Fun Tales for Kids: Illustrated for Children

By Ram Das

The pleasure of reading is unlike any other. Reading lets you travel without even moving your feet. Most Children nowadays have not experienced this pleasure, party because they have not had an opportunity and party because they are apathetic about it. This book contains seven wonderfully written stories, with illustrations to help along with the reading experience. Come along and share the experiences of a Spunky daughter and other such stories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Winchester Publications
• Release date: Sep 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386985266

Book preview

Fun Tales for Kids: Illustrated for Children

Ram Das

Published by Winchester Publications, 2018.

Fun Tales for Kids: Illustrated for Children

By Mr. Ram Das

Published by

Winchester Publications

Goa, India 403601

[e-mail]

Copyright © 2016 Winchester Publications

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Contents

A Midnight Adventure

The Gentle Terrorist

Lost and Pound

The Yellow Beads

A Spunky Daughter

A Stone Man

Three Astrologers

A Midnight Adventure

It was a lovely morning in spring. Under a flowering Kanchan tree beside a village pump, were two young people engaged in lively chatter. Their names were Teju and Dulip.

Teju was eleven years old. She had dancing black eyes in a round brown face, and a mop of untidy hair. She wore a faded blue blouse, a shabby orange skirt, and a half-sari with which, whenever she thought of it, she would cover her head. But she did this so carelessly, that it would immediately slip off again revealing her mass of uncombed hair. Teju worked as a maidservant in one of the houses in the Government Officers Colony a mile away.

Dulip also worked at the Officers Colony but he was a sweeper boy He was a merry fellow. He talked loudly, laughed loudly always dressed in clothes that wore the stains of the colours of the previous year’s Holi festival. Today he was wearing a yellow shirt streaked with purple and blue. His pyjamas that were once white had big smears of pink all over them. Dulip sat on a stone near the pump watching Teju. She was swinging the handle of the pump with all her strength and sending the water gushing into his buckets.

At last she stopped. There! she said panting, I’ve finished filling your buckets. And now Dulip, she stopped speaking and looked around her to make sure that no one was near, and now you fill my buckets! She sat on the ground folded her arms and looked up at Dulip. And then they both laughed. They laughed and they laughed, till tears ran down their cheeks.

This was the joke they shared every day at the pump: that Dulip the sweeper boy, who was not allowed to touch the village pump to fill his own buckets, for fear of ‘polluting’ the pump, and offending the higher castes: that he should now fill a Kshatriya girl’s buckets! Indeed, if Teju’s parents and the rest of the village had only known it, she would have got the beating of her life.

At last they stepped laughing. Dulip rose and went over to the pump. Teju. he said. you have a voice like the temple bell.

And you Dulip, she replied, her eyes full of mischief, you have the voice of an old crow! And she laughed once more and her voice did sound as musical as the temple bell.

As Dulip Chand pumped the water into Teju’s buckets, he suddenly noticed the white and gold glass bangles she was wearing. He stopped what he was doing. Where did you .get those bangles? he asked.

Teju looked at him quickly; his voice sounded so angry! She didn’t reply. Tell me Teju, Dulip said, you have been stealing again, haven’t you? Teju jumped to her feet, pretending to be angry. She took her buckets and started to walk home.

Teju, Dulip called after her, if you don’t tell me, I will never again come to the pump early in the morning like now. I will never again wait for you. I will wait till Shantha comes, and I will ask her to fill my buckets for me.

Teju stopped, turned around slowly, and came back. Yes Dulip, she said softly. I stole these bangles! she put her hands out and looked at them. There was not a trace of shame or regret in her voice or on her face, was still angry. Last week you stole a Shirt for your brother; and the week before that, you stole a blouse for yourself. You’re a thief, again, and you will never again be able to sing at the village pump! would you like that? Oh Dulip, Teju began to sob, do you think I like to steal? she said between her sobs. My mistress is good to me and gives me nice things sometimes.

Then why do you steal! Dulip asked again.

I... I don’t know, Teju said. I didn’t really want that shirt or blouse, but I took them because... because..., she looked at Dulip, puzzled, because when I stole them, I stopped thinking about all those things I really want and cannot get.

What things? Dulip asked.

"Things like...