children stories Archives - Page 8 of 10

Kukku’s Car

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everybody went back, disappointed.

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

Meanwhile, Sharmaji’s family returned from their trip.

Sharmaji thought, “What is this noise?”

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

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

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

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

Kukku had learnt his lesson.

Dub Dub Turtle

Browny Turtle lived in the sea. One morning, she carefully dug a hole in the sand and laid four eggs in it. She then covered the hole gently with some sand and twigs.

“I am tired now,” Browny Turtle then said to herself. “I should go for a swim and refresh myself.”

Browny Turtle then dived into the sea and went for a long swim.

After a few days, Browny Turtle’s eggs hatched, and four tiny baby turtles emerged from the egg shells. Browny Turtle was overjoyed to see her children.

“My babies!” she said happily. “I am so glad to see you! Welcome to the world!”

Soon, the peaceful and picturesque sight of the sea prompted the baby turtle to swim in it.

“Mama,” the baby turtle told Browny Turtle one day. “May we swim with you? The sea looks so inviting! The waves look like fun! We can’t wait to dive in and swim!”

“Yes, my dears,” Browny Turtle smiled and said. “Come with me!”

The baby turtle then crawled and followed Browny Turtle into the sea.

Dubdub Turtle was Browny Turtle’s littlest baby. No one realised that he had been left behind. Dubdub Turtle slowly crawled towards the sea, hoping to catch up with his mother, and brothers and sisters.

It was then when he noticed a tiny crab that was walking sideways. The crab’s body seemed to be shining and looked quite transparent too.

Dubdub Turtle was astonished to see the crab. He hadn’t seen one before.

“How wonderful everything is! Life was boring inside the egg! There is so much for me to see in the world now!” he thought happily.

Then instead of going towards the sea, Dubdub Turtle crawled towards a cluster of shells and admired them. They were a bright pink in colour and Dubdub Turtle was quite fascinated to see them.

Little did Dubdub Turtle know that while he was marvelling at the sights around him, someone was watching him from the sky, with greedy eyes. It was none other than Mighty Eagle who was looking for lunch.

Mighty Eagle was a big and dangerous bird. He had a sharp beak and huge talons that he used to tear his prey apart with. All the turtles including Browny Turtle feared Mighty Eagle. They dived into the sea, every time they saw him hovering in the sky.

Mighty Eagle flew closer to Dubdub Turtle.

Now, Dubdub Turtle was very young, but he spotted Mighty Eagle and sensed that he was dangerous. He saw Mighty Eagle swooping towards him from the corner of his eye.

“Something doesn’t feel right about that bird,” Dubdub Turtle told himself. “For some reason, I feel afraid of him. He probably eats little turtles like me! I must be very careful!”

Dubdub Turtle then gathered all the courage he had and spoke to Mighty Eagle.

“Hello there!” Dubdub Turtle said cheerfully. “I was waiting for you.”

Mighty Eagle was surprised. “Waiting for me, huh?” he asked. “How come?” |

“I’ve heard that you cannot walk on your talons,” Dubdub Turtle explained.

Mighty Eagle grew annoyed.

“Who told you that?” he shouted. “Of course, I can walk on my talons.”

“No, you cannot,” Dubdub Turtle. “I have heard that you look like a clown, every time you try to walk on the sand!”

Mighty Eagle stomped his talons angrily and kicked some sand in the air.

“I definitely don’t look like a clown,” he argued.

“Well, I’ll decide for myself,” Dubdub Turtle said, looking towards the sea. “Why don’t you show me how you walk?”

“I’ll show you how well I walk!” Mighty Eagle said. He then began walking on his talons right in front of Dubdub Turtle.

“Not bad! Not bad at all!” Dubdub Turtle said. “But is it true that you can’t somersault like us turtles. Anyway, can you do this?”. Dubdub Turtle then asked and demonstrated a somersault.

“Yes, I can do that,” Mighty Eagle said huffily. He then tried doing somersaults but kept losing his balance.

“Hold on! I’m out of practice!” he told Dubdub Turtle and panted. “I’ll show you a perfect one in just a few minutes.”

“Don’t worry!” Dubdub Turtle said and slowly inched towards the sea. “Take your time! I’m waiting! I’m in no hurry!”

Dubdub Turtle then called out to Mighty Eagle and said, “Forget somersaulting on the sand now. How about somersaulting in the sky? Can you do that? Or can you only fly in the sky?”

“Somersault in the air?” Mighty Eagle said and laughed. “What a silly little turtle you are! Don’t you know that’s child’s play for me?”

“Can you show me how you do it? Please!” Dubdub Turtle said, sounding very excited.

“All right then!” Mighty Eagle said, putting his chest out. “Watch me go!”

Mighty Eagle then flew up the sky. He first flew left, then right, then higher up, and then started somersaulting in the air. He flapped his wings noisily to show off too.

After sometime, Mighty Eagle felt very hungry.

“I better eat that little turtle now,” Mighty Eagle said. “All this somersaulting has made me very hungry.”

Mighty Eagle swooped down to the sand. But to his great disappointment, Dubdub Turtle was no where in sight.

“Where are you, little turtle?” Mighty Eagle asked, looking around. “Are you hiding in the sand? Come out at once!”

Dubdub Turtle was hiding behind a rock in the sea. He peeped and saw Mighty Eagle looking for him. Dubdub Turtle giggled and shouted, “It was a great show Mr. Eagle! You really can somersault in the sky! But I don’t think you can dive or swim in the sea like me.”

Dubdub Turtle then dived into the water and swam to join his family.

Mighty Eagle felt very foolish.

“I have been outwitted by a baby turtle!” he grumbled.

He flew back to the sky and hoped that he would find something else to eat for his lunch.

UNITY IS STRENGTH

Chinni was a hardworking ant. She used to work all day to look after her family.

One day, Chinni was carrying a grain of rice on her back. On her way home, she met Ricky the Mole. Ricky was a lazy mole. He never went to work. He believed in snatching food from smaller animals to satisfy his hunger.

Ricky saw Chinni and said, “Chinni, why have you lifted such a heavy grain? Do you want to get crushed under it?”

Ricky’s words annoyed Chinni. She said, “It would be better if you keep quiet. You may have no work, but I do. So please let me continue with my work.”

Ricky mockingly replied, “I am not stopping you from hard work. It is because of you that idle people like me get to eat two meals a day. If you don’t work hard, how will we get food?”

Then, he snatched the grain from Chinni. Before Chinni could say anything, Ricky ate it. He said, “Go, little Ant, go. Fetch another grain for your young ones, or else they shall starve. You are indeed a dedicated and hardworking ant.”

Chinni was very angry with Ricky. She was helpless. Ricky was stronger than her. She knew that she could not fight him alone. She searched high and low. She found another grain to feed her young ones.

Although Chinni couldn’t fight Ricky, she decided to teach him a lesson. The next evening, Chinni’s neighbour, Mini came home weeping. Chinni asked her what had happened.

Mini said, “I was carrying a lump of jaggery on my back. On my way home, Ricky snatched the jaggery and ate it. Now it’s too late to go back and search for more food. My children will have to sleep without their dinner.”

Chinni felt sorry for Mini. She said, “Don’t worry. You and your kids can dine at my house tonight. After all, I am your neighbour. It is my duty to help you. Together, we will teach Ricky a lesson.”

Chinni extended a warm welcome to Mini and her kids. She served them a delicious dinner and took care that everyone ate well.

Day by day, Ricky continued to give the ants a hard time. He had now started coming near the anthill for food. He stood there and kept a watch over the ants. He snatched all the food that they brought home. He devoured jaggery, rice, sugar lumps, etc from the anthill.

However, the ants couldn’t do anything. Chinni took all of them to Queen Madhulika. The Queen heard their problems. She understood that the ants wanted to get rid of Ricky.

She said, “However mighty our enemy may be, we can defeat him only if we fight together. All of you will have to help the royal army to face the mole and defeat him. Are you ready to help?”

Chinni said, “Your Highness, we understand that we will have to unite together and face our enemy. We will die of hunger if we do not destroy him. Our unity will become our biggest strength. We are prepared to fight until death!”

The Queen was inspired and impressed by Chinni’s brave attitude. She said, “You are indeed brave, Chinni. I promise all of you that if any ant dies during the battle, the royal kingdom will take care of her kids. I will personally see to it that they get proper food, shelter and education.”

The ants started preparing themselves for the battle.

The very next day, the ants got ready to attack. As soon as they saw Ricky coming near their anthill, they marched towards him with swords and spears. Ricky was astonished to see thousands of ants approaching him with tiny swords and spears.

The moment the ants tried to attack Ricky; he hit them with his claws. He flung a part of the royal army in the air. Meanwhile, some of the soldier ants tightly gripped his claw. They started biting him fiercely.

Some ants attacked his tail; others attacked his face whereas a few of them targeted his body. Ricky’s body was badly injured with bruises and cuts.

Ricky tried to free himself. He failed. He realised that it was difficult to fight the huge number of ants. As the number of ants kept increasing, he decided to run away. He felt helpless and weak in front of the huge army of ants.

Ricky ran away from the anthill. A few ants held on to his body. They kept biting him continuously. They did not spare even an inch of his body. Ricky could not bear the pain anymore. He jumped into a puddle of water and he then rolled over the sand to get rid of the ants.

However, the ants were determined not to leave his body.

Ricky felt a lot of pain due to the bites. He sat on a stone and started picking each ant out of his body. His body was swollen due to the ant-bites.

Ricky somehow managed to survive. He was grateful to be alive. He felt the collective power of the ants. He realised that their unity had become their strength.

He never came to the anthill again. He decided that he would never trouble any ant in future.

Tiff in Space

Raju was a fifth standard student and lived in a village. He stayed there with his grandfather. He studied most of the time and spent leisure time with his grandfather.

Raju’s grandfather would narrate informative stories to him every night. Raju had gotten habituated to falling asleep after listening to the stories and used to dream about them.

It was a pleasant night of the summer season. Raju and his grandfather were sleeping on the terrace of their house. The sky looked vast with the brightly shining moon amidst millions of twinkling stars.

Raju was staring at the stars. He asked, “Grandpa, why don’t these stars and the moon fall on us?”

“Because they revolve around the Sun,” said his grandfather, “Earth also revolves around the Sun.”

Raju asked, “Who stays in space?” Grandpa replied, “There are eight planets and the dwarf planet Pluto, their satellites and stars in space. The planets and their satellites revolve around the Sun.”

Raju found this fascinating and kept thinking about space. He fell asleep in some time and found himself touring space.

Raju saw that there was a fight going on between the planets and satellites. They were fighting over who holds the most importance.

The Sun and planets like Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, all were busy praising themselves.

“I am the brightest planet,” said Venus, “I am unique because I revolve from west to east, while you all revolve in the opposite direction. I am considered to be God.”

The Earth gave a smirk and said, “I am the only planet which supports life and has water and an atmosphere.”

“I am red in colour and am known as the God of War,” said Mercury.

“I have the maximum number of satellites,” said Jupiter.

“And I am counted amongst the biggest of planets,” interrupted Saturn.

Uranus said, “I am huge and green in colour. The Greeks consider me as their God and worship me.”

“I am blue in colour and very big and I am known as the “Sea-God,” said Neptune.

The Moon was getting irritated with the praises from all the other planets. With an angry tone, the moon said, “I am the most beautiful. I am the only satellite of the Earth. There is an estimate that there may be life on my surface. I can also bring about eclipses.”

The Moon was extremely proud of himself and was rude to others, so nobody commented. Pluto was quiet as he had nothing to say. He was a dwarf planet and did not want to intervene in the fights.

The arguments went on and finally, Pluto said, “You all are fools. The Sun is the most powerful.”

“How come?” asked the other planets.

“You all revolve around the Sun,” said Pluto, “It has the maximum temperature and planets get their energy from it. It is the brightest planet that gives light to all the other stars and planets.” “There are hot gases found on the Sun and the Sun’s presence determines the day and night cycles,” added Pluto.

All the other planets were enlightened about the power of the Sun.

They apologized to the Sun.

“It is because of the Sun that we are alive and that the plants get light and nutrition,” interrupted Raju but nobody seemed to be paying heed to what he said.

“Raju, wake up. Its 7 am,” said Grandpa.

Raju woke up and realized that it was a dream. But he enjoyed the thought that he was in space for some time and got to meet all the stars and planets.

It was indeed a very pleasant morning for Raju.

Golu Learns to Think for Himself

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Really?” asked Golu, in excitement.

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

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

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

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

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

His legs shook but somehow he managed to walk ahead.

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

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

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

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

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

Unique Christmas Tree

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Story of Bread

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

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

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

“Bread has colours?” Mayuri questioned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay, tell me more,” said Mayuri.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Graffiti’s Intellect

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They reached a place and Graffiti said, “Wait.

They both must be around this place.”

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

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

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

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

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

BIG TREE SMALL TREE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Big Tree then began sobbing uncontrollably.

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

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

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

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

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

A Match To Dimpy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HONESTY PAYS OFF

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More From Champak: Help Yourself

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

Dimpy Monkey was surprised to see him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MANU AND TINU’S BRAVERY

It was a Sunday morning. Manu and Tinu were playing cricket on the playground near their house. Suddenly, the ball bounced hard and went into the adjoining house.

“Oops!” Manu said. “Tinu, our ball has gone into Seth Malmalram’s house. Come on! Let’s go and get it back!”

Both the boys then ran towards Seth Malmalram’s house to look for their ball.

“Look! There’s our ball,” Tinu said and pointed towards the ball that had fallen near a window.

The two boys then went closer to the window to retrieve their ball.

It was then that they heard the strange noises coming from inside the house.

Manu and Tinu were curious. They knew that Seth Malmalram was a quiet person and rarely made any sounds. They peeped through the window and looked inside.

The two boys were horrified by what they saw.

Seth Malmalram was gagged and tied to a chair. There were two men in the house besides him. They both looked very shady.

“Oh no! Seth Malmalram has been gagged and tied to a chair!” Manu said, looking very shocked.

“Those two men must be thieves!” Tinu said as he watched the two men.

“I can see them opening the drawers and cupboards. They are stealing jewels and money from the house.”

“We should do something and save Seth Malmalram from being looted. He is our neighbour after all,” Manu said, looking very concerned “Tinu, why don’t you run to the police station? Tell Inspector Shyam what we’ve just seen. I will stay here and teach these fellows a lesson!”

Tinu did as he was told and ran towards the police station.

Manu stood still for a moment, wondering what to do. He spotted a motorcycle that was parked outside the house.

“Aha! This motorcycle must belong to the thieves!” Manu thought. He found a sharp stick and punctured both the tires of the motorcycle. “This will slow down their escape.”

Manu then looked around and found some stones. He picked them up and put them in his pockets. He then went back to the house and sneaked in after opening a bathroom window.

Manu found a small bucket of water lying in the bathroom.

“This will come handy,” he said, picking the bucket up.

Manu then tiptoed and went into one of the bedrooms. There was a big almirah kept there.

“Hmm,” Manu thought. “The thieves haven’t come into this room as yet. But I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”

Manu climbed on a chair and kept the bucket on the almirah’s top. He then climbed to the almirah’s top and sat there, quite sure that the thieves would come soon.

Manu had guessed correctly. After some time, the thieves entered the room.

“We will get a huge booty today, Chunty!” the thief whose name was Bunty said. “Only this almirah is now left for us to loot!”

“Yes! Let us open it and take whatever we can, Bunty,” Chunty said and grinned.

The two thieves put their hands forward to open the almirah but to their surprise, something fell on them. It was the bucket of water that Manu was taken from the bathroom.

“Ow!” the thieves screamed. They were startled and stepped back at once.

“Who’s there? Who has thrown water on us?” Bunty shouted.

Manu spoke in a throaty voice and said, “I said that. I am the almirah. You both have dared to open me without asking for my permission. I will punish you for doing that.”

The two thieves were astonished. They had never heard an almirah talk before.

“Bunty, did… did this almirah just say something?” Chunty nervously asked.

Bunty was nervous too. But he didn’t want to show his friend or the almirah who he believed could talk, that he was scared. He tried to sound as bold as he could and said, “We are not afraid. You cannot stop us from opening you.”

Bunty put his hand forward to open the almirah again. Manu, who was crouching on the top of the

Manu, who was crouching on the top of the almirah and clearly out of the thieves’ view, pelted the thieves with the stones he had picked up.

The two thieves were terrified now. They were shaking like leaves and wondering how an almirah had stoned them. They ran towards the door.

“Let’s get out of here!” they both shouted. “The almirah must be haunted!”

The two thieves opened the door and ran towards to their motorbike.

But to their dismay, they found it punctured.

“The tires are punctured!” Chunty cried. “What bad luck!”

“Forget about the motorbike! Let’s run instead!” Bunty shouted.

The two thieves turned to run. But they had a rude shock when they saw Tinu standing there. Tinu had arrived at the nick of time with Inspector Shyam.

Bunty and Chunty panicked when they saw Inspector Shyam. He was already pulling handcuffs out of his pocket.

“Going somewhere?” Inspector Shyam asked and arrested the thieves at once.

Manu and Tinu then ran to untie Seth Malmalram who thanked them and praised them for their bravery and intelligence.

Inspector Shyam then invited the two boys to the police station where he rewarded them with a medal and a certificate each.

Manu and Tinu were very happy that day. Whoever thought so much adventure could come from a lost cricket ball!

Tikki Tikki Tambo

In a remote village of China, there lived 2 friends. One was named Sam and the other was, Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako.

Oh, such a long name! Yes, that was his name. People in China used to have such long names in the past. Sam’s ancestors were from a different country; therefore he had a short name.

One day both friends were playing near a well in the garden. All of a sudden Sam fell down the well. Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako ran towards his mother and shouted, “Mom, come soon, my friend Sam has fallen down the well.”

“What? Your friend Sam has fallen down the well? Let’s go and tell your father,” Mom panicked and said.

Both ran and approached Dad, “Come soon, Sam has fallen down the well. We should do something.”

“What? Sam has fallen down the well?” Dad asked, alarmed.

All three of them ran towards the gardener.

“Gardener, Sam has fallen down the well. Pull him out,” They shouted.

The gardener quickly brought a ladder and pulled Sam out of the well. Sam was shivering with cold, but they were all pleased that they had managed to save him.

After a few days, both friends were again playing near the well. This time Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako fell down the well.

Panicking, Sam ran to his mother and shouted, “Mom, My friend Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen down the well.”

“What? Your friend Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen down the well? Let’s go and inform your father.”

Both ran towards his Dad and shrieked, “Run fast. Do something. Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen down the well.”

“What? Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen in the water?

Run fast, we’ll tell the gardener. He will pull him out with the help of a ladder,” Dad said.

All of them ran towards the gardener.

“Gardener, Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen down the well. Quickly take him out,” they shouted.

“What? Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen down the well?” The gardener ran and brought a ladder.

All of them rushed towards the well to save Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako.

Don’t you think so that because of such a long name, it might have taken them more time to reach him?

Yes, this is true but Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako was a very brave child.

He didn’t get frightened even after falling in the water. He kept swimming in the water and shouted for help.

The passersby heard him and took him out of the well.

By the time his parents and the gardener reached the spot, he was already out of the well. Thus a big mishap was averted.

This incident was discussed a lot in entire China. After that, short names were kept for children in China.

Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako’s parents too realized their mistake and shortened his name to just Tikki.
And yes, since then the practice of calling children with their pet names actually became prevalent.

Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako. Memorize this name and tell your friends. Then ask them to repeat it.

This name has appeared in the story 12 times. Read this story with your friends and say this strange name loudly. See who learns this name first. Isn’t it an interesting game?

The Ride

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

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

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

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

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

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

“All right,” Golu said and left.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What is this?” Golu asked.

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

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

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

We Won’t Fight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video Games Addiction

Don’t Underestimate Me

After sweating it out in the harsh sun, when Minti, the ant came home with a grain of rice, she saw that someone had filled her whole house with mud.

Who could have done this?” Minti thought to herself and kept the grain aside. She went inside her house and started removing the mud.

After some hard work, Minti was able to remove all the mud from her house. Huffing and puffing, she brought the grain inside and then went out to collect some more.

When Minti returned, she again saw that someone had filled her house with mud. She started removing the mud again. She again kept the grains inside and went out to collect more.

When Minti returned home, she saw her house was filled with mud once again. She rested for a while and again she started removing the mud.

After a while, when Minti came outside Gauri, the sparrow, who had been watching her said, “Minti, I have been watching you. You go to collect the grains but in between someone fills your house with mud. Every time you remove the mud. Why don’t you make your house in a safer place? These kids are always filling your house with mud. You will be left cleaning it every time.”

Smart Mice

“Gauri, I am an ant. A hard working being. When those children don’t get tired of putting mud in my house, how can I be tired of clearing it? I will never be tired and one day, those children will learn to accept it,” said Minti.

That is alright Minti. But this bravery is nothing but foolishness. You are so small and the children are big. If they want, they can just stamp on you. But you can’t do that,” said Gauri.

“So you want me to give in because I am small. Then the whole world will only be ruled by the strong. Little beings will always have to live in fear. But Gauri, things are not like that. Strength is not in sizes, it is in self-belief. Don’t consider us small. Despite being small, we can still make them accept our worth. If I leave this place in fear, where will I go?” asked Minti.

“Some other safe place,” said Gauri.

“This place used to be safe too but today it isn’t. What is the guarantee, the place I go to will always be safe? If I run away in fear, then there will be no safe place left. Everywhere someone will show their strength and will make me want to run away. In life, there will be a struggle. We should always fight with courage. That is why I don’t want to run away.”

Gauri was carefully listening to Minti.

“You are right Minti. We shouldn’t run away thinking ourselves to be small. We sparrows also work very hard but if someone makes us fly away, we fly. That is why there is always a chance of us being hunted,” said Gauri.

Minti was happy that Gauri understood what she had said.

“Alright. Then I will leave to collect my grains,” Minti said.

“Alright, you go. Your words have taught me that I can do something too. I will make sure that your house is not filled with mud. I will teach a lesson to that person who tries to put mud in my friend’s house,” said Gauri, while laughing. Minti also became very happy hearing what Gauri had to say.

“Thank you!” said Minti, and left to collect grains.

Little Rony’s Adventure

Six-year-old Rony was in a very good mood while returning from school one day. On his mind was the new storybook he would read before bedtime that night.

But as Rony walked into his bedroom, he found that his mother had moved all of his toys, clothes and books from his room to the big bedroom at the top of the stairwell.

Rony ran into the big bedroom and found his mother cleaning the cupboards.

“Why have you moved my things here, Mom? I don’t like this room!” cried Rony.

“Didn’t you say the other day that you loved the view from this room’s window? You can see the streets and the cars that pass by. You can see our entire garden and the valley from this window!” said Mom, excited.

Rony looked around the room. The window did have a beautiful view. Rony walked over to the window. His pet cat, Mister Paw, was sleeping under the huge spruce tree in the garden. His golden-brown fur shone in the afternoon sun.

Soon, the sun would set, and everything outside would be dark. Rony shivered at that thought.

“I know, but I don’t like this room at night!” cried Rony, his eyes full of fear. He didn’t want to be in this room alone. This room was farthest from his parents’ bedroom.

Mom patted Rony’s head and said, “You are a big boy now. There is no need to be scared, we are right across the hall. You can call me and I will be by your side. You have a big reading area here and look at the cupboard and trunk where you can keep all your toys. Isn’t this a much better place than your small bedroom?”

“No! I don’t want this room! Trisha says there’s a little old man with a long, white beard that reaches his shoes, he lives on the tree outside this window,” said Rony, pointing at the spruce tree. “She also said that he comes into this room every night! He searches the house for chocolates. If he doesn’t find any, he takes away little children and keeps them in his treehouse forever!”

“Rony, don’t listen to everything Trisha says. She reads horror stories all the time and gets scared. There are no old men in trees,” said Mom.

Rony stubbornly said, “I heard him last night! He was searching for chocolates outside my room! I will not sleep in this bedroom, Mom!”

“Rony, no more excuses. This is your room from today onwards and you will have to start sleeping here. I will not listen to your silly stories. You are going to be a big brother soon. You must start acting like one,” Mom firmly said.

Mom finished cleaning the cupboard and went out. Poor Rony could do nothing but sit on his little armchair and cry!

That night, as Rony finished eating his dinner of carrot soup and soft, warm bread, he suddenly realised he would be sleeping in his new, big bedroom. There was only a crib in his old bedroom, for the baby his parents were expecting.

Even the storybook at his bedtime failed to make Rony happy. He slowly made his way towards his bedroom with Mister Paw.

Standing in the doorway, Rony carefully looked around the room. His bed was in the middle of the room. To the right, there was a tall, wooden bookshelf that covered most of the wall. Mom had put all his books neatly.

There were a table and chair, along with a couch where Rony could lay all day and read his favourite books. Opposite his bed, there was a wardrobe which had his clothes. To the left of the bed, there was a big trunk with his toys. And right above the trunk was the window. Rony felt his legs wobble.

Rony decided to be brave, as his mother had told him to be. He thought to himself, “I am a big boy. Mom is right. I must not get scared. If the little old man comes tonight, I will be ready.”

Rony opened his school bag, took out a bar of milk chocolate and kept it in a corner of his room. He took his wooden sword and shield out of his toy trunk and got into bed. He hid them well under his blanket.

Rony’s room was nice and warm, and he felt much safer under the blankets. Surely, the little old man with a long beard would be cold outside. Rony jumped from his bed and went to the window. It was a windy night, with no clouds in the sky. The moon and stars shone against the deep blue sky.

Rony looked down. The leaves of the spruce tree in the garden was moving in the wind. Or was it the little old man climbing it? Rony ran back to his bed.

Rony tucked his sword and shield properly beside him and tried to fall asleep. He could feel the quietness around him. His parents had gone to bed already. The window was locked, he was safe for now. If the old man did manage to come in for the bar of chocolate, Rony thought he would spring out of his bed and beat him up.

Thinking about the old man, Rony fell asleep. Suddenly, he was woken up by a noise in the room. Someone was knocking at the window!

The knocks grew louder and louder. Rony stayed under his blankets, not daring to look outside. All of a sudden, he thought he heard a noise in the room.

“It must be the little old man! He has managed to sneak inside!” thought Rony.

Rony grabbed his sword tightly and jumped out of the blankets.

“Where is the little old man?” thought Rony. He switched on the bedside lamp and looked around. There was no one in the room!

Rony suddenly heard a noise from the corner of the room. He tiptoed across the room quietly. When he reached the corner, he found a big squirrel seated comfortably there, biting on the bar of chocolate Rony had kept for catching the little old man!

“It has been a squirrel all this time?” Rony sighed in relief. “Mom was right! There was no little old man! I have nothing to be afraid of.”

The next morning, when Mom asked Rony if he was comfortable in his new room, Rony said, “I love my room, Mom! I am a big boy now!”

That ambulance that came to halt

Raju and his friends were on their way home from school when they heard a siren. They turned around and saw an ambulance. Raju felt bad for the patient inside.

A man got down from the ambulance and requested the other vehicles to give way but the cars were standing back-to-back. There was no place for the ambulance to move.

Raju and his friends were watching this incident. Raju noticed that the traffic jam was too long and was not going to clear that easily.

Raju ran forward to find out the reason for the traffic jam. He saw a big crowd and everyone was shouting slogans. Raju asked, “What’s happening?”

“We are on a strike because the government is not fulfilling our wishes,” someone replied to Raju.

Raju asked, “Would it not be better for you to be heard in a place where you are not blocking the entire road and creating problems for others?”

The man said, “If we don’t block the road, no one will hear us.”

Raju asked, “What’s that even supposed to mean?”

The man said, “Hey kid! If the traffic gets blocked, only then the government listens to us.” He started his sloganeering again.

Raju pleaded, “There is an ambulance at the back which has been waiting for a long time and the patient is in a critical condition. The patient has to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible. Could you please make way for it?”

The man said, “You go from here. We will leave only when our wishes are heard.”

Raju understood that the crowd was not going to move. He knew something else had to be done to make sure that the ambulance reached the hospital on time so that a life could be saved.

Raju called his friends and said, “Come, let’s do something.”

Raju said to the other drivers, “Please move your vehicles a little so that the ambulance can go near the divider.”

Raju and his friends took the traffic boards and created a ramp for the ambulance to cross the divider and cross over to the other side of the road.

On the other side, cars were moving slowly. Raju and his friends signalled the cars to leave a place in the middle of the road for the ambulance to move.

The ambulance slowly inched forward.

The man from the ambulance thanked Raju and said, “My son’s life will be saved because of all of you.”

Raju thanked his friends and everybody went to their respective homes. They were happy to have saved someone’s life.

The Birthday Adventure

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ricky told her about the problem.

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

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

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

the plan.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jijo’s New Bike

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes, yes, I will!” assured Jijo.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fredo had an idea.

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

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

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

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

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

Riya’s Train Journey

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

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

“No. The bus usually takes too long.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Happy Reunion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cheeku Breaks the Spell

Cheeku rabbit went to the palace to meet King Shersingh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This is indeed a complicated matter,” said Cheeku.

“Cheeku, you are the only one who can solve this. Please do something,” King Shersingh said.

“I’ll start working on this right away,” assured Cheeku.

Cheeku called up Meeku and requested him to help. The two then went to Blacky’s jewellery shop. After asking the police for permission, Cheeku and Meeku went inside and saw that everything was in a mess.

Cheeku then repeatedly played and checked the camera recordings. When Meeku saw a smile on Cheeku’s face, he said. “I think you have found a clue. Do tell me as well,” said Meeku.

Cheeku paused the recording and pointed to the screen. “Look carefully,” he said. “Three animals walk in to steal the jewellery. Two of them have covered their faces with a mask. However, only Baddy’s face is not covered. He also keeps looking at the camera. It appears as if he wanted his face to be captured by the camera.”

“You are right. But how is it possible for Baddy to be in two places at the same time?” asked Meeku.

On that “I am confused as well. Let’ go talk to Baddy,” said Cheeku.

Cheeku and Meeku went to the jail.

“What is the matter, Cheeku?” asked Baddy casually.

“I want to ask you a few questions,” replied Cheeku. “Where were you last night?”

“I was right here, practising black magic,” replied Baddy.

“So, it wasn’t you that broke into the jewellery shop last night?” asked Cheeku.

“Ha ha! That was me! Using black magic, I can travel to any place. These bars can’t restrain me!” replied Baddy.

“I am sure there is some explanation behind all this. I will find out soon,” said Cheeku.

“What if Baddy puts some spell on you?” asked Meeku nervously.

“Black magic is a hoax. He is trying to fool us. Come, let’s meet Jumpy monkey, the jail warden,” said Cheeku.

Jumpy was eager to meet Cheeku. He asked, “Were you able to find out how Baddy was able to get out of jail? Does he really know black magic?”

“I haven’t fully understood what is happening but I know that there is some trickery going on. Please give me the list of people who came to visit him recently,” said Cheeku.

“Only Laptu jackal comes to meet him. Both of them speak for a long time, but the guards don’t understand what they talk. They talk to each other in a different language,” said Jumpy.

Cheeku was intrigued. Meeku noted the date and time of Laptu’s visits. They then went to meet Titu butterfly. Cheeku requested her to keep an eye on Laptu. Next morning, King Shersingh called Cheeku and Meeku to the palace.

At the palace, King Shersingh said, “There was a robbery again last night. Items worth lakhs of rupees have been stolen from Damru donkey’s shop. The cameras in the shop show Baddy and two other masked animals stealing everything.”

Cheeku and Meeku were astonished. They immediately went to Titu. She told them everything she had observed about Laptu.

Cheeku and Meeku returned to their house and devised a plan. Then, he called some of the animals to help.

“We have to spread a rumour about a diamond that is kept in the Champakvan museum. Let it reach Laptu’s ears that since there are so many robberies happening, King Shersingh has ordered it to be shifted to another museum in the neighbouring forest. As this is being done in a hurry, there won’t be much security and there will only be a few cameras in the room,” Cheeku told the animals.

As planned, the rumour reached Laptu. So, he rushed to the jail to meet Baddy.

When Titu informed Cheeku about it, he said, “We will get to know everything tonight.”

That evening, Cheeku and Meeku went to the museum and hid behind some bushes from where they could see the entrance clearly.

By midnight, a vehicle came to halt outside the museum. Three animals alighted from the vehicle and entered the museum.

Cheeku quickly phoned the police. The police arrived and arrested all the three animals inside the museum. King Shersingh too arrived at the scene.

“How come Baddy is here when he should be in jail?” asked King Shersingh.

“That is because this is not Baddy, but his look-alike,” said Cheeku smiling.

Everyone was shocked!

“The look-alike is the one who committed all the robberies. While committing the crimes, Baddy would pretend to use black magic. Thus, everyone started believing that Baddy was using black magic to move in and out of jail.”

The look-alike said, “Yes, he is right. My name is Bobo. I recently came to Champakvan in search of a job. When Laptu saw me and he befriended me and then told me about this plan. I agreed to do this as I was in need of money.”

Bobo added, “Laptu would meet Baddy and make plans. They communicated in some secret language so that no one would be able to understand them.”

Meeku turned to Cheeku and asked, “How did you figure out Bobo is a look-alike?”

“Bobo’s face was clearly seen in the camera recordings of all the shops. Although Bobo looks like Baddy, if you observe carefully, you will find some differences. Also, the recording shows Baddy with long nails, but that afternoon when I visited him, he had short nails. That is why I thought that the robber was not Baddy but his look-alike.” Everyone praised Cheeku for his intelligence.

The Special Pooja

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Everyone?” asked Charlie.

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

“What?!” exclaimed Charlie and Miko.

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

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

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

perform the pooja,” said Chiko baba.

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

“It has not rained here because the values

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

“You are right,” said Loki.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Are you sure?” asked Boko.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Lesson under the Lake

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hello, Ashna!” greeted the girl.

“Hello,” Ashna replied hesitantly.

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

Ashna nodded her head.

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

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

“Just hold my hand,” said Mandira.

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

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

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

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

“What is an amphibian?” asked Ashna.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes,” replied Mandira.

“Why is it so dirty?” asked Ashna.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ashna woke up and looked around dazed.

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

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

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

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

Greedy Cockroaches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All the cockroaches were surprised to see him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The cockroaches were struggling to breathe.

“My head is spinning.”

“I can’t see clearly!”

“I need fresh air!”

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

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

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

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

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

Friendsville

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

The message read:

Dear Monty,

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Proud Red Car

The stylish new red car was proud and boastful.

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

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

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

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

“Yes,” replied the red car proudly.

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

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

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

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

“I’ll come with you, too,” said the

white car.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Are you okay?” asked the white car.

“Yes, I am. Thank you!

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

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

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

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

A Friend in Need

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

A strikingly fair boy walked into the classroom.

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

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

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

“Me neither,” said Shriya.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rahul apologised to his teacher.

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

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

Detective Damru

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The crowd stared at Damru surprised.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hiru was alarmed.

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

Hiru ran to Damru to ask for forgiveness.

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

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

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

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

King Shersingh congratulated Damru.

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

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

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