4 ~ ~ | knew the five years would pass quickly. So, | decided to act. \ In my first year, | sent the best hunters into the forest. They Nic it of all the wild animals. The danger was gone.” Grab Your Opportunity Se The villagers gasped. The forest was no longer dangerous? The king continued, “In my second year, | sent farmers to a crops and turn the wild land into beautiful fields of sugarcane and fruits. In my third year, | sent builders and architects to construct houses, roads, and a grand palace in the heart of the forest. In the fourth year, | sent families and soldiers to live there and guard the village. The forest became a lively, safe place.” The crowd was astonished. The once-feared forest was no longer a place of doom, but a prosperous new village. “And finally,” the king said with a twinkle in his eye, “in my fifth year, | sent all my treasures—gold, jewels, and wealth— into the village. So now, as | leave, | am not going toa dangerous place. | am going to a place where | will live like a king, with everything | need and more.” The people cheered in amazement. Mahendravarman had used his time wisely and turned a terrifying situation into a golden opportunity. Moral of the Story: Don’t wait until it’s too late to act. When you see an opportunity, grab it! With the right plan and effort, you can turn even the scariest challenges into wonderful successes. Just like Mahendravarman, a little foresight and hard work can turn a problem into a rewarding future. Short Story Written by Unknown3. The Lesson of the Nails + Once upon atime, in a small village, there lived a boy named Sravan. He was kind-hearted and smart, but there was one thing he struggled with—his anger. Whenever things didn’t go his way or someone upset him, Sravan would get very angry and lash out. He would shout, stomp his feet, and say things he didn’t mean. His anger hurt the people around him, especially his friends and family. Sravan’s father, a wise man, noticed this and wanted to teach his son an important lesson about anger. One evening, after seeing Sravan angry again, his father called him over. “Sravan,” his father said gently, “I can see that you get angry often, and | want to show you something. Every time you feel angry and want to yell or hit something, instead of doing that, | want you to take this hammer and nail and drive a nail into this wooden box. Do this every time you get angry.” Sravan, though confused, agreed to follow his father’s instructions. The next day, Sravan got angry eight times. Each time he felt that anger rise inside him, he grabbed a nail, took the hammer, and hit the nail into the wooden box. By the end of the day, there were eight nails driven into the wood. Sravan noticed how much effort it took to hammer those nails, and it made him think. The second day, he got angry six times, and again, he hammered six nails into the box. As the days went by, something interesting happened— Sravan realized that each time he hammered a nail, he felt a little calmer afterward. On the third day, he nailed only four nails, and by the end of the week, there were days when he didn’t nail any nails at all. Sravan was learning to control his anger, and he was proud of himself. After several weeks, he came to his father witha big smile on his face. “Dad! Today, | didn’t get angry at all! | haven’t hammered a single nail for days!” Sravan exclaimed happily.The Lesson of the Nails ye \ His father smiled and said, “That’s wonderful, Sravan! But \ now, | want you to do something else. Each day that you WAgor't get angry, | want you to remove one nail from the ‘wooden box.” \ Sravan agreed and began removing the nails one by one. With each passing day, as he grew calmer and more patient, he pulled out another nail from the box. Finally, the day came when all the nails were removed. Sravan proudly brought the empty wooden box to his father. “Look, Dad! All the nails are gone!” His father nodded but then pointed at the wooden box. “Yes, the nails are gone, but look at the wood, Sravan. It is now full of holes.” Sravan looked closely at the wooden box, and he saw that the holes left by the nails had scarred the wood forever. “You see, my son,” his father said gently, “anger is like those nails. When you get angry and lash out, it’s like hammering a nail into someone’s heart. You may later calm down, and even apologize, but just like the holes in this wood, the damage caused by your anger remains. It hurts others, and it hurts yourself too.” Sravan realized what his father was trying to teach him. From that day on, whenever he felt anger bubbling up inside him, he remembered the lesson of the nails and the scars they left behind. He worked hard to stay calm, knowing that once anger is let loose, it’s difficult to undo the damage. Moral of the Story: Anger can cause deep wounds, even if we apologize later. Just like the holes in the wood, the scars from angry words or actions can last a lifetime. It’s always better to stay calm and control your anger before it causes harm. Short Story Written by Unknown