The Tale of Mihir's Tail

Mihir was only nine years old, but was known for his quick wit and funny antics.

- Alka Jain

He had one bad habit though—he would make big promises and never keep them. ‘I’ll get you this book’, or ‘I’ll help you with that’, were things he often said, but never followed through. His friends avoided trusting him because of this habit. Mihir, however, didn’t think that breaking promises was a big deal.

Mihir had a favourite spot—it was by the lake near his school. He loved the cool breeze and calm water there. One day, as he sat there sipping juice from a bottle, a chubby white rabbit appeared from the bushes.

As he watched, the rabbit hopped mischievously toward Mihir and said, “Will you give me some juice please?”

Mihir’s eyes widened in shock. “You... you can talk?”

The rabbit nodded. “Yes, I can talk. I’m really thirsty, so please share your juice with me.”

Mihir was stunned, but managed to say, “The water in the lake is clean. Why don’t you drink that?”

The rabbit replied, “I drink the lake water everyday. It is boring. That’s why I’m asking you nicely. Please share some juice with me.”

Reluctantly, Mihir gave his juice bottle to the rabbit, who quickly drank it all up.

Before Mihir could say anything, his back felt itchy, and as he reached to scratch, his fingers touched something fuzzy. He turned around to check, and to his shock, there was a long, bushy tail attached to his lower back!

“I have grown a tail! How did this happen?” Mihir cried.

The rabbit laughed. “This is my special magic. Whoever helps me, gets a tail in return.”