The Helping Hands

In a cozy little town with cobblestone streets and flower boxes in every window, lived two cousins named Ria and Sam. Ria was seven, and Sam was eight. They were the best of friends and did everything together. One sunny afternoon, they were walking home from school, swinging their backpacks and talking about their favorite cartoons.

“I can’t wait to get home,” said Sam. “Mom promised to make cookies.” “Me too!” said Ria. As they turned the corner near the busy market square, they saw something that made them stop. Mrs. Higgins, the oldest lady in the neighborhood, was standing by the crosswalk. She was holding two heavy grocery bags, and she looked very worried. The cars were zooming by—Vroom! Vroom! Mrs. Higgins would step forward, see a fast car, and step back nervously. Her glasses had slipped down her nose, and she looked like she might drop her bags.

“Look at Mrs. Higgins,” whispered Ria. “She is scared to cross.” “The traffic light is broken,” noticed Sam. “That’s why the cars aren’t stopping.”

Most people walked past Mrs. Higgins, too busy looking at their phones or rushing to catch a bus. But Ria and Sam knew what they had to do. “Cookie time can wait,” said Sam firmly. They walked up to the old lady. “Hello, Mrs. Higgins!” chirped Ria. Mrs. Higgins jumped a little. “Oh! Hello, dears. I am in a bit of a pickle. These cars are so fast today.”

“Don’t worry,” said Sam. “We will be your crossing guards.” Sam took one heavy bag from her right hand. Ria took the other heavy bag from her left hand. “Now,” said Sam, “hold my arm.” Mrs. Higgins smiled with relief. “You are such angels.”

They waited patiently at the curb. The cars kept whizzing by. Then, Sam saw a gap. He raised his free hand high in the air, palm out, signaling the cars to slow down. He stood tall and brave. A red truck slowed down and stopped. The driver waved them across. “Now!” said Sam. Together, slowly and safely, they walked Mrs. Higgins across the street. Step by step. When they reached the other side, Mrs. Higgins let out a big sigh. “Oh, thank goodness! I was stuck there for ten minutes.”

She looked at the two children. “Thank you for helping an old lady. My hands were so tired.” She reached into her purse and pulled out two shiny red apples. “I bought these for a pie, but you deserve them more.”

Ria and Sam beamed. They took the apples and waved goodbye. As they walked the rest of the way home, crunching on their sweet apples, they felt a warm glow in their chests. It felt even better than eating cookies. They realized that being helpful didn’t take much time, but it made a huge difference to someone else.

Moral of the Story: A small act of kindness can make a big difference. Hands that help are holier than lips that pray.

Moral of the Story: Helping others makes the world a better place.