctured midway.

‘Oh, such bad luck! I won’t even find anybody to repair the cycle here,’ Aryan thought. Meet’s house was at the outskirts of the city. Aryan returned back to his house and walked back towards his own house after keeping the bicycle there.

He was going through the deserted highway right then he spotted a beggar. He was digging in front of a milestone at the roadside. He put a small blue coloured packet in the pit and filled it up.

Aryan was watching all this hiding behind the bushes. After finishing his work the beggar walked towards the city acting like a blind man with the help of his stick.

Aryan thought, ‘What was that thing which the beggar put inside the pit? Let me check.’ Aryan dug again and took out the packet. When he opened it, his eyes widened. It had many bunches of thousand rupee notes.

“So much money? The currency is real. But how did that poor beggar get so much money? Something is definitely fishy,’ Aryan thought.

Aryan put the packet back in the pit and rushed to Meet. Meet was surprised to see him returning back again.

“What happened? Don’t you want to return home today? What’s the matter now? Were you pricked by a thorn in your feet?”.

“No, come with me immediately. I have to show you something.”

Meet understood that it must be something urgent. He came with Aryan. On the way, Aryan told him the whole story.

Both were going towards the same pit when they saw a blue car coming towards that milestone. Aryan and Meet hid behind the bushes. One man got down from the car.

He dug out that blue packet quickly and replaced it with a green packet. He took the blue packet and the car swiftly went away.

Aryan and Meet came out from their hiding. They took out the green packet and opened it, “What is this thing like a white powder?”

“This is brown sugar. I have smelt it before too. These small packets have intoxicant materials worth lakhs of rupees. Now I can understand what’s going on,” Aryan said.

“Tell me too,” Meet wanted to know.

“It seems that beggar and his boss deal in drugs.”

“That beggar keeps money here and in turn, drugs worth that money is put back which is taken later. What a unique way!”.

“Inspector Sharma uncle too was telling a few days before that the business of drugs is flourishing in the city,” Aryan said.

“What will you do now?”

“That beggar will come back again to take the green packet. He comes walking, so we can easily follow him.”

Both of them kept back the packet and waited for the beggar.

Aryan was right as usual. After 15 minutes the beggar came back walking with the help of his stick.

He checked around. Finding nobody there, he took out the packet. Putting it in his raggedy bag, he again began acting like a blind man and moved towards the city.

But this time 2 detectives were behind him. Very soon he reached the bungalow of a rich businessman Lalchand. He knocked the door and went inside.

Aryan told Meet, “It seems he comes here daily. That means Lalchand is the man who runs the racket of drugs in our city. This beggar works for him.”

They informed Sharma uncle. Inspector Sharma raided Lalchand’s bungalow and seized drugs worth lakhs of rupees. Lalchand and all his aides were arrested.

Aryan’s astuteness busted the drug racket going on in the city.

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.

“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.

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.

The Special Pooja

All the animals of the forest of Doodlevan were worried about the late arrival of monsoon. The pond had dried up, so they had to go far in search of water. Every day, all the animals and birds would gather around the biggest banyan tree, looking up at the sky for any sign of rain.

One day, Loki, the eagle informed the animals that he saw Jacky, the jackal walking towards Doodlevan with two monkeys who looked like babas.

“Why are they coming here?” asked Popo, the parrot.

“To make it rain in our forest,” said Loki.

“Who told you?” asked Eddie, the elephant.

“Jacky told me. They are all well-known babas. After they perform a special pooja here, it will begin to rain and all our worries will be over,” replied Loki.

“I don’t believe it,” said Charlie, the rabbit.

“Why do you say so?” asked Miko, the mouse.

“This seems suspicious. This could be a trick. These monkeys will rob everyone and escape from the forest,” said Charlie.

“How do you know?” asked Loki. “I believe these babas can do anything. They have divine powers.”

“So, let them make it rain wherever they are. We didn’t ask for it,” said Charlie.

“Come on, Charlie. It is just a pooja. Everyone believes it will rain after the pooja,” said Loki.

“Everyone?” asked Charlie.

“Yes, even King Leo, the lion believes it. That’s why he has asked me to inform everyone about it. The pooja will start tomorrow itself.”

“What?!” exclaimed Charlie and Miko.

“There is nothing to be surprised about,” said Loki, flying away to tell others.

By evening, the news had spread throughout the jungle. Jacky and the two babas, Chimpu baba and Chiko baba, began preparing for the pooja.

“Chimpu baba is always in meditation and does not like to be disturbed. It was only on Jacky’s request that he agreed to come to Doodlevan to

perform the pooja,” said Chiko baba.

“It is very kind of him. If the monsoonis delayed anymore, we’ll all be forced to move out of this forest,” said Loki.

“It has not rained here because the values

of honesty and justice are not followed. This has displeased the gods. That is why the clouds have changed their path,” said Chiko baba.

“You are right,” said Loki.

“Now, we will need different items for the pooja. A feast must be organised after it pooja,” said Chiko baba.

“What is Chimpu baba’s fee?” asked Loki.

“That depends on your devotion. The more gifts you give Chimpu baba, the more you will benefit. Though Chimpu baba wishes well for everyone, the one who gifts him the most will receive special blessings,” explained Chiko baba.

Charlie listened to the conversation from a distance. He called Miko and asked him to keep an eye on Chimpu baba.

“But why do you not trust the babas?” asked Miko.

“My friend in Riddlevan told me that a couple of months ago, two notorious monkeys cheated many animals in their forest by selling fake gold bars. Once the animals complained to the police, the monkeys vanished. The police are still looking for them. So, I have a suspicion that these two babas could be those monkeys in disguise,” explained Charlie.

Charlie went to talk to Boko, the bear about his suspicion. Since Boko worked for King Leo, he would be able to alert him.

“Are you sure?” asked Boko.

“Yes. Look here,” said Charlie, showing Boko a photo on his phone. “My friend just sent me the photos of the two monkeys wanted by the police at Riddlevan. Don’t they look like Chimpu baba and Chiko baba? We need to arrest them.”

“But what about the pooja? What if it does rain after it?” asked Boko.

“Boko, delayed monsoon has got nothing to do with angry gods wanting to be pleased. It is to do with us mindlessly cutting trees and using up groundwater. We must harvest rainwater, plant more trees and use water sensibly,” said Charlie.

“You’re right. We need to stop these monkeys before they cheat us. I think Jacky too is involved. I’m going to inform Inspector Giro, the giraffe right away,” said Boko.

As soon as Jacky, Chimpu baba and Chiko baba saw the police, they tried to escape but Inspector Giro managed to catch them.

The other animals were surprised. Boko then explained everything to them. Everyone thanked Charlie for his alertness.

“Now I hope everyone has understood that we cannot make it rain by performing some pooja but only by planting trees and harvesting rainwater,” said Charlie.

A Lesson under the Lake

One day, during the summer vacations, sisters Ashna and Prachi, went to Lumbini Park in Hyderabad to see the statue of Gautama Buddha, built on a small island in the middle of the Hussain Sagar Lake next to the park.

To see the statue up close, visitors had to take a ferry from the park to the island. Being vacation time, there was a long queue for the ferry ride.

Ashna was bored. “When will we get on the boat, Didi?” she asked her sister.

“It looks like it is going to take a while. That is why I asked you to bring a storybook to read,” replied Prachi, looking at the long queue.

Prachi liked to read books. She carried one wherever she went. It came in handy while waiting—be it at the doctor’s clinic, the salon, or even at the supermarket check-out counter.

Ashna too liked to read books, but she preferred making up stories in her head over reading.

As the sisters waited in the queue for their turn to board the ferry, Ashna heard someone calling out to her. She turned around and saw a girl in the lake.

“Hello, Ashna!” greeted the girl.

“Hello,” Ashna replied hesitantly.

“I am Mandira,” said the girl. “Are you waiting for the ferry ride?”

Ashna nodded her head.

“It’s going to take you a while to board the ferry. In the meantime, why don’t you come visit my house? I live in this lake,” said Mandira.

“Really?” asked Ashna surprised. “How can I visit you?”

“Just hold my hand,” said Mandira.

Ashna held Mandira’s hand and slipped into the water. That’s when she saw that Mandira did not have legs. She had a tail fin like a fish! Ashna realised that Mandira was a mermaid.

Ashna and Mandira held hands and swam all around the lake. Mandira led Ashna deep underwater. There were many fish, frogs, tiny crabs and some small water snakes as well.

“Mandira, is that a lizard?” asked Ashna, pointing to a lizard-like animal.

“No, Ashna. That is a salamander. It looks like a lizard but is actually an amphibian,” said Mandira.

“What is an amphibian?” asked Ashna.

“Amphibians are creatures that live on land as well as in water, like frogs. Although salamanders look like lizards, they are comfortable both inside and outside of the water,” explained Mandira.

Ashna was amazed. The salamander waved at her before walking away. Another sight caught Ashna’s eyes.

“Look, Mandira! There is a snail stuck in the mud near the edge of the lake,” said Ashna.

“No, Ashna. That’s not a snail; it’s a slug. A snail has a shell on its back but slugs don’t,” said Mandira.

“You know so many things, Mandira!” said Ashna in awe.

“That’s nothing, Ashna. The lake is my home. So, I know all my neighbours,” said Mandira.

“But why do they look unhappy?” asked Ashna.

“This is because of the pollution caused by human beings who dump garbage and other waste in the lake. This makes the lake dirty and dangerous for us to live in,” said Mandira.

Ashna saw a beautiful palace ahead, but the walls were very dirty. “Is this where you live?” she asked Mandira.

“Yes,” replied Mandira.

“Why is it so dirty?” asked Ashna.

“Not just mine; everyone’s house is dirty. We clean our houses every day, but by evening, they become dirty again. Polluted water from factories, homes and hospitals flows into the lake. Many creatures have died because of this. They cannot breathe in this dirty water,” said Mandira sadly. “See those children standing at the edge of the lake? They are throwing empty plastic covers into the water. These covers choke small fish and turtles.”

“Oh!” Ashna was very sad to hear all this. “Please tell me how we can help you, Mandira.”

“You can start by asking you family and friends to protect the lake by not throwing garbage into lakes and rivers; recycle and reuse plastic; dispose them responsibly.

Besides keeping our water bodies clean, it is also important to plant trees to ensure adequate rainfall,” said Mandira.

“I will surely tell my family and friends to do their bit for our planet,” promised Ashna.

“Thank you, Ashna,” said Mandira, who was back to her cheerful self again. “Come, I’ll take you back to your sister. Hold my hand.”

Suddenly, Ashna heard her sister calling out to her. “Wake up, Ashna! It is our turn to board the ferry.”

Ashna woke up and looked around dazed.

“Oh, Didi! Was this all a just a dream?” asked Ashna.

“What was?” asked Prachi puzzled. Ashna narrated her dream to Prachi.

Prachi smiled and said, “Though it was only a dream, there was a harsh truth in your dream. Our planet is full of garbage that is harming the environment.”

“Yes, we must speak to our parents, teachers and classmates, and tell them to keep our rivers, lakes and ponds clean. We should plant more trees as well,” said Ashna. The sisters agreed to take steps to make the planet greener.

Greedy Cockroaches

A group of cockroaches lived in a garbage bin outside a five-star hotel. They were leading a happy life, feasting on a variety of tasty food discarded from the hotel’s kitchen. They were growing fatter by the day.

Cockroaches love to eat. In fact, there may be no other creature as gluttonous as the cockroach. It can eat almost anything—from decaying plants and dead wood to sweets, meat, vegetables and rice. Because of this unique quality, cockroaches have been able to outlive dinosaurs and may even outlive humans.

Mojo, one of the cockroaches that lived outside the hotel, was the fattest. He dreamed of entering the hotel and living a life of luxury—eating fresh food and partying like the humans.

One day, Mojo was looking into the hotel from the window as usual when Rojo came up to him and said, “Mojo, stop dreaming about entering the hotel. This is a five-star hotel. Cockroaches are not allowed inside!”

“I know that. But no one can stop me from entering it. You just wait and watch,” said Mojo stubbornly.

“Mojo, this is for your own good. You have no idea how scared humans are of cockroaches. They worry about us spreading diseases. So, they use insect sprays to kill us,” said Rojo.

“Don’t worry, Rojo. Nothing will happen to me. I am too smart for the humans,” said Mojo confidently.

Right then, an employee of the hotel came out and emptied the garbage bin. On seeing this, Mojo and the other cockroaches hungrily jumped on the pile of discarded food to eat it.

After that day, Mojo began looking for ways to enter the hotel. One day, Mojo noticed an opening in the ground. He entered it and realised he was inside a water pipe that led directly into the hotel. He eagerly walked along the pipe. After walking a short distance, Mojo succeeded in reaching the hotel’s restroom.

As soon as he was inside the hotel, Mojo screamed and danced happily on the toilet seat in the restroom. He felt like he had won a lottery.

That day on, Mojo would hide in a dark corner and sleep all day. At night, he would come out of his hiding spot and enjoy the parties, dance and eat all the fresh, delicious food.

After two months inside the hotel, Mojo missed his friends. So, he decided to pay them a visit. Mojo wore a suit and went outside through the water pipe to meet them.

All the cockroaches were surprised to see him.

“Hey, Mojo! You look great! Where have you been all these days? Have you been roaming around the city?” asked Rojo.

“What will I do roaming around the city in this heat? I have been living comfortably inside the hotel. I missed all of you and so, I came to see you,” replied Mojo.

“What? Have you been living inside the five-star hotel? Didn’t the humans chase you out?” asked another cockroach surprised.

“Humans are not that sharp. I’m having so much fun hiding right under their noses. They have no idea of all the mischief I have been up to. I am clever, aren’t I?” said Mojo proudly.

“Yes, you indeed are. But tell us, what have you been eating and doing inside?” asked another cockroach. They were all curious.

“You have no idea of the variety of food I get inside. I eat fresh fruits, cakes, pastries, ice creams and vegetables. I also enjoy listening to good music and dancing during their parties,” said Mojo.

“Wow! You must take us with you when you go in again. We are all fed up of staying in this smelly garbage bin. We also want to live a comfortable life like you,” said all the cockroaches.

Mojo thought about it and said, “Okay. I will take you inside the hotel but under one condition—you have to accept me as your leader.”

“That’s no big deal. From this moment onwards, you are our leader. Now, lead us into the hotel,” they said.

Rojo was not happy about the plan. He was worried for his friends’ safety. He tried to make them understand.

“Friends, please listen to me. Don’t go inside the hotel. If the humans see you, they will kill you,” reasoned Rojo.

“Rojo, you are just jealous of Mojo because he lives a life of luxury and that we made him our leader. You can stay here if you want, but we are going,” said the other cockroaches.

“Do as you wish. As your friend, it is my duty to caution you,” said Rojo.

Mojo waited till it became dark and then said, “Friends, now is the right time to enter. Nobody will see us. Just follow me.”

He led the other cockroaches through the water pipe and into the hotel. Once they were inside, the cockroaches were elated!

“Wow! Imagine the kind of food we will get to eat hereafter!” they said.

Mojo was proud that as their leader, he was the one to have led them into the hotel. He too celebrated with them.

Soon, the big group of cockroaches became hungry. They found lots of food laid out on a table. They swarmed it and started feasting on it.

The humans got scared on seeing so many cockroaches. They started screaming for help.

The manager of the hotel rushed to the spot. “This has never happened before. We’ll quickly kill all the cockroaches and clear the place. Please do not worry,” he assured the guests.

Since the cockroaches were busy eating the delicious food, they were unaware of the danger that lay in store for them. The employees sprayed an insect-repellent on the cockroaches.

Immediately, the spray started to take effect. The cockroaches began to feel giddy and started swaying.

“What is happening? Are we dying?” they panicked. “We shouldn’t have come here at all. We only came because Mojo lured us into the hotel. See what our greediness has cost us. We should have listened to Rojo.”

“Why are you blaming me?” snapped Mojo. “You asked me to take you inside the hotel. Because of you all, even I have been exposed.”

The cockroaches were struggling to breathe.

“My head is spinning.”

“I can’t see clearly!”

“I need fresh air!”

After all the cockroaches became unconscious, the employees swept them into a bag and threw them out into the garbage bin.

Rojo was shocked to see his friends lying unconscious in the garbage bin. He rushed to check on them. He tried to revive them up by shaking their heads and legs. One by one, the cockroaches woke up.

As soon as he saw Rojo, Mojo started crying. “Oh, Rojo! I should have listened to you. Instead, I took others with me into the hotel and put their life in danger. Please forgive me. I will not do anything foolish again,” he said.

“I hope you have learnt that we all have our own place. The dustbin is ours, while the hotel belongs to the humans,” said Rojo.

That day on, the cockroaches did not complain about their life. They were happy to look at the hotel from the outside.

Friendsville

Monty mouse was the leader of Miceville where many mice lived. One pleasant morning, Monty was having tea when a messenger from Elephant Town arrived with a message from Eddy elephant, the chief of Elephant Town.

The message read:

Dear Monty,

I hope you are doing well. As you may be aware, humans are cutting down trees in Elephant Town. This has forced us to move out our forest in search of a new place to live. But when we move to other forests, the animals there complain that we occupy too much space.

I heard that there is an unoccupied patch of land near Miceville. I checked the place and it looks large enough for the elephants. Since that land belongs to you, I request your permission for the elephants to live there.

We won’t come into your town unnecessarily and intrude. We will set up our own shops; that way, we will not need to visit your town. I would also like to request you to help us whenever hunters try to capture us.

You could cut the nets with your sharp teeth and rescue us. If you allow us to live in your forest, we will help you whenever cats threaten you.
I hope you will agree to my plan. Look forward to your reply.
Regards,
Eddy

Monty found the proposal agreeable. So, he immediately replied to the message inviting the elephants to live in the forest. The elephants were happy to receive a positive response.

After one week, the elephants moved into the forest. The elephants and the mice lived together peacefully and happily. The elephants saved the mice from cats and the mice saved the elephants from hunters.
After a few years, the mice changed the name of their forest to Friendsville.

The Proud Red Car

The stylish new red car was proud and boastful.

“I am much more beautiful than you,” it showed off to the other cars.

“Yes, you are,” agreed the old white car. “You are beautiful and technologically advanced than the rest of us.”

“And I forgot to tell you something,” said the red car. “My rear view mirror also doubles up as an electronic monitoring system. When I am reversing, it shows me if there is a vehicle or an object behind me. It makes a sound to alert me if it is too close to me.”

Does this help avoid accidents?” asked the white car.

“Yes,” replied the red car proudly.

Just then, Tommy, the dog walked by. Every day, he would climb up the hood of the white car and sleep for a while. Today, too he climbed up the white car. But then, he saw the red car and thought, “Here’s a new car today. Maybe I should sleep on it.”

The red car got scared on seeing Tommy preparing to jump on it. “If that dog jumps on me, he’ll cause dents and scratches. I must avoid him,” thought the red car.

As Tommy jumped, the red car quickly moved forward, taking him by surprise. Tommy fell on the ground. He was hurt. He got up, barked at the car and then walked away.

After a while, “I am going for a drive now,” said the red car.

“I’ll come with you, too,” said the

white car.

Just then, the red car had an idea. “Why don’t we have a race?” it suggested excitedly.

“You are sure to win,” said the white car. “I am old and heavier than you. I cannot move as fast as you.”

“That’s no excuse. Are you scared to race with me?” asked the red car.

“Not at all! Let’s race,” said the white car.

The cars took their positions next to each other. On the count of three, they set off fast down the highway. Initially, both the red and white cars were neck to neck, driving at the same speed. But the red car slowly increased its speed and raced ahead.

“See how fast I am!” said the red car, taking its eyes off the road to look back at the white car.

“Look out for that truck!” shouted the white car alarmed.

The red car saw a big goods truck heading straight for it. Since it was travelling too fast to apply the brakes on time and the road was narrow, the red car had no option but to veer off the road to avoid crashing into the truck. As it did, the red car skidded and toppled.

The white car rushed towards the red car which lay on the side of the road with its wheels up in the air. It was shaken up by the accident.

The white car, being heavier, pushed the red car and made it upright.

“Are you okay?” asked the white car.

“Yes, I am. Thank you!

If you hadn’t warned me, I would have been crushed into that truck,” said the red car gratefully.

“Speeding may be fun, but it is dangerous. Don’t worry. Except for a few scratches and dents, you still look beautiful and bright. Speed is your strength; learn to use it wisely,” said the white car.

“You are right. My pride blinded me from seeing how each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses,” said the red car. “I promise to drive more carefully hereafter.”

From then on, the red car was humble about its strength and appreciated everyone else’s too.

A Friend in Need

“Children, I have an announcement to make. A new student is joining our class today,” said Neha Ma’am.

A strikingly fair boy walked into the classroom.

“This is Varun,” introduced Neha Ma’am.

Varun smiled shyly. Some students smiled back while others turned their faces away.

“He looks like a ghost! I don’t want to be friends with such a weird-looking person,” said Rahul.

“Me neither,” said Shriya.

Rahul and Shriya avoided Varun. They would have lunch together and play together, but they did not invite Varun to join them. They began to avoid Sandeep as well as he was friends with Varun.

“Because of me, Rahul and Shriya have stopped talking to you,” said Varun sadly.

“So what? You are such a good friend to us. We don’t understand why they don’t speak to you,” replied Sandeep.

Soon, most of the students became friends with Varun. He was friendly, helpful and good at studies too. But Rahul and his friends constantly gave him trouble.

One morning, in class, Shriya saw Varun talking to a classmate. She went to Rahul and said to him, “Now is your chance. Varun is busy talking to Sheetal.”

When Varun got up to go for the assembly, Rahul quietly stuck a label on his back. As Varun walked towards the auditorium, the other students laughed at him. Varun was puzzled.

Sandeep pulled the label off Varun’s back and said, “Rahul stuck this on your back.”

The label read “Snow White”. Varun became sad.

Later that day, Varun and his classmates were in the Chemistry lab. Their teacher, Shilpa Ma’am was demonstrating the reactions caused by combining different liquids.

“Observe what happens when I mix these two liquids,” said Shilpa Ma’am, adding liquid from one test tube to another. “See how its colour changes and its gives off a pungent smell. Now, all of you try this for yourselves using the liquids set on the table before each of you. I will be back in five minutes,” she said and went out of the lab.

Rahul opened the cupboard and took out a beaker with some liquid in it. He poured the liquid into the test tube he had in his hand.

“Rahul, don’t!” Varun tried to stop him. But it was too late.

The smoke from the liquid scared Rahul. He screamed and fainted. The other students gathered around Rahul helplessly. Varun held him up and loosened his shirt.

“Open all the windows. Rahul needs to breathe fresh air,” Varun told his friends.

Shilpa Ma’am rushed into the lab. On seeing Rahul lying unconscious, she sprinkled some water on his face. Rahul slowly woke up.

“Are you alright?” asked Shilpa Ma’am. Rahul nodded his head weakly.

“Why did you use the liquid that was inside the cupboard? The reaction it caused was too strong. That is what made you faint,” said Shilpa Ma’am.

Rahul apologised to his teacher.

“You must thank Varun. His timely actions helped you recover faster,” said Shilpa Ma’am.

Rahul went up to Varun and said, “Please forgive me. You helped me despite the way I have been treating you. You are a good friend. ” Varun smiled and hugged him.

Detective Damru

One evening, Damru donkey was watching a movie on television starring the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. He became so inspired by the movie that he decided to become a detective too.

Damru went to the market and bought a long overcoat and a hat, similar to the one worn by Sherlock Holmes. He also bought a beautiful cane and a magnifying glass.

He looked in the mirror and said to himself, “I look like a perfect detective now!”

Damru walked around the market, but no one seemed to notice him. He was puzzled.

Damru walked past a shop selling spice powders. The smell made him want to sneeze. Right at that moment, a thief was running away with some stolen jewellery.

As Damru sneezed hard, his cane accidentally hit the thief who fell down, crying in pain. The crowd caught the thief and started beating him. Though initially taken by surprise, Damru quickly got into the act.

“Friends, please do not take the law into your own hands. Hand the thief over to the police. Let me call the police and tell them that I’ve caught the thief as planned,” said Damru coolly.

The crowd stared at Damru surprised.

“You knew about the theft, Damru?” asked Monty jackal.

“Don’t call me, Damru; call me Detective Damru 008. I knew a theft was going to take place in that shop, so I was standing here to catch the thief,” said Damru, adjusting his hat.

“Wow! Great job, Detective Damru!” said Dina deer admiringly. “But how did you know that a theft was going to take place?” me such information,” said Damru.

Everyone was very impressed with Damru. Many approached him with requests to help solve their problems. Damru asked them all to meet him in his office.

Damru’s office was a shed with a big board outside that read, “World-famous Detective Damru 008”. It also had a stunning photo of Damru in his overcoat and hat, with a magnifying glass in hand.

To manage the flood of clients, Damru hired Jumpy monkey and Meeku mouse as his assistants. Both of them were intelligent and hence were able to solve the animals’ problems easily. Damru merely pretended to supervise them.

Gradually, Damru became famous. He had spread word around Champakvan that his informants would know in advance about any thefts that were going to take place and inform him accordingly. So, promptly all the thefts stopped. The animals were relieved but all the thieves began to worry.

Late one night, Laptu jackal, Baddy fox and a few other thieves were discussing the situation.

“How long do we sit quietly without planning a theft?” asked Laptu.

“If we plan a theft, then Detective Damru’s informants will come to know about it,” said Baddy. He then had an idea. “Let’s not plan our next theft. Let’s just go rob Champakvan bank right away. That way Damru will not be prepared,” he said.

All the thieves agreed to the plan. That night, Damru was unwell. He was on his way to the pharmacy to buy medicines. Just as he was walking past Champakvan bank, he became too tired to walk. So, he stopped and called his friend Blacky bear for help.

Blacky was a police officer. He was on his usual night patrol when Damru called.

“Hello, Blacky! Can you come to the bank now? I need help with something… What?…The constables are with you? Yes, bring them as well,” said Damru.

The thieves who were breaking into the bank overheard Damru. Assuming that he was alerting the police, the thieves ran away. As they were running, they came face-to-face with Blacky and his constables who immediately arrested all of them.

By morning, the news about how Damru helped catch the thieves in spite of being unwell spread all around Champakvan. to everybody. He was the talk of the forest.

There was another gang of thieves that lived on the outskirt of Champakvan. The leader of the gang, Hiru hyena, hatched a plan to steal from King Shersingh lion’s royal treasury.

“I’m scared! What if Detective Damru learns about our plan?” asked Roko racoon.

“Damru’s network of informants is small. He won’t know about our plan. Moreover, he won’t dare to confront a dangerous gang of thieves like us,” said Hiru.

That night, Hiru and his gang broke into the palace and robbed the treasury.

Next morning, when King Shersingh came to know about the robbery, he was furious. He summoned Damru right away.

“You get information about all thefts beforehand. Why didn’t you stop the thieves from stealing from my treasury?” roared King Shersingh.

Damru was nervous. He could not reveal to King Shersingh that he had been bluffing about getting information from informants. So, he made up another lie.

“Your Highness, it is true that my informants alert me about all thefts beforehand. But in this case, it looks like the gang of thieves do not belong to Champakvan. They must have come from the neighbouring forest of Sundervan, where I do not yet have a network of informants,” said Damru seriously.

“You have two days to find and arrest the thieves. I will send four soldiers to help you,” said King Shersingh.

“As you say, Your Highness,” said Damru and went back home.

Damru knew that if he did not catch the thieves, he would have to face King Shersingh’s anger. On the other hand, he did not have the courage to catch the thieves.

“Now I realise that being a detective is not easy,” thought Damru. “Perhaps I should run away from Champakvan!”

Damru looked out of his house and saw King Shersingh’s soldiers standing outside.

“I won’t be able to run away either. What do I do now?” he wondered sadly.

Damru’s anxiety increased with each passing moment. Meanwhile, Hiru got to know about King Shersingh’s order to Damru.

“Can Damru catch us in two days? Is he really that smart? I must go and see for myself as to what Damru is up to,” thought Hiru.

At around midnight, Hiru sneaked up to Damru’s house. He climbed up a tree from where he could look into Damru’s house.

Hiru could see Damru looking out the window. He seemed to be saying something.

“You have landed yourself in deep trouble! The soldiers will surely catch you and behead you! You better confess right now before things get out of hand,” said Damru.

Hiru was alarmed.

“Oh no! Damru has seen me! That’s why he is threatening me. I better surrender. I don’t want to be beheaded!” thought Hiru.

Hiru ran to Damru to ask for forgiveness.

“Please don’t make the soldiers behead me. I’ll return all the valuables that I stole from the treasury,” pleaded Hiru.

Damru was surprised. “I was talking to myself about confessing to King Shersingh that I’m not really a detective. But the thief thought I was talking to him!” he thought to himself.

But Damru pretended that he had indeed spoken to Hiru. “Okay. Since you have surrendered, I will talk to King Shersingh and ask him to give you a lenient punishment,” assured Damru.

Hiru was grateful to be spared from getting beheaded. He revealed the spot where the other thieves were hiding as well. Damru informed the soldiers who then arrested Hiru and his entire gang.

King Shersingh congratulated Damru.

“You have proven that you are an excellent detective. I wish to honour you by making you the official detective of my kingdom,” said King Shersingh.

Damru was shocked. “Oh no! Looks like I really have to plan my escape from Champakvan this time!” he thought.

The Missing Pen

“See what my father gifted me!” said Sonal, excitedly waving a red pen.

Her classmates gathered around to see it.

“Wow! What a beautiful pen!” exclaimed Ruhi.

The others nodded their heads in agreement.

“Let me show you a trick,” said Sonal. As soon as she unscrewed the pen’s cap, a light shone from the pen—like torchlight—and a song started to play. Everybody stared at the pen in disbelief.
Later that day, after the lunch break, Sonal looked for the pen in her bag, but it was missing. Bewildered, she checked every compartment in her bag, but her pen wasn’t in any of them.

“Where could it be?” Sonal wondered to herself. Just then, the class teacher, Rashmi Ma’am entered the class.

“What happened, Sonal? You look worried. Have you lost something?” asked Rashmi Ma’am.

“Yes, Ma’am. I have lost the pen that my father gifted me,” said Sonal.

“You may have kept it somewhere and forgotten about it. Why don’t you check your bag thoroughly again?” suggested Rashmi Ma’am. Sonal searched her bag again but she still couldn’t find the pen.

“It isn’t there, Ma’am. I kept it inside my pencil box before stepping out during the lunch break. But when I came back it wasn’t there,” said Sonal.

It may have fallen down. We’ll help you look,” said Raman. All the kids in the class began looking for the pen.

When it still wasn’t found, Sonal began crying. “What if someone stole it?” she said.

“Don’t cry, Sonal. If somebody has taken it, then we’ll surely find out,” said Rashmi Ma’am. She then turned to the class and said, “I want all of you to form a queue. I’m going to check you all one by one.” The students started queuing up. Suddenly, they heard someone say, “What is going on here?”

It was Principal D’Souza. He was walking by when he heard the commotion inside the classroom and decided to check. After Rashmi Ma’am told him about Sonal’s pen, Principal D’Souza said, “But making everyone stand in a queue and checking each one of them is not right. It’s like giving punishment to all of them instead of the wrong-doer.” Addressing the children, Principal D’Souza said, “It’s wrong to take others’ things. See how bad Sonal feels about losing her pen. If any of you have taken her pen, admit your mistake and return it to her; I assure you that you will not be punished.”

Ruhi stepped forward hesitantly. She took the red pen out of her pocket and held
it out.

“I’m sorry. I stole the pen when Sonal had stepped out during the break. I liked the pen so much that I wanted it for myself,” said Ruhi and burst out crying.

“I am proud of you, Ruhi. It takes a lot of courage to admit one’s mistake, that too in front of everyone,” said Principal D’Souza. “I hope you will not repeat
the mistake.”

Sonal felt bad for Ruhi. She went up to her and said, “Ruhi, if you like this pen so much, then please keep it. My father got my brother a similar one. We’ll share.”

“Well done, Sonal!” said Principal D’Souza and Rashmi Ma’am. All the children clapped appreciatively.

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