The Clockwork Monthly January 2022!

Editor’s Note

Jolly January, one of the most festive of months, with
new year to celebrate, and resolutions to make. No
matter what the weather, January brings in the mood
and light of the year.
January is also jolly enough to spark a fresh start to
books and reading. Be it a book of science, be it a
book of magic, a book is a book, and books are
meant to be read. Our generation of readers have
centuries and millennia of classic literature that we are
close to ignoring with the monstrous expansion of
the online world.
True, social media has turned out to be a boon today
and online gaming platforms a pastime; but is it really
worth it? All the time that we waste, pondering over
our gadgets, is it really worth even a few blessed
moments of reading?
Wishing you a prosperous year, a jollier January, and
a million moments of magical reading…

Editorial Team
Muthumaheswari and Thara Kalyani

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INDEX

1. Fun and Frolic! 4
2. Sweet Storytelling – Akbar & Birbal 9
3. Art of Flavours 14
4. Science Saga 16
5. Write Down Write-ups! 17
6. Dabbling In Colours 21
7. Prison Pages – Chapter 8 24
8. Through The Lens 36
9. A Peep Into the Pages 37
10. Math Tricks 40
11. Merry Morals 42
12. The Merry-Go-Round 45
46
i. Tower of Tales 56
ii. Working With Words 57
iii. Word Ladder 60
iv. Puzzle Corner

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Fun and Frolic!

What can possibly be better than innumerable lights,
laughter, feasts, and festivity? Who wouldn’t be
delighted to wake on new year’s morning and hope for
all the good things packed into the breath-taking
adventure of a year? Who in the whole wide world
would want to miss the yearly shower of festive feasts
and a bit of fun and frolic?

Who in their right sense of mind would ever miss a
sweet little holiday with family and friends and some
cheery moments of New Year’s Day?

According to the Gregorian calendar that we follow 4

today, the first day of the new year falls on the first of
the month of January. And then the usual cycle of the
months before December ends and yet another year
begins. But, according to us (and you, of course), the
new year is a time of festivity and joy. It is a time for

replaying the most favoured moments of our lives with
family. It is a time for bringing light, laughter, and life.

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And our new year celebrations intend to do just so.

Across the entire world, there are millions and billions
of people, laughing, dancing, and singing in the pleasure
that the new year brings with it. Across the entire world,
there are people who belong to different cultures and
communities and celebrate a new year in their own
fashion. Across the entire world, there are people who
welcome the new year into their lives with their own
little ways of happiness.

Fireworks, parties, feasts, and games fall on some
people’s list of new year celebrations, while some prefer
a little more traditional way of celebrating their new
year, especially if it isn’t falling on the first of January.

Even though widely accepted as the day of new year,
January 1st is not the only day that the onset of the new
year is regarded with excitement; different people from
different cultures celebrate the new year day depicted by
traditional calendars on different days. For an example,
the Chinese: they celebrate their traditional new year
sometime between January and February. This year, it is
supposed to land on 1st February. The Chinese New Year
is celebrated with what we could say as ‘the height of
festivity’.

The Chinese New Year, surprisingly, is not just the first 5
day of the year.

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It is a time for rejoicing for it marks the yet-to-arrive
spring; it is the spring festival. Legend states that a
terrifying monster ‘Nian’, used to wreak havoc in the
villages of China. It emerged from its lair once in a year
on New Year’s Eve to attack people, destroy villages,
and eat children. Tired with the yearly attacks, the
villagers got together and decided to fight off the
monster. They realized that the monster was afraid of
loud sounds, lights, and the colour red. This led to every
new year being a much nicer time of the year with loads
of red lanterns, red envelopes, red clothes, dazzling
fireworks, loud firecrackers, and a lot of music and
dance.

With every new year, the streets of China are crowded 6
with people as they enjoy watching the dances of the
dragon and lion. Dinner would be held so as to reunite
the family around special dishes and a lot of laughter
and excitement. The Chinese New Year is quite an
example of celebration and so are the ones that follow.

The Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a day that
commemorates the creation of the world. It falls
around mid-September, a day that is celebrated with
honey-covered apples and lucky meals. Traditions
include sounding the shofar, or ram’s horn, gatherings
in the synagogue, and having foods like dates, leeks,
beets, and pomegranates. Pomegranates are believed to
be lucky.

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In yet another country, Brazil, celebrators adorn
themselves in white clothes so as to ward off evil spirits
and bring in exquisite luck. To bring in even more luck,
they pay a visit to the beach and jump over seven waves.
Extremely fun as long as you know how to swim.

Something that sounds even more fun is celebrating a
new year in Denmark with the Danes. The most popular
way of marking the beginning of a new year is smashing
unused plates and old dishes at the doorsteps of the
houses of their families and friends to ward off evil
spirits. Another good thing about the Danish New Year
is the ‘Kransekage’, a confection made up of many
layers of doughnut-shaped cake stacked on top of each
other in order of increasing size from top to bottom.
The cake gives an impression of a little circular
Christmas tree. Anyways, good food gives a good day.

Jumping onto New Year’s celebrations in Greece, on a

day also known as the Festival of Saint Basil, we may as

well have to enjoy waking up to find our parents

tapping onions on our head to wake us up to a lucky

new year. Onions are also hung on the doors of houses

as a symbol of rebirth and re-awakening. Hopefully,

onions should be much nicer than coconuts for a sweet

new year morning. 7

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Twelve tolls of the clock and a grape for each toll should
make a mouthful of twelve grapes so as to mark the first
few moments of the Spanish New Year. What a
delicious start to a mouth-watering year! Sometimes,
grapes are removed of seeds beforehand to avoid
trouble in having them when the clock strikes.

After the sweetest of grapes, we could pick delightful
ice-creams to celebrate a new year with the Swiss. The
Swiss believe that they attract good luck and prosperity
by dropping a scoopful of ice-cream on the floor at
midnight. New Year in Switzerland would surely be
tempting with such an abundance of delicious ice-
cream!

And so here we are, back beside our books, fresh from
the festivity of the New Year. No matter what happens,
make sure you enjoy, laugh a hundred times more, and
relish in the joy of re-awakening to a hopefully better
world.

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JANUARY 2022

Sweet Story-telling

Story-telling has been a tradition, favoured pastime,
game, and much more than snips of our everyday-life,
becoming what we are and shaping our view of the
world according to the stories we hear. Stories have
been passed on from generation to generation,
colouring up our childhood, and many an idle
afternoon. Story-telling is an art to be done with care,
for each and every word, each and every character,
affects the listener deeply. Story-telling is a talent in
itself.

As much as story-telling should be revered, we must
also see that without stories, there would be no story-
telling. Stories are what we all have as a part of ourselves.
It is also what connects us to the world. We all are
characters of our stories and the world is our stage.
Thus, the need for stories, the need for reading is
evident. Most of the stories we have today are quite
different from the ones our grandmothers and story-
tellers recite. Their stories are filled to the brim with
advice and warnings, giving us a window to the world
from our bedside. Here’s one such story, ready to fill
you with just the right amount of fun.

9

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Akbar & Birbal

The Perfect Portrait

Years ago, when the land was ruled by kings and queens
and ministers aided the king towards the right and
wrong, there was a prosperous and much loved king
named Akbar. His empire was large and so rich in
culture and wealth that even to this day, it forms an
important part of the land’s history. A noble king will
surely have the wisest of ministers and to Akbar, this
minister was Birbal. He was the wisest among the
courtiers and Akbar’s favourite.

Being an important
courtier and much
favoured by the
emperor, many of
his fellow courtiers
approached him for
help. Once, it was
the court artist who
sought Birbal.

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One fine morning, when Birbal went out for a stroll in
the royal gardens, he came across the court artist who
was usually cheerful, but on this occasion, looking
extremely glum.

“Is everything alright?” Birbal asked him.

The artist replied, “No. My reputation is at stake. I am
being tricked by one of the noblemen and he’s out to
ruin me.”

And the artist began with his story:

“Around a month ago, the nobleman challenged me to
paint an exact likeness of him and I was foolish enough
to accept his challenge. He posed and I started working
on the portrait and promised to bring him the painting
the next day. When I showed him the painting the next
day, he had shaved off his beard and said it wasn’t an
exact likeness of him because he didn’t have a beard
anymore. I asked him for another chance to prove
myself.”

ARE YOU
ALRIGHT?

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JANUARY 2022

“He posed for me once more and when I took the
finished portrait to him the next day, he said it wasn’t
an exact likeness of himself as he didn’t have a
moustache. But he did have a moustache when I painted
it and he had shaved it off the next day.”

“Then what happened?” Birbal asked.

“I kept asking for another chance and only after five
such chances did I understand that he was out to ruin
me!” the artist exclaimed.

And the artist started muttering as to why he had been
so foolish as not to see the nobleman’s trick.

“Calm down, calm yourself. Every problem has a
solution and we will save you from this trick.”

“But how?” BUT I DON’T
HAVE A
“I can help you, but
you have to do as I MOUSTACHE!!!
say.”

The artist readily
agreed and Birbal
discussed his plan
with the artist.

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JANUARY 2022

A few days later, the artist arrived at the nobleman’s
house with a wrapped package.

“What have you got now? Another useless painting?”
the nobleman mocked the artist as the artist handed
over the package to the arrogant nobleman.

The nobleman tore open the package and was utterly
taken aback with what he found inside.

“A mirror?” he shouted, “How dare you bring me a
mirror! This is no portrait! It’s—”

“An exact likeness of yourself!” said Birbal, entering the
room and surprising the nobleman, “Isn’t that what you
wanted?”

The nobleman acknowledged defeat and confessed that

the artist was one the best and that he was tricking the

artist. AN EXACT

LIKENESS OF

YOURSELF !

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JANUARY 2022

Art of Flavours

Rather than people and faces, as humans, we tend to
remember feels and tastes. We like to remember flavours

that stand out and stimulate us. What might be a nice
stimulating flavour for one might disappoint the taste buds

of another. Whether you like the flavour of the food,
obviously, is according to the mood of the cook.

Food made with a happy heart is definitely better than one
made without. To be happy, we must make the food that
we love, the food that tunes us up for the day. For some, it
might be a sweet, creamy coffee, or a sip of ginger tea, or
even a bittersweet drink. For others, it might be a fresh

burst of citrus, or soothing ice-cream, and of course,
chocolate has to be on the list!

Here’s a little treat
for all chocolate-
lovers and those

looking for a
sweet-fruity start

to a beautiful
evening.

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Sweet Fruity

Know Your Flavours

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
4 tablespoons of milk
2 tablespoons of crushed sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
2 unripe kiwi fruits (peeled and sliced into circles)

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix 4 tablespoons of milk with 2 tablespoons
of crushed sugar.
Add 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the bowl of milk
and sugar and make sure to mix well to avoid lumps.
Now, prop the pieces of sliced kiwi fruits on little
toothpicks and dip it in the chocolate syrup.
Freeze the chocolate-dipped-kiwi for at least 5-6 hours.

And the final step is to taste it.

Tipping Point: Do not keep the chocolate-kiwi at room
temperature for too long if it has already been frozen. If the kiwi is
kept so, it will turn soggy.

15

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Science Saga

1. Just like how a group of fish is known as a ‘shoal’, a
group of jellyfish is known as a ‘smack’.

2. Flamingos can eat only when their heads are upside
down.

3. A group of owls is called a ‘parliament’.
4. When born, a baby kangaroo is only an inch in size.
5. A cockroach can live without its head for more than

a week.
6. Goats have rectangular pupils.
7. Human teeth are as strong as shark teeth.

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Write Down
Write-ups

2. Kindness 1. The Online

– Our inside light Nightmare
Kalpana Chauhan
– Keep connected…safely
Age: 13 Grinishka Shetty
Age: 13

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JANUARY 2022

The Online Nightmare

By: Grinishka Shetty
Age: 13

SHARJAH

Dangerous cybercrime

Is hurting people all the time.

What we don't realize is that there is a danger

When personal stuff can be seen by a stranger.

I try to keep myself safe whenever I am online,

I don't share with others the things that are mine.

There are dangerous people, who want to text you today,

Remember, don't give your personal information away.

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Cyber criminals left us with wounds and scars,
Each villain committing a crime should end up behind bars.
So protect yourself every day,
Don't listen to what other people have to say.

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JANUARY 2022

Kindness

Kindness is beautiful By: Kalpana Chauhan
Age: 13

SHARJAH

It makes its way in every darkness

It should be given in plentiful

To everyone regardless

Kindness shines inside

It sparkles with a bright light

It reflects as help from outside

kindness shines with all its might

Kindness is like a ball

It bounces back on you

On whoever it falls

If we practice it the world will be good as new.

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JANUARY 2022

Dabbling In
Colours

Sreeyuktha Karthik
Age: 6
DUBAI

Yuvaan Ram 21
Age: 5 JANUARY 2022

ERNAKULAM

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Sanaa Khatri
Age: 13
SHARJAH

S. Bhavna 22
Age: 16 JANUARY 2022

T IRUVALLUR

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Dyuthi R Nair
Age: 13
DUBAI

Vaishnavi M Pai 23
Age: 12 JANUARY 2022
MUMBAI

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Prison Pages
Summing-up

Chapter 7 – The culprit regrets setting out on the path
of crime and wishes that the mistakes made
can be corrected. Although the culprit
decides to quit being the villain that was in
the making, another girl has been snatched
away from the vicinity of her home, on the
exact date, at the exact time.

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JANUARY 2022

8 Culprit Prison Pages
Chapter 8 – A Friendly Reunion

It had been quite silly of me to think he wouldn’t really care
anymore. It was sillier of me to forget. I had wanted to break
free; I hadn’t expected it to be such a huge blunder. I
believed that what I did was truly my actions, what I said, my
words, and what I thought, my thoughts.

But clearly, I was playing puppet.

He stood tall and firm, against the wall, and watched me
struggle with the ropes. The blindfold had been untied long
ago and I felt it would rather have been better to have my
eyes closed than open. The room was cold and dark and
damp and the wall felt disgustingly slippery of decades of
untouched moss. The room, if not for its emptiness and
devilish frame, would have been very much familiar.

I fumbled with the cuffs.

“It’s nice to have you back,” his voice slithered into my
struggles. I did my best to ignore him.

“It’s been a very long and difficult time without you around.
It really is good to have you here,” the voice rippled. I

growled frustratingly, the ropes having no sign of loosening

their grip. 25

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“Without you, things have been getting out of hand and I
really didn’t know what to do. Luckily, one of my, uh, look-
outs, he said he saw you at a, well, doctor’s place. I was very
much sure he must have made a mistake, but quite surprised

when they brought you here. I really think they are quite a
smart lot.”

I leaned onto the moss-covered wall, panting as he
mumbled on about his exceptionally smart boys. More like
goons. It was horrible enough to be wrenched away from
my brother in the market’s crowds and even worse to have
been tied and gagged by a gang of inhumanely wicked men
and then later knocked out by an iron fist blow. But it was
all the more irritating to have him laud his rough, untrained
goons who managed to knock out a young, trained woman
right under the nose of her brother and protective friend,
while I couldn’t even do half my job properly: all I had to do
was bundle up a few five-year-old girls while they were
asleep and take them away quietly and I had proved myself

to be incapable of that too.

He was still talking. Someone had to interrupt him.

“The ropes are uncomfortable,” I shouted as loud as I could

with a dry throat, “I think you should untie me first.” 26

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He stared at me as though he had forgotten that I was
roped. For a few moments, he stood silent, pondering as to

whether he was to untie me or not. And then his hands
went into a clap and a young boy came scurrying down the
basement stairs, panting like he had been running around
forever. He was red in the face and very little hair showed
from under his grey beanie. He was frail as a feather and gave
the impression of a poorly fed child. The boy didn’t even
look at his so-called master as he was ordered to untie me
and rushed towards me. His hands fumbled about the ropes
and it was a good five minutes before he had the ropes
around my hands untied. I scowled at him when he
approached to get my feet untied too; I preferred my own
quicker hands to free my feet.

The boy hurtled up the stairs before he could be told
anything more. The trapdoor closed behind the boy as I
scrambled to my feet and looked at the figure standing
before me. Somehow, he seemed more menacing now that
we were standing face-to-face. I couldn’t help cowering. He
seemed to notice and thin lips crawled into an uncanny
smile.

“What do you want?” I managed to stammer, like every silly

person who has lost their right senses in tiring situations. He,

like I had expected, twirled the hands of his watch absently,

letting on a thin smile, before glittering eyes darted sharply

towards me. 27

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“You broke your promise.”

I whimpered. A picture flashed across my mind: I was sitting
next to the younger, less menacing friend he had been
before, apparently trying to prove my loyalty towards him
by narrating how I dreamt of his dreams every night and was
slowly planning for it myself. He had twirled the hands of his
watch absently and laughed softly at my silliness, but smiled
at my eager face. I suppose that had been the first phase of
this madness. Madness, yes, that was the right word for it.

I had been a little bit too eager to help out a distressed

classmate by befriending him and accompanying him on his
thoughts and ideas and to-be-made adventures. He
introduced me to the story of Pavagada, of its legendary
wolves, of their unfortunate victims. He told me a lot about
a friend of his, Jala, who had been his only companion when
his family lived in Pavagada. She was quite a darling, he told
me, I wish my family hadn’t moved out to Coonoor so
soon.

By the time I had completed boarding, I had turned into a
completely different personality. I was much pickier in
selecting my friends which led to the fact that only he and
another quiet girl, Pooja, were ever seen talking to me. He
never really liked Pooja, but the fact that her family lived in
Bombay seemed to calm him: he wouldn’t have to be stuck
with her once she leaves boarding.

28

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Luckily or unluckily, she left for Bombay a little after my
thirteenth birthday. I don’t regret not having her around,
but I think I would have liked company: she was a good
friend for the one and half year she had been there for. After
she left for Bombay, I was never seen even for classes
without my one true friend, Abhi.

Our little adventures began with bunking a few music
lessons and letting the principal’s cat into the biology lab.
Being truthful, it was much fun, breaking the rules. Slowly, I
stopped paying attention to the subjects I loved and the
teachers I respected and being rebellious became more of a
passion than a pastime. It was in my final year at school that
I happened to stumble upon a gang of bullies. They were,
even though just as old as me, twice my size and did worse
than bunk classes and do mischief; they tortured me enough
for a lifetime. They became the, what-can-I-say, catalysts to
the future that I was destined to. Their constant bullying,
competition, and rebellion made me stubborn: I wanted to
make sure they were defeated in every way.

Don’t let them scare you, I remember Abhi saying, you’re
stronger than to fail to them. The reason they pick on you is
that they know you won’t complain: you like to take
matters into your own hands. If that’s what they think, I
think you need to show how to deal with things. How to
deal it your way.

29

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I must have thanked him for the pep talk, because the day
after, I remember a very distressed principal, a number of
unanswered calls home, shouting and staring children, and a
gang of extremely scared, and squashed, bullies.

I must have done a lot of damage.

For the next few days, the principal was quite keen on
keeping me away from classes, especially from Abhi. He’s
proving as a bad influence for you, she had told me, you will
be judged by the company you keep, choose your friends
wisely.

I don’t really remember why it had become such a huge
issue, but I do remember that whatever I had done, it was
huge.

I don’t think they’ll let you come to school again, Abhi had
told me one evening at tea, they think something’s wrong
with you: they might send you away, somewhere else, far
away. And then there would be no teas, no games, nothing.
I just hope you will be fine wherever you go. There’s
nothing I can do about it. I also heard them saying I’m
being a bad influence on you. I hope you’ll be free to do
whatever you like wherever you go. But who knows?
Dreaming of freedom is like hoping for silver forests of
emerald trees and crystal lakes colouring hopefully golden
days where there will be infinite suns, and we get to play
endlessly, he chuckled, I know I get carried away when I talk
about such things, but I think you’ll need this talk.
30

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And then as I walked away, following my dormmates, all
whispering and staring at me, I thought I saw Abhi waving at
me from the crowd of boys that stormed away in the
opposite direction. It seemed strange, but I was grateful for
it. In a few hours’ time, I was to understand what he must
have quoted so strangely at tea.

And so, I ran away. I ran away to freedom.

But I suppose our friendship remained. For I was still crazy. I
was still mad.

Ah, talking about madness. He was a perfect example.

I stared at him sadly. His words had compelled me to rewrite
the adventures we had only imagined when we were in
school. I suppose he really wanted to make sure that we lived
what we dreamt. All the world’s a stage.

And I, I suppose, was just a puppet.

The anger gushed back into my veins, causing me to raise
my voice and glare at him.

“How could you kidnap me! I’m your friend!”

He was calm. It angered me. Because when I was angry, he
had no right to sigh and smile.

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“I remember that completely unexpected meeting at the
market two years ago. I remember accidently bumping into
you. I also remember having steaming masala tea at a stall
with you. I think we quite a lot talked about how silly we

were when we were in school, to dream about setting the
wrong things right, to dream about going back to Pavagada,
to dream about finding the unfortunate victims of a legend.
I might have got carried away while talking about neither of
us really achieving our dreams. For you never became a

famous artist, I never got to become a famous writer. Our

talents were lying in waste.”

He paused. I waited. I remembered everything. Vividly, as
though it had happened only yesterday.

He began to speak again, “And that was that. We never
planned to meet again. We never bothered to say that it was
time we brushed away the dust on our bonds and stick
together always, like old times. You were in your own world,
thinking of something, not paying attention to whatever I
said after. It was disappointing. I thought we would probably
never see each other again.”

He twirled the button on his wristwatch and for a few
moments, played childishly with the hands of the little time-
keeper. His eyes closed, he raised his head and took a deep
breath.

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“And just a few months ago, I heard of a kidnapping. No
struggle, no footprints, nothing. Except for a painting of
pawprints. The moment I heard of it, I felt sure it was you.
You still want to become an artist?”

His eyes opened to look at me. I swallowed hard. Throat
seemed to go dry.

His next question came quick enough. “You still have my
diary?”

I couldn’t help but nod my head truthfully.

“Which means you did everything exactly like we had
planned so many years ago?”

I nodded again. This time, a little less honestly.

“How did you select your victims?”

He seemed to be expecting for a specific answer. I merely
stared back before I could feel the numbness slipping away
from me.

“I wasn’t sure. But your diary, it had a few contacts written at
the back. I checked on them for a start and realized that
seven of them lived in and around Ooty at present. Most of
them had families. The little girls were sometimes their
daughters, sometimes granddaughters, and even nieces. One
of them was adopted.”

He seemed to be satisfied with my answer. But he seemed to

be equally sad as he was happy. 33

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“But you never wanted me, your most loyal of friends, to be
with you while you were planning for this?”

I must have stammered over my words.

“If somehow, I got caught, who would want their only
friend to suffer with them?”

“Your answer disappoints me.”

“So what? You do remember the plan anyway. You already
kidnapped the sixth girl.”

“Because I had a genius of a brother to help me replan some

parts of the plan. He has quite a lot of experience in the legal

field and so I have been able to do what I had always wanted
to do with you. I was sure you wouldn’t attack a sixth time: I

was keeping an eye on you from the moment I realized you
had gone back to your silly brother. He thinks himself as a

genius, your brother. He’s the silliest person I’ve ever seen.

But would you understand that? And everyone knows that it
is the brains of his fellow-workers and not his that came to
the bottom of the cases he says his department has solved.
And I hope you do know; your brother is currently working
for the crime investigation team. No matter however foolish
he is—”

“SHUT UP!” I couldn’t stop myself. “DARE YOU CALL HIM
A FOOL! YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HIM!”

The nerve of him. He dared to insult my brother. He dared

to insult me. 34

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Though I was the one being held captive, I had screamed at
him. And I wasn’t done yet.

“And your brother you talk about! Who cares if he’s a
genius? He’s just another lunatic, just like you! He’s a

madman! Admit it! Anyone who has been to his house to
see him can tell that! He has a hundred clocks all over the
roof and cuckoos chiming all the time! He’s cuckoo! Don’t
you know?”

I was breathing fast. More like panting. Not because I had
shouted so much. But because I had an extremely clear view
of his face.

He was stiff. He looked taller. More menacing. I cowered.

And watched him as he played bitterly with the hands of his
little time-keeper.

***

[email protected] (To be continued…)
35

JANUARY 2022

Through The Lens

Roses in bloom,
Pink roses in bloom,
Against a grey sky,
casting away gloom.

Photographs by
Abhijay Thambi
Age: 8
MELBOURNE

Bright against a waking green,
Pink, the flowers call the bees,
And the hummingbird to feast,

On a pot of nectar sweet

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A Peep Into the Pages

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JANUARY 2022

A Peep Into the Pages

‘“Might I,” quavered Mary, “might I have a bit of
earth?”’

-Frances H. Burnett, The Secret Garden

Ten-year-old Mary Lennox has only had servants to
cater to every tantrum and whim, making her the worst
kind of kid you could be assigned to babysit – spoiled,
demanding and absolutely self-centred. But when a
cholera epidemic orphans her, she is sent to England to
live with her intimidatingly mysterious uncle.

But there’s more to her new home than at first glance–
and she is not wrong to suspect that it is not as dull as
it seems to be – not with the mysterious wailings and
secret garden it hides.

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JANUARY 2022

The Secret Garden, one of the British novelist Frances
Hodges Burnett’s most popular novels, is regarded as an
evergreen children’s classic. Through her easy words and
flawed characters, Burnett manages to teach us the
valuable lesson of finding beauty and magic and love
even in the simplest of places. From the hostile
gardener Ben to the adorably arrogant robin that Mary
befriends, every character, man or not, snuggles
themselves into a nook of our hearts.

The Secret Garden is a feel-good novel at its finest,
leaving you with a slow, cozy warmth as you journey,
learn and love along with the little Mistress Mary.

Uma Shankari
Age: 17

SHARJAH

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JANUARY 2022

Subtracting Fractions

Fractions become quite the headache when the
denominators just don’t agree with each other. When
the denominators are different, there comes the
tedious task of finding a common denominator to
subtract or add any two fractions. Subtraction of
unlike fractions is a bit more disliked than addition.
Therefore, here’s a little trick to subtract a fraction
from another.

Step 1:

The example we can use for an easy explanation 40
and easier understanding is 4/5 – 3/7. The first
step is to write the statement as it is and group
the denominator of the first fraction with the
numerator of the second fraction and the
numerator of the first fraction with the
denominator of the next fraction. In simple,
group the denominator and numerator of the
opposite fractions.

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Step 2:

The next step is to multiply the grouped
numbers, that is, multiply 4 and 7, and 3 and 5,
and write the products obtained above the
grouped numbers. Here, 4 x 7 = 28, and 3 x 5 =
15. So, we have to write 28 above 4, and 15 above
3.
Step 3:

Now, subtract 15 from 28 to get 28 – 15 = 13.
This is the numerator of the answer. Then,
multiply the two denominators to get 7 x 5 = 35.
This is the denominator of the answer. Therefore,
the answer we get is 13/35 !
41

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Morals are merry, morals are meaningful. They hold
quite a lot of everything that we need to succeed in life.
Without morals, we aren’t humans. Here’s a little moral
story for a few light thoughts and a better you for a
better tomorrow.

The Parable of the Pencil

(Adapted from 100 Moral Stories)

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JANUARY 2022

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before
putting him into the box.

There are 5 things you need to know,” he told the
pencil, “Always remember them and you will become
the best pencil you can be.”

“One : You will be able to do many great things, but
only if you allow yourself to be held in someone’s
hand.”

“Two : You will experience a painful sharpening from
time to time, but you will need it to become a
better pencil.”

“Three : You will be able to correct any mistakes you
might make.”

“Four : The most important part of you will always be
what’s inside.”

“And five: On every surface that you are used on, you
must leave your mark. No matter what the
condition, you must continue to write.”

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and
went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with yourself.

Always remember them and you will become the best

person you can be. 43

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One : You will be able to do many great things, but
only if you allow yourself to be held in God’s hand.

Two : You will experience a painful sharpening from
time to time, by going through various problems
in life, but you will need it to become a stronger
person.

Three : You will be able to correct any mistakes you
might make.

Four : The most important part of you will always be
what’s on the inside.

And five : On every surface you walk through, you
must leave your mark. No matter what the situation,
you must continue to do your duties.

We, no matter what, are not perfect, but that does not

mean we should not try to be. We all have that little

‘space for improvement’ and our struggle and strive

towards perfection weathers us and makes us what we

truly are.

*** 44
JANUARY 2022
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THE
MERRY-
GO-ROUND

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Tower of Tales

We thrive and live upon the very existence of stories,
and without them, our lives are just dull, black and
white scribbles. Stories colour our days and as long as
stories are told, experiences and tales are shared, we

can have the happiest lives we can ever have.

There is a story behind everything, be it a poor stray
cat, or a sweet little candy bar that you just had.
Stories that are written in books may end, but the
trillions of stories that thrive around us, growing

longer and much more interesting with every breath
of the day, shall go on forever, no matter what
happens.

It’s time we realize the value of all those bedtime
stories that most of us have had a taste of, or those
sweet little tales that grandmothers have managed to

wonder us with.

For a generation of story-tellers of wonder, have a
little story…

(Parents or older siblings can help pre-schoolers read 46
these tales, letting them understand the meaning of

the pictures given.)

[email protected] JANUARY 2022

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JANUARY 2022

Town Mouse
and

Country Mouse

Once upon a time, there were two

mice. Country lived in the

country and Town lived in the

town.

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JANUARY 2022

One day, Town went to see

Country . When Town

saw the of Country , he

said, “What a funny !”

“What funny food!” said Town .

“What a funny !”

And the two mice went for a walk.

Suddenly, they heard a noise:

MOOOOO! 49
JANUARY 2022
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“What’s that?” said Town .

“It’s only a ,” said Country .

But Town was very frightened.

Then they heard another noise:

HISSSSSSSS!

“What’s that?” said Town .

“It’s only a ,” said Country .

But Town was very frightened.

Then they heard another noise:

WHOOOOOOOO! 50
JANUARY 2022
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