bedtime stories for kids Archives - Page 7 of 12

Gus Yearns for Freedom

“What lovely weather!” exclaimed Gus, the grasshopper, while on his usual morning walk.

Along the way, his eyes fell on a glass bowl placed on the window of a house. Some fishes were swimming in it.

“What are these fishes doing inside a bowl? Don’t they usually live in a pond or river?” Gus wondered. He flew up to them to ask.

“Hello!” the fish greeted him cheerfully.

“May I ask what you are doing in this bowl when you could be living happily in a big pond?” asked Gus.

“We are happier in this bowl!” replied one of the fish.

Gus was surprised. “How is that possible?” he asked them.

“In the bowl, we don’t have to go looking for food. We are fed two times a day by the humans. Moreover, we don’t have to worry about predators. All that my friends and I do is play, eat and sleep all day long,” said another fish.

“It does sound like all play and no work. It must be fun to live like that,” thought Gus.

He bid the fish goodbye and was about to fly out when something caught his leg. It was a human! Gus was quickly trapped inside a glass jar and placed by the window.

Gus tried to get out, but the jar was too heavy and strong. He was dazed at first, but soon calmed down.

“Perhaps, it won’t be so bad. I may have a good time like the fishes and best of all, I will be served food right here,” he thought and became cheerful.

Gus was lazing inside the jar and looking out when he saw a honey bee hovering nearby.

“Good morning, Miss Honey Bee. I am Gus. How are you doing?” he greeted her.

“Good morning, Gus. I am Holly. You do look quite cheerful for someone stuck inside a glass jar,” said Holly.

“Yes. What is not to like about it? I will get free food, good views and don’t have to worry about being eaten up by some slimy frog,” said Gus.

“That’s true. But don’t you miss the freedom of going wherever you feel like and eating whatever you want?” asked Holly.

Gus became irritated. “You are asking such a question because you are jealous of me! I don’t blame you. You have to work all day gathering honey and take orders from your queen. But I can sit here doing nothing other than singing and watching the scenery outside,” he said.

“Why are you getting angry at me?” asked Holly offended. “I was just asking to know how you feel. What you do is up to you. Anyway, I have work to do. Goodbye!” she said curtly and flew away.

Around afternoon, Gus was fed some grass and leaves. They were not fresh like the ones he had in the fields. But he was hungry and had no choice.

After lunch, Gus lay on his back looking outside. The day dragged on and so did the night. He missed the soft bed of grass that he slept on. He looked endearingly at the garden outside the house when he noticed a centipede walking by.

“Hello, Mr. Centipede!” Gus called out from the window, hoping to chat.

“Hello! Sorry, I do not have time to stop and chat. I am already late and have to reach home before my kids go to bed. And my wife is waiting with hot dinner,” he said, continuing to walk swiftly.

The mention of home and family made Gus miss the comfort of his house. He missed his friends Betty, the butterfly, Lola, the ladybug and Cary, the caterpillar.

“Holly was right. I do miss being free,” Gus thought sadly. He could not sleep that night.

Early next morning, Gus was woken up by a familiar voice.

“Gus! Wake up!”

Gus opened his eyes and saw his friend Betty fluttering outside. He felt elated to see her!

“Betty! How glad am I to see you!” Gus cried in joy. “How did you find me?”

“Yesterday, Lola, Cary and I were waiting for you all evening at the spot where we meet every day to chat. When you did not show up, we went to your house to check, but you weren’t there too. That’s when we began to worry. It was already dark by then, so we couldn’t go out looking for you.

This morning, the three of us set out in different directions to search,” explained Betty. “But how did you get stuck inside this jar?”

“I was talking to the fishes when a human trapped me inside this jar. I thought it would be fun being inside, not having to do anything, but it’s not so. I miss my home, my friends and most of all, I miss being free. Please let me out,” pleaded Gus.

“I have an idea,” said Betty. She murmured something to Gus.

After a while, the human in the house woke up and came to window to feed Gus. But Gus was lying limp at the bottom of the jar.

Thinking that the he had died, the human removed the lid of the jar to check. In a flash, Gus got up and flew away.

Betty was waiting for him in the garden.

“Thank you, dear friend,” Gus said to her. “I am so happy to be free again!”

The two then flew home together.

Friendship is Necessary

Santu and Mantu squirrels were close friends. They used to play together every evening in the lawn. They also studied in the same school and same class. They went to school together in the bus chatting all the way long.

They made fun and laughed at everybody in the bus including the driver and the conductor. While some animals grumbled and complained about going to school, Santu and Mantu were happy to go to school because they wanted to have fun in the school. because they wanted to have fun in the school.

English class was going on and Ms. Lucy Leopard, their English teacher suddenly announced that there was going to be a dictation in that lesson. She gave them ten minutes to study.

Santu and Mantu realized that while Santu had brought his English textbook, Mantu only had the notebook where they would do their schoolwork.

“Let me study from the textbook, Santu,” said Mantu.

“No, I will study from the textbook, you study from your notebook,” replied Santu. Santu turned his back to Mantu and started studying from the textbook, while Mantu could only study from the notebook.

After 10 minutes, the teacher started dictating the words. She said “Necessary.”

Santu wrote “Nursery” and Mantu wrote it correctly. Santu looked over to Mantu, and saw him writing the answers down without with stopping, while Santu was having trouble with every word.

Soon, the teacher corrected all the papers and Santu had got one wrong answer. But, Mantu got all correct.

Santu had to write the word “Necessary” 100 times. Santu’s hands were aching due to the imposition. He told Mantu, “It is all because of you. I am not going to talk to you. You wrote all the correct answers without studying.” Santu tried to say something but Mantu left the class angrily.

That evening, Santu’s mom went to see her sister. Mantu’s mom also went to her friend’s place.

Santu was feeling hungry. He opened the fridge. All the nuts were over and only butter and jam were there. “I can’t wait till mom comes. I will go and buy some bread from the bakery.”

Mantu was also feeling hungry. He opened the fridge. He saw some bread slices but there was no butter or jam. He also went to buy some butter and jam. Both of them met in the lift but they turned their faces in the opposite sides.

When the lift opened, they went to Sams Bakery. But, Uncle Sam was closing the bakery.

Santu said, “Please uncle, I just want bread. Nothing else.

“Mantu said, “ Uncle, just a bottle of jam for me.” But, Uncle said, “I am sorry boys. My stock is over. I have just got some broken biscuit pieces. Come tomorrow morning, you will have whatever you want.” Both Santu and Mantu were disappointed. They went to Linda’s Grocery stores. Linda was sitting on a chair and her face was very sad. Santu asked her, “What happened Madam Linda? Why do you look so sad ? I want some bread. “Mantu said,” And Madam Linda, butter or jam for myself. I have bread at home.”

Linda said in a feeble voice, “Santu and Mantu. I cannot help you because this afternoon, when I had gone for lunch, somebody looted my shop. I have made a police complaint dear. I am sorry.”

Santu and Bantu finally went to Robin’s “Cakes and Bakes” shop. Robin looked so furious and was shouting loudly. Both Santu and Mantu went near him.

They were scared to see him in a fit of anger. So, they asked slowly, “Robin uncle, can we get some bread and butter?” Robin screamed at them, “Hey boys, leave this place at once. I am already troubled by these wicked and cunning rats, who eat away all my pastries and eatables. I am myself so confused thinking about how to get rid of this rat menace. Leave me alone.”

Santu and Mantu started walking back to their homes. Their tummies were roaring with hunger.

Suddenly, they heard somebody giggling from behind. It was Patty Pig. Santu looked at her and said,”Why are laughing, you silly Patty? I am already very hungry and do not tease me by laughing like this.” Mantu also said, “Patty, why are you following us? I saw you at Sam’s Bakery also. Don’t you have any useful job to do?”.

Patty said, “Okay, I thought I will help both of you by giving an idea. But, if you are calling me silly, then I will have to go.”

Santu said, “Oh, I am sorry. What is your idea, by the way?” Patty said, “Santu, you have butter and jam at home. Bantu, you have bread with you. Why both of you are roaming here and there. Santu, share the butter and jam with Mantu and you Mantu, share your bread with Santu. Problem solved.”

Mantu looked at Santu and Santu at Mantu. Then, they shook hands with each other. They told Patty pig, “Hey Patty, thanks for the idea and also for making us friends once again. “Patty pig said, “Okay, but I do not give ideas free of cost. I charge one bunch of lettuce leaves for my wonderful ideas. Bring them when you come to school tomorrow. Bye!”

Both Santu and Bantu had Bread with butter and strawberry jam. “Friendship is Necessary. I won’t make this spelling mistake again” said Santu and Mantu laughed loudly.

A Tip For Not Getting Lost

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

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

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

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

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

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

They all then left for the fair.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Suddenly, Advit broke into a smile.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Landmarks? What are landmarks?” Rahul asked.

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

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

Minny Moth’s Search For Colours

One day, a butterfly came and perched on a lily in the garden where Minny, the Moth lived. The butterfly’s wings were purple, yellow and red, and as she fluttered them, they glowed in the sunlight.

The butterfly was so pretty that all the flowers in the garden nodded their heads eagerly and urged the butterfly to come and sit on their petals. After a while, the butterfly flew to a bright pink zinnia.

Minny was sitting on the stem of the zinnia plant, but she was so quiet that the butterfly didn’t notice her at first. But when Minny flapped her wings, the butterfly spotted her.

“Hello!” said the butterfly with a smile. “I’m Betty, the Butterfly! What’s your name?”

The moth said, “My name is Minny.”

Betty the butterfly asked Minny curiously, “Why are your body and wings such a dull brown? Have you lost your colours?”

Betty raised her wings proudly, and showed off her colourful wings. “

“I’ve never had any colours,” Minny said softly. “I’ve been this way ever since I came out of my cocoon.”

“I’m glad I don’t look as dull as you do,” Betty said, with pride. “I am so pretty that every flower in this garden wants me to sit on it! It must be awful to be as plain and unattractive as you are!”

Now, until this time, Minny had not thought about her appearance at all, and had been quite content with her life in the garden. But Betty’s scornful words kept ringing in her mind over and over again.

So she went to a little puddle in the corner of the garden, and looked into it to see herself clearly.

When Minny saw her reflection in the water, she was shocked.

“What Betty said is true,” she thought. “I look very dull and plain because I have no colours on my body or wings. I must do something to make myself prettier!”

Minny began to think hard, and after sometime, she got a good idea. She would ask some of the colourful flowers in the garden if they would share some of their lovely colours with her!

Minny immediately flew to an exquisite red rose, and asked the rose, “Can you share some of the bright red that you have on your petals with me?”

The rose nodded her pretty head. “I am willing to give you one of my fragrant red petals,” she replied graciously. “But what will you do with it?”

“I will drape it over my wings,” said Minny proudly, “so that it looks like a fine velvet cloak! I’m tired of being a plain, mousy brown. I want to be bright and colourful like Betty butterfly. She will be so envious when she sees my red cloak!”

The rose shook her head. “Your cloak will not last for very long,” she said. “My petals wilt, and their colour fades very quickly, you know.”

Minny bent her little head in disappointment when she heard this, and sat under the rose bush.

The red rose was moved by Minny’s sorrow.

“Why don’t you ask the sunbird to give your one of his yellow feathers when he flies into our garden?” she suggested. “Feathers don’t fade like petals, and will make a fine cloak too”

“What a good idea,” Minny said brightening up at once. “I’m going to fly around the garden, and see if I can find the sunbird.”

So Minny began to fly around the garden. She soon spotted Betty sitting on a tree stump, looking very beautiful, with her delicate wings spread out.

Betty was busy sunning herself, and was not paying any attention to what was going on around her.

But Minny noticed that a fat garden frog was hiding in the grass near the tree stump and looking greedily at Betty as he smacked his lips! “Look out, Betty!” Minny cried out loudly.

Betty leapt up with a start, and flew into the air just as the frog leapt towards her.

But the frog was just a bit too late! Betty had been saved by Minny’s warning.

“Thank you for warning me about the frog,” Betty said to Minny in a trembling voice. “I’m so lucky that you were nearby to warn me.”

“I was there because I was searching for some colours to drape on my body,”
Minny said thoughtfully. “But now, I’ve decided that I’m not going to continue the search any more.

The frog spotted you so easily in the garden because of your bright colours, but he’s never spotted me because I merge so well into the background. I’m glad I’m
alive, and I think I’m better off and happier just the way I am!”

Animals, bird, and insects often use their colouring to merge into their background, so that enemies will not notice them. This is called camouflage.

Brave Marty

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This is bad news for Timberland.”

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

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

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

“But the lake will get destroyed!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Both said, “Never. Please forgive us.”

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

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

Marty had tears in his eyes – tears of happiness

The Flying Rabbit

Terry the Rabbit was very upset. He felt that he was inferior. He looked at the flying sparrows and thought, “These Sparrows are so lucky. How I wish I could fly like them! They can fly to places. They don’t even have to walk to school like me. I become tired by the time I reach school. I wish I could get wings somehow so that even I can fly.”

One day Terry was playing near the bank of a river. He happened to look around and found two feathers of a pigeon. Terry looked at them and felt immensely happy. He picked them up and brought them home. He carefully stuck the feathers onto his back using glue. Then he walked to the garden. Daisy the Sparrow was sitting on the branch of a Mango tree. Terry called out to her and said, “Daisy, now even I can fly like you.”

“Really? How come?” asked Daisy.

Terry hurriedly climbed up the Mango tree.

He tried to fly by fluttering the feathers, and with a thud he fell on the ground. Daisy burst out laughing. She said, “Terry, one can’t fly just by attaching two feathers.”

Terry got up and said, “Let’s bet on this. What would you give me if I start flying within a month?”

“Oh forget it!” said Daisy, “You shall never win the bet.”

“I will surely be able to fly within a month. I can vouch for that,” replied Terry.

“Well, if you win the bet, then I shall become your servant for a month,” said Daisy with a confident grin.

Terry agreed to the condition and walked away. He reached home thinking of ways to start flying. He spent a sleepless night thinking about the same thing; however, he couldn’t come up with a solution.

The next day he went to school. His science teacher Sammy, the Deer was talking about the year 1930, in which a balloon was made to fly by filling it with helium gas. He also mentioned that it was after this that the Wright brothers invented the aeroplane.

Terry got inspired by this and started thinking on the same lines. He went to the market and bought a big, transparent balloon and got it filled with helium. The moment it was filled with helium it rose up in the air. Terry held one end of the string in his hand and started flying off with the balloon. The birds who were flying at that time noticed this, and Daisy saw it too. They flew closer to Terry and were thrilled to see him flying. Daisy shouted out to Terry, “You have won the bet. You can come down to the ground now.”

Terry was unable to come down as the balloon was going higher up in the air. He was thoroughly enjoying the flight. Moreover, he was afraid that the birds and animals would see the balloon if he came down. After a while, the gas from the balloon started depleting and Terry fell on the ground with a thud.

He was bruised badly during the fall. Everyone saw the balloon lying beside Terry. Daisy said, “You deserved this because you tried to win the bet through unfair means.”

Teacher Sammy said, “Terry, nature has made everyone unique. Just like some birds cannot walk or run like us; similarly we too cannot fly like them. Therefore it is foolish to imitate anyone. Now let us all take Terry to the doctor.”

Terry had learnt a lesson. He apologized to Daisy and acknowledged the lesson learnt.

Only the Brave Win

Mandy Monkey was known to be very cunning. All the animals of Champakvan would be reluctant to even talk to him. One day Meesha Cat and Blacky Bear were heading for school when Mandy suddenly came in front of them.

Both panicked wondering what would happen next.

Meanwhile, Mandy craftily took out tiffins from inside their bags and quickly climbed a tree.

Before Meesha and Blacky could react, Mandy made an excuse, “You both are
carrying such heavy bags. I felt like helping you. Please proceed to the school and I will come there with your tiffins.”

Meesha and Blacky believed him and went to school, but Mandy didn’t reach there.

Instead he ate their tiffins all alone.

Mandy would bother the animals in some way or the other and pretended to be
brave. Everybody was irked by him. Champakvan’s king decided that he would
teach Mandy a lesson.

The exam date was approaching. Everyone was busy studying, whereas Mandy
was plotting on how to come first without studying.

He thought of scaring everybody in the name of exams so that if they didn’t prepare well, they wouldn’t secure good marks.

He said to Cory Rabbit who was studying English “Study English later. If you study such a difficult subject before, you will forget it soon.”

Cory believed Mandy and left aside English and began studying math.

As soon as Mandy saw Cory studying math, he again brought forth his cunningness and said, “How can you study math now? This is a subject which you can’t understand even on the day of the exam.

How can you understand it only a few days before the exam? You should study math only two days before the exam.” Cory closed his math book too.

In this way Mandy confused and scared everybody.

Now they didn’t know how to prepare for the exam.

One day, Mandy saw Sara Sparrow studying. He went close to her and said, “Study as much as you want, but you can’t beat me. Studying is not so easy.

Only smart animals like me can come first.” With these words, he moved on,
leaving Sara perplexed.

With his cunningness he had distracted everyone from their studies. He was now acting high and mighty and believed himself to be the most intelligent animal of the forest. He had even started bullying and scaring the smaller animals.

Days passed. One day, when Champakvan’s King Sher Singh, was not around, an elephant from another jungle came there.

He said, “I will uproot all the trees of Champakvan with my trunk.”

Everybody panicked at his threat.

Mandy was the most frightened of all the animals at the prospect of losing his home.

He quickly went to his home and gathered all his belongings. He tried to hide away from the fearsome elephant.

Meanwhile, Bonnie Ant went to the elephant and reasoned with him, “Think before you do something drastic. If you uproot the trees here in Champakvan, somebody can do it in your jungle as well.”

Bonnie said further, “We all should stay friends. If your jungle requires any help in future, then Champakvan will definitely come forward to help you.” The elephant simmered down and gave a smile.

He said to Bonnie, “Don’t worry, I will not harm your forest. I was here on the request of Sher Singh. I did all this only to scare Mandy Monkey.” He also commended Bonnie for her quick thinking and bravery to stand up for her forest mates.

Mandy realised then that confusing and scaring people was not bravery. Distracting them from their studies was not an intelligent thing either.

Real bravery came by behaving in a fearless and responsible manner and intelligence came from studying. He vowed to change his ways.

The entire forest cheered him. Mandy felt truly happy.

The Wise King

There was once a king in ancient China. He was a very cruel king and would punish his subjects for the slightest of mistakes. The punishments were extraordinarily cruel and he would take great pleasure in delivering them. Many of his ministers tried advising him against such punishments, but he never listened.

One day, one of his ministers suggested that he should expand the size of his kingdom. This seemed like a good idea to the king and called for an army to be put together. Soon, the army was ready and all the soldiers were well built, strong men. The king marched his army straight into his neighbouring kingdom.

The sheer size of the army was enough for the neighbouring king to surrender.

In exchange for peace, the king also offered him his soldiers and a lot of wealth. It was the same story is many other kingdoms and the king grew even more powerful. One of the king who had surrendered suggested that the king conquer India.

India was a land of wealth and the king was very tempted to gain control. So, he marched his soldiers all the way across China. They stopped at what is now modern day Singapore. From the coast, the king’s troops set sail across the waters, in search of India.

News of the impending attack reached the ears of the Indian king. He had heard about the size of the Chinese army and knew that he wouldn’t stand a chance against them. Hence, he gathered all the scholars and economists in his kingdom and asked them to think of a plan.

The scholars and economists thought about and discussed their plans for several days until they had the perfect plan.

When the plan was narrated to the king, he was pleased and gave orders to carry out the plan. This, in a few days, a huge ship reached the coast of Singapore. As soon as it arrived, it was captured by the Chinese king’s troops.

When it was discovered that the vessel was from India, they crew were presented to the king.

The Chinese king demanded that the sailors tell him the route to India if they valued their lives. The sailors agreed to tell him the route and asked to be executed. They said that they’d never be able to see their homeland ever again and burst into tears.

When the king enquired further, the sailors revealed that when they had sail, they were all young men. They had been at sea for so long that they had grown old. Another sailor pulled out a few needles and said that when they had set sail, these needles were iron rods. The trip to Singapore was so treacherous that the salt water had corroded them and that all that was left were these needles.

A third pulled out a dried up piece of fruit and said that when they had set sail, he had planted a seed. He went on to explain that over the years, the seeds had grown up and borne fruit too, All they had left was a Nihil fruit from the second tree.

The king was shocked to learn that the journey to India was full of so much trouble and would take so long. He realised that by the time his troops landed on Indian shore, they’d no longer be fit for a fight.

The Chinese king immediately canceled his plans and ordered his troops to march back to China and also gave the sailors lots of money and restocked their ship so that they would be comfortable in their old age. Thus, a few intelligent people defeated an entire of army with just their brains.

A lot can be achieved by not giving in to fear, and thinking with a cool mind and a little imagination.

Tiblu Tiger Goes Mountaineering

Tiblu was a tiger baby, and was very fond of exercise. In Champakvan, parents used to compare their babies with Tiblu and cite his example when they talked about fitness and good health.

Once Tiblu came to know that a mountaineering camp was being organised in the nearby jungle. So he told his mother that he wanted to go. The Blue Mountain was not too far from Champakvan, and was a well known place for adventure trips. Mother Tiger was a bit worried to hear this.

She said, “But Tiblu, Blue Mountain is very tall.”

“Yes, mother, and that is why I want to reach the top of the mountain. Many of my friends, Freddie the Fox, Zimba the Leopard, and Tony the Wolf are going for mountaineering. And we shall travel only for four days.”

This became a very exciting news, and everyone felt that this was a moment of pride for Champakvan animals.

Special arrangements were made for the animals that were going for mountaineering.

King of the Jungle, Lambart the Lion announced special food facilities for them, which included a high protein diet. The Rooster family, who was in-charge of providing eggs to animals, made an extra delivery of eggs for the mountain climbers.

Gardener Percy the Peacock made sure that healthy fruits reached them for good nourishment.

In a short time, the mountaineers’ team was well fed and healthily prepared for the mountaineering mission.

A week before the mountaineering mission was to start, Freddie and his father came to meet Tiblu’s father to discuss the planning for children’s travel and safety.

After some general discussions, Daddy Fox spoke to the Daddy Tiger, “I have heard that Billy the Goat, who lives in our jungle, is a very avid mountaineer. Should we take his advice?” Tiger Dad frowned. He could not see eye to eye with Billy, for which the reasons were unclear.

Tiger Dad coughed, and said, “Oh yes! How could I forget Billy? But I have heard that he prefers to be domesticated and does not live in our jungle anymore.”

Fox Dad hastily added, “No, Sir. He is still staying in the jungle. Can we talk to him tomorrow?”

Tiger Dad agreed finally, “Okay, okay! We will meet him tomorrow.” Freddie and his father happily returned home. The next day Tiger Dad and his son Tiblu, Freddie and Fox Dad, as well as Tony with his father and Zimba with his mother went to see Billy.

Billy’s house was on a slope in the jungle. It was little difficult for the guests to climb to his house. However, as the Goat family saw the guests coming, Billy and his wife stood welcoming them.

It was difficult for the tiger to gulp down the ego while seeking help from a goat.

But considering that it would help his son, he spoke to Billy, “Hello Billy Goat! We have come to seek your advice on mountaineering. We have heard that you have climbed many tall mountains. Kindly provide my son and his friends the right guidance for it.”

Billy was a kind animal. He smiled and said, “Welcome to my home, dear Tiger. I can understand that as a father you will be anxious to send your son for mountaineering, but let me tell you that it is not at all difficult to climb a mountain.”

All the four children and their parents looked gapingly at Billy as he described some of his adventures of climbing very steep mountains.

At the end, Billy concluded, “If you have a strong will, nothing is impossible. Another important thing is good food. Your food should not be too heavy when taken before starting and during the mountaineering activity. You must also carry food which can provide for instant energy and light luggage. Make sure to carry a battery for night safety, and some woolens for warmth as mountain tops are cooler than the land.”

He continued, “I understand that a tiger, a leopard or a fox do not have paws with a good grip like us to climb the steep slopes, but do not worry. Blue Mountain is a simple climb, and your children will enjoy it.”

Tiger Dad, Fox Dad as well as Wolf Dad and Leopard Mother were really happy to listen to the advice given by Billy goat.

Tiger Dad realised that he had wronged Billy till now. He was not a dangerous animal though he had long horns. In fact, he was very kind and helpful to animals who sought his advice.

Mountaineers followed Billy’s advice, and started to prepare for their adventure. This helped them a great deal. When the day arrived, they were all well prepared for the task.

Tiblu, Freddie, Tony and Zimba left for the mountaineering camp. They looked happy, and even their parents seemed to be relieved by their preparations.

Mountaineers reached to the top of Blue Mountain on the third day as per the schedule, and the whole team jumped with joy and happiness! Their dream had come true!

Then they started descending the mountain. Tiblu, Freddie, Tony and Zimba safely returned back to their parents in Champakvan after a long and tedious trek.

The next day Tiblu, Freddie, Tony and Zimba went to thank Billy.

They said, “Uncle, your advice was a great help to us. We were really motivated by that. Thank you for your guidance and tips for preparations.”

Billy smiled and said, “Children! No task is difficult in life, whether it be sports or studies or anything else. If you plan and prepare for it in advance, even climbing a mountain becomes a joy ride!”.

Mountaineering friends then hugged each other and started jumping joyfully! It was now time for celebration in Champakvan!

THE HARMFUL HERMIT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What did he tell you?” asked Lucy.

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

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

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

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

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

A Thief of Champakvan

Champakvan, a once peaceful forest, was in deep trouble. Lately, somebody had been stealing the animals’ belongings. Damru, the donkey’s motorcycle, Meeku, the mouse’s gold chain and Blacky, the bear’s four pots of honey had all mysteriously gone missing.

The king, Shersingh was very upset with this and called for a meeting. He also invited Damru, Meeku and Blacky.

“Tell me exactly what happened with your motorcycle,” said Shersingh to Damru.

“Well your majesty,” Damru began. “When I turned in for the night, I had just checked on my motorcycle, it was right outside my house. But, when I woke up the next morning, it had disappeared without a trace.”

Meeku went next and said, “Your majesty, I had spent the day with my friend, helping him with some work. When I returned that evening, I noticed that my cupboard was open and found that my gold chain was missing.”

“With great difficulty I managed to gather four pots of honey. I woke up one morning to find that they are all gone. My hard work has gone to waste,” said Blacky and burst out crying.

The king, Shersingh turned to the chief of police, Inspector Jumbo, the elephant. “Give us a few days, your majesty. We will investigate and get to the bottom of this,” said Inspector Jumbo.

“You have three days to find out who the thief is. If you fail, be prepared to step down from your position,” said the King and left the court. Jumbo, wiped the sweat from his brow. There was a lot at stake here and there was only one person he could turn to.

Inspector Jumbo called one of his best agents, Cheeku, the rabbit. Inspector Jumbo gave him all the information he needed and off Cheeku went towards Champakvan.

Cheeku began to investigate and headed towards the hills surrounding Champakvan. As he climbed up the narrow path, he noticed a few shards of a broken pot. Upon closer examination, Cheeku found trace amounts of honey. He was on the right track. As he climbed higher up the mountain, Cheeku noticed footprints. As it was growing dark, Cheeku decided to come back the next day and investigate.

Cheeku came back to the same spot the next day and was just about to follow the footprints when he hear the sound of footsteps behind him. Off in the distance was Bobby, the ape. He had something in his hand. As soon as Bobby saw Cheeku, he fled.

“That’s strange,” Cheeku said to himself. “Why did he run away? What was that in his hand? I must report this to the inspector.”

Cheeku went back to Inspector Jumbo’s office and told him everything that had happened.

Inspector Jumbo was pleased and praised Cheeku for doing a good job. The next day, they would go to King Shersingh’s court.

All eyes were on Inspector Jumbo who was beaming with pride. As soon as King Sher Singh sat down on his throne, he asked Inspector Jumbo what he had learnt.

“Your majesty, I sent Cheeku, the rabbit to investigate and he found Bobby, the ape near the mountains and enough evidence to prove that he is the culprit,” said Jumbo.

“Bring me Bobby, the ape,” roared King Sher Singh.

Bobby was immediately brought to the court. “Why did you steal?” asked King Sher Singh.

“Your majesty, I am innocent. I have been framed,” said Bobby.

“Your majesty, Bobby is lying,” said Jumbo.

“Your majesty, may I ask Bobby a few questions?” Cheeku interjected. The king agreed and the cross examination began.

“Bobby, were you not at the mountain path yesterday afternoon?” asked Cheeku. “What did you have in your hands and why did you suddenly disappear?”

“Yes I was. I had my bicycle with me and I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to do something, which is why I had to go back,” said Bobby.

“Were you going back to the place where you had stored Damru’s motorcycle, Meeku’s bangles and Blacky’s five honey pots?” asked Cheeku.

“Five? There were only four and I dropped one on the way,” said Bobby before realising what he had said.

Bobby knew there was no turning back now. He immediately fell at King Sher Singh’s feet and asked not to be punished. “Your majesty, I didn’t seal on purpose. I was made to steal,” he said and burst out crying.

“You have five minutes to tell me everything,” said the king.

“Your majesty, my son has been ill for many years now. I have spent all my money on his treatment and he is still not cured. I only stole enough for his treatment. Please don’t put me in jail. Without me, there will be no one to take care of him,” said Bobby.

King Sher Singh forgave Bobby. He released him and also asked his ministers to ensure that Bobby’s son received treatment from a good doctor.

The Proud Little Cherry Blossom

It was the month of March, but the wind still blew cool. The sun was not yet ready to shed his warmest rays on the waiting earth. Some of the birds had come back, and more were coming back. Gorgeous blossoms were already showing their pink and white blooms. And from bush and tree, field and flower, came the glad cry, “Spring is here! Spring is here.”

A beautiful maiden stopped in the orchard which was in full bloom. She picked a branch of cherry blossoms to take home with her. Whoever saw the blossom praised its beauty and fragrance. Soon, the blossom became proud, and thought that beauty was the only valuable thing in the world.

One day, as the cherry blossom thought, “None of the plants are as beautiful as I am. They seem just poor and plain.”

A little common yellow flower, which seemed to lift up its sunny head and grow everywhere caught her attention. Seeing the flower, the cherry blossom said, “Plain little flower, what is your name?”

“I am called the dandelion,” replied the little flower.

“Poor little plant,” said the cherry blossom. “It is not your fault. You must feel sad to have such a plain and ugly name.”

But, before the little plant could even think of a suitable reply, a lovely little sunbeam came dancing along. It said, “I see no ugly flowers. All flowers are beautiful!”

The sunbeam kissed the cherry blossom and turned to the dandelion. It gave a lingering, long to kiss the little yellow fellow.

Soon, some little children came tripping across the field. They laughed in joy when they saw the dandelions and kissed the flowers with delight. They made wreaths and dainty chains out of the dandelions. Carefully, they plucked those that had gone to seed, and tried to blow the feathery down off with one breath, making joyous wishes.

“Do you see the beauty of the dandelion?” asked the sunbeam to the cherry blossom.

“Only to children are they beautiful,” replied the proud cherry blossom.

An old woman came into the field. She gathered the roots of the dandelions, out of which she made tea for the sick, and she sold others for money. “But beauty is better than all this,” said the cherry blossom, haughtily.

Just then, the beautiful maiden arrived. She carried something which looked like a flower in her hand. She covered it carefully from the wind.

Children, what do you think it was? It was the feathery crown of the dandelion. “See! how attractive it is!” she said. “I will paint it in a picture with the cherry blossoms.”

Before going home to rest, the sunbeam first kissed the cherry blossom. As he stooped low to kiss the dandelion, the cherry blossom blushed with shame.

Real Freedom

Anisa the Butterfly was in an elated mood. She was enjoying the pleasant weather and flying through the park.

Suddenly, a bumble bee appeared in front of Anisa. Anisa got afraid, and changed her way. She turned around and saw that some more bumble bees were following her.

She tried to fly faster, however the bumble bees reached her.

Two of them blocked her way. “Why are they following me? What do they want from me? Have I ever done any wrong to them that they are here to take revenge?” Millions of such thoughts started crossing her mind.

She remembered her friends complaining of the troubles caused to them by those bumble bees. They were suffering because of the harm caused by the bumble bees. She slowed down as the bumble bees approached her.

The bumble bees surrounded Anisa. She was startled and couldn’t speak a word. One of the bumble bees went ahead and caught hold of her wing. Anisa found it difficult to move. All she did was look at the bees with helpless eyes and wonder what they were going to do with her. She looked around but there was no one who could rescue her. The bumble bees made fun of Anisa and laughed at her. Anisa was on the verge of crying.

After troubling Anisa by surrounding her and blocking her path for a while, the bumble bees flew away.

Anisa breathed a sigh of relief. She was no more in danger, however she kept thinking about the incident over and over again. She also kept brooding over the fact that the other butterflies were facing the same situation daily.

She thought, “Why is it that we do not have the freedom to be safe like others? Why can’t we fly wherever we want without anyone harassing us? Is this what the society is made for?

Why can’t our society think of taking appropriate steps to curb these practices?”

Anisa was weeping inconsolably. She had intended to enjoy the pleasant climate but ended up spoiling her day instead.

There was a tiny rose plant who had witnessed the entire episode. He looked at Anisa and called out to her, “Why are you weeping? Come here. Sit on the rose petal.”

Anisa sat on one of the petals. She immediately fluttered her wings and got up from there.

“Why did you get up?” asked the plant.

“These thorns hurt me,” replied Anisa.

The plant smiled and asked, “How are my flowers?”

“Very beautiful! Very soft! Very delicate!” replied Anisa.

The plant said, “So when these delicate flowers can protect themselves, then why can’t you?”

“What do you mean?” asked Anisa.

“You have to change with circumstances,” replied the plant, “These buds were as delicate as you are. They too were troubled by others. They learnt to defend themselves with the thorns. One should change according to the need of the hour. You are delicate, beautiful and soft, but you should become strong when someone tries to take advantage of your innocence.

You will have to fight your battle alone. Don’t depend on others to come to your rescue every time. Be strong and courageous. You cannot live a helpless and a dependent life. The wind changes its direction, the climate keeps changing, time too changes continuously. Similarly, you have to adapt to changing circumstances. Have strength and courage to fight the injustice. And that will enable you to experience real freedom.”

Anisa realised that she had to help herself and find solutions to her problems.

She said to the plant, “Thank you, friend. You have shown me the right path. I have no complaints against anyone now.”

Anisa said this and flew high in the air with happiness and cheer. Her flight indicated that she was confident enough to defend herself and had no worries. She was indeed free!

The Escape Plan

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

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

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

“That was close!” thought Munnu relieved.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This made Billu angrier.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He was happy to have escaped unharmed.

And They Became Friends

Rohan and Meera were close friends. One day when Meera saw Rohan sitting on the school ground looking glum, she asked what was bothering him.

“I am upset with the behaviour of Shashi and his friends. They are always troubling other children. Today they tore Gautam’s diary. I saw everything yet I could not do anything about it,” Rohan said sadly.

“Oh! So, this is the reason. You know they cannot be reformed. Why are you spoiling your mood by thinking about them?” said Meera trying to cheer him up.

Rohan agreed with her and quickly changed the subject to exam preparation.

The next day, the Principal circulated a notice to all the classes, announcing that students, who write a good essay on “Our Camp”, will be appointed as volunteers at the summer camp. Three students had to be selected from each class

All the children were very excited and quickly got down to writing the essay. However, Shashi as usual wanted to make trouble and he started disturbing other students and would not let anyone write their essay.

“If you keep troubling us like this I will complain against you to the principal. He is very strict and he will expel you from the camp,” Rohan said.

Shashi stared angrily at Rohan and reluctantly sat down in his seat.

Meanwhile Meera had gone to the washroom and when she returned she saw that the paper on which she had been writing her essay was not on her desk.

“Where is my essay?” Meera screamed. She looked for it everywhere. Hearing the commotion, their teacher entered the classroom.’

“Sir, Shashi has stolen Meera’s essay,” said Sonia. And all students joined her in blaming Shashi as he was the one who was always making trouble.

The teacher angrily said, “Shashi! I have been hearing complaints against you for a long time. Stealing is not a good behaviour. As a result, I am expelling you from the camp.”

To everyone’s surprise, Rohan came to Shashi’s defense.

“Sir, Shashi has not stolen Meera’s essay.

I was watching Shashi all the time so that he does not trouble’s anyone and so, I can say that Shashi did not steal the essay,” Rohan explained.

The teacher announced that he would check everyone’s bag to solve the mystery of the missing essay. Each student was asked to step out of the classroom for the search to begin.

While the teacher was saying this, Sonia quietly tore Meera’s essay and put pieces of paper in Shashi’s bag.

During the search, as suspected, the essay papers were found in Shashi’s bag. He was called inside to explain them.

Now tell us, Shashi, do you still say that you did not steal the essay? These were found in your bag,” the teacher said showing Shashi the torn pieces.

Once again Rohan defended Shashi. “Sir, I have proof that Shashi is not the thief but Sonia is,” said Rohan.

“Sir! These are the bits of paper of the essay, that I found in Sonia’s bag. Sonia stole the essay and tore them inside her bag.”

“Then at the right moment Sonia shoved these bits of paper into Shashi’s bag. She did it so that Shashi would get caught and she would not be suspected,” continued Rohan.

“If Shashi had stolen the paper, how are same bits of it in Sonia’s bag,” asked Rohan showing the bits of the essay in Sonia’s bag.

Sonia was asked to explain herself to everyone.

Sonia then said that she was jealous of Meera and stealing her essay was the only way to stop Meera from volunteering for the camp. Since Shashi had a reputation for being the troublemaker it was easier to put the blame on him.

The teacher expelled Sonia from the camp. Shashi thanked Rohan for his support and promised that from now onwards he would mend his ways. After some time, Rohan and Shashi became good friends. •

The Plants Started Smiling

Kiku was a notorious child and each time he entered the garden all the flowers- marigold, jasmine, gulmohar and rose felt scared and angry. They whispered to each other, “The naughty boy is here. He will pluck us and pull off our tender leaves.”

The marigold plant on the side said, “Jasmine dear, he tramples my tiny plants under his feet. It hurts me so much.”

And soon what the flower plants were saying came to be true as Kiku started plucking and breaking all the flowers one by one.

Just then his sister came into the garden and saw him plucking the flowers and shouted at him, “Kiku, you are again breaking the flowers and the plants. How many times I have said that you are not to pluck and break the flowers! What do you get by breaking them?”

Unaffected by his sister’s words he laughed loudly.

“Wait, I will teach you a lesson,” she said and ran after him. Kiku started running in the garden while his sister tried to catch him.

Suddenly, he bumped into a flowerpot and fell down with a big thud and hurt his hand against the stone fence. At the sight of his bleeding wound, Kiku got scared and started to cry in pain. On hearing the noise his mother came out of the house and looked at Kiku’s wound.

“Look, mummy, Kiku plucked all the flowers again,” his sister complained to their mother and told her everything.

“Go inside quickly and bring some cotton and antiseptic cream,” mother told the sister.

“See, Kiku, how much it pains when you get hurt! And you hurt these flowers and plants everyday. They too feel the pain as you do,” Kiku’s mother tried to explain him.

Kiku was confused by what his mother was saying about plants. He said “Mummy, how can plants feel pain? They are lifeless like my toys.”

“No son, they too have life in them like us,” said his mother.

“If they have life like us, why do they keep standing in one place? Why don’t they walk and run like us?” Kiku asked his mother.

“Kiku, they are fixed to the soil with their roots. They get their nourishment from the soil. You have seen that if we do not water the plants, they dry up and die. The green leaves become yellow or grey,” his mother explained.

“Do the plants also eat food? Who cooks food for them?” Kiku asked innocently.

His mother smiled. She replied, “The plants make their own food with the help of sun rays. They get their energy from the sun. And with the help of this energy their roots take the nourishing matter from the soil and send it to the stems. From the stems the nourishing materials go to the branches and then to the leaves, which are the food factory of the plant.”

Kiku still could not understand. So, his mother said, “Okay, tell me one thing. When you pluck flowers, then don’t new flowers grow again on the plants in a few days? This is because they have life in them. You must have seen small plants growing and becoming big. Do your toys ever grow?”

Kiku realized what his mother was trying to make him understand. “I had not thought about this, he said.

Meanwhile his sister brought the medicine and cotton. Kiku’s mother cleaned the wound with water and cotton and put ointment on it.

Kiku apologized to his sister and said, “Now I have realized my mistake. I will not pluck flowers or break their leaves or trample on plants. I did not realize they were living things and get hurt.”

Hearing this not only his mother and sister became happy, with them all the plants too started smiling in relief.

Character is what makes a Mouse

Mohan Mouse liked to walk home from school everyday. Often, along his way home, he would think about everything that had happened during the day in his class. He would recollect the things his friends did and said, and what his teachers taught and spoke of during the lessons.

The walk made Mohan Mouse feel good. Not only did it help him exercise but it also made him feel relaxed and at ease since the route home was surrounded by some shady green trees.

The only thing that Mohan Mouse didn’t like during his walk was his thoughts being interrupted. And today, Mohan Mouse was strolling along as usual. He was smiling as he recollected how his teacher had praised him for the assignment he had done so well when he was suddenly interrupted.

hita Mohan Mouse’s shoe hit a big rock that was lying on the sidewalk. Mohan tripped and swayed and almost fell down.

“Ow! This is ridiculous!” Mohan Mouse said furiously. “I could have fallen down and hurt myself. It was fortunate that I didn’t lose my balance. Who would be silly enough to leave a rock this big on the sidewalk?” Mohan Mouse was really very annoyed. “And what I am most upset about is that my pleasant thoughts have been interrupted because of this silly rock!” he grumbled.

Mohan Mouse lifted his foot and gave the rock a hard kick. He thought that the rock would roll and go further ahead, far away from him. But the rock didn’t move an inch.

He then gathered all his strength and gave the rock another kick. The rock flew through the air now. And to Mohan Mouse’s great horror, it hit the glass pane of a window of a nearby house.

“Yikes!” Mohan said and gasped. “I have broken someone’s window and caused them damage.”

Mohan Mouse’s knees began to shake. He was terrified. He flew like the wind, hoping no one had seen him. He knew that running away was a cowardly thing to do. But at the same time, he was scared and didn’t want anyone to come out of the house and scold him.

Mohan Mouse knew that he would be in big trouble if someone saw him. And so, he ran all the way and only stopped after he had entered his house. He then shut himself in his bedroom.

“Oh dear me!” Mohan Mouse muttered to himself. “Maybe I should tell someone about what I’ve done? Maybe I should tell Ma and Pa?” But he then decided against it. “They might punish me for being careless and for damaging someone’s property,” he thought. “I better keep quiet about it. It will be my little secret, that’s all!” Mohan Mouse began to feel relaxed. He was sure that he would get away scot free since he was sure that no one had seen him. “No one knows I was responsible for breaking the window,” he thought confidently. “I have no reason to fear.”

But then something happened that surprised Mohan no end. He found that he could think of nothing else but the incident. “I have done something wrong,” he thought and sighed every now and then. “I should own up and tell someone the truth.”

Soon, Mohan Mouse started feeling guilty. He found that he couldn’t sleep a wink at night. He sat up in bed, wondering what to do.

“I am very ashamed of myself,” Mohan Mouse whispered to himself. “I will go to the house tomorrow and apologise to the owner for breaking the window.”

The next morning, he told his parents about what had happened. “I have money saved in my piggy bank,” he said. “I am going to offer to pay for the damage I’ve caused.”

Mohan’s parents felt very proud of him. “Since you have been so honest and told us the truth, we will help you and pay for the damages. You can keep your money in the piggy bank and use it another day. We appreciate your truthfulness and this will be your reward, Mohan.”

Mohan Mouse felt happy that he had such supportive parents. He then scampered towards the house. He rang the door bell and waited, his heart thumping like a drum. A man opened the door. “Can I help you?” he asked Mohan Mouse, looking slightly surprised. “Er…I broke your window pane accidentally yesterday,” Mohan Mouse said politely, even though he was feeling very nervous. “I have come to apologise. I am really very sorry.”

Ah!” the man said. “So, it was you who broke my window?”

“Yes,” Mohan Mouse said softly. He then gave the man an envelope which contained the money his parents had given him. The man opened the envelope and looked puzzled. “I’d like to pay for the damages,” Mohan Mouse said bravely.

The man smiled at Mohan and patted his little head. “It was very brave of you to come back and offer money for the repairs,” he said. “I’m sorry once again,” Mohan Mouse replied sincerely.

“You coming back here and owning up shows that you have character,” the man said. “Your parents must be very proud of you.”

Mohan Mouse smiled. He felt much better. He realised that even though he had made a mistake, he had set it right, by doing the right thing.

“I am glad I have character,” he said to himself as he walked away. “After all, it is character that makes a mouse!”

Newlook Beauty Parlour

Hank hippo was passing by, when he stopped in his tracks to see two strangers walking into Rainbow forest. They were dressed in trendy outfits and had rather stylish hair styles.

“Hello! My name is Hank. What brings you to Rainbow forest?” greeted Hank and asked them.

“Hello Hank. This is Beauty fox. She is a beautician. And I am Rancho jackal, her assistant,” introduced Rancho.

“Are you here on a holiday?” asked Hank further.

“No. We are here to open a beauty parlour so that we can introduce new styles to you. But for that we will need permission and a place to set up our parlour,” answered Beauty

Hank was delighted to hear this. He told them, “There is an unoccupied cave near the old mound. But you will need to take our King Eddie elephant’s permission to open your parlour there.”

“Thank you for your suggestion Hank. We will meet you there in a while. Will you get all the other animals near the cave?” asked Beauty.

The news about the beauty parlour spread like wild fire all over the forest and everyone assembled near the old mound to meet Beauty and Rancho, who had also come there.

Beauty said, “Hello everyone! We are really delighted to come to Rainbow forest. I have checked the inside of the cave. It is quite spacious and if his highness, King Eddie agrees, then we can set up our “New Look” beauty parlour here.”

Sif Just then King Eddie reached the spot and said, “I don’t have any issues if all the animals of my forest are happy with the parlour being opened. Both of you can stay in the cave and run your beauty parlour.”

“Thank you so much King Eddie. If each one of you could come and design your look with us, then we could get the products that are required from the city. You will have to pay an advance to us to start the parlour,” said Beauty

None of the animals had a problem with this. Hank was the first one to come forward. He said, “I have a very hard, rough and dry skin. I want a smooth skin instead.”

“That can be easily done,” said Beauty. “You will have to undergo a deep cream massage treatment for a long time. You need to deposit Rs.3000 with us, and we will take the remaining amount once the treatment is over,” said Beauty. Hank immediately left to get the money.

Then, Harry crane came in next. He said, “I am so handsome, but my long legs spoil my beauty. I want to have my legs shortened.”

“We will need to call a doctor from the city and perform a small operation on your legs to shorten them. You need to deposit Rs.5000 with us,” said Beauty

Then, Harry crane came in next. He said, “I am so handsome, but my long legs spoil my beauty. I want to have my legs shortened.”

Harry too hurried to arrange the money.

Blacky bear was waiting for his turn desperately. He rushed in and said, “I am bored with my long black hair. I want to cut my hair and have my body designed like that of a giraffe.”

“It can be done. We can remove your hair and make permanent tattoos on your body using herbal colours. You will need to deposit Rs. 10,000 for this,” answered Beauty.

Blacky agreed immediately.

Similarly, most of the birds and animals wanted to undergo a change in their looks. King Eddie spoke in the end, “I too want my outer teeth, the tusks pushed inside. Can you do this job in your parlour?”

“Of course, your majesty! You will have to put on some springs called braces on your tusks for a few years. We will get these from the city for you,” said Beauty.

“How much will it cost?” asked King Eddie.

“Your highness, you have given us the permission and a place to setup this parlour. How can we charge anything from you?” said Beauty with a smile.

“No. I can’t use the cave for my personal needs. You must tell me the cost for the braces,” King Eddie said.

“If you insist, your majesty. You need to deposit Rs.10,000 with us,” Beauty said immediately

“Okay,” said King Eddie nodding and left from there with a smile on his face.

The next day, all the animals of Rainbow forest, came to Beauty and Rancho with the money. King Eddie was also there.

Just then, Inspector Jeetu wolf and Tony cheetah arrested Beauty and Rancho and brought them out of the cave.

King Eddie shouted, “Throw both the goons behind bars.” Everybody was shocked. If these two were to go to jail, then who would give them their new look!

“Reveal the identity of Beauty and Rancho before everyone. They will decide for themselves whether these two are really capable of giving them a new look,” said King Eddie.

Tony immediately removed the wig and goggles from Beauty and Rancho’s faces.

“Hey, this is Chamko fox and Jagoo jackal,” all shouted in surprise.

“Yes, these two thieves ran away from the jail, a few days ago. They came back in disguise to cheat us,” explained King Eddie.

“Ellen eagle, the forest detective keeps an eye on all the strangers coming into the forest. When she told me that these two reached the cave near the old mound without asking for directions from anyone, I grew suspicious. I asked them on purpose to bend my tusks inside though I like them being outside. Only an orthodontist can set your teeth inside your mouth,” said King Eddie.

“But, these two started talking about using a wire to tie my teeth and push them inside. Then, I understood that these two were trying to cheat me. I asked Ellen to hide inside the cave and listen to their conversations. She told me that, these were two were Chamko and Jagoo. They were planning to escape after collecting the money,” explained King Eddie.

Further, King Eddie said, “Nature has blessed us with a beautiful body based on our environment and eating habits. Why do you want to undergo a change by imitating others? Blacky, when you go to the hive to extract honey, this long black hair of yours protects you from honey bees.”

“And you Harry, your long legs help you to stand in the pond and catch fish. Hank, your thick, hard skin protects you from enemies,” explained King Eddie to all of them.

They realised their mistake. This was an eye opener for them. And everyone thanked King Eddie for saving them from being cheated.

Rancho’s Challenge

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Barry was embarrassed.

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

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

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

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

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

King Leo appreciated Rancho’s smartness.

Lattu Gets Fooled

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

One day, Bhola came into work looking upset.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes! I can do that,” said Lattu.

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

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

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

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

“These are papads from Uncle Kaalu’s shop.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“So do I!” said Lattu.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lattu was ashamed.

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

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

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

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

The Aliens Are Coming!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No, it did not,” replied Squiggy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Squiggy was speaking the truth”, said Monty.

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

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

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

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

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

All the animals agreed.

Donkey Golu In Space

Golu donkey felt his weight was decreasing rapidly. “Oh! What is this? Where am I? And why do I feel so light?” he wondered.

Golu tried to open the door of the aeroplane. But the door did not budge.

Golu tried harder to open the door. He gathered his full strength and tried to push the door, but it still did not move an inch.

“Why is this door not opening?” Golu shouted in panic.

“This door will not open,” a voice boomed from the loud speaker.

Golu tried to see who was speaking, but there was no one around. He asked again, “Oh brother, who are you? And where am I?” He tightly held on to the door handle because now he was completely weightless and was floating in air.

“Why am I not able to stand straight?” Golu shouted again, very frightened.

“Brother Golu, don’t be afraid,” said the voice.

Golu’s eyes went to one of the monitors in front of him. He was surprised to see the image of his friend, Rex rabbit there.

“Thank goodness it is you Rex.” Golu felt relieved on seeing his friend. He asked, “Where am I?”

“You are in a space-ship. By mistake you boarded this space-ship, instead of the aeroplane you had to take. But don’t be afraid and do just as I tell you. If you want to ask anything, just go ahead,” Rex informed him.

Hearing that he was on a spaceship, Golu was more frightened. He asked, “Am I really in a spaceship?”

“Yes,” replied Rex.

Golu then asked, “Why do I feel that I have no weight and why am I floating in the air?”

“Your weight has become zero because there is no gravitational force in space,” Rex explained.

Golu did not understand what Rex had just said. “How could anyone’s weight become zero?” Golu wondered.

On Earth he was a donkey weighing 40 kilograms. And here he had become a zero kilogram donkey. His brain could not figure this out.

“Brother Rex, I cannot understand how can my weight become zero kilogram?” asked Golu.

“Golu, let me try and explain. Have you seen that our Earth pulls everything to itself. When a pebble is thrown in the sky, it comes back to the Earth, because the Earth pulls it back. This power of the Earth to pull everything to itself is called force of gravitation,” Rex explained patiently.

“Yes, I have observed that,” Golu said nodding his head.

“Our weight is a multiple of the gravitational force. In other words, if the mass of your body is 40 kilogram and if we suppose the gravitational force to be 1, then the product of 1 into 40 is 40. So, we say that your weight is 40 kilogram,” explained Rex.

“But where you are now, the gravitational force is zero. And so, when you multiply 40 into zero, what will be the product?” asked Rex.

“It will be zero. That means because of the mathematical zero my weight has also become zero and I am floating in space,” said Golu trying to understand Rex

“Well said. Since there is no gravitational force here your weight has become zero,” Rex explained.

Then Golu noticed something shining near him and said, “Oh, this water bubble is also floating.” He extended his hand towards the floating bubble, but it slipped from his hand and started growing big like a balloon.

Seeing this, Golu asked, “If I want to wash my face, what should I do?”

“Take a piece of cloth and wrap it around the water bubble. The bubble will get into the cloth, with which you can then wash your face,” Rex explained.

But you do not need to wash your face here. There is no dust or dirt here that sticks to your body and makes it dirty,” said Rex.

“Oh Yes! I had not thought about it. But why am I not able to open the door of this spaceship?” asked Golu.

On hearing this Rex started laughing. “You have asked a very good question. Take a look at the monitor that is showing what is outside. What do you see there?” asked Rex.

“Nothing. It is completely dark out there,” answered Golu.

“Then what will you do if you go outside? And since the space ship is flying the door will not open just now,” said Rex.

Suddenly something pricked Golu’s foot. He cried in pain, “Oh! What was that?” He got up with a jerk and sat up on his bed. “Where am I? I was in space,” Golu moaned.

His mother asked, “Were you dreaming again Golu? It seems you were travelling to space in your dream.”

“Oh yes Mom! I had a wonderful dream that I was in space,” Golu said excitedly.

“Will I ever be able to go to the space, Mom?” asked Golu after thinking for a bit.

“Yes, son. If you study well, then you can become an astronaut and you can go to space,” his mom answered.

Golu got up and started getting ready to go to school. After all he had to go to space one day.

The Road to Change

Shersingh lion, the King of Champakvan, was watching the news on television. There were several incidents of road accidents being reported. He became upset and thought to do something about it.

Shersingh invited Jumbo elephant to discuss the issue with him. Jumbo was well versed in the matters of road safety as he was the head of Champakvan’s Road Safety Patrol.

“Champakvan is witnessing an increase in the number of road accidents. This disturbs me greatly. I want your advice on what we can do to make Champakvan safer for all,” Shersingh said to Jumbo.

“Don’t worry, sir. I will definitely help you make Champakvan safer. First, let me study the situation and prepare a report. Based on that, I will be able to suggest some measures,” said Jumbo.

“Take all the time you need, Jumbo. The report has to be detailed,” said Shersingh.

Jumbo set to work right away. He went around all the roads in Champakvan observing the traffic movements and making notes. He compiled all of them in his report.

After a couple of weeks, Jumbo presented his report to Shersingh.

“One of the main issues I observed is that the residents of Champakvan do not follow traffic rules. They do not stay within the speed limit, they disregard traffic signals, do not follow lane discipline and park their vehicles wherever they find space, thus blocking traffic. Several signals at the main junctions are not working, causing a lot of chaos. They need to be fixed immediately. We also need to appoint traffic policemen at these junctions to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic,” said Jumbo.

That ambulance that came to halt

“Good work, Jumbo. I will ask my ministers to fix the signals right away. But what can we do to get the citizens to follow traffic rules?” asked Shersingh.

“I feel there is a lack of awareness about traffic rules and road safety among the citizens. Through campaigns, we can make our citizens aware of the benefit of following the rules. Wearing helmet for two-wheeler riders and seat belt for those driving cars should be made compulsory. If they do not follow the rules, fines should be levied,” suggested Jumbo.

“That is an excellent idea, Jumbo. Let us also put up signs indicating speed limits near schools and hospitals, and prohibiting parking in congested areas,” said Shersingh.

“That will surely help, sir,” said Jumbo. “Another thing I observed is that though kids under the age of 18 are prohibited by law from riding motorcycles or cars, there are many of them who do so.

This is causing a lot of accidents. We can tackle this problem by penalising their parents for allowing them to drive in the first place,” said Jumbo.

“Yes, underage driving is a major cause of concern,” agreed Shersingh.

“There’s one more thing, sir. You could also consider allocating a separate lane for cyclists and pedestrians so that they can travel safely,” added Jumbo.

“Consider it done! Thank you for your suggestions, Jumbo. These steps are sure to make Champakvan safer for motorists and pedestrians alike. In celebration of this change, I declare the last week of February as Road Safety Week. Every year, during this week, we shall organise competitions, workshops on road safety and a survey on traffic trends and accidents,” said Shersingh.

Next morning, the front page news on Champakvan Times was about the changes introduced by Shersingh with Jumbo’s suggestions. It read that besides setting up a dedicated accident helpline, Shersingh had created a new department to look into the traffic activities at Champakvan, under the leadership of Jumbo. He was commended for a job well done.

THE GHOST IN THE ROOM

One night, Marty, the mole was jolted out of his sleep by a strange sound.

Chrrr…chrrr…chrrr…

Marty switched on the lights and scanned the room for the source of the sound. He didn’t see anything unusual and the sound stopped, too. So, he switched off the lights and tried to go back to sleep, but then he heard the sound again.

This had been going on for two days now. Marty hadn’t been able to sleep a wink through the night because of the strange sound.

The next day at work, Billy, the goat greeted him, “Good morning, Marty! How are you?”

“How do you think I am? Can’t you see I am fine?” snapped Marty.

“It was a harmless question, Marty. There was no need to snap at me like that,” said Billy offended.

“I’m sorry, Billy. I haven’t been able to sleep at all for the last couple of days. That is why I am quite irritable,” said Marty. He told Billy about his problem.

“That must be a ghost,” concluded Billy.

“A ghost? Are you serious?” laughed Marty.

“Yes, I am serious. Since you are away at work, your house is empty for most of the day. So, some ghost must have made itself at home in your house. You may find this funny but do give it a thought,” said Billy gravely.

Marty started thinking about it. He could not concentrate on his work that day.

“What if Billy is right? What if it is a ghost? What if it harms me?” thought Marty.

Marty left work early that day to consult with Jacky, the jackal, who claimed to be a professional ghost hunter. Jacky’s business had been down for some time now, so he was elated to see Marty.

“I see that you are in distress. How can I help you?” asked Jacky.

“O holy one, I think there is a ghost in my house. It does not let me sleep at night,” said Marty.

“I see…,” said Jacky, closing his eyes as if he was meditating. He began chanting some strange spells.

Jacky then opened his eyes and said, “You are right. There is a ghost in your house, and a stubborn one, too. It will not be easy to get rid of it.”

Marty became scared. “Oh, please! You must help me!” he pleaded.

“I will surely try, but it is going to be a difficult process. I will need a lot of expensive food items,” said Jacky, handing Marty a long list. “After you buy them, take me to your house. I will start the process of getting rid of the ghost tonight.”

“I will get them right away,” said Marty and immediately rushed to the market to buy all the items on the list. At the shop, Marty met his friend Rocco, the raccoon.

“So many food items! Are you having a party without telling me?” asked Rocco.

Marty told him about the ghost in his house and how he approached Jacky to get rid of it.

Rocco smiled and said, “Let me also come with you, just in case you need some help.

Marty agreed. He bought all the items on the list and went back along with Rocco to meet Jacky.

Jacky panicked when he saw Rocco. “Why did he bring along this raccoon? He is going to mess up my plan!” he thought.

Jacky told Marty, “There can’t be too many people when I am performing the ritual.”

“Don’t worry. I will be as quiet as a mouse and not interfere with your ritual,” said Rocco.

“Alright. Marty, I shall be staying at your place tonight, so please make the necessary arrangements,” said Jacky.

That night, Jacky arrived at Marty’s house and inspected it. He then took a bath and had a hearty meal.

“Now that I am here, rest assured that the ghost will no longer trouble you,” said Jacky yawning. “I will pretend to go to sleep now. When the ghost comes, I will trap it.”

Marty was convinced that his problem would soon be over. He gave up his own bed to Jacky and slept on the floor, next to Rocco.

Within a few minutes after the lights were switched off, the strange sound started.

Chrrr…chrrr…chrrr…

Jacky woke up with a start. He sat upright and looked around the room, holding on to the blanket nervously.

“It’s the ghost again,” said Marty.

They noticed the flower vase moving.

“Oh no! There really is a ghost!” exclaimed Jacky, trembling with fear.

“Cast your spells, O holy one. Get rid of this ghost,” said Rocco casually.

“Are you mad? What if the ghost catches me? I am getting out of here and so should the two of you!” said Jacky, running out of the house.

Come, let’s get out of here,” Marty said to Rocco.

No, wait. Let’s see what it is,” said Rocco, walking towards the flower vase

Marty switched on the lights and Rocco picked up the vase to inspect it.

“So, you are the ghost!” said Rocco looking inside the vase. He then helped a butterfly get out of it.

“How did you get inside the vase?” Marty asked the butterfly.

“A couple of days ago, I flew in through that window as I was attracted by the smell of these flowers. But then I ventured inside the vase and got stuck. When the lights were switched off, I tried to get out unnoticed. But I didn’t realise that the sound of my wings flapping would scare all of you,” said the butterfly embarrassed.

“You didn’t just scare me, you scared the great Jacky as well,” said Marty amused.

Rocco said, “I knew there was no ghost. Jacky just wanted to use your fear to make some money. He had a hearty dinner and would have slept happily, had it not been for our friend here.”

The three had a hearty laugh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Where is this boy?” grumbled Rakesh.

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

“Raamuuu! Rakesh! Come here quickly!”

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

“What happened?” they asked.

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

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

“See what?” asked Ramu.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You really mean it?” asked Ramu surprised.

“Of course I do,” replied Sethu calmly.

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

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

“What condition?” asked Ramu.

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

Ramu, Rakesh and Sethu huddled to discuss it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sethu enjoyed three days of tasty meals and relaxing naps.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The three friends looked on wide-eyed in anticipation.

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

The friends were stunned.

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

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

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

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

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

“What is the reason?” asked Sethu.

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

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

“You sly fox!” said Ramesh laughing.

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

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

Mischievous Trixie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trixie laughed in agreement.

The Proud Tortoise

All the animals in Shringar forest lived in love and harmony. Kutkut squirrel, Minku monkey, Chatori sparrow, Bhola bear and Kuchoo rabbit lived along the river which flowed through the forest. Kachaalu tortoise also lived in the river. Unlike everyone, he was very proud and arrogant by nature.

Kutkut squirrel lived on the tree near the river and tried to make friends with Kachaalu who would not speak to anyone. He was always ready to pick a fight with anyone he could find. He was very proud of his personality and looks. He ignored all the animals of the Shringar forest.

If any of the animals wanted to ride along the river on his back, he would not answer them or he would take them and topple them midway inside the river and mock them.

Kachaalu would say, “I am not a tortoise up for rides. I am here to take the world for a stride! I am best suited for the seas and not this river.”

Kutkut squirrel, Minku monkey, Chatori sparrow, Bhola bear and Kuchoo rabbit would play in the forest the whole day. Unlike them Kachaalu would stay away, building castles in the air. One day Kachaalu asked everyone to gather and declared, “I am travelling towards the larger part of the world, the sea. All of you continue your stay in this small Shringar forest while I am off to have some fun!”

Having said this, Kachaalu set out on his journey. After swimming for a week, he reached the sea and was overjoyed at the sight of it.

Kachaalu kept wandering here and there in the sea. He wanted to be friends with the big fish in the sea but they just drove him away saying, “We will never be friends with a small tortoise like you.”

Tears rolled down Kachaalu’s eyes. He now missed the love and affection showered on him by the animals Shringar forest even though he had always quarrelled with them.

“No one is concerned about me here!

Neither do they want to be friends with me nor are they are bothered about my welfare,” he thought to himself.

Kachaalu thought of going back to Shringar forest. But what would he do if everyone in the forest laughed at him.

But he felt homesick and decided to go back to the forest. Kachaalu was scared. His mind raced with thoughts about his old friends and if they would forgive him. He wondered if they would love him like before. With these feelings Kachaalu made his way to the forest.

On reaching Shrinagar forest, Kachaalu saw his friends looking worried. He asked Kutkut squirrel, “Oh Kutkut, why are so sad?” At the sound of Kachaalu’s words she jumped in surprise.

“Hey Kachaalu, Are you fine? We were all worried about you,” she said with happiness.

Hearing her words, Kachaalu started to cry. “Please forgive me, my dear friend. You always tried to love me but I was too proud. I should leave from here. I don’t deserve your love.”

Just then, Bhola bear said, “No, my dear friend, you are not going anywhere. This Shringar forest will always continue to be your home as it has been till now. Wipe your tears and give me a hug.”

Putting an end to this, all the animals rushed to hug Kachaalu.

Shringar forest thus was once again home to lots of love, joy, harmony and happiness.

Work Without Risk

Danny donkey was in big trouble. Growing up, he always had fun while his mother made trips to the pond and back, with bundles of clothes on her back. His mother worked for Wasim washer man, along with other donkeys.

But now Danny was big, and he too had to work all day. Danny was lazy, and he found work to be a burden, so he would walk slowly and leisurely and always reach home late. One day, Wasim lost his patience with Danny and gave him a thrashing.

“Carrying bundles is tedious work. Not only do I have to carry the load, but I also get beaten up if I don’t reach on time. I am not doing this work. I will find some other work which is easy,” he thought to himself and left home one night.

Next morning, he saw monkeys swinging on the bar and doing somersaults for people. He thought “How much fun they are having while they are swinging on the bars. I should also learn to do the same and that way I will have fun while working.”

Next day, Danny started practicing. But standing on two feet, and dancing proved to be very difficult, and when it came to swing on the bars, he became quite afraid.

“Oh! This is so much more riskier than carrying clothes. There is fear of breaking my limbs,”saying so Danny moved on.

He then saw elephants roaming in the market taking kids for a ride on their back.

“Aha! This is easy work. Just carry a small person on your back and eat food till you are full. I shall do this work from tomorrow,” he said to himself.

Next day, he asked Champu monkey to sit on his back.

“Alright!” Champu jumped and sat on his back.

“Aah! My back is broken. Get off me fast,” Danny screamed. “Oh! This work is even harder. I am having difficulty in breathing,” saying so, Danny ran away from there.

What should I do now?” he asked himself.

“Is work necessary? What if I manage my livelihood without working!” he thought to himself and jumped in joy. He ran towards the jungle “So many green leaves. I can eat till I am full.”

As soon Danny tried to eat, the crows started cawing.

“Go away from here. This is our house. Let us rest.” Danny did not pay any attention and munched on the leaves.

“Friends this is our nest. This animal is trying to eat our home. Come, lets teach him a lesson,” said one of the crows.

In a minute the crows attacked Danny and pecked him everywhere. He had to run away to save himself.

“I just got saved. These crows were very dangerous. I still want to live without working, but I don’t want to risk my life for that,” said Danny. His eyes fell on Bholu bear who was climbing a tree. He knew that bears ate honey.

“Why shouldn’t I try to eat honey? If this big bear can become full by eating honey then why not me? This work is easy.” Thinking this, he went to the tree which Bholu had climbed.

“But how will I climb the tree?” While Danny was thinking over this, a swarm of bees arrived and seeing that their hive was broken, they started buzzing loudly.

“This bear has eaten our honey and despite that, he is still standing here. Come on, let’s teach him a lesson.”As soon as he heard this, Danny ran but bees followed him, till he jumped into a pond.

“I am not a bear,” he kept shouting but bees kept stinging him. till the queen bee told everyone to leave.

“I thought that without working hard and taking risk, I could live easily. But living without working has proven to be much more dangerous,” Danny said in pain.

On hearing his words, he heard someone laugh. “Who is it?” Danny looked around and saw a tiny ant sitting on a leaf.

“I am just a tiny little ant. My stomach is smaller than yours. But I have to work hard throughout the year. To live, we have to work and not run away from it,” she said.

Danny carefully listened to what the tiny ant said. He then returned home and thought he would enjoy his work and not run away from it.

Bunny Cat’s Valentine

Bunny, the cat’s school teacher had told the students about Valentine’s Day that is celebrated on 14th February every year and it is a day to express love for near and dear ones. Bunny was thrilled when she came to know about this.

Coming back from school, Bunny sat down to decide to who she should gift a greeting card as a Valentine gift. Bunny’s grandmother was nearby.

Bunny said, “Dadi, can you help me? I was thinking about who should be my Valentine?”

Dadi suggested that Bunny should show gratitude towards people who she learns from. She said, “Bunny your friends, teachers, relatives and family members can be your Valentine. It helps you…”

“Dadi! Please I already know that. My teacher has already told us everything,” Bunny interrupted her Dadi, making a face.

“Okay dear. But let me know once you finish,” said Dadi leaving Bunny alone.

“Shall I make a card for my friend Sofie who sits beside me? No. She didn’t show her new compass box to me.”

“Shall I give a gift to Jimmy? Na! Na! He pulls my tail every now and then,” Bunny murmured to herself.

“Bunny, I am leaving for your aunt’s house. I will be back tomorrow morning. Don’t trouble Dadi,” said Bunny’s mother and left.

“Mom. I know. I will take care of myself. Please don’t disturb me,” fumed Bunny.

Few hours had passed since her mother left, and Bunny was still engrossed in making her special valentine card and deciding on who to give.

“Shall I gift it to Dadi? But last week only I had given her a birthday gift. Now I should think of someone else,” thought Bunny to herself.

She had gone over all the names of her friends, but Bunny was still unable to settle on any one name. By now it was evening

Bunny came to the balcony to take a break. She saw the sun and waved it good bye. She kept gazing at the sun for a long time. She felt a sense of loneliness as the darkness increased. She could not understand what was bothering her.

Bunny looked up at the sky. The birds were flying hurriedly to their home and the children waiting for them. Seeing the birds, Bunny too started missing her mother.

Bunny decided to spend some time with her Dadi; and sat on the sofa watching her favourite show on television. But nothing seemed to make her happy. Dadi served her favourite ice-cream, but Bunny was not interested. She had never been silent before.

Bunny had never lived without her mother for a single day. She was used to see her mother taking care of her, loving her, making her favourite dishes, taking up homework and all other things with her.

“Oh mom! Where are you? I am missing you a lot. Please come back soon,” Bunny said aloud.

“I have taken you for granted. I’m so sorry mom. I love you,” Bunny realised her deepest love for her mom that day.

The next morning when her mother came back, Bunny ran as fast as she could and snuggled into her. She didn’t utter a word.

Her mother patted her lovingly, but was curious to know what happened to Bunny.

Then she saw a greeting card in Bunny’s hand.

She removed and started reading, “To my dearest mom, Happy Valentine’s Day. I love you a lot. But please don’t leave me alone again. Yours, Bunny.”

Bunny’s mother hugged her and said, “Happy Valentine’s Day to you, dear. I love you too.”

Go to the Jungle, Sam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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