Run, Jamun, Run!
This delightful story comes from the creative mind of Ayank, a budding storyteller who loves to make up adventures. As his parent, I helped put his words to paper, but the heart and soul of this tale belong entirely to him.
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Jamun. He was a super lazy boy. He would call his mom to come and take off his blanket and carry him to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Thatās how lazy he was!
After his mom finished brushing his teeth, she had to carry him and put him on the couch because he didnāt even want to walk there himself. No matter how much his parents tried to teach him not to be lazy, he never listened. And you know what? He didnāt even care! He wanted to stay lazy forever.
His friends, Rambunash and Hambunash, tried to get him to come outside and play. But nope! He said no every time. Instead, he told them to come inside and sit with him on the couch and read stories to him. Lazy, right?
Then, at school, there was a running race. Everyone had to run. No one could skip it, not even Jamun. He didnāt like that. He thought, āIāll just walk super slowly and pretend Iām running.ā So, when all the kids got to the starting line, Jamun was there too. The teacher blew the whistle, and all the kids ran really, really fast! But Jamun? He just walked slowly and smiled, looking around like he didnāt care.
Then something funny happened. There was a puppy on the side, all tied up, watching the kids. When the puppy saw everyone running, it got super excited, broke free, and ran toward Jamun! Jamun was the only one walking, so the puppy went straight to him. Jamun didnāt know what to do. He had never played with a dog before! When he saw the puppy running toward him, he got scared and started running as fast as he could. He ran so fast, faster than anyone else, because he wanted to get away from the puppy!
Guess what? Jamun finished the race first! Everyone was clapping and cheering, āJamun! Jamun!ā He couldnāt believe it. His mom and dad came running to him and said, āYou did it!ā Jamun smiled and winked at his mom and said, āI planned this all along!ā But his mom knew he was just saying that. She was happy he won anyway.
After that day, everyone in school told the story of how Jamun stopped being lazy and became the best runner. And Jamun? He wasnāt the lazy boy anymore. He was the fastest runner in school!