Lily and the magical pencil

Once upon a time, in a small village in Africa, there lived a girl named Lily. She often wondered why people said, "Greed is a curse."

One day, while she was doing her homework, something incredible happened. Crack! Her pencil broke. Zap! As she opened her pouch to get a new one, a magical pencil flew out.

"Hi! I am a magical pencil," it said. "I can create anything you draw. Just draw it, close your

eyes, and in a second, you will have that thing. But remember, use me to help others more than you use me for yourself."

Lily rubbed her eyes in shock, but as soon as she realized it was real, greed sparkled in her

eyes.

"Do you want a ride on my back?" the pencil asked.

"But you are so small; I can't fit on your back!" Lily replied. Within a blink, the pencil grew bigger, and Lily sat on its back. Flap! Flap! It flew outside.

It was a dazzling afternoon. The clouds looked like cotton candy, the resplendent flowers shone like diamonds, and there was an ethereal mist everywhere. The pencil was yellow, had a pink eraser at the back, and beautiful, pearlescent wings.

After their ride, they returned to Lily’s house. Right after she got off its back, it turned into its

normal size. She kept it in her pouch and went for dinner.

After dinner, she lay in her bed and started thinking, What if I ask the pencil for money, candies, and a castle? That sounds like a plan.

She went tiptoeing into her study room and opened her pouch. Flap! Flap! The pencil flew out.

"Hi! How can I help you now?" the pencil asked.

Lily grabbed a paper and started drawing. She drew a castle and closed her eyes. As soon as she opened them, she was standing in front of a majestic castle. The castle was decorated with crystals, precious diamonds, expensive pearls, and shiny gold. She loved it; it looked surreal.

However, she became arrogant. She thought, I have a castle, but I don't have princess dresses.

She drew a gown and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was wearing a gorgeous blue silk gown with amazing star embroidery. Then, she drew tons of mouth-watering, delicate chocolate bars. She closed her eyes and got them. Everything seemed fine, but something felt off. The tip of the pencil had vanished, but Lily was too busy enjoying her chocolate bars to notice.

A while later, the pencil vanished. Then, one by one, the castle, the gown, and the chocolates

disappeared, and Lily found herself back in her study room. Now she understood why people

said, "Greed is a curse." Everything had happened because Lily acted out of greed instead of wanting to help others. The story of Lily teaches us that we should act with generosity and

selflessness.