“Please, Baba, you promised us! You can’t go back on your words now,” pleaded seven-year-old Ayesha, who had been sent to Mr Faisal as the representative of the family’s children’s group. She was chosen to go to the elders every time the kids needed something or wanted to go somewhere. Being the youngest among them, she was listened to patiently and her demands were taken more seriously than those of the older children.

“So what did he say?” asked Ahmed as soon as he spotted Ayesha coming out of the drawing room.

“He said, tell everyone to get ready, we are leaving in 15 minutes,” she told the crowd that had gathered around her.

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, all the kids jumped and screamed with excitement. Some even patted her on the back for accomplishing such a daring task.

“And where exactly are we going?” inquired Hamza.

“Probably to Daman-e-Koh or Lake View Park,” suggested Alina.

“He said that he will take us anywhere we want,” added Ayesha.

“Let’s go to Lake View Park,” suggested Ahad, placing his hand forward so everyone could vote. One by one, everyone placed their hands on top of Ahad’s.

Mr Faisal and Mr Raza were brothers. Mr Faisal lived in Islamabad and had three children — Aman, the eldest, followed by Ibrahim and Ayesha — while Mr Raza lived in Rawalpindi and also had three children, Alina, Hamza and Ahad.

Every month, both brothers invited each other over for lunch, and then they would go for an outing in their respective cities.

“Okay, everyone ready?” called Ahad.

“Yes, let’s go,” replied Ibrahim.

“Where is Aman aapi?” inquired Alina, who had just tied her shoes.

“Probably in the kitchen. She might be doing the dishes,” replied Ibrahim after looking around.

Alina strolled down the hallway towards the kitchen and saw Aman aapi standing at the corner cabinet, placing ceramic plates back in their place.

“Aman aapi, we are going out. Are you not coming?” asked Alina.

“No, I have a lot to do. You guys go and have fun,” she replied.

Alina looked around the kitchen. She realised there was a lot of mess resulting from the large family lunch.

“But I wanted you to join us. It will be much more fun,” she tried again.

“I would have loved to, but our house help is on leave, and Amma has been working all by herself since the morning. I must do the dishes now, or she will come and start doing all of this herself,” Aman said, resuming her work.

There was a moment of silence. Then a smile spread across Alina’s face.

“Then let me help you,” she said, grabbing a sponge and soaking it in the prepared dishwashing mixture.

“You can, but don’t you want to go out with the others?” asked Aman.

“Of course I do, and I have a plan for that,” Alina replied, popping a big bubble floating in the mixture.

Alina washed her hands and disappeared into the corridor that led to the main hallway and then into the drawing room. A few minutes later, she reappeared with the entire kids’ gang.

“So you’ve brought all of them to convince me?” asked Aman, closing the cabinet door and looking at the group.

“Nope. I’ve brought them to help you, so that your work can finish faster and you can also come with us,” announced Alina.

“We are at your command, captain!” said Ahad.

“Alright, then let’s get started. Hamza, take these fruits and neatly arrange them in the refrigerator. Ibrahim, clean the counters and discard all the garbage. Ahad and Ayesha, you both will pick up all the toys from the drawing room. Alina will do the dishes and I will clear the leftovers. Once you’ve completed your assigned task, move on to help the others. Is that clear?” Aman instructed, handing the fruit basket to Hamza.

“Yes, ma’am!” everyone replied, and off they went to complete their assigned chores.

After almost half an hour, everything was done — the dishes were washed, the counter tops were crystal clear, leftover food was resting neatly in the fridge, and all the toys were put back in their respective places.

“All done, captain, over and out,” said Ahad, placing the last plate in the drawer.

Soon, everyone gathered to report back to the captain.

“Well done, team. Now we are all set to go. Over and out,” called Aman, clapping at the accomplishment.

“Okay, so are you all set to go?” asked Mr Faisal.

“Yes!” replied the group. They all left together, cheering, chanting and sharing stories with one another.

If all of us help each other, whether with household chores or school homework, we come to realise that while we are helping someone, or being helped, the work feels less tiring, time passes quickly and the moments turn into memories, beautiful memories that live rent-free in our hearts.

Remember the times when we help our mother in the kitchen while she cooks and tell her about our day, sharing stories about events at school? Time passes quickly, doesn’t it? Even though we are working, it doesn’t feel boring or tiring; instead, we feel more lively and energetic afterwards.

So kids, the moral of today’s story is to help each other, no matter who needs help or what work has to be done. Also, offer a hand to your mother with household chores whenever you get free time — it will become a cherished memory of time spent together.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 17th, 2026