Bilal's Bedtime Stories (part Three)

She Learnt Her Lesson

For the last few days, mother was getting worried about Shyrose. Shyrose was a beautiful young girl. She was good in many ways. But she was a tell tale. Often in the evening she would be playing with the children of her own age and suddenly she would come into the house screaming "I will never play with you again. You are horrid children."

She would go and cry in her mother's lap and her mother would pamper her. One day her mother wondered. Why is she always crying? Are the kids really horrid? No. It can't be. All of them cannot be bad, she complains about all so something must be wrong with her. I should not pamper her anymore.

The next day when Shyrose had gone out, her mother called in ail the girls and boys of the neighbourhood and made them sit. She gave them some sweets and was very nice to them. She wanted to show them that Shyrose's complaints had not affected her.

Then she said, "do you like Shyrose? She is your friend, Isn't she?" One of the girls said; "Well we like her, yes, we do." But there was something in her voice which showed that mother wanted to say more, so she said, "Go on, speak up" and the girl said, "It is only that if she wasn't a tell tale, we would have liked her more. The moment we tell her something she runs into the house saying; 'I WILL TELL MY MUM".

Then Shyrose's mother said softly, "That is why I have called you all. Let us do something to change her. I have got a good plan and I am sure it will work. Here, come closer. Let me tell you". She told them the plan and it was put into action the same afternoon.

All the children were happily playing in the lane when Shyrose came with her red ball in her hands. She was full of energy.and wanted all the children to play with her. As she came down, she saw her friend Sarah and shouted, "Sarah! Sarah! Look at my new red ball. Isn't it just super?" She was shocked to see Sarah turning herself away from Shyrose instead of commenting on the ball.

She went to another of her friends and happily told her, how she got the ball and she found that the friend turned her face away from Shyrose. She felt that they were being horrid to her and that they were jealous because she had a new ball. Clinching her teeth together she said. "Let them be jealous.

They can't have my new ball." She went to another girl and she found that the same was the case. One by one, all turned away their faces and the last one said out loudly, "Have you all heard what she had told us yesterday? She said; we are all horrid and she would tell her mum all about us. Let her do It then." And all the children Shouted In a chorus "Tell-Tale, Tell-Tale, Tell-Ta!e," and off ran Shyrose, with a bucketful of tears flowing from her eyes.

She entered the door and saw her mum sitting on the chair with some knittng. Her mother would usually come running to the door when she saw Shyrose crying and would pamper her and make her quiet. But today Shyrose had a different mum. She had no smile on her face. She was sad and ashamed to have a tell- tale daughter.

Shyrose saw that her mother did not welcome her and thought that may be she hadn't heard her coming in, so she screamed louder. Yet, her mother took no notice. Shyrose went over to her mother saying "Mummy! Mummy!" But she was shocked to hear her mother's stern voice, a voice which she rarely used, saying; "Don't disturb me, Shyrose, I am busy." "But mummy, the chldren always make me cry and they are horrid to me.

They wouldn't even listen about my beautiful redball," .Her mother said sternly, "Shyrose do you ever try to look at your faults? Would all of them be horrid and bad to you? What do they have against you?" "Mummy they were bad to me.

They all turned their backs to me", said Shyrose. "Yes, Shyrose," said her mother, now in a softer and kinder tone. "I was talking to them and they told me that they all liked you, and would like you much better, if you weren't a tell tale. You have to admit it. You always come in running and bring up new tales. You call them horrid, when they are not, and so today, they were giving you a lesson by showing you what is horridness in the true sense.

Do you understand, my dear?" Shyrose remained silent for a while and then spoke; "Yes, mummy. It is true. They are nice. They love me but I call them by unkind names. Let me go to them and apologize." She ran out, having a beautiful smile on her face. It was a new Shyrose, a happy and kind Shyrose, who would never tell tales again.