Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Friends, this is a short fable meant for all. Thank you.

A Fable for Children

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Welcome, my dear children.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful pool lined with mango trees, where birds used to sing sweetly. Ducks, fish, and many others used to live joyfully in the crystal-clear waters. Scented pink lotus, blooming in abundance, used to attract many colourful butterflies.
Here lived three ducks: Arpita and her two kids, Arun and Amit. While the mother had spotless white feathers and a dark orange beak, the children had white coats spotted with brown and light orange beaks. All three were helpful by nature.

Arpita took great pains to raise her children, teaching them daily lessons on moral principles. Children of other aquatic animals used to join her classes as well. Life was good!

Alas, villagers started to settle around the pool and, as often happens, they started leaving the pond dirty by washing their clothes and dumping their garbage.

Children, you can well imagine what happened next! The lotus stopped blooming, and the butterflies disappeared. The fish population began dropping. Swans, ducks, and other water birds began to experience great difficulty finding food.

Arpita, therefore, took matters in hand and one morning taught all the children this great lesson: 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness.' As the mother duck explained all the horrors that originate from a filthy home, the little ones felt so impressed that they vowed to clean up the pool right away.

Led by Arun, they started catching hold of the bad things floating all over the pond: rotting vegetation, pieces of rubbish (ugh!), pieces of plastic (ugh!), and other useless things. Plus, small fish like guppies helped remove the oil film choking the lotus plants.

Arun was the most eager of the lot. After all, as his mother said so many times, it was his own home, wasn't it? He could often be heard encouraging his classmates, "Friends, we are all doing a fine job. Our home will be clean soon."

As the hours passed, the little ones went on collecting and dropping rubbish onto a spot on the bank. By late afternoon, they had removed most of the floating junk. When the moon rose, the pond was looking its old self again, with its waters sparkling like diamonds.

The fish, ducks, and everyone else in the pool were happy. Arpita and other animal parents beamed, "Children, what a magnificent job you all have done! We are so proud of you."

The happiest were the lotus! In gratitude, they started producing the best blooms of their life. Oh yes, the pool began to get lit up with butterflies once more.

The best thing was that the villagers, the main culprits, felt deep shame as they witnessed the day-long cleaning mission conclude. Their headman approached Arpita and vowed to honour the sanctity of the pool.

So, children, come, join hands, and help save our natural habitats... all of us will be living a much happier life then.

See you soon.
Goodbye, and God bless.