Short Story- The Crystal Ball

In the south of Spain, there was a small village whose people were very joyful. The children played under the shades of trees in the gardens of their homes.

A shepherd boy named Nasir stayed near the village with his father, mother and grandmother. Each morning, he took his herd of goats up the hills to find a suitable place for them to graze. In the afternoon he would return with them to the village. Each night his grandmother would tell him a story – the story of stars. This story really interested Nasir.

On one of those days, as Nasir was watching his herd and playing his flute, he suddenly saw a wonderful light behind a flower bush. When he approached the bush, he saw a transparent and very beautiful crystal ball.

The crystal ball was glittering like a colorful rainbow. Nasir carefully took it in his hand and turned it around. With surprise, suddenly, he heard a weak voice coming from the crystal ball. It said, “You can make a wish that your heart desires and I will fulfill it.”

Nasir could not believe that he had actually heard a voice. When he made sure that he had indeed heard that voice from the crystal ball, he was very confused. He had so many wishes that he could not decide upon one particular wish. He said to himself, ‘if I wait till tomorrow I will remember many things. Then I will make my wish.’

He put the crystal ball in a bag and, gathering the herd, happily returned to the village. He decided that he would not tell anyone about the crystal ball.

On the following day also, Nasir could not decide what to wish for, because he really had everything he needed.

The days passed as usual, but Nasir was still unable to make his wish. But he appeared to be very cheerful. The people around him were amazed to see the change in his disposition.

One day, a boy followed Nasir and his herd and hid behind a tree. Nasir, as usual, sat in one corner, took out the crystal ball and for a few moments looked at it. The boy waited for the moment when Nasir would go to sleep. When Nasir did fall asleep after a while, the boy took the crystal ball and ran away.

When he arrived at the village, he called all the people and showed them the crystal ball. The citizens of that village took the crystal ball in their hands and turned it around with surprise. Suddenly they heard a voice from inside the crystal ball, which said, “I can fulfill your wish.” One person took the ball and screamed, “I want one bag full of gold.” Another took the ball and said loudly, “I want two chests full of jewelry.” Some of them wished that they would have their own palace with a grand door made from pure gold, instead of their old houses. Some others wished for bags full of jewelry.

All their wishes were fulfilled, but still the citizens of the village were not happy. They were jealous because the person that had a palace had no gold and the person that had the gold had no palace. For this reason, the citizens of the village were angry with each other and stopped speaking to each other. The gardens in the village where children used to play were no more. There were palaces and gold everywhere. The children became terribly unhappy. Only Nasir and his family were happy and contented. Every morning and afternoon he would play the flute.

One day the children of the village took the crystal ball to Nasir. The children said to Nasir, “When we had a small village, we all were happy and joyful.” The parents also spoke. They said, “In one way or another, all of us are unhappy. The luxurious palaces and jewelry only bring us pain.”

When Nasir saw that the people were really regretful, he said, “Even though the crystal ball asked me to wish for something, I have not done it so far. But if you really want everything to return to its own place, then I will wish for it.”

Everyone happily agreed. Nasir took the crystal ball in his hand, turned it around and wished that the village would become the same as it was before. In a moment, the palaces disappeared, the green gardens appeared, and the same old village full of trees was there.

Once again the people started to live happily and the children played under the shade of trees. Nasir continued his contented life every day, playing his flute at sunset. Its sweet sound was heard throughout the beautiful green village.

Moral: We should be happy with whatever we have and not be greedy.

KIDS AND HEALTH 

What to do when you feel stressed

Everybody feels stressed at times — even kids. When you feel stressed, there are things you can do to help yourself through it. Here are some of them.

Talk about a problem

If you’re stressed over a personal problem, or if something is worrying you, talk it over with a parent or another trusted adult. If you want, you can talk about a problem with a friend, too. Keeping a problem to yourself can add to your stress. Sharing what’s on your mind can lessen lots of your stress. And talking it through can help you figure out what to do about the problem.

Have an “I’ve got this” attitude.

Lots of people feel stress before a test, a try out, or a big moment. You might feel your heart beating fast, your hands shaking, or “butterflies” in your stomach. You don’t have to let those feelings hold you back. Let them pump you up to get ready.

Try this: Rub your hands together, shake out your arms, tap your feet, or pace around. This can use up some of the stress energy and ease butterflies or other body feelings. You don’t have to get rid of all your stress. You can go ahead anyway. Your stress feelings will fade on their own after you step up to your big moment.

As you get ready, remind yourself that you have what it takes to cope. Gather your confidence and courage. Tell yourself, “I’ve got this.” Then take a breath and go ahead and give it your best try. Each time you try something, it’s a chance to get better at it.

Take a breath

When you feel stressed, take a few slow belly breaths. This can calm your body, steady your mind, and help you gather your inner strength. It’s is great to do before a test, or when you’re stressed over a big pile of homework. It also can help when you’re stressed because something didn’t go your way.

Slow belly breathing can lessen a lot of stress. But it works best if you’ve practiced ahead of time.

Practice like this: Breathe in through your nose. As you breathe in, let your belly puff out like a small balloon filling up with air. Breathe out through your nose. As you breathe out, let your belly flatten.

Put your feelings into words.

Let’s say you’re stressed because something didn’t go the way you hoped. You might have lots of strong feelings. You may feel upset, sad, disappointed, or mad. It’s OK to feel the way you feel. But it’s not OK to use harmful words or actions to show your feelings. When you put feelings into words, without raising your voice, it helps you choose wiser ways to act.

Try this: Notice how you feel. Then find words to describe how you feel and why. For example, “I’m so upset that we lost the game. It means we’re out of the finals. I wanted to win so much.” You can say this to someone else or say it to yourself. You can’t change what happened. But you can say how you feel and why. And that helps you let go of some stress and strong feelings.

Talk to yourself in a kind way

When you’re feeling stressed, you might be hard on yourself. You might tell yourself things like, “We would have won if I had played better. It’s all my fault. I should just quit the team.” But talking to yourself like this doesn’t help you cope. It just makes you feel worse. Plus, it isn’t kind, fair, or true. Try not to blame yourself or someone else for what happened.

Try this: Think of what you would say to a good friend who was stressed over the same problem. Maybe you’d say, “I know you feel bad. It’s hard to lose.” Or maybe you’d say, “You played your best — we all did.” Maybe you’d just be there quietly for your friend for a couple of minutes.

Then maybe you’d suggest what to do next: “Let’s go get our gear — I’ll walk you home.” On the way home, maybe you’d remind your friend of a funny moment or joke around to lighten the mood. Or if you can tell your friend isn’t ready to laugh yet, maybe you’d just walk quietly together.

Try to be as kind, friendly, and fair toward yourself as you’d be to a good friend. When someone shows you a little kindness — even when that someone is yourself — you feel less stressed. You feel stronger and more supported.

Do things to de-stress

When you’re upset and stressed, your body can feel restless. To release some stress, try something active. Do jumping jacks, march in place, run, dance, or practice a sport.

If you’re ready for a calmer mood, you can take some deep breaths, do yoga, or listen to music. You could write in a journal, meditate, or play with a pet. You could go for a walk or a bike ride. You can do art, watch a funny show, or hang out with someone who might brighten your mood or help you laugh. Doing things like these can help you feel more relaxed — and that’s the opposite of stress.

Get support

If you have too much stress, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to an adult. You could talk to a parent, a teacher, a school counselor, or a coach. And don’t forget about your friends. They can listen, be there for you, and help you laugh. When you feel less stressed, it’s easier to think of what to do about a problem.

Remember, you’ve got this.

RIDDLE 

1.What does the thermometer measure?

2. What is the hardest natural substance in the world?

3. What fruit for raisins come from?

4. A portrait is a picture of what ?

5. How many parts are in a quarter?

6. How many wheels does a tricycle have 

7. What planet in the milky way is the biggest.

Answer: 1. Temperature 2. Diamond 3.Grapes 4.Picture 5. 25 6.3 7.Jupiter

QUIZ 

1. The humerus bone goes by what colloquial name?

2. Which is the biggest ocean in the world?

3. What is a young cow called?

4. What is the name of the Princess in Sleeping Beauty?

5. Which dinosaur is thought to have the largest bite of them all?

Answers 

1. The funny bone 2. The Pacific Ocean 3. Calf 4. Princess Aurora 5. Tyrannosaurus-Rex

Did you know?

1. Your fingernails grow faster when you are cold.

2. Applesauce was the first food eatten in space by astronauts.

3. Snails take the longest naps, some lasting as long as three years.

4. The average person spends two weeks of their life waiting at traffic lights.

5. Before 1913 parents could mail their kids to Grandma’s – through the postal service.