The Interesting Journey (Short Story)
Read The Interesting Journey: Rohan and his father meet a banshee on an Everest trek, solve a fairies’ riddle, and offer honey and flowers. Moral about kindness. Ages 8–12. Modern kids’ short story — free to read.
A modern Indian children’s short story: Rohan and his father trek near Mount Everest, meet a keening banshee in a mountain cottage, solve a fairies’ riddle, and offer honey and wildflowers. Not a classical Panchatantra tale — a Class V–style English composition preserved on the open web — with a clear moral about kindness.
Why this isn’t an ancient folktale
This page does not claim an ancient pan-Indian oral lineage. The Interesting Journey is modern children’s English short fiction in the school-composition tradition (Class V/VI Moral Science / English writing). Motifs travel: a Celtic-loanword “banshee,” a threshold cottage, a helper-riddle, and a gift of honey and flowers. Treat it as homework-friendly kids’ fiction with an honest label — not as scripture, not as Panchatantra, and not as a preschool nursery rhyme.
Attribution note: No single canonical author is fixed on our page; the piece circulates as an anonymous Class V–style composition. A widely shared Tell-A-Tale contest record credits a prize-winning under-10 version to Tvesha (Gurugram). We note that parallel web credit without inventing authorship or copying their text.
Story
Near the foot of Mount Everest lived a boy named Rohan. One cold morning his father woke him early. Rohan groaned, tossed, and finally dragged himself out of bed. “Brush your teeth, comb your hair, pull on your boots,” his father said. When Rohan was ready, the announcement came with quiet ceremony: “We are going on a trek to Mt. Everest.”
Outside, a chill wind struck their faces as they climbed. After a while a small cottage appeared in the distance. Smoke rose from its chimney and greyed the clouds in an eerie way. They decided to rest there.
The moment they stepped inside, a keening cry filled the air — the cry of a banshee. Rohan’s father froze at the word. Rohan had never heard of banshees and asked what they were. His father’s mouth opened, but no answer came. Rohan shook him gently and asked again. At last his father took his hand. “I’ll tell you on the way.”
They hurried down the mountain path while the story spilled out.
“Once I was walking with a friend and his father,” he said. “We passed a house thick with creepers. My friend’s father pointed to a window and whispered that he had seen a lady there — weeping red eyes, silver sleek hair. I ran home to my grandmother. She knew at once that the lady was a banshee. She asked if the figure had been pointing toward any particular house. I nodded hard. She told me someone in that house would die.”
“Did anyone die?” Rohan asked.
“Yes,” his father said quietly. “Dave, the head of that family, died that day. Hard times followed for them.”
Before Rohan could ask more, the weather turned. A blizzard closed in — snow and fog thick enough to make the descent dangerous. Father and son faced two bad choices: push through the storm and risk their lives, or turn back toward the cottage and the banshee’s cry.
They knelt and prayed for help. When they opened their eyes, two fairies stood before them.
“We know you are stuck,” the fairies said. “We will give you a clue as a riddle. You must go back to the banshee and give her something. The answer to the riddle is what you need to give. The riddle is — When you follow your heart, you are led to me.”
Then the fairies vanished.
Father and son thought hard. Suddenly Rohan jumped up. “I got it! The answer is LOVE. We have to give her love. I will give her the pure honey I am carrying, and fresh flowers from the forest.”
He ran into the trees, gathered the freshest blossoms he could find, and returned with the honey from their trek pack. Together they went back to the cottage, called the banshee by name, and held out the gifts.
The banshee took the honey and flowers and smiled — a real smile.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “I am sorry for haunting you. Please forgive me. I just thought that you think I am ugly and repulsive.”
“So, you do have a loving heart,” Rohan answered.
They invited her to their village and promised she would be treated with respect, like a guest of honour. When they returned, the villagers saw that the banshee was kind and loving. She thanked everyone — especially Rohan and his father — for their love and kindness, and lived among them in peace.
Moral
Kindness and love can turn fear into friendship; what we call a “monster” may only need to be seen with care.
One-liner: Treat with love the one you fear — kindness changes hearts.
Optional thread: Love is the path life travels — Rohan gives honey and flowers; the banshee becomes capable of thanks. The body without love is only a frame; the gift of care is what makes a feared stranger into a friend.
FAQ
Is this a real Indian folktale?
No. It is a modern children’s English short story in school-composition style, not a classical oral Indian folktale and not a Panchatantra piece. Motifs borrow a Celtic-loanword banshee plus familiar threshold-gift and riddle patterns. Honest framing beats fake antiquity.
What is the moral of The Interesting Journey?
Kindness — love shown as concrete gifts — transforms someone feared as ugly into a grateful friend. Treat with love the one you fear; kindness changes hearts.
What age is this story for?
Ages 8–12 (Class 4–6). Mild spooky cottage and banshee; fine for guided bedtime or homework. Not for preschool / ages 3–5.
Who is Rohan?
Rohan is the boy who lives near the foot of Mount Everest, treks with his father, solves the fairies’ riddle (“love”), and offers honey and wildflowers to the banshee.
Why honey and flowers?
They are a concrete “gift of love” — something a child can carry and give. The gesture lightly echoes honey-and-flower offerings familiar in Indian ritual imagery; we note the echo without claiming this school story is a temple text.
Who wrote The Interesting Journey?
No single canonical author is fixed on our page; it circulates as an anonymous Class V–style composition. Tell-A-Tale publishes a prize-winning under-10 version credited to Tvesha (Gurugram). Both facts can stand side by side without overclaiming.
