It was a bright, sunny day. Ahmed was sitting in his room, feeling more bored than ever. It was the middle of the holidays, and he had nothing to do. His best friend was out of town, having gone to his village with his family. Ahmed had a couple of other buddies, but they were also not in the city.

Ahmed wondered how great it would have been if his friends were there with him. His birthday was coming up next week, and he could have celebrated it with them. It wasn’t like he had no siblings — he had an elder brother named Faraz, who had gone abroad to study. The two brothers loved each other dearly. Often, Ahmed would tell his brother about different gadgets, and Faraz would send them to him from abroad.

Ahmed received an iPhone on his previous birthday. He also had a collection of various devices that his brother had sent him. When he wasn’t with friends, he would spend so much time using them that he hardly had time for other things, like eating or studying. This was also one of the reasons he was falling behind his classmates in academics.

When Ahmed’s birthday was coming up, he called his brother and told him to get him a PlayStation as his birthday present. However, Faraz told him he would send a present only if Ahmed scored good marks in his class.

Determined to earn his reward, Ahmed started studying immediately. Some days, he didn’t even sleep just to study. Hard work became his routine. He became so engrossed in his books that gadgets no longer tempted him; in fact, he even forgot to come in for meals. His mother had to go to his room and give him food to ensure his health didn’t decline.

His exams were approaching, and he became so absorbed in his studies that he even forgot about his birthday. Studying had become his new habit.

Finally, the day of his birthday arrived. Early in the morning, there was a knock on the door. Ahmed opened it and found Faraz standing there. Overjoyed, he jumped with excitement. Just then, his parents came from behind, and together they all said, “Happy Birthday, Ahmed!”

Ahmed was thrilled to see his family together on his special day. A little while later, there was another knock on the door. When Ahmed opened it, to his surprise, his friends were standing there, holding a birthday cake. He hadn’t expected this and was overjoyed to see them all.

He cut the cake and spent the day playing games with his friends. As he looked around at his loved ones, Ahmed thought to himself, “This is the best birthday ever. My family and friends are all here.”

Ahmed received a lot of gifts and eagerly opened each one, but he didn’t find a

PlayStation. He wondered if his brother had hidden it and planned to give it to him only after the exam results. But then another thought crossed his mind — what if I don’t do well in the exams? What if I don’t get the PlayStation at all?

After his friends had left, curiosity got the better of him. He sneaked into his brother’s room and searched for the PlayStation. When he finally found it, he couldn’t control his excitement. Giving in to temptation, he took it and hid it in his room.

Days passed, and soon, Ahmed’s exams began. He did well, and within a few days, the results were announced. To his astonishment, he got second position in the class. His family was overjoyed, and Faraz smiled proudly.

“Now, now, I can see my little champ has done well and kept his word. I will finally give you your most desired birthday present,” Faraz said, before heading off to get the gift.

Ahmed felt a wave of guilt wash over him. His hands grew cold, and sweat trickled down his face. Moments later, Faraz returned, looking slightly worried.

“I brought exactly what Ahmed asked for,” he told their parents, “but now I can’t find it.”

His parents exchanged concerned glances, wondering about the possibilities. Ahmed hesitated, his heart pounding. Then, gathering his courage, he finally spoke.

“Bhai… please forgive me. I hid it in my room because I was too anxious to have my present. I thought that if I failed, you might not give it to me, so I … I stole it and hid it in my room.”

Faraz was shocked, and so were their parents.

“Ahmed! How could you do that?” Faraz exclaimed. “You stole something that was eventually going to be yours — if only you had been patient. Even if you had failed, I would have still given it to you because I love my little brother and would never want to see you sad. But now that you’ve done such a terrible thing, I can’t let you have it. That’s your punishment for stealing.”

Everyone was devastated, as nobody had expected this from Ahmed. He cried — not because he would not receive his gift, but because he had broken his brother’s trust and resorted to stealing. He was shocked at his own behaviour too. He felt ashamed and apologised every time he came across his brother or parents.

The next morning, Ahmed didn’t come for breakfast. Concerned, Faraz went to his room and found him lying on his bed, his face buried in a pillow, sobbing. Faraz gently tapped his shoulder. The moment Ahmed felt his presence, he immediately turned and hugged his brother tightly, apologising once again.

Faraz loved his brother and couldn’t stay mad at him for long. He hugged Ahmed back and lovingly consoled him. “What you did was wrong, but what truly matters is that you understand your mistake and regret it. We all make mistakes, but learning from them is what makes us better, I hope you have learnt your lesson!”

Ahmed wiped his tears and nodded, promising never to betray his loved ones’ trust again.

Faraz smiled and ruffled his hair. “Now come on, let’s go have breakfast … and after that, we will play together on PlayStation,” Faraz promised him.

Ahmed’s eyes lit up with hope. He had learnt his lesson, and deep down, he knew his brother still loved him.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 8th, 2025