STORY ON GOOD CITIZENSHIP A week ago, while approaching businesses about work, Kiara found a bank envelope containing a sum of cash that she could have used. It was on the floor of a local shopping plaza in a spot that she said surprised her that someone hadn’t picked it up sooner. The envelope had what Kiara surmised was “about a loan payment” of bills in it, but no information on it or in it about who it belonged to. So she brought it at once to the Police Service in the hopes the police might help get the money to its rightful owner. “It was someone else’s money and they would have been worried sick over it, whether they needed it or not,” Kiara said. “I wish someone would do that for me if I had lost something.” Kiara said the police officers she left the money with claimed they rarely experience someone handing in found cash. Kiara said she never considered doing anything but trying to get the money to whoever had lost it “because that was the right thing to do with it.” As things turned out, within hours of her approach to the police, another citizen approached the police service inquiring about the money — with a description of the envelope, where it was lost, how much it contained and bank receipts supporting that they had just withdrawn the missing sum. Kiara said she’s never heard from the party that claimed the money but wishes them well. She said people need to look out for each other and if we do more of that the world will be a better place. Her good citizenship inspires others to act in a similar manner.
Fala is a little girl. She is orphan. Her father died when she was a baby, but her mother is still alive. Before his death, he had advised his wife to take care of Fala and to let her finish her studies. He told his wife that his soul would always be watching them from the heavens. Fala’s family is so poor. They don’t have enough food to eat and sometimes they don’t have enough clothes to wear. The mother works to afford all the needs of her daughter and to create the conditions she needs to study. At night, before they sleep, the mother talks to Fala as she would talk to an old lady. She tells her that no one knows if they had their dinner or no. But Fala is a good student. She loves her studies the way she loves her family. She loves reading little inspirational and motivational stories like: `Kalila and dimna`, `Joha’s tales`. But her number one tale of all time is: `The ant and the grasshopper`. Fala thinks that life is not easy. She is sure that “life is difficult to live when you are poor, when you can not have what you want`. But she has learnt from her mother to fight till the end of the game. She always says her best proverb: ‘when we don’t have what we like, we must like what we have’. Fala is a true believer. She believes in God. Every day she prays for God to help her to achieve her dreams. She never asks people to help her. Her motto is` never ask those who ask God as long as God is there for us all`. That’s why she is happy with what she has and she never worried about things she doe not have. She eats what she has and drinks what she has and wears the clothes she has. Fala believes that one day she will be a famous doctor. She will help the unhealthy people, she will buy a house for her family, she will help the poor, she will listen to the people and she will share what she has with those who have nothing at all. Everyday, Fala revises her lessons before she sleeps. She usually gets the first mark at school. Fala wants to go to university next year. This year she passes
her Baccalaureate exam. She will succeed as she believes that “nothing is impossible” and “when we want it, we can get it”. She speaks four languages. She reads a lot of books. When students ask her: ‘why do you study a lot, Fala”? Her reply is:” Because what is hard today, tomorrow will be easy…and what is black tonight, will be white in the morning”. She goes on telling them that people who work hard in the present, sleep a lot in the future and vice versa; the people who sleep a lot in the present will work a lot in the future. They will suffer a lot as they will pay the price tomorrow. Sometimes the teacher invites her to the board and asks her to advise her friends. Without hesitation, she moves to the front of the classroom and looks at everyone‘s eyes and says: 1-we have to listen to our elders, parents and teachers. 2-Befriend our books and dictionaries. 3-Be hopeful, ambitious, hardworking and responsible. 4-we don’t have to put our guns till the end of war because life is a war that we have to win. 5-Do your Duty and be sure you will get your rights.
A Good Citizen
Hrithvik Sood, Grade 4, Westmead Public School
Short Story
2008
Yesterday Mrs Sood went to the market. She Went there in the morning. She carried her umbrella with her. There was a bench in front of a jewellery shop. She sat on it. A white car came and stopped in front of the shop. A man got off the car. He had a cap on his head and a scarf round his face and neck. He was tall, thin and carried a big bag. He threw a big stone at the window of the jewellery shop. The glass pane broke. The man quickly jumped in through the hole. He put a number of gold chains and bangles into his bag. Then he rushed towards his car. Mrs Sood saw all this. As the man came near the bench she pushed her umbrella in front. The man tripped and fell. 'Thief! Thief!' shouted Mrs Sood. Just then a police van came. Two policeman ran up and caught the thief red-handed. Meanwhile the shopkeeper also came along. The policeman told him the whole story. The shopkeeper collected his gold ornaments. Then he went up to Mrs Sood. 'Thankyou, madam,' he said. 'You're brave and clever.' He took her inside the shop. Giving her a gold ring he said, 'This is my way of saying "Thankyou" to you.' Mrs Sood smiled, thanked the shopkeeper but she didn't take the gold ring. 'I'm a good Citizen and a good Citizen is not paid for being one.