Fortune-teller

The monkey was the fortune-teller. But no one believed him. Everyone made fun of him.

The bear was his true friend. “I know they make fun of you. They think that no one can tell the future. But I know you can. Why don’t you predict the future of our beloved king?”

“No, I can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“If I tell him that on the full-moon night he will be captured by two-legged animals, he will kill me.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, I am certain. I have read his future. Some men will catch him and put him in a cage.”

“Then I think I we should surely tell the lion.”

They went to the lion’s den. He was asleep; after many days he had eaten a hearty meal.

They were scared to disturb him; they waited for him to wake up.

Suddenly one elephant came that way and trumpeted loudly. The lion woke up with a start.

He looked at the elephant, yawned and he slowly moved away. The bear and the monkey approached him timidly.

The bear said, “Sir, I think some men are coming to the forest to capture some animals.”

“How do know?”

“My friend, this monkey, is a fortune-teller. He is certain that on the full-moon night some men will come and lay traps. Some may may get trapped.”

“No one can come to our forest. And if anyone dares to come, I will tear him apart.”

“That you can do, no doubt. But I think it would be wiser if we took some precautions.”

“Well, that makes sense. Warn everyone. Everyone must remain alert on the full-moon night.”

On the full-moon night some men entered the forest silently, like ghosts. They laid traps at many places. The monkey was sitting near the lion. He whispered, “Sir, do you see those men? I had foretold that people will come to capture you.”

The lion glared at the monkey. He growled. The monkey fell silent

That night, not one animal got trapped. Everyone was alert and watchful.

In the morning everyone thanked the monkey.

“You are truly a good fortune-teller,” the lion patted the monkey.

The monkey was very happy. He knew that his reputation as a good fortune-teller had finally been established.

As the monkey entered his home, he was taken aback. A distant cousin was lying on his bed. The cousin smiled, “You must be feeling great, my fake fortune-teller?”

The monkey looked angrily at his cousin.

“If I had not heard those men talking about their plan to trap the lion and if I had not shared that information with you, what could you have done, my dear cousin?” the cousin asked.

The fortune-teller monkey was smiled, but he was terrified of his cousin.

 

Elephant in the Room

“Ma, there’s an elephant in my room,” the boy screamed.

Mother was busy preparing breakfast for everyone. She just ignored the boy.

“Maaaaaaa!”

“Ask your grandpa to push him out of your room,” She replied.

“Dadu is not in his room,” the boy shouted. He was now in the kitchen.

“Where has he gone?”

“How would I know? I am not a magician.”

“Don’t bother me. Ask your papa, he must be aware. Dadu always keeps him informed. Now, let me finish my cooking.”

The boy was nervous. His magic wand had worked and grandpa had vanished in thin air. Later he had tried all kinds of magic words and waved his magic wand in twenty different ways, but all in vain. The grandpa had not come back from wherever he was.

He quietly went into his room, closed the door, and again took out his magic wand.

There was a knock at the door.

“Tinki, open the door.”

The boy jumped in surprise; it was his grandfather.

He quickly opened the door.

“Your Ma is saying that there is an elephant in your room. Do you mean that blue elephant I got for you? It’s just a stuffed toy.”

“How did you come back? You had vanished….”

“Let it remain a secret between us. But don’t ever use that magic wand again.”

Before the boy could say anything, the boy and his grandpa were startled by a strange sound. 

The stuffed blue elephant was trumpeting loudly.

******

 

Duck and Ducklings

One beautiful duck had five little ducklings

They couldn’t fly but they had wings

 

Duck was hungry, into a pond she jumped

Ducklings were hungry too but scared to jump

 

They waddled and waddled around the pond

They quacked and quacked looking at the mom

 

One brave duckling jumped into the water

Four on the bank screamed in horror

 

They looked fearfully from one to other

Quack, quack and they pushed each other

 

One fell in the pond and let out a cry

Others looked down but didn’t try

 

But a big dog came running from nowhere

Three little ducklings sprinted like a hare

 

They fell in the pond and let out a yell

Mama duck smiled, “All is well-all is well”.

********

 

The Cat

“An irrational number is a number which cannot be expressed in the form p/q where p and q are two integers and…………”

The boy had stopped listening. ‘Why can’t he explain in simple language,’ he thought.

He looked through the window pane. The playground was empty. Not even a bird was there.

Then he saw a cat.

The cat was playing with a stick. No, it wasn’t a stick. It was his magic wand that the bandicoot had stolen from him.

The boy took permission from the teacher to go to the washroom.

The teacher gave him a dirty look and nodded.

He ran towards the playground. He saw the cat. She growled at him.

“Why did you leave the class?” the cat asked. “You will never understand what irrational numbers are. Go back to your class.”

“I hate mathematics. Who gave you my magic wand? Where is that thief, that bandicoot? Give me my magic wand.”

“I hate to tell you that bandicoot was no good. Your grandfather had asked him to bring something from your home. But that rascal just wanted to get hold of this magic wand so that he could turn every cat into a butterfly. I told him that only silkworms turn into butterflies.  But he would not listen. I had to teach him a lesson. But why do you hate mathematics?”

“Stop! Not one more word about mathematics, you chatterbox,” the boy almost screamed.

“How dare you insult me! You are a foolish boy who does not even know the difference between an ordinary pencil and a magic wand. What did you do with your grandfather? Did you turn him into a flower pot? Or a white pigeon?” The cat said, pointing towards a white pigeon that had just landed near the boy.

The boy was taken aback.

“I think I will punish you. Only if I knew the magic word. What is the magic word?” asked the cat.

The boy did not tell the magic word.  

A squirrel came running. The cat dropped the magic wand and ran after the squirrel.

The boy grabbed his magic wand and ran back to the classroom.

When he reached home, he quietly peeped into the grandfather’s room.

He was not there. But he was surprised to see the chattering cat in the room; she was sleeping on the grandfather’s bed.

*******

 

Bandicoot

He had hardly switched off the light when he heard someone knocking at the door. He opened the door but there was no one outside his room.

As he was closing the door, he heard the knock again. Then he heard someone calling in a strange, squeaking voice, “I am here, at the window; please open the window.”

The boy felt slightly scared. But he opened the window. He saw a large rat standing on his hind legs, his front paws were on window-sill.

“A rat!” blurted the boy.

“Don’t insult me. I’m not a rat. I am a bandicoot. I have message from your grandfather.”

“Dadu? Where is he? He vanished….…...”

The bandicoot quickly interrupted him. “I know everything. But he is very happy wherever he is.  He wants you to send him his tooth-brush and glasses.”

“But why doesn’t he come back from wherever he is? I miss him.”

“I don’t know. If you give me the magic wand and tell me the magic word, I could try sending him back.”

The boy took out the magic wand from his school bag and gave it to the bandicoot and said, “The magic word is…...”

“You think I am a fool. It is not a magic wand. It is just an ordinary pencil,” the bandicoot glared at the boy.

“No, it is the magic wand.”

“Prove it.”

The boy touched the bandicoot with the magic wand and said the magic word, “Abracadabra!”

Nothing happened. The bandicoot laughed, “Funny, isn’t?”

There was a knock at the door.

“Don’t open the door,” cried bandicoot. Before the boy could say anything, the bandicoot snatched the magic wand and ran away.

“Stop! Thief!” the boy shouted but the bandicoot had vanished.

********

 

Magic Word

“Dadu, what’s this word? I can’t even say it.”

Old man was gazing intently at a far-off tree. He slowly shifted his gaze from the tree to the young boy, his grandson. The child is as beautiful as that tree, he thought.

He looked at the word, “Abracadabra.”

“Abracadabra?” boy appeared confused. “What does it mean? Is it a magic word?”

“I think so.”

“What magic will happen if I say this word?”

“You can make any thing vanish.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course! But you need a magic wand. The word alone won’t do any magic.”

“Magic wand?”

“Imagine this is a magic wand,” old man gave him a pencil that was on his writing desk. “Touch something with this magic wand and say the magic word. The thing will vanish.”

The boy didn’t hesitate even for a second. He touched his grandfather’s writing desk with the magic wand and said, rather seriously, “Abracadabra!”

Nothing happened. He looked at the old man. “Try again. Touch that brass lion,” grandfather said, pointing to a small brass lion kept on a counter.

The boy touched the brass lion and said, “Abracadabra!” The lion did not vanish.

The boy raised his eyes mockingly. He then touched his grandfather with the magic wand and said, Abracadabra!”

The grandfather vanished.

***********

 

चाँदनी महल का रहस्य

(अंतिम भाग)

रहस्य

जो सिपाही दुर्गा सिंह अर्थात पान वाले को पकड़ने गये थे वह दोनों खाली हाथ लौट आये. उन्होंने बताया कि पान वाला दुकान बंद कर गायब हो गया था.

“तुमने अच्छे से पूछताछ की? उसके घर नहीं गए?” संजीव ने उन दोनों से पूछा.

“साहब, खूब पूछताछ की. लेकिन किसी को उसके बारे में कोई जानकारी नहीं थी. किसी को नहीं पता कि वह कौन था, कहाँ रहता था.”

“उसकी दुकान का मालिक कौन है? क्या उसे भी कुछ नहीं पता? उसने ऐसे ही दुकान किराये पर दे दी थी?” संजीव ने थोड़ा गुस्से से कहा.

“हाँ. साहब. उससे भी बात हो गई है. उसकी दुकान भी वहीं पास में ही. उसने बताया कि उसने बिना छानबीन किये ही दुर्गा दास को दुकान किराये पर दे दी थी,” एक सिपाही बोला.

रजत सारी बात सुन कर कुछ सोच में पड़ गया. उसने शशांक के पिता से कहा, “अंकल, एक बात मन में आ रही है, मान सिंह और उसके दोनों भाई गायब हैं, सिर्फ पन्ना लाल और प्रताप पकड़े गए है. मुझे लगता है कि जो हीरे हमें मिले हैं उनकी जांच करवानी चाहिए.”

“क्यों?”

“शायद मान सिंह ने नकली हीरे चाँदनी महल में छिपा कर रखे थे. असली हीरे उसके पास ही हैं, अभी भी.”

“क्यों?”

“मुझे संदेह है कि वह पन्ना लाल और प्रताप को धोखा देना चाहता है और उनके हिस्से के हीरे हड़प लेना चाहता है.”

“तुम्हारा संदेह ठीक हो सकता है.” पुलिस अधीक्षक ने संजीव से कहा कि तुरंत हीरों की जांच करवाई जाए.

जाँच ने रजत के संदेह को सत्य प्रमाणित कर दिया. चाँदनी महल में छिपा कर रखे गये हीरे नकली थे. यह बात रजत को शशांक के पिता ने फोन कर बताई थी.

“अंकल, तीनों भाई गायब हैं. असली हीरे उन्हीं के पास होंगे. अब वह पोस्ट-कार्ड ही कोई सुराग दे सकता है.”

“पोस्ट-कार्ड से क्या सुराग मिलेगा?”

“सर, हर लैटर पर डाकघर अपनी मोहर लगाता है. उस मोहर से शायद पता लगे की वह पोस्ट-कार्ड किस जगह से पोस्ट किया गया था. हो सकता है तीनों में से कोई या फिर शायद  तीनों उसी जगह छिपे हों,” रजत ने सुझाव दिया.

“अरे वाह, तुम तो हर बार कोई न कोई नई बात सुझा देते हो. मैं संजीव को इस काम पर लगा देता हूँ. तीनों में से एक भाई भी पकड़ा गया तो हम इस गुत्थी को सुलझा सकते हैं.”

फिर कई दिनों तक शशांक के पिता का कोई फोन न आया. रजत उत्सुकता से उनके फोन की प्रतीक्षा कर रहा था. बीच में एक दिन शशांक ने बताया था कि उसके पापा ने कहा था की रजत के सुझाव के अनुसार ही आगे जाँच की जा रही थी.

दस दिन बाद शशांक के पापा ने उसे बुलाया. वह शशांक के घर पहुँचा तो उसके पिता ने उसे एक मैडल दिया जो पुलिस विभाग से उसकी चतुराई और बहादुरी के लिए उसे दिया गया था.

“अंकल, यह बताएं कि क्या चोर पकड़े गए? क्या हीरे मिल गए?”

“हाँ, तीनों भाई पकड़े गए और हीरे भी मिल गए. संजीव ने भिखारी के अड्डे की तलाशी ली तो उसे वह पोस्ट-कार्ड मिल गया. भिखारी अर्थात पन्ना लाल ने ही उसे बताया था कि पोस्ट-कार्ड कहाँ रखा था.

“उस पोस्ट-कार्ड पर राज गढ़ के एक डाकघर की मोहर लगी थी. हमारी टीम राज गढ़ पहुँच गई. वहाँ जाने से पहले पन्ना लाल और प्रताप से जानकारी ले कर तीनों भाइयों के चित्र हमारे आर्टिस्ट ने बना दिए थे.”

“अंकल, क्या उन दोनों ने सही जानकारी दी थी?”

“वह तो चाहते हैं कि तीनों भाई पकड़े जाएँ. दोनों ने तीनों भाइयों के बारे में बहुत कुछ बता दिया था. इस सारी जानकारी के कारण हमारी टीम ने उन को गिरफ्तार कर लिया. पर सबसे चौंकाने वाली बात तो यह है कि हीरे चाँदनी महल में ही मिले.”

“क्या?” रजत ने सुना तो दंग रह गया.

“हाँ, हीरे उसी घर में छिपा कर रखे हुए थे. वहीं जहाँ वह तस्वीर टंगी थी. यह जानकारी मान सिंह ने दी थी. उस तस्वीर के पीछे, दीवार में एक तिजौरी लगी थी. तिजौरी दीवार में लगा कर उस पर सीमेंट का पलस्तर कर दिया गया था और उसके ऊपर दीवार पर तस्वीर पर लटका दी गई थी.”

“बहुत ही चालाक है यह मान सिंह.”

“अरे, उसी के कहने पर दुर्गा सिंह पान वाला बन कर चाँदनी महल की चौकीदारी कर रहा था. उसे पता था कि पन्ना लाल ही भिखारी है. उसने प्रताप को भी चाँदनी महल के आसपास कई बार देखा था. तीनों भाइयों की योजना थी कि किसी न किसी तरह प्रताप और पन्ना को रास्ते से हटा कर सारे हीरे वह तीनों आपस में बाँट लें.”

“अपने साथियों को ही ठगना चाहते थे तीनों भाई,”

“हाँ, वह पोस्ट-कार्ड भी सोच समझ कर लिखा गया था, यह उनकी चाल थी. उनकी योजना थी कि उस पोस्ट-कार्ड को पन्ना लाल के निकट कहीं गिरा देंगे ताकि पत्र पढ़ कर वह चाँदनी महल से वह तस्वीर चुराने जाए और वह उसे पकड़वा दें और उससे छुटकारा पा लें. लेकिन वह पत्र डाकिये से कहीं गिर गया और तुम्हें मिल गया. पोस्ट-कार्ड पन्ना लाल तक पहुँच तो गया पर दुर्गा सिंह को इस बात की जानकारी न थी. लेकिन उन्हें यह पता चल गया था कि पन्ना लाल और प्रताप पकड़े हैं, इसलिए अब वह हीरे निकाल कर देश से भाग जाने की तैयारी कर रहे थे. अगर हमारी टीम एक दिन भी देरी से पहुँचती तो शायद वह भाग जाने में सफल हो जाते.”

“अंकल, चाँदनी महल का रहस्य सुलझ ही गया.”

“पर इसके लिए हम तुम्हारे आभारी हैं. मुझे लगता है कि बड़े हो कर तुम एक अच्छे पुलिस अफसर बन सकते हो.”

उनकी बात सुन कर रजत प्रसन्नता से खिल उठा.

समाप्त

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