Mom’s bed time stories

At the edge of a bustling village stood an old, creaky wooden house. Inside lived eighty-eight-year-old Baba ji, whose real name was Sobha Singh. He wasn't alone, though; his loyal dog Sheru was always by his side.

One sunny morning, the villagers brought Baba ji a very special invitation. There was going to be a grand, prestigious function in the center of the village. As a respected elder, Baba ji was the guest of honor!

Baba ji excitedly got ready for the big day. He put on his favorite traditional Punjabi clothes and carefully wrapped his simple turban. It was never perfectly straight and always a little tilted, but that was just his style!

With Sheru happily trotting along, Baba ji stepped out onto the dirt path. He was a very slow walker because his eighty-eight-year-old legs were tired. He also had poor vision, so he tapped his wooden cane to find his way.

The village was alive with the sounds of children playing and birds singing. Sheru wagged his tail at everyone they passed. Baba ji smiled, feeling very proud to be a part of the celebration.

Not far away, a playful seven-year-old girl was running as fast as the wind. She wore her school uniform salwar suit, and her two dark braids bounced with every step. An old, caramel-colored tote bag swung wildly by her side.

The girl wasn't looking where she was going, and the path was quite narrow. Before Baba ji could even lift his cane to warn her, the unthinkable happened. The running girl crashed right into the slow-walking elder!

Poor Baba ji tumbled right down onto the dusty ground! His old glasses went flying into the bushes, and his cane clattered away. His half-done turban slipped completely sideways over his ear.

Surprised and sore, Baba ji started mumbling angrily to himself. He grumbled about people running around like wild horses without looking. The little girl gasped, suddenly realizing the big mistake she had made.

She quickly rushed over and carefully helped the old man stand back up. She gently dusted the dirt off his favorite clothes and handed back his glasses and wooden cane. With a grateful sigh, Baba ji finally fixed his tilted turban.

Seeing her kind heart, Baba ji's anger melted away into a warm smile. "Kude, ki naam hai tera?" he asked gently, which means, "What is your name, girl?" The little girl looked up and said, "Babaji, main Ghoni a (in punjabi the name also means a cattle with no horns like cow or buffalo)."

Baba ji's eyes twinkled with a funny joke. "Shukar a putt tu ghoni a, kite singa wali hundi ta maar e dindi!" he laughed, meaning, "Thank goodness you are a hornless, if you had horns I would be dead!" They both shared a big laugh before Baba ji walked to his function and Ghoni ran back to play.