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She ran to her friend, the tree. ‘Help! Help me!’ she cried.

And then—the tree’s broad brown trunk opened up.

‘Get inside,’ it said. There was a big hollow space inside the trunk. Shanti ran and hid
there!

‘Shanti! Shanti! You wicked girl, you won’t get away. I’ll catch you, wait and see!’

Shanti smiled. ‘I’m safe,’ she said. ‘You can’t find me, Chachi ji.’

‘Shanti! Shanti! Where are you? Shanti?’ Chachi ji’s voice got softer and softer. Shanti took
a big, deep breath. Chachi ji could never find her here. It was dark and cosy inside the tree.

Shanti curled up and slept. Slept and slept till she heard a baby crying.

It was Mamta. ‘Quiet! Quiet!’ she heard Chachi ji shout. But Mamta wouldn’t be quiet.

‘Quiet! Quiet!’ Chacha ji’s shouted. Mamta cried louder. Chacha ji was back! Was it
evening already! What was Shanti going to do? She would just stay there inside the tree.
Safe from everyone who scolded her.

Mamta was crying even louder now.

Chachi ji said, ‘She just won’t be quiet. If only
Shanti were here. She knows how to make
her quiet. Oh, where has she gone?’

‘You scold her too much,’ Chacha ji said.
‘What will we tell her parents? We’ll be

in trouble!’ ‘I won’t scold her any more, I
promise!’ Chachi ji cried. ‘If only she’d come
back! I’ll never scold her again.’

Shanti smiled. Should she go back? It was so
much nicer here inside the tree. But Mamta
was still crying. She knew why she was
crying. She was waiting for Shanti to come

play with her. Should she go?

Suddenly the tree spoke again. ‘You can go,
if you want,’ it whispered. ‘But you can come How do Shanti, Just a Minute!
back whenever you want.’ Chacha ji and Chachi ji
differ based on their
‘Can I! Can I really?’ behaviour?

‘Of course, you can. This place is always there,
just for you!’ the tree whispered. hollow: empty inside
wicked: bad or evil
Shanti took a big, long breath. Should she go back? trouble: problem

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