The Puppy Plan

10-year-old Sunny was a menace. His parents Gopal and Meera tried to keep an eye on him, but he always dodged them and caused trouble.

- Dr. K Rani

He spared no-one—at school, in the colony, and on the playground. From tying his friends’ shoelaces together when they weren’t looking, to leaving toy spiders inside his teacher’s desk, Sunny left no stone unturned when it came to making mischief.

Sunny’s closest friends were Sam, Riti, and Monali. One day, after a game of hopscotch in the playground, Monali said, “Sunny, you should change your behaviour. Everyone is fed up with you, and because we are your friends, we get scolded too.”

“Monali is right, Sunny. It is not fun to hear people complaining about you all the time,” Riti added.

“I don’t understand why people complain about me to you,” said Sunny, annoyed. “Why don’t they talk to me directly?”

“They have tried telling you and it hasn’t made any difference, so they tell us instead,” Sam explained.

“If anyone complains to you about me, just refuse to listen and walk away. Just like I am about to,” Sunny said stubbornly, picking up his water bottle and marching off.

“Alright, we'll do just that. Now cheer up!” Monali shouted after him.

As she watched him leave, Riti said to the others, “It is impossible to talk sense into Sunny. We have to make him change his behaviour without his knowledge.”

“Let’s come up with some ideas right now!” Sam encouraged her.

“Why don’t we do to him what he does to others?” Monali asked.

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, Monali,” Sam reminded her. “Shall we write a petition asking him to stop being naughty, and get everyone in the neighbourhood to sign it?” “Great idea, but by the time we get everybody’s signatures, Sunny would have ended up creating a lot more ruckus. Plus, if he finds about it, it might make him angrier...and naughtier!” Monali shuddered.

Finally, Riti came up with an idea, which Sam and Monali agreed to. They decided to carry out their plan the very next day, and went back to their respective homes.