Written by: Dhruti Mudigonda

At the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, there lived Lakshmi, Nandu and Kaka, their grandmother, in a small hut. The climate was unpredictable there. Sometimes it was freezing cold and other times it was normal.

“Pittu.” said Lakshmi.

“Not again!” said Nandu and the other team members. “Seven stones is a boring game. I am reluctant to play this game.”

“Please?” requested Lakshmi.

“What do you say, friends?” Nandu asked his team members.

“Fine!” they all said together.

“Yeah!” exclaimed Lakshmi. They continued to play the game.

“Oh no!” exclaimed Nandu. The ball in Nandu’s hand had slipped. It whirled and went near a storehouse that was four meters away. Nandu immediately started towards the storehouse.

“Nandu! Don’t go to unknown places! Please! It’s dangerous in there!” shouted Lakshmi.

“We’re warning you!” shouted his friends.
Nandu didn’t listen, but he was scared within. He went on his way.
As soon as Nandu reached the storehouse, someone started dragging him. Lakshmi, who was staring at Nandu from a distance, immediately went to Kaka to inform her about this incident.

When Nandu revived, he realised he was inside the storehouse! Sunlight poured in through a window. There were many antiques in a dark, quiet, corner of the room. He could see a gecko outside the window.

Suddenly, two men appeared out of nowhere. One of them was tall, thin and bald, and the other was a manikin. They were scary with black and red scars on their faces. The tall, thin, bald man was Kal and the manikin was Mal. Nandu recognized them. They were the most famous thieves in the village!

“If you both play hide and seek with me, then I will tell you the places where the antiques in the village are hidden.” said Nandu.

“Sure!” the two thieves said together.

That started the game, with a smile on Nandu’s face. Kal started counting when Mal and Nandu were hiding. Mal and Kal were not suspicious of Nandu nor were they confident. As soon as Kal started counting, Nandu got up and trotted away. He had managed to escape from the storehouse.

Nandu had fooled the two thieves! Nandu scurried back home. He was exhausted! He couldn’t breathe!

Nandu trotted to the living room. He noticed a strange sight. Lakshmi and Kaka were weeping. Lakshmi noticed him.

“Nandu? Is that you?” asked Lakshmi.
“Yes.” Nandu replied quietly. Lakshmi went near Nandu and embraced him.

“Didn’t I warn you?” asked Lakshmi.

“Sorry, I should have listened to you. I was the one who made you and Kaka weep.” said Nandu.

Meanwhile, as soon as Kaka heard her name, she had realized that Nandu was back. Kaka went and felt his face. It was Nandu indeed, she thought. Then, Nandu explained everything to Kaka and Lakshmi.

Lakshmi was astonished and said, “When did you become so intelligent Nandu? I thought you were still a baby!”

“Stop teasing me, sister!” shouted Nandu.

“Now, now, stop fighting!” said Kaka.

The next day, they went to the police station and informed them about the hideout of the thieves. The police caught the thieves. Kaka warned Lakshmi and Nandu not to sneak into the storehouse again.
                                                    THE END