An original story, written by our student Veronica Ghalian.

Veronica Ghallian is 10 years old, a young orator and writer from Mumbai. We are proud to have her as a student of the Little Kathakar Program, an Online Public Speaking through Applied Storytelling & Theatre Program under the mentorship of Trainer Khusshbo Chokhaani. We congratulate Veronica for this exemplary true self-expression.

The Troublesome Boy

It was a chilly winter in the east of Mussoorie. Outside it was biting cold and nobody dared to come out. One could hear the rain pitter–patting and the birds rustling inside their nests to save themselves. Inside, in all the houses, the fireplace was lit and everyone sat in soft and furry blankets, sipping hot tea and warm soup. Adults were delighted while sipping their hot tea filled with everything they needed. That sugary sweet sip would keep them awake just like the warm Tomato Shobra. The hills were covered in frost and snow. The caves were covered in ice and icicles. In this season people with courage went out to do mountaineering, ice fishing, and tobogganing. Some hardworking folks were working as Sherpa and some volunteered to shovel snow. Every person out there in the bone–chilling cold was bundled in many layers. People were elated when clothing such as boots, coveralls, fleece, jumpsuits, socks, cardigans, and sweaters touched against their skin. People who were wearing just T-shirts, shorts, pajamas, and slippers were facing the blistery cold and getting harsh frostbite. People needed to work hard to survive the harsh weather.

In that town, there lived a boy named Arjun. He was short-tempered and spoiled. He lived in a mansion on top of a hill. He was insulting when he spoke to his family members and servants. He too had been facing the cold and would demand his father to buy him clothes every day. Arjun would be bundled up in many clothes like sweaters, cardigans, fleece, and mittens, and also would always wear a brown coat with real fur from a bear which was his favourite. He fantasized about owning the town and ruling it as he wished to.

To achieve this dream, he called all the servants to his room and told them he would be controlling them for the rest of their lives and if they didn’t listen to him, they would be fired immediately. The servants had no choice but to listen to him, but one of the servant’s sons gave him a death glare as he went out of Arjun’s room. When Arjun told his parents about this, they said you can’t fire anybody or take control of them. Over the years, Arjun had fired almost 23 servants every year! Arjun was really mad at his parents and to clear his head, he ordered the servant to break the ice so that he could go on his speed boat. But once again his father refused and Arjun was even angrier and went to go bobsledding instead.

When he reached the Bobsledding stadium, he received a message on his phone. A story had been written about a girl who left her country because everybody disliked her. Suddenly Arjun got an idea. What if he does just the same, I’ll tell the world that everyone dislikes me, and then everybody will take pity on me and let me control them! With this brilliant idea, He booked first-class tickets to the USA with his pocket money feeling proud. The next day he reserved a limo for going to the airport and took the VIP passes so he could skip the crowd. When he boarded the flight, he felt freezing. He requested the airline for his bag and took out his brown coat to keep him warm. A few hours later his flight had landed.

When he reached Boston, it was biting cold. Everything around him was covered in snow. It was below-freezing temperatures and Arjun didn’t have many clothes to protect himself from the cold. It was even colder than it was in Mussoorie. He decided to go to Natick Mall and tried to find new clothes for himself. He got the most expensive tuxedo in the mall and booked the most expensive presidential suite in Boston. The next day he went to target to buy gaming controllers and when he went, it was very crisp and blistery. When he got his stuff to the counter and tried to pay for it, the card declined. That was the moment when he realized he was poor. When he got out of the store, he was mad and daft. He had to walk to his hotel in the frigid cold wind. He realized how much money is important and how his parents work hard for him so that he can live a better life. Then he decided to go home, but he was worried if his parents would still love him and forgive him.

When he reached the hotel, he grabbed his suitcases and checked out of the hotel. He took the bus to the airport. He had enough money to book one ticket in economy class. After the flight had landed, he went to the airport gate and there were a bunch of reporters trying to get information about why he ran away. He was told that his parents had an entire search team looking for him. After hearing this news, he was pleased that his parents loved him deeply. Just when he was getting in the taxi a reporter came up to him and asked what made him come back. He said that nothing is more important than being a good human and loving and respecting people who work hard for you. When he reached home, he ran to his parents and hugged them so tightly that nobody wanted to leave this warm hug. He also went to the servants and apologized for his behavior and gave them clothes and food so that they could survive the harsh weather. The same servant’s son smiled at him to show his gratitude towards him.

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