TRUE COURAGE(Best stories for children)

School was over for the day. Most of the boys had gone home. So had all the teachers. There were just a few boys still lingering on the playground, not really wanting to go home yet. One group was practicing field hockey. Another group was arguing over what some of them thought was a mistake a referee had made at a professional hockey game held in the city. Some boys didn’t seem to have anything to do at all.

As for Khuzaifa, he was amusing himself by throwing a ball into the air. As he caught it for the twentieth time, he heard a voice behind him saying, “See how high you can throw it ! ”

It was Saim, a good friend of Khuzaifa, although he was two or three years younger.

I’ll try, ” he said, smiling.

Khuzaifa flexed his muscles and threw the ball into the air. It was a good try, and it went up a long way. But evidently not quite high enough to please Saim.

“Oh, you can do better than that, ” he said.

“All right, I’ll throw it again, ” Khuzaifa replied.

“Oh, that wasn’t so good, ” said Saim as Khuzaifa threw the ball into the air again.

“Wasn’t it? I always think it was, ” said Khuzaifa.

“I will try once more.”

Khuzaifa tried again. Then again. Over and over he threw the ball into the air, but never quite to the satisfaction of his friend. Even so, the two were having a good time laughing and trying to get the ball even into the air. Suddenly there was a loud crash. The ball, on its downward flight, went right through one of the classroom windows.

Instantly the playground emptied. It was almost unbelievable how all those children just disappeared. This way and that they scattered and in less than a minute only Khuzaifa and Saim were left.

“What are you going to do?” asked Saim.

“I’m going to tell the principal about it first thing in the morning.”

“He will be  angry, ” said Saim.

“I can’t help that, ” said Khuzaifa. “I broke the window, didn’t I? I’ll just tell him what happened and offered to pay for it. That is all. ”

“Oh, Khuzaifa, I don’t think I could, ” said Saim. “I would be too afraid. But just the same, I am glad you are going to tell him about it.”

The next morning Khuzaifa was the first one to arrive at school. He was already there, in fact, when the principal himself arrived.

“May I speak to you, Sir?” he asked.

“Certainly, Khuzaifa, ” answered the principal.

“What is it?”

Sir, after school I was playing with a bat  ball and broke a front  window. It was quite accidental. I would have told you last night, but you had gone home. I am very sorry and I want you to know that I will pay for it.”

For a moment the principal was speechless. He leaned back in his chair and sat silently. Then he rose to his feet.. “my great wish I had a thousands boys in this school like you. I am proud of you, Son.”

When he left the principal’s office, Khuzaifa ran into a crowd of boys. It seemed that all the boys in school knew why he had been there in the office.

“Why did you go and tell him?” shouted one boy. “What a stupid thing to do!”

“You are a coward, ” teased another. don’t have to tell on yourself when you break a window.”

Suddenly Saim spoke up. “He is not a coward!” he said angrily. “I think he is much braver than all of you. You are the  very cowards for running away .. ”

At that moment the bell rang, and everyone began walking toward their first class.

Saim came up beside Khuzaifa and asked in a whisper, “What was principal saying to you

Khuzaifa?”

“He said, ‘I’m proud of you’, ” whispered Khuzaifa.

“Good, ” whispered Saim. “I’m proud of you, too. ”

Then he rose to his feet And that made Khuzaifa very happy for the second time that day.