Shahmeer’s Kindness

Nasreen Tariq

Shahmeer was a 6-year-old boy with curly hair, freckles and a big build. He didn't smile much and had few friends. Shahmeer often got into fights and sometimes bullied others. Nobody wanted to play with him because he was mean.

Shahmeer was lonely. At playtime, he sat alone, feeling sad. He didn't have a lunchbox and found his schoolwork hard. The other kids never asked him to play because they were afraid he would ruin their game by getting into a fight. 

Nobody wanted to be his friend. Shahmeer didn't understand why everything was so hard.

One day, something changed.

Shahmeer was sitting on the stairs, watching other children play. Suddenly, a girl named Amna, who was from a different section, slipped and fell on the steps. Her knee started to bleed, and some of the children nearby began laughing at her.

Shahmeer felt his anger rise. He didn’t like that they were making fun of her. Without thinking, he stood up and shouted, “Stop laughing! That’s not nice!”

His loud voice made the children stop and stare. Shahmeer walked over to Amna, picked up her bag, and helped her stand up.

“Are you okay?” Shahmeer asked, trying to calm his voice.

Amna, still surprised, nodded. “Thank you,” she said softly.

Shahmeer took her to the nurse’s office. He didn’t say much, but inside, he felt proud that he had helped instead of getting angry.

The next day at recess, Amna found Shahmeer sitting alone again. She smiled and waved at him.

“Hi, Shahmeer! Thanks for helping me yesterday.

You were really kind,” she said, handing him a small snack from her lunchbox.

Shahmeer blinked in surprise. No one had ever thanked him before. “But... why did you come to me?” he asked. “All the kids usually stay away from me.”

Amna tilted her head, confused. “Why would they stay away?”

Shahmeer sighed. “Because I shout and get angry. When I yell, everyone runs away.”

Amna thought for a moment. “Oh, I didn’t know that,” she said. “I’ve never seen you get angry before. All the other children were laughing at me, but you didn’t. You asked me kindly to come with you to the nurse. That was so kind of you.”

Her words made Shahmeer stop and think. “Kind?” he asked, confused.