The (Un)Clever Monkey! - A tale by Diya

Once there lived a monkey that was so proud of itself. He would never lose an opportunity to show off how clever he is. One day, the weather was so hot that the monkey felt very thirsty. It searched for water everywhere. But then, the scorching heat had dried up all the lakes and pools.

After a long search, the monkey finally found a mud pot which was half-filled with water. The monkey felt half happy as the water was only half full. But then, didn't I say the monkey was clever? Or so he thought about himself. He had an idea, after all, the clever monkey should have read or heard about the thirsty crow story from the past. He looked for pebbles everywhere, but he could only find a big stone.

Well, the crow can't be more clever than me! Poor creature! The crow is weak and can carry only small pebbles. I can lift and carry a big stone instead and in one go I can bring the water to the brim. Its time to show the world how clever and stronger I am. Thinking so, the monkey dropped the stone into the pot. The monkey was expecting that the water would come to the brim and soon it can quench its thirst. Alas, it was only a mud pot! As soon as the monkey dropped the stone, the pot broke and spilled water everywhere.

The hot sun quenched its thirst by drinking the splashed water. The poor monkey was still thinking, "where did I go wrong"? May be I will get another chance to prove myself.

-to be continued with another tale, another time.

Tea Proposal

It took nearly two and a half years for the young couple to get some private time since they got married. A quick recap:

Every single proposal always ended up with the guy saying those three magical romantic words to his girl. In the case of the young couple too, it happened in a more-or-less similar way. "Will you marry me?", that counts to four, the young girl recalled.

"But you used three words when you proposed me, and those three words aren't even remotely romantic. It was blunt", she snubbed him in a teasing way, as always. "Enna kalyanam pannikariya?".

It was time for him to mend his mistake. He did not want to waste this opportunity and put a full stop for never-ending tease by his wife. After all, what is more perfect than to make a romantic proposal by taking her to visit the symbol of love? He made elaborate plans and booked tickets to Agra.

He kept the plan secret, but she guessed it would be something more than just a tour to the romantic spot. Standing in front of the most beautiful monument, she thought he will propose properly this time. 

Time passed, from dawn to dusk, with no hurry. There was no sign of him proposing to her yet. "Will he ever propose to me in a filmy way?", she thought.

"Here, have this my dear", he gave her a cup of chai, having another cup for himself. They had just made their exit. She felt the aroma of freshly brewed masala chai while having a sip when he gave her a rose and made the proposal, just the way she wanted. She could not contain her excitement.

"Why did you chose to propose outside of Taj Mahal with a cup of chai, but not inside like everyone does?", she asked him on their return. 

"If I proposed to you inside the Taj Mahal, you would remember it only whenever you look at the ring or the Taj. But now, you can remember whenever you have a cup of chai, which both of us will have together almost everyday! So, no more mocks and only memories :)", he replied.

They smiled together when they heard, "Chai, Chai..." from the train vendor.