Junior Vocab
The Missing Pencil Box
Meera: "Dadu, my pencil box is gone! It was right here a second ago."
Arjun: "Maybe it grew legs and ran away. Things don’t just disappear like that, Meera."
Dadu:appear. Let’s look properly." "Hmm, things don’t disappear, but they also don’t magically
Meera: "I already looked! I checked my bag, under the desk, even in the tiffin basket."
Arjun: "You probably left it in school. Then it will never appear again."
Meera: "Don’t say that! It has my glitter pencil, and Amma’s tiny Ganesha sticker."
Dadu: "Think, beta. When did you see it last?"
Meera: "In the morning, before school. I put it near the rangoli so I wouldn’t forget."
Arjun: "Rangoli! Careful, Dadu, don’t step on the flowers."
Dadu: "I won’t. Look, the marigold petals are still fresh. Your Paati will be happy."
Meera: "Dadu, this isn’t about marigolds. My box is gone-gone."
Arjun: "Maybe a ghost took it. A pencil-loving ghost."
Dadu: "If a ghost took it, it must be a very studious ghost."
Meera: "Dadu, you’re joking, but I’m really upset."
Dadu: "Okay, serious now. Check behind the lamp, near the diyas."
Meera: "Just dust and one dead mosquito. Yuck."
Arjun: "Wait, what’s that under the newspaper?"
Meera: "That’s just Dadu’s glasses."
Dadu: "Ah, so that’s where they were hiding. Things appear in the funniest places."
Meera: "Can my pencil box appear in a funny place too, please?"
Arjun: "What if you sit very still and don’t look at it? Then it will appear, like in magic shows."
Meera: "If I don’t look, how will I know it appears?"
Dadu: "Check the puja shelf, Meera. Sometimes you keep your treasures there."
Meera: "I wouldn’t keep a pencil box next to the coconut, Dadu."
Arjun: "You kept your eraser there last week. You said God will help you not lose it."
Meera: "Oh. Yeah."
Dadu: "Careful with the agarbatti. Just move that plate of ladoos."
Meera: "Dadu, you hid the ladoos behind the photo frame?"
Arjun: "Dadu always hides sweets. He makes them disappear and then appear in his tummy."