The Sweet Reward of Honesty

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a boy named Ravi. Ravi loved to play in the fields with his friends. One day, while playing, Ravi found a shiny red apple under a tree. It looked so yummy!

Ravi took the apple and thought, 'I will eat it all by myself.' But then, Ravi remembered something his mother always said, 'Honesty makes us happy and keeps our hearts light.'

So, Ravi went to his friend, Meera, and asked, 'Did you lose an apple? I found this near the tree.' Meera's face lit up. 'Yes, Ravi! That is my apple! I was saving it for lunch. Thank you!' she said.

Ravi gave Meera her apple. Meera smiled and gave Ravi half of her apple. 'You are so honest, Ravi! Let's share,' she said. They both enjoyed the apple together, and it tasted even sweeter because they were happy.

The next day, Ravi's friend, Kiran, lost his favorite toy car. He looked very sad. Ravi remembered how good it felt to be honest. So, Ravi helped Kiran look for the toy car. After some time, Ravi found the car behind a bush and quickly gave it back to Kiran.

Kiran hugged Ravi and said, 'You are always honest and helpful, Ravi! Thank you!' Ravi felt very happy and proud. He knew that being honest was the right thing to do. It made everyone smile, and it made his heart feel warm.

From that day on, Ravi always chose to be honest. He knew that telling the truth and being helpful made life better for everyone. And Ravi's friends loved him even more because they could always trust him.

And that, dear children, is why honesty is so wonderful. It makes our hearts light, our smiles bright, and our friends happy.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi