Given below are some stories that were previously published on Bolokids.com

A Green Blanket Can Cause Unconsciousness! by Kasturi Ramanathan

After a sleepless night of tossing and turning, I woke up feeling terrified. I was disturbed by an awful dream about aliens and outer space creatures. I dreamt of a flat spherical object that landed on the playground next to my house. From it, small bald green creatures, with one large eye and three antennae on their head marched out. They had thin knife-like laser guns in their hands and a short sword stuck in their belt. Their belt also had a remote control panel with many buttons on it. Though it was dark, an eerie purple light fell on the area where they walked.

They flew up to my room on the first floor and entered through the window, though it was closed. They kidnapped me and took me back to their spaceship. They knew no manners for they pulled me to their space ship with my legs. They spoke no English. Instead, many sounds came from their body in vibrations. They returned to their land and put me in an invisible cage. From their hand gestures, I understood that they were going to perform some chemical experiments on me…. Just then I work up with a start and thanked God that that was just a dream !!

To refresh myself and shake out my terrible thoughts, I washed my face and decided to eat something. I did not want to disturb my parents, so I decided to raid the refrigerator. I did not switch on the light. The moon lit my way. I tiptoed downstairs and entered the pantry…

There were some noises coming from the kitchen. I slowly pushed open the kitchen door with my heart in my mouth. There were two shadowy small green creatures near the fridge. The sight I saw, shocked me and I shrieked out loudly and fainted…..

When I regained consciousness, I was on the couch, with my mother holding my hand. My little sister and her friend, Varshne (who was spending the night with her) were standing near me giggling away to glory. They had their green blanket wrapped around them. I realized my mistake and felt very sheepish and silly!

Jack and Jill Got Water by Parth Chawla

Once there was a boy named Jack and a girl named Jill who lived in a farm. They were brother and sister. One day their mother asked them to go up the hill and get a pail of water from the well there. While climbing up, Jack and Jill found that the hill side was very steep. When they were half way up, Jack hit a rock and started tumbling down. When Jill saw him slipping down, she ran after him to help. She caught hold of his brother’s hand and started pulling him up. But Jack was very heavy for her. She started slipping down with him. They both went tumbling down and reached the bottom of the hill. Jill started to cry and wanted to go home. But Jack said, “Crying will not help. It’s okay. Such things happen. Let us not give up.” So they both got up and began climbing again. They tried very hard and at last reached the top. Then they filled the pail with cool, well water. They both lifted the bucket and carefully walked down the hill. Mother was very happy when they gave the bucket of water to her.

Bollywood Dreams by Mendha R Tashi

"I feel terrible "said Ally who had just woken up from her deep slumber.

The sun shone so brightly as if it had a big fight with someone. Ally did not feel like getting up but, since she had to, she got up. She ran down the stairs and ate a finger licking breakfast. Suddenly, Ally heard a loud voice. It was her sister Brianna, she was dressed like as if she was carrying a shop. Ally started snickering but could not hold it longer and burst into a crazy laughter. Her sister Brianna said "You are just jealous because I am way more cuter than you are." Ally made a face and went up to change. Just then she remembered to take her science project. It had not turn out well.  Anyways she rushed to school.

Her friend Laura waiting for her. As soon as Ally hugged Laura  Ally felt like she touched a feather. She was as fair as snow and smelt liked fresh farm strawberries. Her hair flowing like a stream down her back. They both went in their classroom. Suddenly Miss Jane called Ally and scolded her for not doing her project well. She headed back to the class room. Laura asked Ally what had happened. Ally replied droopingly said 'when I had been practising jive I had kicked it through the window.'

Ally and Laura went down to the ground for recess.

Suddenly Ally saw Shay running with a poster in her hand. She excitedly said 'It is going to be awesome. Shay gave the poster in Laura's hand and ran away. The poster said that there was a Bollywood dancing competition in town. Laura freaked out and started screaming since she had always wanted to do Bollywood dancing. Ally was busy thinking that her mother would not let her go to the dance studio because she used to think that her grades were falling. Just then the bell rang and interrupted her thoughts.

She went home and her mother was waiting at the door for her. She was very angry at Ally for getting such bad marks at her science project. She gave Ally a good scolding and sent her to bed.

That night Ally couldn't sleep a wink. So she opened her jewellery box which had a key to wind it up so that the dancers would moved. She kept listening to the song and fell asleep. The next morning she said sorry to her mother.

Ally kept on sitting on her bed when suddenly Brianna peeked into the room and asked Ally if she could borrow one of her necklaces. Ally says yes when she gets a call saying that Laura's cousins had come from India and they desperately wanted to meet Ally. Ally said a triumphant yes and went to Laura's house. As soon as Laura opened the door, two small Chubby little sweet scented kids came to the door and waved at Ally. They played until it was pitch dark .
Laura's mother drove Ally to her house. She said goodbye and immediately dozed off to sleep as soon so her head hit the pillow.

The next morning Ally's mother was talking to somebody on the phone. She told Ally that they were going to India so that they could learn Bollywood dancing from Laura's aunts friend. Her name was Padma. The next week their flight landed in the bustling city of Mumbai. It was a crowded and a noisy city. The next day Miss Padma introduced them to the Bollywood dancing. They were doing it for the first time. It was  pretty tough but they really put their heart and soul. They then went for shopping to buy salwars for them. Then even for a city tour and tried the street foods too. The time finally came to leave. With all the heavy hearts at the same time happy since they had learned so many steps of Bollywood dancing. Day and night they both worked hard till the last day of the audition. Luella a girl who had participated  was peeking through the studio window where Ally and Laura were practising. Ally thought she was going to steal the dance routine so they changed the name list. They both won the first price and got treated for an ice cream. They will never forget India and their memories made there.

Best Friend Forever by Gitanjali Malapatti

Once a upon time it happened on night I was in my sleep. 

I was dreaming that I was an elephant named Bublu and I had 5 friends. They were the tiger – Lora, the monkey –Shrek, the donkey – Kiddel, the tiger – Wirley, the zebra – Firal ––  they were all close friends who would live together and play games everyday.

One day Bublu wanted to surprise his friends by making make dinner for them. So Bublu made invitation cards on his own and gave it to them. The cards contained all the information. That night all of Bublu's friends brought gifts, played, danced, ate wonderful food that Bublu had cooked on his own.

Bublu said, “Why can't we have a sleepover?”

His friends replied, “Let us have fun and enjoy the entire night.”

The friend nodded and spent the entire night laughing and yelling.

They were laughing all through the night and in the morning Bublu got up early and got some eggs and fried them and made some orange juice.

When Bublu’s friends got up they found breakfast ready for them and were surprised.

They said, “Bublu you are such a kind and loving friend, we like you a lot.”

They gave him a big hug and thanked him. They invited him to a special place and decorated it. They then told him, “We will never forget your friendship. You are our best friend forever.”

Birds are for the Sky by R. Purushothaman

In my study-room you will find a golden cage. Now it is empty. But it was not so. It had the most beautiful bird. It was also equally intelligent. The cage and the bird – a parakeet – was a gift from my father on my birthday.

The bird did not die. No, no, it did not slip out of the cage. So you want to know what had happened to the bird. Let me tell you.

Now let us go back to my boyhood days. Then I was a small boy.

One day as usual I had woken up from my bed and reached for my favorite parakeet. Besides being the most beautiful, it could also talk. Every morning it will wish me good morning. It was really pleasant for me to listen to it.

That day when I had reached for the bird, it was not greeting me with the usual `good morning’. Of course, it did greet me after a while. But, before that, do you know what it had said? It was loud and clear and I could not believe my own ears.

“Ah, here comes the most wonderful guy. Wherefrom he got this extraordinary face, I don’t know. What a nose? Must be the longest nose. He looks more funny than anything else in the world. Okay okay, let me tell the usual thing to him : `good morning saab. Wish you a nice day’.

I said aloud “Do I hear it properly or I just imagine something?’

‘What are you telling ? How is it that you are talking my language today?”

“What! you can understand and answer me also?”

“If you talk in my language I can very well answer in the same way”

“Is that, you don’t like my face? Do you find it really funny?”

“Oh that is different. It looks somewhat funny that is all. I like you. It seems you really love me. But the fact is your face looks more funny to me. Really you are having the funniest face. Would you mind if I tell, your face looks funny?”

“Not the least. At least, you are honest in telling my face looks funniest. But you see I cannot avoid it. Because I was born with this funniest face. It is not my fault.”

“Don’t be apologetic. Is it wrong to be born with a funny face? Thank God, you are having a funny face. Some are having repulsive face, weeping face, gloomy face ……. Let us not bother about those faces. Let them have their faces and we will have our faces with us. What do you think of my face. Is it equally funny to you?”

“Yes, it givers me a great fun to see your lovely face and the curved red beak and tail like wing.”

“Okay let us agree that both of us are equally funny. We both are funny looking creatures. Can I ask you one question?”

“Why not?”

“Why do you keep me in this cage?”

“What! Don’t you like to be here? Do you know, the cage is the costliest one available in the market. I chose and my father purchased it for you.”

“Is it so? Do you really like this cage?”

“Of course I like this very much. That is why I purchased it.”

“You silly fellow, you are a blatant liar. You are lying. I am sure you are lying.”

“No, no, no…I don’t know how can I make you understand it. I do really like this cage better than anything else. I don’t know how to make you understand this.”

“Okay if you really love this, prove it by doing one thing.”

“Tell me, I will do it.”

“Are you sure? Promise..”

“Yes I promise to do anything to prove that I like this cage.”

“If so, why don’t you put yourself inside this cage. Let us exchange our positions.”

“What? Do you expect me to put myself inside this cage?”

Why not? When you put me inside the cage which I don’t like, why don’t you put yourself inside the cage which you like very much?”

“I like the cage. But I cannot keep myself caged, even if it is big enough to accommodate me.”

“Why don’t you want to be caged?”

“I love to be free. I love to go around the world freely. I love to meet all my friends and talk to them and enjoy life.”

“Then what about me? Can’t I have the freedom to fly and be with my fiends and relatives? I had sisters, brothers and a lot of friends. I miss them all. I miss them very much. A cunning rascal came and trapped me. I was the naughtiest of all. Now I pay for my naughtiness.”

“But here you have fruits and nuts daily to eat. Will you get such fruits and nuts at your place. Can you get them served daily? Can you get them without any effort?”

“But all that I need most is freedom and not the fruits and nuts. Keep your fruits and nuts with you. Can I get the freedom here in this little cage? Oh, how I wish to scale the sky with my wings and fly with my brothers and sisters and friends. If at all you know how I miss them….. It is my fate. Do you really love to be free? If you really love to be free, how comes that you keep me imprisoned”

“Oh, my dear! I never thought of it. I am really sorry for you. Please forgive me. Let me open the cage. But remember, when you are out of the cage, the tom cat may catch and eat you in one gulp.”

“Then what will happen? I will simply die. That is really far better than the imprisoned life.”

“So, you prefer even to die rather than living within the golden cage ” I muttered myself. Then I silently opened the cage and let the bird out. The moment I opened the cage it flew away in a jiffy.

Now the cage is empty and the bird is no more.

But I can’t tell you whether it was a dream or really the parakeet and myself talked like human beings. The reality is the bird is now no more in the cage and I also decided not to put any more bird in the cage.

Now I know, the parakeets or any birds do belong to the sky and not to the cage however beautiful it may be.

Then why do I keep the cage? Just to remind me the value of freedom. Yes, freedom is more valuable than anything else in the world. Freedom is not only my birthright, it is the birthright of all living beings. He who loves freedom cannot keep any bird or animal imprisoned.

Mohammed Chhel by Tara Bose

About a hundred years ago there lived in Gujarat, a fakir by the name of Mohammed Chhel. He had been given supernatural powers, and became known as a magician. He used to travel frequently between Saurashtra and Gujarat by train, but never bought a ticket! When he was caught by the ticket collector and insulted in front of the other passengers he would use these “magic” powers, surprising others. He never misused this gift and used to make people around him happy, help the needy, and give happiness when he could.

I give you some true incidents in the life of this wandering “magician”. There are still some people alive that have seen and heard him. 

Mohammed Chhel at the Fair by Tara Bose

It was Shiv Ratri and at the foot of Mount Girnar there was a big fair.  Lakhs of people from all over assembled there. There were Kathiawaris and Rajputs; Ahirs and Patels. Every year they came in thousands, as if it would be the last time the fair would be held and so an occasion they could not afford to miss.

Mohammed Chhel, too, was on his way to the fair. He had covered a long distance and he was tired. So he rested on a bridge, under which flowed a small stream. It was a very hot day.

On the bridge sat a man giving water to thirsty pilgrims on their way to the fair. Mohammed Chhel asked the man for some water and was given only half a glass. So he said to the man, "There is plenty of water flowing under this bridge. Yet you give me only half a glass ?"

The man replied, "I have been here all morning. I have gone up and down those steps fetching water. But there seems to be no end to the task. There are so many people and the water finishes so quickly. I am tired now."

"You rest awhile and I will look after the thirsty pilgrims," said Mohammed Chhel. The man was very grateful and went under a tree and fell asleep.

The water which Mohammed Chhel gave to the tired and thirsty pilgrims was iced and sweet, almost like a sherbet. Everyone who drank blessed him. When the man awoke from his sleep it was almost evening, he went to the bridge and saw the water pot was still full; it seemed to be filling by itself. It was inexhaustible.

Mohammed Chhel told him, "It is almost night now. There are not so many people. Keep the pot covered. This water will last you till the fair is over, that is for eight days. There will be no need for you to go down to the river again." Saying this he disappeared into the crowd.

The Disappearing Trick by Tara Bose

The third class bogey was packed with passengers who were on their way to Ahmedabad. Mohammed Chhel was amongst them. The journey was tedious and everyone looked bored. Suddenly a naughty twinkle lit Mohammed's eye. He turned to a fellow passenger and asked him what the time was.

The man put his hand into his pocket and took out his watch and chain and replied, "It is ten past ten."

"That is a nice watch you have. Where did you get it ?" asked Chhel. "From Surat," the man replied. "Could I please have a look at it."

The man took it out and handed it to him. Mohammed Chhel looked at it carefully and found that it was made of pure silver; the chain, too, was a silver one. Then instead of returning it to the owner, Mohammed Chhel threw the watch out of the open window. The watch hit a passing tree and broke into pieces. The passengers were too shocked to speak, but they looked at him with horror, convinced that he was mad. The owner of the watch, breaking the heavy silence, cried out, "Pay me the cost of the watch immediately or I'll hand you over to the police at the next station."

Mohammed Chhel stood up and asked , "Who says that I threw the watch away?"

All the passengers cried in unison: "We saw you. You'd better pay for it or you will go to the police station."

Mohammed Chhel looked at all the passengers carefully. Then suddenly he pointed out to a meek-looking shepherd and said, "Look into his turban. You will find the watch there. He is the thief."

The shepherd, a poor honest man, was completely bewildered and denied ever having seen the watch. But he was persuaded after much forcing, to take off his turban. And lo ! there was the watch snug in one of the folds. The shepherd was most upset. But everyone reassured him. He couldn't possibly have taken the watch when the watch had been thrown out of the window ! They looked suspiciously at Mohammed Chhel and then into their pockets, holding on carefully to their purses and other valuables. Mohammed Chhel smiled at them.

As the train stopped at the station he got off. The journey had been long. This little incident had relieved the boredom of the travelers and in spite of their present annoyance they would long remember him. Immersed in these thoughts he walked out of the station.

The Street Juggler by Tara Bose

One day as Mohammed Chhel was walking down a busy street he saw a juggler at work. A crowd had gathered around him. He boasted of having traveled all over the world and learnt magic which no one could have seen, leave alone perform. He shouted to the crowd and said, "See I will change this man into a deer."

He got one of his followers to sit down and tied a string around his neck. He covered him with a basket and went round it three times whispering something which no one could hear. He played the flute and beat the drums. Then he threw a handful of dust on the basket and picked it up and lo ! there stood a deer ! The crowd clapped and cheered and asked for more. Then from the crowd one of the relatives of the juggler went up to him and said, "That was nothing. I can change you into a rabbit."

The juggler laughed loudly and turned to the crowd and said, "He can change me into a rabbit, he says. Let him try !" So the other man tried. He played the flute and beat the drums. But nothing happened. Naturally it wouldn't. For he was no magician ! All this had been planned just to convince the crowd that there was no other like the juggler. So the juggler began cursing and abusing the other man. Mohammed Chhel had been watching all this and came through the throng of people and said, "Why are you trying to dupe these simple people ? This is your own man. Why don't you try and change me into something. I will then be convinced that you are a true magician. Come on. I challenge you to change me into a rabbit.

The juggler laughed aloud and began his tricks. He began curling some strands of his own hair and whispering softly to himself. Then picked up a handful of dust from the ground and flung it in anger at Mohammed Chhel, but nothing happened.

"Is your performance over ? Are you tired ?", asked Mohammed Chhel.

The juggler was losing his confidence. He was worried. He knew that if he did not succeed in turning Chhel Into a rabbit he would never again be able to show his face to anyone. He became desperate. He tried all his magic, frantically playing his flute and beating his drum. Suddenly he found himself whirling round and round like a top and falling, unconscious, at the feet of the crowd. Everyone began to jeer at him.

Mohammed Chhel took out a cheroot and took two or three long puffs. He rubbed his hands together and told the juggler to look at the palm of his right hand. Within a few moments the juggler's face began to change colour and he began to run, shouting, "Wait for me, wait for me, I am coming." He ran and ran till he was out of sight. And was never heard of again.

Mohammed Chhel, meanwhile picked up the deer and threw it into the air and it turned into a man again. The man too, ran after the juggler shouting, "Where are you going, Uncle ? Wait for me." And he too disappeared.

The open-mouthed crowd looked on wondering at the day's performance. Mohammed Chhel walked away smoking his cheroot.

The Lion and the Eagle by Yashasvi Kashyap

Once upon a time there lived a lion named Kaliya. As he was the king of the forest, he made other animals his slaves because he thought that nobody can defeat him because of his strong and quick body. So he never did his work because he thought now I have so many slaves so why should I do my works I will made my slaves work, they will go and will brought food for me. His wife was a good lioness, she always said not to do this but the lion (kaliya) was a stubborn animal. He always refused her.

One day when kaliya slaves were doing their work, an idea struck the animals that there is a powerful eagle bumba near the pond . The slaves were not afraid because the eagle (bumba) was a friendly eagle. So they went there and asked bumba,can you help us by defeating the lion (kaliya) and also make us free from his slaves. He was afraid but he did’nt refused them and started the fight. The fight started. At last the eagle won. And finally the lion surrended and he felt sorry for his mistake and promised that he will not do this again. Then there were no slaves in the forest. All animals lived in peace now. The eagle was admired by all the animals of the jungle. And everywhere was peace.

Moral: You should not be greedy.

Revisiting 'The Thirsty Crow' by Vidisha Sanghvi

One very hot afternoon, a crow was flying over a village in India. He was very thirsty. He had been flying in search of water. But he could not find water to drink. Now the crow became dizzy. But he did not give up. After a while, he saw a pot of water under a tree. He was very happy. He flew down immediately to the pot. When he reached the pot, he saw that the pot was deep. It had very little water at the bottom. He tried and tried to get it but couldn’t reach the bottom. He felt very sad. Again, he went in search of water, but couldn’t find it anywhere. He went to his friend Flamingo’s house but her pot was also empty. So sat on a branch of a tree, thirsty and tired. His friend Flamingo felt sorry for him and started thinking hard. He got an idea. He flew to the pond nearby, and pulled out a reed. Flamingo came to the crow and said, “We can use this reed as straw.” They went back to the pot under the tree and Flamingo put the reed in the pot. The crow sucked water through the reed and quenched his thirst. He was so thankful and glad to have a friend like Flamingo.

Friends Forever by Anushka Ravindran

The moment someone says, “What? You too! I thought I was the only one,” they have a chance of becoming friends. That’s what happened with me and Jane. On the bus ride home, the first day of school last year both of us were new. I needed somewhere to sit and Jane was the only girl with an empty space next to her.  I opened my songbook, to write down words for the latest hits that I liked. “What? You too!” Said Jane and helped me pen down all the wordings for ‘Set fire to the rain’, wherever I drew a blank. That was the beginning of our friendship.

A few weeks later we were all headed to our buses, after school.  “Hey Jane! Wait up!” I called to my new friend. “Oh! Hey Betsy. Did you write down the words for Diamonds?” she replied. “No, but I memorized them.” I said with a twinkle in my eye.

Both of us sped up to a run and started to get on the bus. As I jumped on our regular two seats, Jane pulled out her songbook and I scooted over. The bus started moving and we opened to a new page. “Found it!” she exclaimed, pointing to a pen in her bag. We always wrote stuff that we liked or songs that we wanted to sing on the bus. Sometimes we played hand games or talked about the new things we got on the weekend. Time passed quickly and my stop had come. “Bye Jane!” I said.  She grinned. “See you ‘morrow."

Jane wasn’t good at sports or flexibility, so at school the next day, she failed in flexibility test. “It’s okay,” I said patting her back. “You’ll probably get in the long jump or something.” But things got even worse for Jane when I passed in sprint, long jump, shot put, flexibility and strength and she failed in everything. At least Jane wasn’t crying.

When we got on the bus that day, Jane was upset. She didn’t want to play and I could sense it. Well, today Jane was supposed to get down at my stop with me, so we could hang out. We both walked home and ate snacks. “Jane, don’t you want to jump on the trampoline or play with Rocky?” I said, holding up my Labrador. “Uh… sure,” she said.  I told her that it helped to practice long jump by running, jumping on the trampoline and then landing in the pit. She thought that was cool. We had fun doing that and I hoped next month, Jane would be a satisfactory jumper. Anita, Lina, Mandy, Rhea, Jen, Monica, Anya, Caroline and all the others were surprised to see Jane do well in the long jump. Even I was amazed at the difference in Jane’s performance. Whoa! Jane’s new skills got her a lot of eyes and popularity, but I appreciated that she didn’t forget about me. On the bus ride home, she invited me to her place and so I walked with her to her apartment. I had done well in all the tests, and Jane told me she had practiced her sprint all week and my ideas had helped. “I’m glad it’s working out for you. You could come over tomorrow to practice again, if you want.” I told her. “Sure,” she said, flipping through her math test that we had gotten back at class today. “I’d love to come. It’s always fun at your place.”  I couldn’t help but peek at her perfect score. 50 over 50 would make my eyes widen if it was anyone else. But not Jane. She always managed to nail these tests every time. ‘Let’s see what you got.” She demanded innocently. I pulled out my 35 over 50, suddenly sheepish about my marks.  “I’ll help your grades get higher,” she promised. “Tomorrow we’ll both help each other at your house.”

So that’s what we did. Jane came over the next day and we worked together on our math homework. The more we worked together, I got better and I felt I knew more about math for the test in a few weeks. Jane and I kept our running practice until we were nearly at the same speed. We both had a lot of fun doing our work and all our hard work showed with my 49 over 50 in the test while Jane got better at the sprint, long jump, and strength. On the bus ride home, Jane and I grinned as we began singing Diamonds together. She was coming over, so at my stop we got down and raced home. When you need help and your friends do everything they can to help you, they are your best friend. We were truly best friends forever.

Summertime in Cape Cod by Anushka Ravindran

Cape Cod was a special place for Rachel Walker. She had been on many vacations before, but stepping outside and playing with her friend on the beach near the salty water was something new and exciting. Rachel and her best friend Sophie were both ten years old. Rachel and her mother had blonde hair, while Dad wore glasses tucked under his dark brown hair. Sophie had wavy red hair and usually left it open while Rachel tied hers in a knot or pony. Both were only children and their parents were friends, too. They had planned this awesome vacation and booked 2 big townhouses in the Red Jacket Inn. Rachel had just woken up. As she checked the time, she heard someone knocking on the door. “8:00 am? It must be Sophie.” She said grinning. Running to the door, she gave Rachel a signal to sit down with her toothbrush still in her mouth. Today, both of them were as excited as ever. All six of them were going to go boating in the big lake and in the evening to Provincetown to have a big dinner!

“C’mon! Let’s go Rachel. My Mom and dad are booking a boat and they want to check with your parents.” Sophie walked in looking for Mr. and Mrs. Walker. Dad was watching TV and Mom was making breakfast. “Mom and Dad? Can you help Sophie’s parents book the boat?” Both of them ran outside with Mr. and Mrs. Walker following them. All of them ate breakfast at Rachel’s house – buttered toast, oatmeal, milk and tea. Then, after Sophie and Rachel had finished one round of Clue, they all got into the car and drove to their first vacation spot. Aah. Rachel felt relaxed after getting on the private boat and sitting on the clean bench. She scooted over as Sophie approached. “Here, I’ll help,” said Rachel holding out her hand. Sophie loved the nice boat and whispered in Rachel’s ear, “I’m glad we’re in a fast one and not one of those sightseeing slow boats.” Rachel smiled, “Me, too.” As the salty and dense air filled their noses, the boat started rocking slowly as it sailed off. Rachel was secretly glad that it wasn’t getting fast right away. The wind whistled in her ears. “Let’s feel the water while we’re still slow.” The two girls dipped their small fingers into the warm water as the speed increased. “Not too cold at all!” Sophie exclaimed.In the distance, Rachel could see sea creatures jumping up together. “Dolphins!” She called out, giving everybody a start. “OH, Cool!” Sophie raised her head to look closer. Sophie’s mom pulled out the camera and took pictures of everything she saw. Rachel’s mom told her, “Zoom in, and try to take the whole school of ‘em in one shot.” Sophie and Rachel giggled. The boat started going faster. “Whoa!” said Sophie laughing. Her mom put the camera back in its case. As they turned around to get back to the car, the dolphins jumped back in the water causing a big wet splash! This had been Rachel’s favorite day in Cape Cod. At the restaurant, Sophie and Rachel ordered something special. A big fat Massachusetts lobster and slow churned ice cream. A Cape Cod delicacy!

The next morning, Rachel ran over to Sophie’s room and knocked. Sophie was all ready for today’s beach and pool plan with her swimsuit on and her towel robe wrapped around. Rachel wore her blue swimsuit and then put her skirt and top on. Both of them carried goggles. “Mom! Rachel’s here. Let’s go over for breakfast,” said Sophie. Her mother came out of the kitchen and said, “I’m going. Dad’s over there watching TV.” The girls went and called Sophie’s dad. I was watching the match, but anyway, let’s go!”

After breakfast, the girls played their usual round of Clue. Sophie won this time.“Which means you have to jump in first!” joked Sophie playfully. The big rectangular pool was deep and cold.As Rachel jumped in, she shivered and started wiggling around for warmth. “It’s pretty cold. Since both of us know how to swim can we go to the deep part, Daddy?” Rachel pleaded. “Well, the deep part is 15 feet and you guys are 4’8 and 4’9. “Oh, okay. Come on Sophie!”Sophie jumped in and they both splashed each other. “That was fun,” said Sophie after a while, “DO you want to race one time and then get out?” Both of us pushed off the wall and threw our arms out of the water breathing every three or four arm actions. Rachel won by a second. Both of the mothers held out the towels and scrubbed the girls dry. “Quick, before you catch a cold, let’s go to our rooms!”Both of them took a shower and washed their hair.

Rachel’d had so much fun with her family and best friend. But this wasn’t everything Cape Cod had to offer! There was so much Rachel and Sophie hadn’t seen yet. Both friends linked arms and guessed what else was in Cape Cod. But they would only find out on their trip next summer!

True Friends by Siba Smarak Panigrahi

Once their was a child named Ramesh. He was very lazy.

Once his parents made his addmission in a school. All his classmates started teasing him. But a child named Suman made him friend. One shiny day he advised Ramesh that he shouldn’t be lazy. If he would be a good boy then everybody would like him. But he didn’t liked the idea and continued to be lazy.

Ramesh liked sweets. When Suman knew this he asked Ramesh that if he would be a good boy then he (Suman) can give him lots of sweets. When Ramesh heard the name of sweets, he tried to become a good boy and he also succeded. Suman was happy and gave him a lots of sweets.

From that day everybody became the friend of Ramesh.

MORAL: We should always make good friends.

Crow and Fox by Shraddha Nair

Once there lived a crow and fox. One day crow saw a roti in a hut. It flew down into the hut and took the roti in its beak. A fox was passing by. On seeing roti in the crow’s beak, the fox’s mouth watered. An idea flashed in fox’s mind. He smiled sweetly and called out to the crow, “Your voice is very sweet. Can you sing for me?” The crow knew that the fox was trying to trick him. So he put the roti under the claws and started to sing. The fox quietly went away grumbling. Some rabbits sitting under the tree saw all this and giggled, “Now a days even crows have become clever. We should now say “Foolish Fox and Clever Crow.”

Insects and Animals School by Navoneel Sen

One day ‘Horrible’ - beetle was teaching Fidix Science. All the insects took their copy to start their work. Their master ‘Rain Forest’ – the wasp was teaching the insects exercises.

At 8:30 am, the break started with life and delight.

From the next day “Realsteam” - the snake was teaching hard mental math. Animals took their copies with great care.

“Jupiter” – the elephant was teaching P.T. and exercise.

After a long time at 9 am, “Ashik” – wild dog met “Soopinger” - the tiger.

The lion and the giraffe were sharing foods. At that time from the solar system a wild terrible grassy magical storm blew their tiffins and water bottles which belong to the insects and animals. The storm came accompanied by lighting and started wrecking everyting.

The magical grassy storm said - “ I can blow you away. I come with huge waves and lighting. Do you know where is Tsunami and Msunits ? Tell where they are otherwise I will blow you up.”

O.K.- replied insects -They are on the stage.

“Now I am leaving you. And if I hear that it is a lie I will again come again and blow you from the Earth” - said the grassy storm.

Quickly the grassy storm blew away and all the children started to live in peace.