Honesty's reward

Told in English, Telugu.

In a little village near the Godavari river, there lived a girl called Chinni. She was five years old. She had two long plaits, and she loved guavas more than anything in the world.

Every Thursday, there was a market in the village. There were heaps of brinjals and bananas, piles of bright red chillies, and glass bangles that sparkled in the sun. Chinni held Amma's hand and skipped all the way there.

At the corner of the market sat old Rangayya tata, under a big black umbrella. His basket was full of green guavas, round and shiny. Chinni gave him a coin, and he gave her two guavas with a big smile.

Then Rangayya tata packed up his basket, picked up his umbrella, and walked slowly home. But he did not see that his little cloth bag had slipped from his lap. It lay on the ground near the umbrella pole.

Chinni saw it. She picked it up. Clink, clink, went the coins inside. It was heavy.

Chinni thought, with all these coins, I could buy a red ribbon. I could buy a hot, sticky jalebi. I could buy ten jalebis!

But then she remembered what Nanamma always said at bedtime.

Tell the truth and do what's right, and your heart will feel so light.

Chinni looked at the bag. It was not hers. It was Rangayya tata's. He had sat in the sun all day to earn those coins.

"Amma," she said, "tata dropped his bag. We must give it back!"

Amma smiled, and together they hurried down the dusty road. "Tata! Tata! Wait!" called Chinni.

Rangayya tata turned around. His face looked worried. He was patting his pockets and looking at the ground. "Oh, my bag is gone," he said softly. "All my money from today was in it. I need it to buy rice for my home."

Chinni held up the little cloth bag. "Here it is, tata. It fell near your umbrella."

Rangayya tata's worried face turned into the biggest smile Chinni had ever seen. He held the bag close. "Thank you, my child. You have a good, true heart."

And Chinni felt something warm inside, just like Nanamma said.

Tell the truth and do what's right, and your heart will feel so light.

Can you say it with me?

The very next Thursday, when Chinni came to the market, Rangayya tata waved to her. From under his basket, he took out one special guava. It was the biggest, the roundest, and the sweetest of them all.

"I kept this one just for you," he said. "For my honest Chinni."

And from that day, every single Thursday, there was a special guava waiting for Chinni. Soon tata even let her help him. She sat beside him under the big umbrella and handed guavas to the people, one by one. Tata trusted her, because he knew she was honest.

That night, Chinni told Nanamma the whole story. Nanamma hugged her tight and kissed her forehead.

"Do you know, Chinni," said Nanamma, "the guava is sweet. But the best reward is that tata trusts you now. That is sweeter than any guava."

Chinni smiled sleepily, and whispered the words one more time.

Tell the truth and do what's right, and your heart will feel so light.

Good night, little one.