John was a very lazy boy. He was not interested in going to school or in studying regularly. His parents and teachers were always scolding him for his laziness.
John’s parents tried to teach him the importance of hard work, but he did not listen to them.
“John, I don’t know when you will realise that being lazy is not good,” said dad.
“Why do I get the same thing every time? I wish that there was someone to study on my behalf and give exams,” thought John.
One morning, John went to the beach for a walk. He was dreaming about a life where he did not work and was still happy.
While walking on the beach, John hit something hard on the ground. It rolled a little ahead and made a sound that grabbed John’s attention.
John was surprised to see a golden lamp decorated with small, delicate design. He thought, “This lamp looks like the one from Aladdin’s story. In the story, when the lamp is rubbed thrice, a Genie appears to fulfil our wishes. Let me try.”
John was very excited, he rubbed the lamp thrice.
Poof! A Genie appeared in front of John. He couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Hello, master. I am here to fulfil your wishes,” said the Genie in a pleasant voice.
John was too excited. He first asked for chocolates and ice-creams. Within a few seconds, they appeared in front of John. He asked for some more wishes which the Genie fulfilled instantly.
“What is your last wish, my master?” asked the Genie.
John thought for some time and said, “I want the maths question paper set by our teacher for our exam.”
“Your wish is my command, my master! But don’t you think it is wrong to cheat in exams?” asked the Genie, concerned.
“This is my order to you, Genie. Do not try and preach to me,” said John, angrily.
”As you say, my master!” said the Genie and disappeared in the air. John was very happy about getting the paper.
More From Champak: THE HARMFUL HERMIT
“This time I will score full marks in the paper. Hard work is not necessary,” said John. He practised a few questions from the paper and made chits of others.
“I will copy the answers during the exam,” said John before going out to play.
John’s maths teacher, Mr. Thomas had set the paper on his computer. One day before the exam, he wanted to take printouts of the paper. But when he
searched for the file on his computer, he found that the paper was missing.
“Oh no! Now I will have to set a new question paper,” thought Mr. Thomas.
The next day, John was full of confidence when he entered the examination hall.
John snatched the paper in a hurry to fill the answer sheet. But soon, he realised that none of the questions matched with the question paper that the Genie had given to him. John felt angry and cheated.
That evening, John rubbed the lamp to call the Genie again.
“You are a cheater, Genie! You gave me the wrong question paper. I’m going to fail because of you,” shouted John, angrily.
The Genie explained, “When you asked me for the question paper, I took it from your teacher’s computer. But the file could only be at one place at a time. When I gave the paper to you, it was deleted from your teacher’s computer. He set another paper after that.”
John realised his mistake. He understood we have to do our work ourselves and with sincerity.
“Had I studied seriously I wouldn’t have to look for a shortcut to succeed in this exam. I should have listened to my parents,” thought John.
John turned to the Genie and said, “Thanks for your help. But be there to show me the right path in the future.”
The Genie happily said, “My master, your wish is my command!”
COMMENT