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