The cat's legs

There once lived four traders, who jointly owned a big shop of grains. Year after year, their business flourished and they made quite a profit. Until one season, some rats took refuge in the shop. The rats rampaged the storeroom, destroying almost a quarter of the grains.

The four traders were worried. "This is a calamity!" said one of them. "We must do something about these rats."

"Let's buy a cat and keep it here in our shop," suggested the other.

"Good idea!" agreed the other three partners. And, so, they bought a cat.

They fed the cat milk and fish, and gave her all the attention and care she needed. The cat felt proud and freely roamed about the shop. At night, the traders left the cat in the storeroom of their shop and went home. Soon, the cat began her work. In just a short time, she caught and ate up all rats.

The next day when the four traders returned to their shop, they found the storeroom neat and tidy, with all the sacks intact. "Ah, it seems the cat has done her job," said the traders happily. They decided to take good care of the cat and keep her as a guard in their shop.

One of the traders said, "As the cat has four legs, each of us should look after a leg. That will ensure we all look after the cat equally." The others liked the idea; so, each of the partners took charge of one leg of the cat.

One day, the cat hurt one of its legs. Instantly, the trader who was supposed to look after the leg cleansed the wound and bandaged the leg. "You will be all right soon, dear!" he said, patting the cat lovingly. Slowly, the cat recovered.

One night, as the cat was roaming about in the storeroom, she went too close to a lamp and knocked it down by mistake. The glass cover of the lamp broke and the cat's bandage caught fire. "Meeoooow!" cried the cat, running around in panic.

To put off the fire, she began to rub her bandage leg against a sack. Now the sack caught fire too. The cat jumped onto another sack and there began to rub the bandage too, setting it on fire as well. One by one all the sacks caught fire and soon the entire shop was in flames.

In the morning, the four traders were in for a shock. "We are ruined!" they cried. "What shall we do now?" When they figured out the reason for the fire, they began to blame the partner who took care of the cat's bandaged leg. "It was all because of you!" they shouted at him. "You bandaged the leg that belonged to you; the bandage caught fire and spread all over, destroying the entire shop. You must compensate us for it!"

They took the partner to the Magistrate. The Magistrate, a wise old man, listened to the whole story, then said, "It is true that the bandage caught fire. But how did the fire spread? Certainly not because of the bandaged leg. But, because of the three sound legs that carried the cat from one sack to another, setting the entire shop on fire. So, not the fourth partner but the other three are to blame. You three, who own the three sound legs of the cat, must compensate your fourth partner for his loss."

Now the three partners began to beg for mercy. The fourth partner, who was kindhearted, requested the Magistrate to forgive the other partners. The Magistrate advised them, "If you trust an animal to guard your place, this will be the consequence." The four partners thanked the Magistrate and went home wiser. (www.kidsgen.com)

Why kids should read

Some kids refuse to read. They would rather play than read, saying that reading is just a waste of their time. But they're wrong. Kids need to read, for many reasons.

1. Kids should read because it improves their vocabulary. The vocabulary that a child learns in school can be much more improved with reading.  And kids with rich vocabulary are smarter too - not only in their speech but in their heads as well.

2. Reading saves energy. It's true! Think of the difference in energy consumption between watching television or playing video games and reading a book. Obviously, reading saves on electricity, as it requires only reading lights.

3. Reading helps develop other skills, such as visualization. Reading puts the imagination to work! And there's no limit to what the reader sees in his mind. 

4. Kids should read because they will learn many interesting and useful information from it. The acquired information can then be a great help in doing assignments or for fun. By reading, children may learn how fireworks were invented, about the earth's layers, Claude Monet, and much, much more.

5. Reading helps kids write better. With improved vocabulary from reading regularly, the reader writes better since he has now more words to express what he wants to say. For example, the sentence "The cat ran up the tall tree because she was scared" may now be told, "The cat scurried up the towering tree because she was frightened." The second version of the sentence is certainly more interesting.

6. Reading familiarizes and prepares kids about social situations. Stories often portray social situations that kids can learn from. Even a fiction like "Harry Potter," Harry Potter fends for himself and stands up to Malfoy.  The heroes in the stories can even become role models for the young readers.

7. Kids should read is because it sets an example for other kids. When a kid sees another kid reading, he is likely to try reading too - especially if the reader looks enjoying his reading. And then the new reader may yet inspire another kid to reader, and another, and another. The more readers there are, the more others will follow. And, in the end, there are more to enjoy the many benefits that reading brings. (literatureyoungadultfiction.com)