Viraj and the Mountain of Munchies
Once upon a time, in a small, cheery village nestled between a giant mountain and a beautiful blue ocean, the people lived happily. The mountain was as tall as the clouds, and no one could climb it, no matter how hard they tried. The ocean, on the other hand, was so broad and wild that even the biggest ships couldn’t sail across it. The waves would simply push them back to shore. But, you know what? The people didn’t mind. The kids loved to play in the sand and sea during the day, and at night, they’d scramble up the lower slopes of the mountain.
In this village, there lived a bubbly little family, known for their very cheeky son, Viraj. Viraj was an adventurous boy, always ready for a thrilling new game or activity. But there was one thing Viraj loved even more than an adventure: food! He loved tasting new things, and was always pestering his mom to cook different dishes. After a while, though, he’d get bored and would want something else.
One day, after Viraj had made his mom cook a new dish for the fifth time that week, she finally said, “Viraj, my little pumpkin, I’ve run out of new recipes to make!” Hearing this, Viraj was heartbroken and started to cry. Seeing him upset, his wise granny came over. She listened to his worries and then suggested, “Why don’t you pray to God for lollipops? They come in so many flavours, you’ll never get bored!”
Intrigued by the idea, Viraj found a comfortable spot halfway up the mountain and started praying earnestly for a never-ending supply of lollipops. Even God was surprised by such a unique request, but Viraj’s dedication won him over.
Soon, God appeared before Viraj, who was over the moon. He jumped up, gave God a big hug, and excitedly chattered about all the stories his grandma had told him. Seeing the young boy’s faith, God was delighted and promised to grant him a wish. Viraj thought for a moment and then, with a cheeky grin, said, “I want it to rain whenever I ask for it.”
God was a bit confused and said, “But Viraj, I thought you wanted lollipops!” Viraj giggled and replied, “Yes, I want a lollipop rain!” God couldn’t believe the unusual wish but had to agree because he had already made the promise.
Thrilled, Viraj started dancing and wished for rain. To his joy, tiny lollipops, no bigger than ants, began to fall. But Viraj wanted bigger lollipops. So, with a giant shout, he asked for bigger lollipops. Suddenly, the sky rumbled with thunder, and enormous lollipops started falling from the sky. They were so big that Viraj had to run into a small cave in the mountain to avoid being squished!
Inside the cave, it was dark and spooky. Viraj was scared and hungry. So, to distract himself, he began scratching at the walls of the cave. To his surprise, the cave wall was soft, and bits of it started to come off. He sniffed the strange material and then tasted it. It was chocolate! He couldn’t believe it. The whole mountain was made of chocolate!
With new-found excitement, Viraj munched on the chocolate walls. He ate for hours until he had made a hole big enough to crawl out of. He ran back home, where his parents were relieved to see him safe.
The next day, Viraj took his friends to the chocolate mountain. At first, they didn’t believe him. But after tasting the chocolate for themselves, they spent the entire day munching on it. Viraj also cleverly wished for medium-sized lollipops, just right for their little hands.
Soon, everyone in the village noticed that the mountain was getting smaller. The children confessed to their secret chocolate eating sessions, and those who had eaten too much got a tummy ache. But once they promised to eat less, they got better quickly.
Viraj’s power of making it rain lollipops made the villagers rich. They collected the lollipops and sold them at nearby markets, and people from all around the world came to see the magical lollipop rain. Yet, Viraj never told anyone that he was behind the enchanting lollipop rain.
And so, Viraj and his family continued to live happily in their special, magical village, where it rained lollipops and mountains were made of chocolate.