The Flood
by Shravya Gowda - Grade 4

Chapter 1 : At Home

A long time ago there was a girl named Indu. She lived in Mohenjo-Daro. She was very polite to everyone. Indu woke up from her mat on the floor. She whispered “What a sunny day.” Indu went to the well to drink some water. Her mother saw Indu and said, “Indu, you woke up so early, dear.” “Mom,” said Indu, “it’s a sunny day, so I decided to go to the great bath.” “OK, you can go,” consented Indu’s mother, Arya. She wore a necklace and a frock made of green cotton cloth. “Bye Mom!” said Indu. She wore a pink frock and a bracelet with a Lapis-lazuli stone necklace and left.

Chapter 2 : A Perfect Time on the Streets

When she got out of the house, a pleasant breeze rubbed across her soft smooth skin and her black silky hair swayed. She got on to the back of the bullock cart and kept observing all the fascinating things going on around her. She saw Lapis-lazuli stones, pottery shops, weaving shops, metal working shops, and people dancing in different forms. Indu saw barley, peas, melons, wheat and dates. The streets were neat.

Chapter 3 : At the Great Bath

Indu got down the bullock cart and entered the great bath. “Ah! Finally I reached,” said Indu. When she put her foot in the water it was cold. She swam in neck deep and went completely inside. Indu looked around. But nobody was there. ‘How strange! Everybody always comes to The Great Bath on sunny days. It is never empty,’ Indu thought. Indu got out of the pool and went out; she did not see any bullock carts at all. So she had to walk home.

Chapter 4 : On the Streets

While Indu was walking back home she saw that all the shops were closed and the wind was dry and hot. She reached the village and saw a bunch of people running around with their supplies. Indu also saw her mom shouting, “Indu! Indu!” Indu rushed towards her mom and asked, “What’s going on, Mom?” “Darling, look at the sky. It’s black and can you hear the noise? It’s a FLOOD!” said Arya in fear. “Oh, no!” said Indu. She helped her Mom carry the supplies. All the villagers were heading to a highland called Mohenjo highland.

Chapter 5 : The Flood

The villagers were on top of the highland. The noise of rushing water roared. WOOOOSSSHHHH… came the flood. It engrossed the farming fields and the houses of the villagers of the Indus Valley. They saw their fields and houses getting destroyed with everything else. The people were depressed. Their hard work of many years was all gone.

CHAPTER 6 : Back to Land from Highland

The villagers got back from Mohenjo highland after the flood water receded. “Mom,” said Indu, “there is nothing left here. Where should we sleep?” “We have to sleep where we get space, dear,” replied her mom. Indu and her mother, along with the villagers, went to the fields to see if any of the crops or food was left for eating. They saw nothing. Everything was destroyed. They saw a few big trees which had survived the flood. They all knew, for the days to come, their food would be these trees. Indu and her mother also plucked few leaves and started eating them. It tasted bad. Indu started weeping and slowly fell asleep.

Chapter 7 : Indu the Saviour

The next morning when Indu woke up, all the villagers and her mom were at work rebuilding the village. She felt so sad looking at them work so hard. Indu wanted to help them. She had heard the village elders saying that the Indus River was changing its course. This was causing frequent floods. She wanted to put an end to the flood menace.
Indu thought, ‘We need to build a barrier to stop the flood water from entering the village. But I cannot do it alone. I need some help!’ Indu collected her friends and told them about her idea. All of them were excited to do the work. They decided to keep it as a secret until the barrier was completed. Indu told them, “First we need some bricks.” All of them made bricks from clay and started building a barrier a little away from the village. They worked very hard. Many days passed. Finally, after many days of hard work, they completed the barrier! All the children were happy. They all went home happily and rested.

Chapter 8 : The Destruction Ends

The next morning Indu looked happy. Her mom asked, “Why are you so happy?” “We have our home and the flood is not going to come!” said Indu beaming confidently. “How can you be so sure?” asked her mom, surprised. “The flood is going to come again. Can’t you hear the sound? Let’s go.” “No,” said Indu ,pulling her mom back. Her mom stopped with a puzzled and worried look. “The sound is getting closer, Indu!” said her mom. She dragged Indu towards the Highland from their clay bricked house. “Thud!” Suddenly the sound of the flood stopped. All the villagers stopped running and looked back. What a surprise! The flood has stopped! They all started walking slowly towards the sound. There loomed a big barrier. They all gasped with surprise. “Wow! Who built it?” People started asking. Indu along with her friends stepped forward and said ,“We built it." Everybody was happy and praised them. There was celebration. All the children were given lot of gifts and sweets.
From then on they lived peacefully.