Once upon a time, in a distant land, there lived a boy called Leiton. He lived with his parents and two brothers. He was 12 years old. They lived near a very big river where they frequently went swimming with his brothers. There was also a very large market near their home where his mother would send him in the evenings.

However, there a big problem with Leiton: he was a greedy boy. Most children disliked in school as he would borrow all their food during lunch hour. At times, he would sit in a corner and watch them as they ate. This would make them very uncomfortable, and they would, in turn, give him all their food. At times he would steal fruits from his classmate’s bags during assemblies when he would sneak away.

Her mother was not happy with her son’s behavior. She always served him a lot of food during the evenings, but he would still complain that his siblings had more food than had. One day, she cooked roast meat for the family. She put it in the cabinet and asked the children to wait till she came back from the market. Leiton sneaked in when his brothers were playing and ate all the meat. His mother was very annoyed with him when she came back.

The women at the market did not like Leiton. Every time his mother sent him to buy cashew nuts and cassava, he would walk around and beg for fruits from the women at the marketplace. They would then resort to giving him the over-ripe mangoes. They would then complain to his mother every day, which left her very embarrassed knowing that she was doing her best discipline her son.

When the holidays came, the whole family had to go to the village. They packed their clothes and boarded the earliest bus in the morning. On arrival, there were very many relatives who had come for the celebration. Everyone was asked to sit under a tree so that they would have a short briefing on activities that they would undertake. The women had cooked very good food that was still in huge dishes in the kitchen. At this time, Leiton’s stomach was rumbling with hunger. He decided not to wait but rush to the kitchen and eat the food before everyone else.

Inside the kitchen, he saw a plate of food in the cabinet. He quickly took it and ate it. In a few minutes, his family members heard him screaming in agony. They all rushed and found him crying and holding his stomach that seemed to pain him very much. When they took him to the hospital, he was unconscious. The doctor ran some tests and realized that he had ingested some poison meant to kill the rats. He was very ashamed of himself. As he recovered, he swore that he would never be greedy again !

This was my favorite childhood story. I am sure that your child will enjoy it! Make sure you tell it to them before they sleep.

 

Lots of Love,

Ruguru Kimani.