Manish Learns About Lying

PLAY 11

Manish Learns About Lying

Tejal: Manish, do you know what I got for my birthday? I got a dog!

Manish: You did? I can’t believe you got a dog. What does he look like?

Tejal: He’s fluffy and big. He has a very long tail that just swings and swings.

Manish: I have a dog too, and I bet he is bigger than yours. He is at least 9 feet tall.

Tejal: No kidding?

Manish: My dog is as fluffy as a kitten. He lets me ride on his back, and we play games like hide and seek.

Tejal: You’ve got to be kidding.

Manish: His tail swings so hard and fast that you can tie a jump rope on the end of his tail. He turns the jump rope for us as we jump.

Tejal: You are talking like you have a great, great, big dog.

Manish: Tejal, he can talk too.

Tejal: I don’t believe you! Dogs can’t talk.

Manish: This dog talks. He sure does. This dog is magic and he is expensive, too. He cost a lot of money. Did your dog cost a lot of money?

Tejal: I don’t believe he did. He came from the dog pound.

Manish: My dog rode in a boat that crossed the ocean.

Tejal: Your dog? What color is he?

Manish: He is striped with red, white, and blue. He has a great doghouse. My dad built it and it has lights and a TV.

Tejal: You sure have some kind of dog?

Manish: Oh, it’s too bad you can’t see him today.

Tejal: I don’t understand why I can’t see him today.

Manish: My house is a long way and it’s too far to walk. He stays in the backyard most of the time.

Tejal: My mother said she was going to take me to your house to visit your mother.

Manish: Are you coming to my house? Today?

Tejal: I can’t wait to see your great, great, big striped dog that is red, white, and blue who lives in a doghouse with lights and a T.V.

Manish: If my dog is sleeping you won’t be able to see him.

Tejal: Well, I just might have to wake him up from his nap. I will bring my jump rope, and he can turn it for us while we jump.

Manish: Well, I don’t think it can do that, but you can tie a ribbon on his tail, a red, white, and blue one, and he can wave it like the flag of United States.

Tejal: I still want to see your talking dog. What does he say?

Manish: My dog can say lots of words like bow-wow and ruff-ruff.

Tejal: My dog can do all of that, too.

Manish: And by the way, he isn’t all that fluffy either. Just a little fluffy. My stuffed animals can also play hide and seek.

Tejal: Manish, have you been telling me a story? You have been telling me things that aren’t true.

Manish: They are kind of true, but not really.

Tejal: I bet he’s not really red, white, and blue, either.

Manish: Well, he has sort of a striped red, white, and blue collar.

Tejal: Manish, you have been telling me a story. I won’t ever be able to trust you again, whenever you tell me things that are important. I bet you don’t even have a dog.

Manish: I sure do. Come and see him. His name is Lassie. Come on over and see him.

Tejal: Oh, that is O.K. I will just stay at home and play with my own dog. Things that belong to me are really special, and he is special.

Manish: I am truly sorry for telling you all of those lies.

Tejal: I am also sorry that you told me all of those lies. In Jain school, we learned to tell only the truth. You learned that too, didn’t you?

Manish: I am going to start telling the truth from today. I am really going to change my ways.

Tejal: You are?

Manish: You can always count on me.

Tejal: No more lies?

Manish: No more lies, I promise.