Once upon a time, there was a family living in a house—a father, a mother, and their only son, Ramesh.
One day, they were all busy cleaning their home. They were taking out old things and planning to throw away anything unnecessary. While helping, Ramesh found a box.
It wasn’t an ordinary box. It looked like an antique treasure, decorated with beautiful designs.
Curious, Ramesh opened it.
Inside, he discovered a book wrapped in an old cloth. Slowly, he unwrapped it. The book looked very old. Only three or four pages had writing on them; the rest were blank.
“Mom, can I keep this book?” Ramesh asked eagerly.
“No, dear. You don’t need this book,” his mother said gently. “It belonged to your grandfather. I kept it as his memory. Even your father never touched it. Let it stay safe here.”
But Ramesh kept asking again and again. Finally, his mother sighed.
“Alright. You can keep it. But promise me—don’t scribble or waste its pages. If you write, write only about something nice that makes you happy. Keep it safe.”
Ramesh’s face lit up. He rushed to his room, holding the book tightly.
“What should I write first?” he wondered.
The very first thing that came to his mind was an apple. He carefully wrote ‘Apple.’
To his surprise, a shiny red apple appeared right in front of him! His eyes grew wide with wonder.
Nobody was around.
“Okay…” he whispered. “Let’s try a cake.”
He wrote ‘Vanilla Cake.’
And just like magic, a soft, delicious vanilla cake appeared!
“Wow! Is it a magic book or a magic pen?” he thought.
Excited, he tried again. He wrote ‘Mango,’ his favorite fruit. But nothing appeared. He frowned, confused. Still, he decided to leave it.
The next day, he tried again. This time, he wrote ‘Laddu.’
Poof! A round, golden laddu appeared!
“It’s amazing,” he thought. “Some things come true, some don’t. But this is still the happiest thing ever!”
He decided not to stop at food. “Let’s try clothes,” he said. He wrote about a dress he liked, and instantly, it appeared before him.
Now he was certain. “This is a true magic book! Whatever I write about the things I like—it comes to life!”
Ramesh decided to keep it a secret from his parents. He was afraid they might take it away. But at school, he couldn’t resist telling a few close friends.
Soon, the whole class knew.
One boy begged, “I want a bat and ball to play cricket. Will the book give it?”
“Sure,” Ramesh said proudly. He wrote ‘Bat and Ball,’ and they appeared!
Another boy asked for shoes. Ramesh wrote ‘Shoes,’ and they appeared too.
The children were amazed. Then one mischievous boy shouted, “Let’s see a lion! Write ‘Lion!’”
“Yes, yes!” the others cried. “It won’t happen, but just write it!”
They pushed Ramesh until, at last, he gave in. He wrote ‘Lion.’
And with a thunderous roar, a real lion appeared!
Everyone screamed and ran in fear. Ramesh’s heart pounded. What could he do?
Then he thought quickly: Who hunts lions? A hunter!
He grabbed the book and wrote ‘Hunter.’
A strong hunter appeared instantly. He fought the lion, defeated it, and—just as suddenly—both lion and hunter vanished.
But the children were shaken. The hunter’s angry face had frightened them just as much as the lion.
When Ramesh got home, he was trembling. “I don’t want this trouble anymore,” he thought. He wrapped the book back in its cloth and placed it inside the same box. That night, he couldn’t sleep. He shook with fear, and by morning, he had a fever.
His mother noticed. She sat beside him.
“Ramesh, what happened? Why are you so scared?” she asked softly.
“No, Mom, nothing,” he whispered, trying to hide it. He was afraid if he told her, she would tell his father, and both would scold him.
But his mother didn’t give up. She stroked his hair.
“Look, whatever the problem is, tell me. Your father and I are always here to help you.”
After a long time, Ramesh finally confessed everything.
“Mom… when I wrote ‘Apple,’ an apple appeared. Then a cake… and a laddu… and clothes… I told my friends. They asked me to write things for them. Finally, they forced me to write ‘Lion.’ A lion really came! It was going to attack us. I was so scared, I wrote ‘Hunter.’ He killed the lion and disappeared. After that, I decided never to use the book again. I put it back in the box.”
His mother listened carefully. Then she said, “Ramesh, why didn’t you tell us when the apple first appeared?”
“At first, I didn’t even believe it myself,” he admitted.
“Still, dear, you should have told us. Friends may come and go, but your parents are always here for you. We take care of you, love you, and guide you. Keeping secrets from us nearly put you and others in danger. What if you hadn’t thought of writing ‘Hunter’? What if the lion had harmed someone?”
Tears welled in Ramesh’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Mom. Please forgive me.”
His mother held his hand. “From now on, remember this. Share everything with us first. Not just your joys, but also your mistakes and fears. We are not just your parents—we are also your best friends. Tell us everything, and we’ll always help you.”
Ramesh hugged her tightly. “Yes, Mom. From now on, you and Dad are my best friends. I’ll share every secret with you first.”
Moral of the Story
If you ever make a mistake or have a problem, don’t hide it. Be truthful and tell your parents first. Their anger will fade, and their love will always stay. Parents are not only parents—they can also be your truest friends.
