The Four Friends - Deer Crow Mouse Tortoise

Dadi: "Guddu beta, today I'll tell you a beautiful story about four friends - a deer, a crow, a mouse, and a tortoise - and how they saved each other."

Guddu: "Four different animals as friends? That's unusual!"

Dadi: "The best friendships often are, beta! These four friends lived in a jungle and would meet every afternoon under a shady banyan tree to talk for hours."

Guddu: "Like you and your friends at the park, Dadi!"

Dadi: "*laughs* Yes! Now, one day, a hunter came to their forest. When he saw the deer, his eyes lit up with greed. "That deer's meat will last for days, and I can sell its hide for good money!""

Guddu: "Oh no! What happened?"

Dadi: "The hunter shot an arrow, but it missed! The four friends scattered - the deer ran into the trees, the crow flew to the highest branch, the mouse darted into a hole. But the tortoise..."

Guddu: "Tortoises are so slow!"

Dadi: "Exactly. Poor tortoise couldn't escape fast enough. The hunter caught him in a net and thought, "Well, tortoise meat might be good too!""

Guddu: "His friends must have been so worried!"

Dadi: "They were! The deer, crow, and mouse gathered together and quickly made a plan to save their friend. Each one had a special skill to contribute."

Guddu: "What did they do?"

Dadi: "The crow flew high in the sky to follow the hunter and see where he was going. Then the deer ran ahead through the forest - without the hunter seeing - and lay down on the path, pretending to be dead!"

Guddu: "Playing dead! Clever!"

Dadi: "The crow landed on the deer's antlers and pretended to peck at his eyes - making it look even more like a dead deer. When the hunter came along the path and saw this, he couldn't believe his luck!"

Guddu: "He thought he found an easy meal?"

Dadi: ""I lost one deer but found another! And I don't even have to kill this one - it's already dead!" The greedy hunter dropped the bag with the tortoise and ran toward the "dead" deer."

Guddu: "And then the mouse did his part?"

Dadi: "Exactly! As soon as the hunter walked away, the little mouse scurried over to the bag and gnawed through the net with his sharp teeth. Snip, snip, snip! The tortoise was free!"

Guddu: "Yay! But what about the deer?"

Dadi: "The hunter got closer and closer. Just as he was about to reach the deer, the crow let out a loud "CAW! CAW!" - that was the signal! The deer leaped up and ran away so fast the hunter had no chance of catching him!"

Guddu: "*claps* The plan worked perfectly!"

Dadi: "When the confused hunter turned back to get his tortoise, the bag was empty! The tortoise had already made it safely to the nearby lake."

Guddu: "The hunter must have been so confused!"

Dadi: "He thought it was magic! Terrified by these "impossible" events, he ran away from that jungle and never came back."

Guddu: "And the four friends?"

Dadi: "They hurried back to their banyan tree, laughing and celebrating! The tortoise said, "Thank you, friends, for saving my life!" And they couldn't stop laughing about the trick they had played on the hunter."

Guddu: "That's such a happy ending!"

Dadi: "And they lived happily ever after, meeting under their favorite tree every afternoon."

Guddu: "Dadi, what's the lesson of this story?"

Dadi: ""A friend in need is a friend indeed." True friendship means helping each other in times of trouble. Each friend had different abilities - the crow could fly and watch, the deer could run fast, the mouse could chew through ropes, and together they saved the slow tortoise."

Guddu: "So everyone's special skill is important?"

Dadi: "Exactly! The mouse might seem small and weak, but without his sharp teeth, the tortoise would never have escaped. The crow might not be strong, but his ability to fly and give signals was crucial."

Guddu: "We're all important in different ways!"

Dadi: "Yes, beta. And when friends work together, combining their different strengths, they can overcome any challenge - even outsmarting a dangerous hunter!"

Guddu: "I'll remember this story, Dadi. I'll be like the four friends - helping my friends when they need me."

Dadi: "And they'll help you when you need them. That's what friendship is all about. Now, would you like to draw the four friends meeting under their banyan tree?"

Guddu: "Yes! I'll draw them celebrating!"

Dadi: "*smiles* Perfect. And maybe add a confused hunter running away in the background!"

Guddu: "*laughs* Yes, Dadi! Running very fast!"