The Prize Received!
Zawan had lost some of his money again today and was sitting sadly, getting scolded by his mother. He was a bit forgetful and hasty, traits that often landed him in trouble. For a few days, he had been complaining that some money was disappearing from his pocket money. Obviously, there was no one in the house who would steal his money or hide it for fun; his older brother, Zeeshan, was a boy lost in his own world and had neither the interest nor the desire to play pranks on others. As for his parents, they were the ones giving the children money, so the question of them taking it didn't arise. It usually boiled down to Zawan spending his money somewhere outside or losing it, and now he was unnecessarily worrying everyone. After a few days of fussing, things settled down. His memory remained the same, but he was no longer making a scene about his lost pocket money.
The summer season was beginning. During those days, the heat of the sun was gradually increasing, and people spent their time in shaded places to avoid the sun.
In June, the heat intensified. Then, as if the sun itself grew tired of blazing, the meteorological department predicted rain. In the second week of June, clouds gathered, and it rained early on Tuesday morning, making the weather pleasant.
The parents assigned the two brothers the task of cleaning the garage and the garden, and painting the garden fence.
At first, they tried to avoid it, but since they were on school holidays, they were compelled to agree to the task. Mother said, "If you finish the work quickly, I will give you a cash prize so you can buy your favorite things to eat."
This announcement filled both brothers with new energy, and they grabbed the cleaning supplies and headed out. First, they peeked into the garage. It was cluttered with junk, and there was plenty of dust from the storms of the previous month. Zeeshan first cleared out the unnecessary items and put them in the municipal committee’s dumpster, located a short distance outside their gate. Afterward, Zawan removed the dust and dumped it in a corner of the garden. Then, both started cleaning the garage with great vigor. After an hour of hard work, the garage was sparkling. Although the brothers' faces were tired, they were happy that one task was done well.
Next, they headed to the garden. They pruned the plants, broke off dry branches and put them in the dumpster, filled the pots with soil, and trimmed the grass. Then, they turned on the motor and used a hose to sprinkle water on the grass first, then watered the plants. The garden was glowing now.
Patches of clouds were floating in the sky, and there was a brisk breeze, which meant they didn't feel tired while working; instead, they enjoyed being in the open air.
Zawan prayed that the weather would remain like this for a few weeks so they could enjoy their vacations.
In the middle of the work, Mother visited them once or twice and praised their work, which boosted their enthusiasm.
"Now bring the paint; only the fence remains to be painted, then we will go to the market and have fun," Zawan said.
Zeeshan nodded and brought the paint buckets from inside. Father had already prepared the paint; they just had to apply it to the fence with brushes.
Zeeshan first cleaned the dust off the fence with a cloth, and then both brothers started painting. By afternoon, this task was also completed.
After bathing and freshening up, they had lunch, and then Mother handed them a 500-rupee note, saying, "Here is your prize!"
Seeing the money, their faces lit up.
"Come on, brother, let's go to the market. I want to eat ice cream," Zawan immediately requested.
"Yes, yes! We are going. Just have a little patience."
A while later, they grabbed their bicycles and headed toward the colony center. Zeeshan held the 500-rupee note in his hand, and in a playful mood, he was waving it in the air.
Suddenly, a mischievous gust of wind blew, and the note slipped from his hand. Zeeshan and Zawan kept shouting "Oh, oh!" as the note flew away and vanished from their sight within moments.
Now, sadness was evident on their faces. They walked back home in a dejected mood. Both brothers were sad, thinking about how the fruit of their half-day's labor had slipped away.
"Don't worry, I will give you half the money from my pocket money. Just don't tell Mother," Zeeshan said to Zawan before entering the house.
Zawan just nodded.
"Oh children, you’re back so soon?" Mother said, surprised to see them.
"Yes!" was all they could say.
"Well, now that you are here, please get the mortar and pestle from the attic for me. I can’t climb up there."
On the second floor, there was an attic where the household's extra items were kept. Mother needed to grind something in the mortar.
"I’ll get it," Zawan said, heading toward the stairs. After a while, he brought the mortar and pestle down, but there was a unique sparkle on his face—a mix of surprise and joy. After giving the mortar to Mother in the kitchen, he ran into the room.
"Brother, look at this!" He opened his hand in front of Zeeshan. There were several small and large notes in his hand.
"Whose are these, and where did you get them?" Zeeshan was startled.
"Brother, these are my money. The same money that used to disappear from my pocket money. Today I realized that our cat, Mano, used to hold it in her mouth and keep it in the attic. There is an old swing there, right? The money was inside that! I have often seen Mano lying in that swing. I used to leave my money on the study table, and she must have picked it up from there. When I started being careful with my pocket money, this theft stopped too," Zawan went on, and Zeeshan kept staring at him with his mouth open in surprise.
"Brother, come on, get the bicycles... Today we are having a grand party. There could be no better prize for obeying Mother and Father," Zawan said, jumping with joy.
A while later, both brothers took permission from their mother and headed outside agai
