Owning Mistakes

Story by TONY PRO

Zoe was a curious girl. She was fond of reading adventure stories. She lived with her grandmother. One night, she stealthily entered the store room where her grandmother kept her priceless antiques. Zoe knew her grandmother did not like anyone to touch her rare collections.

Once inside the room, Zoe stood on a chair. She lifted the box where in her grandmother had kept many wrist-watches bought from different countries she had visited.

While getting down from the chair, Zoe's elbow struck against the chair. The box slipped out of her hands and fell onto the floor. All the watched lay scattered all around. To her utter shock, she found the glass of her grandmother's favorite watch broken.

Zoe got frightened lest her grandmother should come to know about the broken glass. She started picking up the pieces of glass.

Zoe thought, “How will I tell my grandmother that her favorite watch had got broken? She will be angry with me. If I do not tell her, she will not come to know about it."

Zoe got nervous. Her heart started beating faster. She put the broken watch back into the box and placed the box back on the shelf. Afterwards, she went to sleep. She tossed and turned in bed. She could not sleep in peace throughout the whole night.

The next morning, Zoe got up early. She gathered courage to go and admit her fault to her grandmother. Reaching her grandmother's bedroom she told her everything. The grandmother looked thoughtful. She did not say anything to Zoe. She went over to the store room. Zoe kept standing with her head down.

Having returned from the store the grandmother said to Zoe, “I felt very angry when you had broken my precious watch. Your grandfather gifted it to me on our first wedding anniversary. But you need not worry. Only the glass is broken. I shall have it replaced."

Zoe felt relieved. After some time, her grandmother went into kitchen and bought a glass of milk for her

While giving the milk to Zoe, her grandmother said, “It was brave enough of you to tell me about the broken watch. You knew that I would scold you, didn't you?"

Zoe said, “I was scared at first. But I dared not tell a lie. I should not have touched your things without your permission."

Zoe's grandmother further remarked, “When I was at your age, I also broke my mother’s precious flower-case. I was scared to own up my mistake. But, when I went to confess, she said that she already knew about it."

It is brave to admit your mistake. You may be scared of being scolded. But it is the only way for you to be free from guilt.