🐶Awooo! The Puppy's Tale🐶

Raju was a chubby and cheerful boy, always ready for an adventure. He was in Standard 2 and walked to school every day since his house was just a few yards away. His best friends, Mani and Azmi, joined him on this daily journey, making it even more fun.

One afternoon, after school, Azmi’s sister came to fetch him, leaving Mani and Raju to walk home together. As usual, they kicked small stones along the way, seeing who could send them flying the farthest.

Raju kicked a stone, and it zoomed through the air, striking an old tin can.

CLANK!

Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out.

"Awooo! Awooo! Eeeeeeee!"

Raju froze mid-step. "Hey... what was that?" he whispered, his eyes darting around.

Mani, already trembling, gulped. "The sound came from over there!" He pointed towards the can, which had flown and hit a tree.

Curious and a little nervous, Raju carefully jumped over a drain covered in wild weeds and overgrown grass. As he peeked through the greenery, his eyes widened.

A tiny, shivering furball lay curled up beneath the bushes, looking up at him with big, scared eyes. Its ears twitched, and its little tail was tucked tightly under its body.

"Awooo! Eeee! Awooo!" cried the puppy.

"Mani! Come look at what I found!" Raju called.

Mani attempted to jump over the drain but nearly tripped, flailing his arms like a bird. He quickly yanked up his pants and scurried toward Raju.

"Oh wow! What a cute puppy!" Mani gasped, his face lighting up.

The tiny puppy had soft gray fur, a damp little nose, and paws so small they barely touched the ground. It let out another weak "Awoo..." and nuzzled against Raju’s hand.

Raju gently picked up the trembling puppy. "I want to take it home," he said, but then sighed. "Hmmmm... but Mom will never allow pets."

Mani shook his head and said, "My grandma? Huh... she would chase me with a broom if I brought home a dog!"

Both boys stood in silence, scratching their heads.

"What do we do? We cannot leave it here. It looks like it is going to rain," Raju said, glancing at the darkening clouds.

Mani nodded. "Yeah, if it gets wet, it might get a fever and cough too."

"Achoooo!" He faked a sneeze and chuckled.

Just then, Raju’s face lit up. "I got an idea! What if we give it to our school guard?"

Mani’s eyes widened. "Oh! Uncle Muthu! He loves dogs! I always see him feeding the stray ones."

Excited, Raju scooped up the puppy and dashed forward.

He had completely forgotten about the drain.

"PIICHAAAAKKKAAAAKKKK!"

Down he went, arms flailing, legs kicking. The puppy, now airborne, let out a terrified "Awooo! Awooo! Eeeeeee!" before landing safely on the other side of the drain.

Mani gasped. "Raju! Are you okay?"

Raju groaned, rubbing his elbows. "I think I am..." he muttered while dusting off his pants and shirt.

Mani helped him up, peeling sticky moss off his knees and elbows.

"Any bruises?" Mani asked.

"Nothing that I can see..." Raju muttered.

They quickly grabbed the puppy and sprinted toward the school gate. Panting, they handed the little one to Uncle Muthu, who raised his eyebrow.

"Where did you find this fella?" he asked.

Raju and Mani eagerly explained everything from the flying can to the flying puppy.

Uncle Muthu chuckled. "Ah, I think this is the grey dog’s pup. I saw her wandering around here two days ago. Do not worry, boys. I will make sure this little one finds his mother."

Beaming with pride, Raju and Mani waved goodbye to the puppy, which gave them a tiny "Awooo!" in return.

"Hey! We must reach home before it rains! Hurry up!" called Mani.

When Raju got home, he excitedly told his mom everything. She smiled and patted his head.

"You did a good thing today and proud of you, my son."

That night, as he lay in bed, Raju smiled. It had been a great day and prayed hoping the pup gets to meet his Mom.