OGEFASH’S TALES
THE SHINY PURPLE BOY
ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE LIVED A BOY CALLED PETER. PETER WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD., HE HAD A SISTER CALLED SOPHIA. PETER AND SOPHIA WERE THE ONLY KIDS OF THEIR PARENTS. EVERYBODY LOVED PETER BECAUSE HE WAS INTELLIGENT, POLITE, HONEST, AND SMART FOR HIS AGE. PETER LOVED TO PLAY BALL; THAT WAS HIS HOBBY, BUT HE DIDN’T HAVE A BALL. PETER’S PARENTS WERE NOT TOO RICH, BUT THEY KNEW PETER LOVED TO PLAY BALL AND WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ONE.
ONEDAY, PETER’S FATHER CALLED HIM AND ASKED “PETER, WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO HAVE AS A BIRTHDAY GIFT” AND PETER REPLIED “OH DADDY, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A VERY BIG PURPLE BALL. SO, PETER’S FATHER NODDED HIS HEAD AND REITERATED “A VERY BIG PURPLE BALL”.
ON PERER’S BIRTHDAY, HIS FATHER CALLED HIM AND SAID “HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON!”. PETER’S FATYHER STRETCHED OUT HIS HAND AND SAID TO PETER “ TAKE THIS, I DON’T HAVE MONEY FOR A VERY BIG BALL, BUT I KNOW THAT THIS MONEY WOULD GET YOU A BALL, EVEN IF IT IS A SMALL ONE” PETER WANTED A BIG BALL, BUT THAT DIDN’T STOP HIM FROM COLLECTING THE MONEY FROM HIS FATHER. HE WAS INDEED THANKFUL. SO QUICKLY, PETER WENT TO THE MARKET TO BUY A BALL.
WHEN PETER GOT TO THE MARKET, HE SAW MANY EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL BALLS. HE SAW A RED BALL, A PURPLE BALL, A WHITE BALL, A GREEN BALL WITH ALL SORTS OF BEAUTIFUL DESIGNS. BUT PETER’S MIND WENT FOR NOT JUST A PURPLE BALL, BUT A VERY BIG PURPLE BALL.
FINALLY, A PARTICULAR BALL CAUGHT PETER’S ATTENTION. IT WAS A BIG PURPLE BALL WITH GOLD DESIGNS. IT WAS INDEED SHINY. PETER KEPT ON LOOKING AT THE BALL, BUT THEN ALSO LOOKED AT HIS HAND. HE KNEW HIS FATHER HAD MADE AN EFFORT BY GIVING HIM MONEY FOR BALL, EVEN THOUGH IT COULDN’T BUY THE VERY BIG PURPLE BALL THAT CAUGHT HIS ATTENTION. SHPWING CONTENTION, PETER WENT FOR THE SMALL PURPLE BALL, PAID FOR IT AND TOOK IT ALONG WITH HIM.
ON HIS WAY HOME, PETER STARTED PLAYING THE BALL ON THE ROAD UNTIL IT FELL INTO A BIG HOLE. SO, PETER WENT CLOSE TO WHERE THE HOLE WAS AND HE NOTICED THAT HE WAS EXTREMLY DEEP. HE COULDN’T EVEN SEE HIS BALL AGAIN. SO, PETER WAS FILLED WITH TEARS.
SO, PETER LOOKED FOR PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. HE TOLD THE DADDIES, MUMMIES, UNCLES, AUNTIES, BOYS, GIRLS, ALL CHILDREN; INFACT ALMOST EVERYBODY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR A WAY TO GET HIS BALL THAT FELL INTO THE BIG HOLE. FINALLY, A YOUNG MAN APPROACHED PETER AND SAID “YOUNG BOY, I AM SO SORRY ABOUT YOUR BALL, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, YOUR BALL WOULD BE BROUGHT OUT FROM THE BIG HOLE AT THE END OF THE MONTH. BECAUSE, EVERY END OF THE MONTH, ALL THE ITEMS IN THE BIG HOLE ARE RETRIEVED WHILE THE OWNERS STANDBY TO COLLECT THERIS. BUT PETER WAS SAD, HE NEEDED THE BALL AND WANTED TO TAKE IT HOME TO PLAY AS WELL AS SHOW HIS FAMILY, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO.
CONCLUDING PART
SO, PETER WENT HOME SWOLLEN. HIS PARENTS AND SISTERS ASKED HIM, WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM. PETER TOLD HIS PARENTS WHAT HAPPENED, BUT THEN, THEY COULD NOT AFFORD MONEY FOR A BALL. SO, HIS PARENTS TOLD HIM TO BE PATIENT AND GO GET HIS BALL AT THE END OF THE MONTH. LUCKILY FOR PETER, THE MONTH END WAS JUST A WEEK AWAY. FINALLY, THE END OF THE MONTH CAME AND PETER WENT TO GET HIS BALL. ON GETTING THER, PETER SAW THAT ALL THE ITEMS IN THE BIG HOLE HOLE WERE ALREADY PACK OUT. SO THE YOUNG MAN HE HAD MET THE OTHER DAY WAS PICKING EACH ITEM AND CALLING THE OWNERS TO GET THEIR ITEM. SO THE YOUNG MAN PICKED A WRISTWATCH AND ASKED “WHO OWNS THIS?”, THE OWNER CAME AND GRABBED IT. HE AGAIN PICKED A CAP AND SAID “WHO OWNS THIS?”, THE OWNER CAME AND GRABBED IT. THIS HE DID FOR SO MANY ITEMS UNTIL HE GOT TO THE SHINY BIG PURPLE BALL THAT PETER WANTED TO BUY THE OTHER DAY BUT DIDN’T HAVE MONEY TO. SO, THE YOUNG MAN PICKED UP THE BALL AND SAID “WHO OWNS THIS?” BUT HE GOT NO REPLY. HE ASKED THE SECOND TIME BUT THERE WAS STILL NO REPLY. SO , ON THE THIRD CALL, PETER LOVING THE BALL SO MUCH, FELT THE NEED TO CLAIM THE BALL SINCE THERE WAS NO OWNER. SO, PETER RAN FORWARD AND CLAIMED THE BALL, BUT THEN HIS CONSCIENCE PRICKED HIM. HE KNEW HE DOESN’T TELL LIES, PICK PEOPLE’S THINGS AND HAD A SMALL PURPLE BALL, BUT NOT A SHINY BIG PURPLE BALL LIKE THE ONE HE WAS HOLDING. IMMEDIATELY, PETER DROPPED THE BALL AND APOLOGIZED TO THE YOUNG MAN. “ I AM SORRY SIR, THIS IS NOT MY BALL” PETER SAID. SO PETER RETURNED TO WHERE HE STOOD INITIALLY, WAITING FOR THEM TO PICK HIS BALL AND CALL FOR THE OWNER.
THE YOUNG MAN AGAIN, PICKED UP THE SHINY BIG PURPLE BALL AND SAID “FOR THE LAST TIME, WHO OWNS THIS BALL?”. A YOUNG BOY, ABOUT THE AGE OF PETER, FELT THE NEED TO CLAIM THE BALL “OH, THAT’S MY BALL, THAT’S MY BALL, CAN I HAVE THE BALL” HE SAID. “WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG” THE YOUNG MAN ASKED. “OH, I AM SO SORRY” THE YONG BOY REPLIED. THE YOUNG MAN HANDED HIM THE BALL AND THEN HE WENT HIS WAY.
FINALLY, THE YOUNG MAN PICKED PETER’S BALL AND ASKED “WHO OWNS THIS BALL?”. PETER IMMEDIATELY STEEPED FORWARD AND COLLECTED HIS BALL.
MEANWHILE, THE YOUNG BOY THAT LIED ABOUT THE SHINY BIG PURPLE BALL, ON HIS WAY HOME, SOME MASQUERADES APPEARED TO HIM AND FLOGGED HIM NON STOP. HE RAN HOME SHOUTING AND CONFESSED TO HIS PARENTS THAT HE HAD LIED ABOUT A BALL. SO, HE AND HIS PARENTS RETURNED TO WHERE HE HAD LIED. HE CONFESSED AND SWORE NEVER TO TELL LIES AGAIN BEFORE THE BEATING STOPPED.
THE END
QUESTION?
SO HELLO CHILDREN, WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS STORY?, DISCUSS WITH YOUR TEACHERS AND PARENTS.