STORIES HOME

“Mum, I don’t feel well.” Monty, the monkey, said as he lay on his bed. “I am having a headache and feel weak in general.” He complained.

“Oh dear, let me check with a thermometer to see if you are running a fever.” Mother replied. After the mother monkey took Monty’s temperature, she realised that he is indeed having one.

“Monty, you are running a fever. Next up, let’s do a Covid-19 test with the test kit to see if you are down with the virus.” Mother continued. After taking his swaps, the results turned out to be negative. “Phew.” Mother heaved a sigh of relief.

“I will prepare some fever medicine for you, Monty. Rest at home for today.” Mother said as she went to get medicine for Monty. After taking them, Monty continued resting for the day.

The following day, Monty woke up to go to the washroom when he gave a loud squeal suddenly. Mother monkey rushed into Monty’s room to check what had happened. When she entered the room, she was shocked. Monty’s face started developing bumps!

“Mum, these bumps are so itchy!” Monty wailed as he scratched all over his face. “Don’t touch your face, Monty! Let me bring you to the doctor now!” Mother said anxiously.

Quickly, Monty and his mother rushed to the clinic. After some time, it was finally Monty’s turn to see the doctor. The doctor looked at the bumps and asked a few questions, “Did you have a headache and a fever?”

Monty replied, “Yes.”

“Did you feel some muscle aches and feeling of tiredness?” the doctor continued.

Monty said, “Yes.”

Next, the doctor examines the bumps on his face and body.

“I think you might have monkeypox.” The doctor said as he took samples of the fluid from the bumps.

Mother monkey was shocked. “What is that? Is there any cure?”

“Well, Monkeypox is caused by a virus. It has been around since the 1950s. It occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of central and west Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions. Although it resembles smallpox, it is much less contagious. Unfortunately, as of now, there are still no cures, but vaccines are being developed.” The doctor explained.

“But doctor, how do they spread? I don’t want my family to get it.” Monty asked sadly.

“It can spread through close contact, air droplets from breath, body fluids from the infected person or even contaminated materials such as beddings from the infected.”

“Mum, please stay away from me. I do not wish to infect you.” Monty sulked.

“Yes, it will be great if your mother can wash her hands frequently, especially when she is in contact with you, and also wear a mask!” the doctor advised.

“Please do so, mum. I don’t want you to have ugly face with rashes like me.” Monty looked at his mum sadly.

His mother let out a tiny smile, not knowing if she should laugh or cry.

The end.

A mischievous tiger named Tyga bullied other animals as he appeared massive and more ferocious than others. Whenever he sees other smaller animals, he either makes fun of them or pushes them. Everyone avoided him because they were terrified of him.

One day, Tyga was alone in the woods, feeling bored. After walking around aimlessly, he got drowsy and napped under a nearby tree. While in his sleepy state, Tyga suddenly felt an itchy sensation. At first, he merely scratched lightly. However, the itch became more intense, and he began scratching. Tyga could not bear the sudden severe itch that he sat up and scratched hard.

“What exactly is it on my body? Get off of me!” Tyga roared. A little bug crept up to the tiger’s whiskers, waved at him, and said, “Hello, my name is Buggy.” Tyga twitched his whiskers in an attempt to expel Buggy from his face. However, Buggy dodged it and jumped off to the top of his head. “You tiny little thing. Stay away from me! How dare you challenge me when you are just a small little creature? I’m going to smack you flat!” Tyga yelled.

Tyga lowered his head and used his paws to brush Buggy off his head unsuccessfully. Buggy quickly hopped to his back. Tyga tried again to use his claws to reach his back but could not get Buggy. This went on for some time until, eventually, Tyga was exhausted.

“What do you want before you leave me alone?” Tyga asked in frustration. “This is my territory now,” the bug murmured as he emerged from his hiding place.

“What exactly do you mean by “your territory”? You are on MY body.” Tyga said. “I’ll be staying here. You can’t drive me away.” Buggy replied.

This infuriated Tyga and made him determined to get rid of Buggy.

Tyga started shaking his body vigorously to shake off the bug. He began very gently and progressed to a more erratic shaking. After a while, Tyga became dizzy from all the swinging. He came to a halt, believing he had exterminated Buggy. To his surprise, he felt that tingly sensation again. “I’m still here,” Buggy joked.

Tyga then began striking Buggy with his hands and tail all around his body. The more he whipped his body, the more unbearable he felt. “Ouch! My entire body is in excruciating pain.” He yelled. The cheeky Buggy got close to his ears and started chuckling at him.

The enraged Tyga then lay down on the ground and began rolling around, attempting to move over Buggy. However, as he rolled around, he did not notice a sharp branch nearby, which poked him hard. He screamed in agony.

This time, Buggy proceeded to bite him in the ears. Tyga wailed louder. “Please stop.” He pleaded as he was in so much pain. “From now on, you must stop scaring and bullying the other animals,” the bug said. “If not, I’ll return and hide under your furs forever. Do you hear me?” Buggy said.

“I will, of course. I’m not going to hurt the other animals again.” Tyga responded. With that, Buggy flew away.

Since that day, Tyga remembered Buggy’s words and did not disturb the other animals again.

The end.

Far far away, in the deepest forest was a small cottage. There lived a moon witch named, Monica.

Do you know why she’s called a Moon Witch? That’s because she only opens her business on nights when there is a full moon. The people who know her called her by that name.

The Moon Witch’s shop is packed with many interesting ancient stones, animal carcasses, and potions of all sorts. However, the most unique thing about the moon witch is her origami. Every piece of paper she folded, come alive with her magic. The moon witch absolutely love folding flowers, boats and insects during her leisure time. Soon, the whole house was filled with origami art.

“Oh dear, there are no more space in my tiny house. I need some help to clear up!” The moon witch thought in dismay.
She began folding some paper to make into little helpers.

However, the messy moon witch can be a little careless. She accidentally dropped one of them near her magic potion which was not sealed properly in the glass jar.

The magic aura senses the magical papers and drifted towards the folded paper boy. After a while, the tiny paper boy sat up. It looked around to check out the surroundings curiously.

“There’s no one here. Looks like I’m going to have some fun!” the paper boy grinned. Quickly, he ran to the table and saw some cookies. He took a bite, and another bite, causing the crumps to fall all over the table. When he heard some noise coming, he hastily got up, slid down the rocking chair and landed on the ground. He yelled out in ecstasy, “I am going out to explore the world!”

Stealthily, he slides himself through the gap of the door and out on his adventure.

As he continued his journey, he came across a village. At this point, he was already famished. The paper boy saw a candy house nearby and decided to pop into the shop. There were a wide variety of candies, lollipops and chocolates. He gobbled one after another and did not notice that the shopkeeper saw him.

“Thief!” The shopkeeper shouted and chased after the paper boy. “Uh-oh.” Once the paper boy realized he was caught, he proceeded to the window and took off. At that very moment, there was a gust of wind so powerful that it blew, and he was able to flee the area by flying with the wind. “Phew, that was close! I am such an adventurer! He reflected on it with a sense of superiority.

Down in the valley was a wood. Next to the wood was a cottage. And in the cottage lived a wood-cutter and his two children—a little boy named Hansel, and his sister, Gretel.

The wood-cutter was a very poor man. Work was scarce and he had fallen on very hard times. He couldn’t even earn enough to feed the family every day, so—more often than not—the children went hungry.

Despite their situation, Hansel and Gretel’s spirits remained high. They never once complained. They could see how much their father loved them and how hard he was working—even if his work brought little reward.

One evening, after the children had gone to bed, the wood-cutter sat talking to his wife next to the fire. The woman was Hansel and Gretel’s stepmother. A simply wretched woman that was desperate to get rid of the children at the first available opportunity.

“Oh, wife,” said the wood-cutter, “I can barely support you and myself, never mind the children. What on earth are we going to do?” “I know what to do,” she said—a wicked smile creeping onto her lips. “Tell me, dear wife,” said the wood-cutter.

“Tomorrow morning, I will take the children deep into the wood—into the very thickest part—and leave them there for the wolves. They will then be out of our way, your wages will support us and we will be freed from this dreadful poverty.” “Feed them to the wolves?” repeated the wood-cutter in horror, “I’ve never heard such nonsense in all my days!” “Foolish man!” she replied, “then we will all perish. You are as well to go and cut wood for our own coffins.”

The wood-cutter said nothing. Hansel and Gretel’s empty, rumbling bellies had kept them awake. They had heard everything—especially the bit about being left out for the wolves, which had terrified both of them beyond words. “What is going to happen to us, Hansel?” sniffed Gretel, as she wiped away a tear. “Don’t cry, Gretel,” he whispered, “I know exactly what to do.”

They lay still until the grownups were asleep. As soon as it was quiet, Hansel got up, put on his coat and slipped outside—making sure not to wake anyone. The moon shone brightly, lighting up the garden. Hansel looked around, intently.

Then, without delay, he began picking up handfuls of little white pebbles that lay on the garden path. He carried on stuffing his pockets until they were full to the brim, then returned to bed. The next morning, there came a rap at the bedroom door.

“Up you get, you pair of lazy rats,” cried the stepmother. “You need to come with me into the wood to gather kindling for the fire. Quick, smart!” Hansel and Gretel got up. The stepmother handed Gretel a piece of bread and said, “Take this for your lunch. It is for both of you and must last you all day, so don’t eat it all at once. You won’t get more!”

Gretel took the bread and they set out into the woods. Hansel seemed preoccupied. Every few steps he would turn around as if looking for something. And this strange behaviour did not go unnoticed by the stepmother. “Why do you keep dropping back and looking behind?” she snapped, clearly irritated.

“I saw a cat,” said Hansel, “and I am checking to see if it is still following us.” “Well, hurry along child,” she said, sharply, “we don’t have time for this childish!” Hansel was lying—he had not seen a cat.

He was staying behind to drop the white pebbles—the ones he had knowingly gathered the previous night—onto the ground behind him as he walked.

They carried on walking. After some considerable time they reached an opening. “Come children,” said the stepmother. “Gather some sticks and I will make us a fire. It is getting very cold and you need some rest.” Hansel and Gretel gathered the sticks.

After making the fire, the stepmother said, “Sit down and rest here, children. I will return with your father once we have finished our days work,” then—without a moment’s hesitation—she scurried off. Hansel and Gretel sat eating bread by the crackling fire. The crust had become a little stale in Gretel’s pocket, but they were too hungry to notice. After wolfing down their bread they quickly grew tired and fell fast asleep.

In fact, they fell into such a deep sleep that they did not notice the hours passing. Several hours passed, then Gretel awoke with a start. “It’s dark!” she cried, “and there is no sign of stepmother or father. Oh, Hansel, I am so very scared. What shall we do?” “Fear not, dear sister,” said Hansel, “I have a cunning plan that will get us home safely.”

The full moon shone brightly in the night’s sky. “Do you see that?” said Hansel, pointing forward. As the light hit the path in front of them the white pebbles—that Hansel had dropped from his pockets along the journey—started to glitter and sparkle in the darkness.

“Brilliant!” cried Gretel, ‘you laid the pebbles to guide us home. Oh what a very clever brother you are.” Hansel smiled. They walked hand-in-hand all night and reached home just before dawn the following day. Their stepmother was utterly furious to see that they had returned home safely. Her scheming plan had failed.

The following year times had not improved. In fact—just as the stepmother had predicted—their situation had worsened greatly. It was now so desperate that only half a loaf of bread remained in the larder. “Something must be done,” the stepmother thought to herself. That evening, after everyone else was in bed, the stepmother stayed up to create her wicked plan.

“I’ve got it!” she said, “I’ll take them even deeper into the woods this time—I know just the place. They will surely never find their way home. A wolf will eat them both up and I will be able to live in peace and plenty.”

Hansel and Gretel’s empty, rumbling tummies had kept them awake once more. Again, they had heard everything. As before, Hansel waited until the stepmother had gone to bed and then made his way to the front door. But, to his horror the door was locked. His heart sank as he returned to bed without a single pebble in his pocket. Early the next morning the stepmother burst into their bedroom, yanked the children out of bed shouting, “Get dressed at once, you lazy stinking little slugs!”

Once they were dressed she gave them a small piece of bread each—from the single remaining loaf—and they set off into the woods. Hansel put his piece of bread in his pocket. As they walked, he stopped every so often, broke off a few crumbs and dropped them on the ground—just as he had done with the pebbles.

They carried on walking for some time. As they walked, the path narrowed. The trees became thick. Very thick. So dense, in fact, that they could barely see a few yards ahead. At this point, one thing was for sure. Hansel and Gretel had never been this deep into the woods before—and they were starting to feel very frightened indeed. Soon they reached a small clearing.

“Come children,” said the stepmother. “Gather some sticks and I will make us a fire. It is getting very cold and you need some rest.” Hansel and Gretel did as they were told and their stepmother made the fire. “Rest here dear children” she said, with a sinister smile, “while I go and help your father. Eat your bread, then lie down and sleep for a while and we will return in the evening when our work is finished.”

Before Hansel or Gretel could reply, she was gone. They sat for a while. Gretel then took out her bread and offered half of it to Hansel. “You have half, brother,” she said, “as you have scattered yours along the path to guide us home.” They ate the bread together in front of the roaring fire, then slept. Many hours passed. Darkness fell. And still no one came to fetch them.

Suddenly, Gretel awoke. “It is so dark, Hansel,” she said, “and I am so scared.” “Don’t be,” said Hansel, “my trail of breadcrumbs will easily show us the way home. We must just wait a little longer until the moon is bright and then we will set off.” The moon came out. And the path lit up.

But, to their horror, there were no breadcrumbs to be found. You see—unbeknown to Hansel and Gretel—a little Julia had been following behind them on their journey. And no sooner had Hansel dropped a crumb than it was gobbled up by their clever, bushy-tailed companion.

“We’re doomed!” cried Gretel. “There there, dear sister,” said Hansel, placing his arm gently around her. “I’m sure we’ll find our way without any crumbs,” he said, confidently. Hansel may have sounded confident, but he really wasn’t. Not one little bit. Truth be told, he was just as scared as Gretel inside, but he managed to kept his fears hidden to protect his sister. They set out into the darkness.

Two nights and two days passed, but they failed to make it out of the wood. Now disorientated and weary from lack of food, they found themselves heading deeper and deeper into the heart of the forest. “I see something,” cried Gretel, with delight. “It’s a house,” replied Hansel.

Suddenly buoyed by a new burst of energy, then ran towards the house as quickly as their legs would carry them. As they approached, Gretel let out a yelp of excitement. For what stood before them was no ordinary house. Quite the contrary. It was a house built entirely of gingerbread and decorated ornately with the finest cakes, tarts and barley-sugars a child could imagine. “Let us stop here and feast for a while,” mumbled Hansel—through a mouthful of gingerbread that he had just extracted from a downstairs windowsill. Gretel looked up briefly. She nodded and then carried on gouging great fistfuls of cake out of the doormat upon which she sat.

Suddenly, a whispering voice came from behind the front door. “Who is eating my house?” it said, quietly. “The wind, the wind, it’s only the wind,” replied Hansel. The door creaked, then opened and out hobbled an old woman. She was ever so frightful to look at. Her skin glowed with a green tinge. Her nose hooked at the tip and her whole face was covered in enormous warts. The children were frozen in fear. “Dear children, come close as my eyesight is very weak,” spluttered the old lady, “you are far too young to be out here in this dangerous wood all alone. Come in and stay with me for a while.”

As she spoke she seized the children by the scruff of the neck, marched them inside, and sat them at the kitchen table. Before them lay a gigantic mound of sandwiches, buttered crumpets, steaming pancakes, fruit and nuts. “What are you waiting for?” said the old lady, “Help yourself!” So they did.

Once their bellies were full to bursting, Hansel and Gretel were shown to a beautiful room with two little beds surrounded by white curtains. They lay down, shut their eyes and were asleep moments after their heads hit the soft, silken pillows. This was, however, a nasty ruse. A trick. A scheming ploy by the beastly old lady. She was not, in fact, a lady at all. She was the wickedest of all witches in the wood and she had built her house out of gingerbread as bait to snare unsuspecting children. And once she had them under her power she would feed them until they got very fat, then boil them alive and eat them for her supper—on a special day that she liked to call feast day! Early the next morning, the witch entered the children’s bedroom and stood over them menacingly as they slept. “Ah, yes,” she muttered to herself as she lent over the bed and sniffed at Hansel’s face. “This one will do very nicely for feast day. Yes. Just a bit of fattening up and he will taste delicious.” The witch could not see Hansel’s face for her eyesight was much too weak, but with her terrific sense of smell knew instantly that he was a boy—and boy was her favourite. She adored the 'extra meaty’ taste of their flesh.

Suddenly, she grabbed Hansel with both hands and dragged him into a little cage behind the house and locked the door. He let out a terrific scream, but it was too late. The cage itself was about the size of a dog kennel, surrounded on all four sides by thick, wrought iron bars and the door was fixed tightly shut with an enormous padlock. There was no escape.

After this, the witch went back to the bedroom and cried, “Wake up, you wretched, lazy girl. You must go immediately to the well and get me some water. I must boil up some delicious treats for your brother, so I can fatten him up before feast day!” “Hansel!” cried Gretel, “Where are you?”

“He can’t hear you,” replied the witch, “I’ve put him in a cage behind the house. Now, run along and fetch me that water.” From then on, Hansel was fed a feast at every mealtime, while Gretel—who had now become the witches servant girl—had to survive on dry crusts and scraps. Every morning the witch would go to the cage and say, “Hansel, stick out your finger, so that I may test if you are fat enough for eating.” But Hansel, was too clever for that. He knew the witch had very poor eyesight, so he kept an old chicken bone from one of his meals and, each day, he would stick this through the bars instead.

Many weeks passed and the witch grew impatient. She had waited long enough for her feast day and she could wait no longer. “The time has come,” she said, “I will have my feast today. Go, Gretel, and fetch me a pale of water—enough to fill a whole pot to boil your brother!” Gretel howled as tears rolled down her pale face. “Your sobbing is useless little girl,” said the witch, “there is not a single soul that can hear you out here in the deepest woods.” Alas, the witch was right and, reluctantly, Gretel obeyed. When Gretel returned from the well, the witch was busy kneading dough. She turned to Gretel and said, “I have heated the oven. We will bake some bread while I wait for the pot to boil. Creep inside the oven, my dear, and see if it is hot enough.” But Gretel was wise to this request. She knew precisely why the witch wanted her to creep inside the oven—to bake her alive and gobble her up. So Gretel replied, “But witch, I don’t know how to open the door.” The witch opened the oven door. “But witch, I can’t possibly fit through that narrow door.” The witch placed her head inside the oven door to show Gretel how it should be done. But, in that moment, Gretel pounced. She leapt forward, shoving the witch with all her might into the flaming oven. Then she quickly slammed the door and bolted it shut, baking the witch alive inside.

Gretel grabbed the keys, rushed to the cage and opened the door shouting; “Hansel, Hansel, we are free. The wicked old witch is dead!” Hansel flew like a bird from the cage and, as the door opened, the children ran into each other’s arms and held each other for a few seconds.

“Come on,” said Hansel, “let’s get out of here!” “Wait,” said Gretel, “I’ve seen a chest in the witch’s bedroom which is full of the most magnificent jewels.” The children filled their pockets with as many jewels as they could carry and set off into the enchanted wood. They walked for days and then, as if by magic, their surroundings became clear to them once more and they returned home safely. Their father wept great tears of joy to see his children safe and well.

Hansel said, “Look, father!” taking enormous handfuls of shining gemstones from his pockets and placing them on the table, “We’re rich now!” Gretel then looked very slowly and cautiously around the room and finally said, “Where is wicked stepmama?” To which the father replied, “She left us my darling children—and is never coming back.” From that moment on, all of their worries disappeared and they went on to live a happy and prosperous life together. And—as the story goes—Hansel and Gretel have still not touched another piece of candy.

The End.

~ Hello! Here, I would like to tell you about the really interesting story. This story is about a girl who always wants to go away from her family because of her parents' character. You know, when people are teenagers they don't like most of the things in their life, especially if they are pressured.

So, one day she wanted to play with the children outside, but her parents didn't allow her to go outside. That time that girl didn't understand why they don't allow her to go outside and to play with children. And one day she decided to go out without permission and after about an hour she returns home with tears in her eyes.

When she went to her neighbour's home, children let the tied dog go after her, and the girl ran away without looking back in fear. However, that time she didn't understand that her parents always protected her from situations like that.

After a few years, she completed high school and wanted to be a hairdresser, but her parents told her to be a doctor, because they thought that a hairdresser is not suitable for a girl. The girl reluctantly applied for a doctorate, and after completing the university she began to earn money, but still didn't realize how much good her parents had done for her.

One day when she was going to home after work she saw a bunch of children who was suffering a parrot. They made it to say "Ola". So she saved the parrot from the children and brought it at home. And she really loved this parrot and always wanted to protect. That is why she put the parrot in the cage.

But parrot escaped from the cage and the hunters shot him and wounded its wing. When the girl found out about this, she immediately brought the parrot at home and treated it. After a few days, in the morning, the girl saw a handsome young man instead of the parrot. The young man told the girl that he had been bewitched by a witch and he would be free from the witch if someone protected her from the bad things, gave him all the love, and saved him.

Then the girl realized how much her parents had given her love, and she was very grateful to them. The young man promised to marry the girl and make her always happy. So they intended to raise their children with the same love, later on.

The end.

It was a warm summer night, and three kittens-black, gray, and white-were playing outside. They were hopping, running, and catching each other, when suddenly they noticed a little mouse crawling past them. The kittens were excited and without a moment's thought, they rushed after the mouse.

The mouse was cunning and jumped into a jar of flour. The kittens could not catch up with it and stayed where they were, looking around. But suddenly three white kittens started coming out of the jar! The kittens were amazed and could not believe their eyes.

The three white kittens saw the frog in the yard and rushed after it. The frog was quick and jumped into an old samovar pipe. The kittens didn't give up and rushed after it, but when they reached the pipe, three black kittens came out of it. The kittens were very surprised and could not understand what was happening.

The three black kittens saw a fish in the pond and rushed after it. They swam into the water, but could not catch the fish. When they got out of the pond, they were wet and dirty. The three wet kittens went home, and on the way they dried off and were as they were: black, gray, and white.

When they got home, they told their mother about their adventures. Mama cat was surprised and happy that her children were so brave and persistent. She gave them milk and put them to bed. The kittens fell asleep, tired but happy, dreaming of the new adventures that awaited them tomorrow morning.

The next morning the kittens woke up early and immediately went outside. They wanted to repeat their adventures of the previous night and see what else they could catch.

First they found a little frog and rushed after it. The frog was faster than the kittens and was able to get away from them. But that didn't stop the kittens, and they went on to find other adventures.

They heard a noise in the bushes and decided to check it out. There they saw a big red cat strolling lazily down the street. The kittens were a little frightened and decided to approach him carefully.

As they approached the red cat, he turned around and saw them. The kittens were ready to run, but the red cat smiled at them and said: "Hello, little ones, I saw you playing last night. Would you like to join me and play together?"

The kittens were very excited, and they joined the red cat. They ran and jumped and played hide-and-seek and caught mice. The red cat turned out to be very friendly and caring, and the kittens were happy to have found a new friend.

In the evening, when the kittens returned home, they told their mother about their new adventures. She was very happy that they had found new friends and promised them that they could play with the red cat whenever they wanted.

The kittens ate dinner and went to sleep, tired but happy with their new adventures and new friends. They knew that tomorrow would be full of new opportunities and new adventures, and they couldn't wait to go outside again.

The next day, the kittens woke up early in the morning, looking forward to new adventures. They quickly ate their breakfast and ran outside, where the red cat was already waiting for them.

They started playing hide-and-seek and catching mice, just like yesterday. But then the red cat offered them a new game. He said they had to find a hidden chest that he had hidden somewhere in town. The kittens were excited about this game and immediately accepted the challenge.

They began searching all over town for the chest, stopping only to eat and rest. Finally, when they were ready to give up, they heard a faint sound coming from underground.

The kittens hurried to the sound and found that it was coming from under the manhole cover. They opened the hatch and went downstairs, where they found the chest they had been looking for so long.

The red cat was very pleased when the kittens returned with the chest, and he rewarded them with pieces of fish. The kittens were very happy that they had found the chest, and they were proud of their accomplishment.

When they got home, they told their mother about their adventure, and she was very proud of them. She said that they had become very brave and clever kittens, and that she loved them very much.

The kittens went to bed, tired but happy with their new adventures and new friends. They knew that tomorrow would be full of new opportunities and new adventures, and they couldn't wait to go outside again in search of new adventures.

One time my mother went to the market to buy meat. The girls were left alone at home. When they left, their mother told them to behave themselves, not to touch anything, not to play with matches, not to climb on windowsills, not to go out on stairs, not to torment the kitten. And she promised to bring them each an orange.
The girls closed the door behind their mother with a chain and thought, "What should we do?" They thought, "The best thing is to sit down and draw." They took out their notebooks and colored pencils, sat down at the table and draw. And more and more they draw oranges. They, you know, very easy to draw: some potato smeared with a red pencil, and - finished it - an orange.
Then Talia got tired of drawing, she said:
- You know, let's write better. Do you want me to write the word "orange"?
- "Write it," says Julia.
Talia thinks about it, tilts her head a little, and then slobbers her pencil and - that's it - she writes:
"OPELSIN"
And Julia wrote two or three letters, too, which she knew how to do.
Then Talia said:
- And I'm not just a pencil, but I can write in ink, too. You don't believe me? Do you want me to write?
Julia says:
- Where are you going to get ink?
- My daddy has as much as he wants on his desk. A whole jar.
- Yes," says Julia, "but Mama wouldn't let us touch it on the table.
Talia says:
- What's the big deal! She didn't say anything about ink. It's not matches, it's ink.
So Talia ran to Daddy's room and got ink and a quill. And began to write. And even though she could write, she wasn't very good at it. She started to dip the quill in the bottle and knocked the bottle over. And all the ink poured out on the tablecloth. And the tablecloth was clean, white, just laid.
The girls gasped.
The Julia even almost fell off her chair on the floor.
- Oh," she said, "oh... Oh... ...what a stain!...

And the stain keeps getting bigger and bigger, growing and growing. Almost halfway down the tablecloth they put the blot.
The Julia turned pale and said:
- Oh, Talia, we're going to get in trouble!
But Talia knows she's going to get it. She stands there too - almost crying. Then she thinks about it, scratches her nose and says:
- You know, let's say the cat spilled the ink!
Julia says:
- Yes, but it's not good to lie, Talia.
- I know it's not good myself. What shall we do then?
Julia says:
- You know what? Let's wash the tablecloth!

Talia even liked it. She says:
- Let's do it. But what to wash it in?
Julia says:
- Come on, you know, in the doll's bathtub.
- Silly. Would a tablecloth fit in a doll's tub? Come on, get the trough over here!
- Is it real?
- Well, of course it's real.
Julia got scared. She said:
- Talia, Mama wouldn't let us...
Talia says:
- She didn't say anything about a trough. The trough is not a match. Come on, hurry up...
The girls ran into the kitchen, took the trough off the nail, poured water from the tap and dragged it into the room. They brought a stool. They put the trough on a stool.
The Julia is tired - can barely breathe.
And Talia won't let her rest.
- "Come on," she says, "hurry up and get the soap!
Julia runs off. She brings the soap.
- She needs more blue. Get the blue soap!
Julia Runs off to look for blue. She can't find it anywhere.
She comes running:
- There's no blue.
And Talia takes the tablecloth off the table and dips it in the water. It's scary to put a dry tablecloth in wet water. She dipped it down. Then she says:
- "Don't get blue.
Julia looked, and the water in the trough was blue.

Talia says:
- See, it's even good that the stain was set. You can do your laundry without the blue.
Then she says:
- Oh, Julia!
- What?" says Julia.
- The water is cold.
- So what?
- You don't wash laundry in cold water. You only rinse in cold water.
Julia says:
- That's all right, let's rinse then.
Julia Girl gets scared: what if Talia makes her boil water too. Talia began to soap the tablecloth with soap. Then she began to squeeze it, as she should. And the water gets darker and darker.
Julia says:
- "Well, I guess you can squeeze it out.
- "Well, let's see," says Talia.
The girls take the tablecloth out of the trough. And there are only two little white spots on the tablecloth. And the whole tablecloth is blue.
- Oh - says Talia. - We have to change the water. Get some clean water as soon as possible.
Julia says:
- No, you get it now. I want to wash, too.
Talia says:
- No way! I put the stain on, I'll do it too.
Julia says:
- No, now I will.
- No, you won't!
- Yes, I will!
Julia cried and clutched at the trough with both hands. And Talia grabbed the other end. And the trough swung like a cradle or a swing.
- You'd better go away! - shouted Talia. - Go away, I swear, or I'll splash water at you.
The Julia, perhaps, was afraid that she would really splash, - she jumped off, let the trough go, and at that time Talia yanked it - it rolled over, off the stool - and onto the floor. And, of course, water came out of it on the floor, too. And it flowed in all directions.

That's where the girls got really scared.
Julia even stopped crying with fear.
And the water was all over the room - under the table, and the closet, and under the piano, and under the chairs, and under the couch, and a bookcase, and everywhere else it can flow. Even in the next room little streams ran.
The girls came to their senses, ran and scurried about:
- Ow! Ow! Ow!...
And in the next room at that time asleep on the floor kitty Fluff. As he saw that the water was flowing underneath him - he jumped up and started running around the apartment like a madman.
- Meow! Meow! Meow!
The girls run, and the kitten runs. The girls are screaming and the kitten is screaming. The girls don't know what to do, and the kitten doesn't know what to do either.
Talia climbed on the stool and screamed:
- Julia! Get on the stool! Hurry up! You'll get wet.
And Julia is so scared that she can't even get on the chair. Standing like a chicken, shrinking and just shaking her head:
- Ow! Ow! Ow!
And suddenly the girls hear a bell.
Talia goes pale and says:
- Mama's coming.


And Julia Girl hears it herself. She shrank even more, looked at Talia and said:
- Well, now we're going to have to...
And in the hallway again:
"Zing!"
And again:
"Zing! Zing!"

Talia says:

- Julia, honey, open up, please.

- Yes, thank you," says Belochka. - Why should I?

- Well, Julia, well, honey, well, you're still closer. I'm on the stool, and you're on the floor.

Julia says:

- I can get on the stool, too.

Then Talia sees that she has to open the door anyway, so she jumps off the stool and says:

- You know what? Let's say that the cat knocked over the trough!

Julia says:

- No, it's better, you know, let's wipe the floor as soon as possible!

Talia thought about it and says:

- Well... Let's try. Maybe mom won't notice...

And then the girls started running again. Talia grabbed a wet tablecloth and started wiggling it on the floor. And Belochka, like a little tail, runs after her, fussing and only knows what to do:

- Ow! Ow! Ow!

Talia tells her:

- You'd better not ooze, but rather drag the trough to the kitchen.

The poor Julia dragged the trough. And Talia says to her:

- And take the soap too.

- Where is the soap?

- Can't you see it? It's floating under the piano.

And the bell rings again:

"Dz-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z!"

- Well," says Talia. - I think we'd better go. I'll open it, and you, Julia, hurry up and wipe the floor. Make sure there's not a spot left.

Julia says:

- Talia, where will you put the tablecloth afterwards? On the table?

- Silly. Why put it on the table? Shove it - you know where? Shove it under the couch. When it's dry, we'll iron it and put it on the bed.

And so Talia went to open it. She doesn't want to go. Her legs are trembling and her hands are shaking. She stopped at the door, stood, listened, sighed and asked in a thin voice:

- "Mommy, is that you?

Mommy comes in and says:

- My God, what happened?

Talia says:
- Nothing happened.
- So what took you so long...? I must have been calling and knocking for twenty minutes.
- And I didn't hear it," Talia says.
Mom says:
- I was thinking God knows what... I thought that thieves broke in or wolves ate you.
- No," says Talia, "nobody ate us.
Mother takes the net with the meat to the kitchen, then comes back and asks:
- And where is Julia?
Talia says:
- Julia? And Julia... I don't know, somewhere over there, I think... in the big room... doing something, I don't know...
Mother looked at Talia with surprise and said:
- Listen, Talia, why are your hands so dirty? And there are some spots on your face!
Talia touched her nose and said:
- And we painted it.
- Did you draw with coal or mud?
- No, - says Talia, - we drew with pencils.
And Mum gets undressed and goes into the big room. She comes in and sees that all the furniture in the room is displaced, turned upside down, you can't tell where the table is, where the chair is, where the sofa is, where the bookcase is... And squatting under the piano, Julia crawls and does something there and cries at the top of her voice.
Mama stopped at the door and said:
- Julia! Daughter! What are you doing there?
Julia crawled out from under the piano and
- Я?
And she is filthy-dirty, and her face is dirty, and there are spots on her nose, too.
Talia didn't let her answer. She said:
- And we wanted to help you, Mommy, to wash the floor.
Mom was glad and said:
- "Thank you!
Then she came to Julia, bent down and asked:
- And what is it, I wonder, my daughter washes the floor?

I looked and clutched my head:
- "Oh, my God! - she said. - Look at this! She's mopping the floor with a handkerchief, isn't she?
Talia said:
- Ew, she's silly!
And my mother says:
- Yes, it is really called - help me.
And Julia cried even louder under her piano and said:
- That's not true, Mommy. We are not helping you. We knocked over the trough.
Mama sat down on the stool and said:
- That's all we need. What trough?
Julia says:
- The real one... The iron one.
- And how, I wonder, did it get here - the trough?
Julia says:
- We were washing a tablecloth.
- What tablecloth? Where is it? Why did you wash it? It was clean, just laid yesterday.
- And we accidentally spilled ink on it.
- That doesn't make it any easier. What ink? [Where did you get it?

Julia looked at Talia and said:
- We brought it from Daddy's room.
- And who let you?
The girls looked at each other and said nothing.
Mom sat, thought about it, frowned and said:
- Well, what am I going to do with you now?
The girls both cried and said:
- Punish us.
Mama said:
- Do you really want me to punish you?
The girls say:
- No, not very much.
- What do you think I should punish you for?
- Because we were probably scrubbing the floor.
- No," says mom, "I will not punish you for that.
- Well, then for doing the laundry.
- No," says Mama. - I won't punish you for that either. And I won't punish you for spilling ink either. And I won't punish you for writing in ink, either. But for taking the inkwell from Daddy's room without asking - you really should be punished for that. After all, if you were obedient girls and did not get into daddy's room, you would not have had to scrub the floor, or wash the laundry, or overturn the trough. And you wouldn't have had to lie, either. Why, Talia, don't you know why your nose is dirty?
Talia says:
- Of course I do.
- So why didn't you say so in the first place?
Talia says:
- I was afraid.
- And that's what's wrong," says Mom. - If you managed to make a mistake, you should answer for your sins. If you made a mistake, don't run away with your tail between your legs, but fix it.
- We wanted to correct it, - says Talia.
- We wanted to, but we failed, - says mom.
Then she looked and said:
- And where, I don't see, is the tablecloth located?
Julia says:
- It's under the couch.
- What is it doing under the couch?
- It's drying there.
Mom took the tablecloth out from under the couch and sat on the stool again.

- Oh, my God! - Says. - Oh, my God! That was such a pretty tablecloth! And look what she turned into. It's not a tablecloth, it's some kind of floor cloth.
The girls cried even louder and their mother said:
-Yes, my darling daughters, you've caused me a lot of trouble. I'm tired, I thought to rest - I was only going to do a lot of laundry next Saturday, and now I'll have to do it. Come on, you loser laundresses, take off your dresses!
The girls are scared. They said:
- Why?
- Why? Because they don't wash laundry in clean dresses, they don't wash floors, and they don't work at all. Put on your robes and follow me to the kitchen...
While the girls were changing, their mother managed to light the gas in the kitchen and put three big pots on the stove: one had water in it to wash the floor, the second - to boil the laundry, and the third, separately - a tablecloth.
The girls say:
- Why did you put it separately? It's not her fault she got dirty.
Mother says:
- Yes, of course it's not her fault, but still have to wash it alone. Otherwise all our laundry will turn blue. In fact, I don't think this tablecloth is going to wash. We'll probably have to paint it blue.
The girls say:
- "Oh, how beautiful it will be!
- No," says Mama, "I don't think it would be very pretty. If it were really pretty, people would probably put blotches on their tablecloths every day.
Then he says:
- Well, enough talk, take a rag each and let's go mop the floor.
The girls say:
- For real?

Mom says:
- What did you think? You've already washed the floor playfully, now let's do it for real.
And so the girls began to really clean the floor.
Mom gave them each a corner and said:
- Look how I wash it, and you do it too. Where you have washed it, do not walk on it. Don't leave puddles on the floor, wipe them dry. One, two, two, go...
My mother rolled up her sleeves, tucked up her hem and went to wave the wet rag. And so deftly, so fast, that the girls could hardly keep up with her. And, of course, they don't do as well as my mother. But still they try. Julia even got up on her knees for comfort.

Mom says to her:
- Julia, you should also lie down on your stomach. If you get so dirty, we'll have to wash you in the trough later, too.
Then she says:
- Run into the kitchen and see if the water is boiling in the laundry tank.
Julia says:
- Well, how do you know if it's boiling or not boiling?
Mom says:
- If it gurgles, it's boiling; if it doesn't gurgle, it's not boiling yet.
Julia ran to the kitchen and comes running:
- Mommy, it's bubbling, it's bubbling!
Mommy says:
- It's not mommy gurgling, it's water gurgling, right?
Then Mommy came out of the room for something, and Julia says to Talia:
- Do you know? And I saw oranges!
Talia says:
- Where?
- In the net where the meat is hanging. Do you know how many? Three of them.
Talia says:
- Yes. We'll have oranges now. Wait for it.

Then my mother comes in and says:
- Come on, you rinseers, get your buckets and rags - we're going to the kitchen to do the laundry.
The girls say:
- For real?
Mom says:
- Now you're going to do everything for real.
And the girls, together with their mother, did the laundry for real. Then they really rinsed it. They really wrung it out. And they really hung it up in the attic on ropes to dry.
And when they finished working and came home, Mom fed them dinner. And never in their lives had they eaten as happily as they had on that day. They had soup and porridge and black bread sprinkled with salt.
And when they had eaten their supper, Mother brought a net from the kitchen and said:
- Well, now I guess you can each have an orange.
The girls said:
- Who wants the third one?
Mother said:
- Oh, is that so? You already know there's a third one?
The girls say:
- And the third one, Mommy, do you know who? The third - the biggest one - is for you.
- No, daughters, - said the mother. - Thank you. I think the smallest one will be enough for me. After all, you worked twice as hard today as I did. Haven't you? You scrubbed the floor twice. And washed the tablecloth twice...

Julia says:
- But they only spilled the ink once.
Mom says:
- Well, you know, if you spilled ink twice, I'd punish you like that...
Julia says:
- Yeah, but you didn't punish you after all, did you?
Mom says:
- Wait, maybe I'll punish you too.
But the girls can see: no, she will not punish now, if she has not punished before.
They hugged their mother, kissed her, and then they thought about it and chose for her - though not the biggest, but still the best orange.
And they were right.