FAIRY TALES

1; SONPARI
SWEETY WAS A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL . SHE HAD A LOVING FATHER AND A GRANDMOTHER WHO
DOTINGLY CARED FOR HER . THEY LOVED HER A LOT A LOT AND KEPT HER AS HAPPY AS THEY COULD
. BUT EVERY NIGHT , SWEETY WOULD CRY IN HER BED . SHE HAD LOST HER MOTHER WHEN SHE
WAS A BABY . NOW SHE MISSED HER MOTHER VERY MUCH . SHE WOULD LOOK AT HER MOTHER’S
PHOTOGRAPH ON THE BEDSIDE AND WISE THAT HER MOTHER WAS THERE WITH HER .
GRANDMOTHER HAD TOLD HER , ‘’ SWEETY , YOUR MOTHER HAS BECOME A FAIRY IN THE HEAVEN .
SHE KEEEPS WATCHING YOU . SO YOU MUST NOT CRY OR ELSE SHE WILL FEEL SAD ‘’.

IN SCHOOL , SWEET HAD MANY FRIENDS BUT RITA AND RASHMI DID NOT LIKE HER . EVERYDAY THEY
WOULD DO SOME MISCHIEF TO TROUBLE SWEETY . ONE DAY SWEETY HAD BEEN ON THE VERGE OF
TEARS DUE TO RITA’S UNJUST BEHAVIOUR .

THAT NIGHT SHE WENT TO SLEEP THINKING ABOUT HER MOTHER . AS SHE SLEPT , SHE HAD A
DREAM . IN THE DREAM , SHE SAW A BEAUTIFUL LADY IN GOLDEN CLOTHES AND DIAMOND
JEWELRY . HER CRYSTAL WINGS WERE SHINING BRIGHTLY . A MAN IN A SILVER DRESS WAS BY HER
SIDE . THE LADY SAID ,’’SWEETY , I AM SONPARI . I LIVE IN THE FAIRYLAND WHICH IS NEXT TO THE
HEAVEN . I WAS TOLD BY GOD TO BE YOUR FAIRY GODMOTHER . THIS IS MY ASSISTANT CHANDRA .
WHENEVER YOU NEED ME , YOU MUST RUB THIS MAGIC CRYSTAL . I WILL BE THERE WITH CHANDRA
TO HELP AND PROTECT YOU . BUT REMEMBER NO ONE ELSE CAN SEE US EXCEPT YOU .’’

SWEETY WOKE UP AND SMILED TO HERSELF , ‘’OH ! WHAT A WONDERFUL DREAM I HAD . NOW , I
BETTER GET UP AND BE READY FOR SCHOOL .’’

BUT JUST AS SWEETY GOT OUT OF THE BED , SOMETHING SLIPPED FROM HER BED AND FELL ON THE
FLOOR . SWEETY’S EYES WIDENED WITH SURPRISE . IT WAS THE MAGIC CRYSTAL WHICH SHE HAD
SEEN IN THE DREEM . SHE REALIZED THAT HER DREAM HAD BEEN TRUE . TO TEST THE TRUTHFUL –
NESS OF SONPARI’S WORDS , SWEETY RUBBED THE MAGIC CRYSTAL AND SUDDENLY THERE WAS A
FLASH OF LIGHT AND SONPARI STOOD BEFORE HER WITH CHANDRA . ‘’WHAT HAPPENED , SWEETY ?
WHY DID YOU CALL ME ?’’ SONPARI ASKED . ‘’YOU WANTED TO CHEACK , DIDN’T YOU ?’’

SONPARI AND CHANDRA LAUGHED AND SWEETY SMILED IN EMBARRASSMENT . THEN SONPARI AND
CHANDRA VANISHED . SWEETY RUSHED TO GET READY FOR SCHOOL . SHE WAS EAGER TO TELL HER
FRIEND MONA ABOUT SONPARI , BUT JUST THEN SHE REMEMBERED SONPARI’S WORDS .

‘’I’LL COME TO HELP YOU BUT REMEMBER NO ONE CAN SEE US EXCEPT YOU .’’

SWEETY SIGHED , ‘’OH ! I GUESS NO ONE WOULD BELIEVE ME . I’LL HAVE TO KEEP THIS SECRET TO
MYSELF .’’
THAT DAY SWEETY WENT TO SCHOOL AS USUAL BUT HER HEART WAS FLUTTERING BECAUSE IT HID
A SECRET .

RITA AND RASHMI ENTERED THE CLASS . THEY SAW SWEETY AND STARTED MAKING A NEW PLAN TO
TEASE HER . SWEETY WENT OUT TO DRINK WATER . WHEN SHE RETURNED , THE TEACHER WAS
MAKING ON ANNOUNCEMENT , ‘’THIS WEEKEND , THE SCHOOL HAS ARRANGED FOR A PICNIC TRIP .
STUDENTS , WHO ARE INTERESTED TO GO FOR THE TRIP , THEY MUST ENROLL THEIR NAMES WITH
MRS.KHANNA AND DEPOSIT RS.500 ALONG WITH A LETTER OF CONSENT FROM THEIR PARENTS .’’

IN THE AFTER-NOON , SWEETY WENT HOME HAPPILY AND TOLD HER GRANDMA ABOUT THE PICNIC
TRIP . IN THE EVENING WHEN HER FATHER CAME HOME , SWEETY TOOK THE LETTER OF CONSENT
AND MONEY FOR THE TRIP FROM HIM . SHE WAS VERY EXCITED . THAT NIGHT SHE TOLD SONPARI
ABOUT THE TRIP .

VERY SOON THE WEEKEND ARRIVED . EARLY SATURDAY MORNING ,SWEETY REACHED THE SCHOOL
AND BOARDED THE BUS WITH OTHER CLASS-MATES . MRS.KHANNA AND MISS SHARMA WERE WITH
THEM . AFTER AN HOUR’S DRIVE , THE BUS HALTED NEAR WOODLANDS ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE
CITY . THE STUDENTS GOT DOWN AND DIVIDED INTO PAIRS . THEY WERE GIVEN A MAP , A PACKET
OF FOOD , A BOTTLE OF WATER AND A SET OF INSTRUCTION . THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW
THE PATH SHOWN ON THE MAP AND ASSEMBLE AT THE PICNIC POINT AFTER THREE HOURS .

LUCKLILY SWEETY WAS PAIRED WITH MONA . THEY STARTED CHATTING AND WENT ON THE
TRACK .RITA AND RASHMI SAW THEM LEAVE AND FOLLOWED THEM .

AS SWEETY AND MONA WALKED ON , THEY FOUND THEMSELVES ON THE EDGE OF A CLIFF . THEY
LOOKED DOWN AND SAW A GORGE WHICH WAS NEARLY A HUNDRED FEET DEEP . DOWN BELOW , A
RIVER FLOWED OVER HUGE BOULDERS . JUST THEN , MONA SAW A BEAUTIFUL BIRD ON A TREE
BRANCH . SHE WENT NEARER BUT IT FLEW OFF . MONA RAN AFTER IT . SWEETY WAS LEFT ALONE .
SHE WAITED FOR MONA TO RETURN .

RITA AND RASHMI HAD BEEN WATCHING ALL THIS HAPPENING . SO RITA SAID , ‘’RASHMI , LOOK,
SWEETY IS ALONE BY THAT CLIFF . LET US SCARE HER BY GIVING HER A PUSH . WE’LL CATCH HER
BEFORE SHE FALLS , SO IT WILL BE FUN TO SCARE HER .’’

SO RASHMI AND RITA APPROACHED HER STEALTHILY . SWEETY HAD HER BACK TOWARDS THEM .
RITA PUSHED SWEETY BUT UNFORTUNATELY RASHMI WAS LATE IN CATCHING HER . POOR SWEETY
FELL DOWN IN THE GORGE WITH A LOUD SCREAM . RASHMI AND RITA COULD NOT SEE SWEETY OR
HER BODY , DEEP DOWN THE GORGE . THEY WERE VERY SCARED . THEY HAD KILLED SWEETY .

JUST THEN THE BREEZE STARTED BLOWING FIERCELY . THE WETHER GREW DARK AND STORMY .
THEY SAW A SIGHT THAT FROZE THE