THE BLUE DOG Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a secret forest. A huge pack of wild dogs used to live there. They terrified many animals and some of them would run and jump into ponds to save themselves from these brutes! All the animals feared them. The dogs worked as guards for the Lion who treated them very badly. He would almost kill them when he was hungry. Most of the time, the dogs would trick a weak animal into coming to the Lion’s den, so that he could kill and eat it. Whatever was left, would be their food. One day, the Lion was very very mad because his family had left him. He was so angry that he killed one of the guard dogs who was very weak. The other dogs watched in horror, as their poor friend was killed by their Master. Alas! They stood there helplessly, watching the pain and agony of their friend, but could do nothing about it. Suddenly, the sky turned a bright blue and out came a Blue Dog with Angel wings! It turned out, that the weak dog became an Angel, and had come to defeat the Lion, once and for all! To everyone’s surprise, the Blue Dog lifted the Lion with its mind powers and threw him across the forest. The Lion went and hit a tree! He was furious! He could not believe that the weakling had actually become alive and was fighting back! He came rushing back and tried to attack the Blue Dog. But the Blue Dog had magical powers. They fought more, with punching, hitting and chasing around. All the animals began cheering for the Blue Dog. The Lion was now extremely exhausted from the fight and was also very scared of the Blue Dog. By now he had realized that he was losing the battle and the Blue Dog was way too powerful. The Lion finally surrendered. He started begging to be forgiven. The Blue Dog towered over him, and said in a throaty voice, “You can be forgiven only if you seek apology from all the animals you have tortured for so many years. That is the only way you can redeem yourself!” The Lion was at a loss of words. He bowed his head low and whispered, “I am sorry”. The Lion was banished from the forest. He was sent away to the forbidden land - “The Green Chapel”. No one heard of the Lion, ever again... or so they thought. And then, they all lived in peace. THE END Moral of the story - Never underestimate anyone, even if they are smaller. Raahi Chakraborty – 29th April 2025