“Haider! Haider!” mum’s voice echoed in the whole house and Haider came running downstairs to the kitchen where his mum was summoning him.

“Oh! Here you are. Run along the street to the bakery and fetch me some egg, will you, dear?”

“Yes, mum,” Haider replied.

“That’s nice. Take this money and be quick.”

Haider ran along the street to the bakery. The shopkeeper was busy in serving the costumers already present. Haider saw him busy with other costumers so he began looking around the bakery. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the cupcakes in the showcase. The cupcakes captivated his sight. He looked at the money in his hand and thought that it would be insufficient to buy those chocolate-coated cupcakes.

Meanwhile the shopkeeper addressed Haider, “Son! How can I help you?”

Interrupted in his thoughts, he became bewildered, “Oh... ah! I need a dozen eggs. How much do they cost?”

“They will cost Rs120,” shopkeeper replied.

He scrutinised every note in his hand and found them to be exactly Rs120. He sadly thought, ‘No chance! There is not even a penny above Rs120!’

“Wait uncle! How much these cupcakes cost?” Haider couldn’t control himself and asked.

“These ones? They were Rs15 each. I hope you don’t need them.”

“Nah!” Haider replied.

As the shopkeeper turned around to get some eggs, Haider picked up one cupcake and hid it in his pocket. The shopkeeper gave him the eggs and Haider handed him the money. As he went towards his house with the eggs, Haider was singing to himself and relishing the thought of eating the cupcake he had hidden in his pocket.

On reaching home, Haider gave the eggs to his mother and went to his room to complete his homework and to have his treat. Half an hour later, he began to feel nausea and severe pain in his abdomen. He was soon screaming in pain. When his mother came into the room, she saw Haider was vomiting incessantly. His mother became anxious and called the doctor immediately.

The doctor, after examining Haider, asked: “Have you eaten anything wrong or anything unhygienic?”

“No, I haven’t, I only had breakfast which mum prepared and nothing else … and a cupcake.”

“Which cupcake?” asked mother curiously.

“I took it from the shop,” Haider replied.

“Which shop?” Haider became puzzled at the counter question of his mother. Feeling guilty, he told her everything truthfully. Haider was actually very sorry about what he had done. The doctor said that he was probably having food poisoning. The cupcakes might have been stale and not fit to eat. The doctor then gave him some medicines and asked them to show up after three days.

After three days, Haider was healthy again. He went along with his mother to say sorry to the shopkeeper and to pay him the money for the cupcake he stole.

The shopkeeper refused to take the money and said: “They were actually not for sale, they were meant to be disposed off. That day you said you don’t need them, so I didn’t caution you that they were three days old and are not for sale.

Haider was ashamed of his deed and vowed to never do such a thing ever again and after that whenever he went to any grocery or bakery shop, he always confirmed about the items’ freshness because he had learnt two lessons: never to steal, of course, and that stale and unhygienic food may be injurious to health.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 21st, 2016