The lesson - story

She was standing alone on the beach. The waves kept on coming. The sound of the waves seemed to calm her somehow. The white foam and the feel of the water on her feet were refreshing. She opened her packet of snacks and started to eat it. There were dustbins near to where she stood but she just raised her hand to throw the empty plastic packet into the sea. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked back. A local looked at her with a stern expression on his face and pointed the dustbin to her. She looked sheepishly and walked towards it and put the empty cover in the bin. The local reminded her that nature did so much for the beings but only the human was unkind enough and littered and polluted the planet.

He talked to her and asked where she came from. She said that she was from the north and loved to travel. He smiled and took her into his hut nearby and offered seafood. She saw that he was very poor but yet offered her his food. She was so moved and declined it. She promised him that she would not litter the beach again. They parted ways. She looked back at the sea and mouthed 'Sorry'.

She went back to her village. One day, she saw her niece throwing a plastic bag into the empty field nearby. A cow was grazing and started to chew it. She ran and grabbed the cover before the cow swallowed it. The cow was startled but moved on to chew the fresh grass. Her niece came running and stood silently. She explained that if the animals ate plastic, it would choke them. She asked her niece to promise never to litter the land again and to properly dispose of the garbage. Her niece agreed. They left. She told her niece the story of how she had almost polluted the sea. Her niece agreed to spread the message.

The niece had gone to school. She noticed that the cook and the cleaner were trying to burn empty plastic covers. The smoke would pollute the air and also cause breathing problems. She went to the principal's office and asked them to stop the cook from doing so. The teachers went and stopped the cook and also reprimanded her and warned her not to burn plastic. They advised the cook to dispose of the garbage properly. The cook agreed and the niece was happy she could prevent an act of polluting the environment.

One day, the local man on the beach had visitors. The lady and her niece had come. They handed him some money that they had collected through a fund project and asked him to build a proper house. They also brought signs made by the schoolchildren that warned against pollution. The local was so happy that he did not know how to thank the lady and her niece. His family was also happy. The lady and her niece stood near the sea and the waves washed their feet.

©sayee
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