Kallus world 3 - Mangu Maliand the Ambia BhootAuthor Subhadra Sen GuptaIllustrator Tapas Guha

There she is Kallu pointed down the lane

Why is she so late today Something must havehappened in school his younger brother Shabbo addedworriedly

They had returned from school much earlier but theirsister Munia was still not home so lunch had to wait AsMunia came closer walking very slowly dragging herschool bag behind her they noticed the flushed cheeksand the fiery glitter in her eyes

2

Oye Shersquos angry about something Kallu mumbledunder his breath and then turned to stare at ShabboDid you say something to herNoooohellip I donrsquot think sohellip Shabbo blinked nervouslyDid youNever Are you mad

Everyone in the village of Khajuria knew about Muniarsquoshot temper It was that famous She did not lose it easilybut when she didhellip baap re Everyone knew about itreally fast

3

According to Kallu when Munia was angry the streetdogs hid behind trees and the crows flew away to thenext village And now looking at her glittering eyes heknew something had got her burning again So he andShabbo watched her very very carefully as she marchedinto the house muttering something under her breath

4

That stupid man sitting there like a nawab orsomething on his stupid charpaihellip who does he think heis

Whordquo Kallu asked very carefully

You wouldnrsquot understand Yoursquore too stupid

5

Theek hai he said meekly and followed her inside Youdid not argue unnecessarily with Munia when she was inthis dangerous mood Once when she was mad at theirmother for making her cook Kallu had tried to jokeabout it and she had whipped around and tried to bitehim Luckily she only got a mouthful of his kurta butwith a quick toss of her head she had torn off a piece

Kallu told his friend Damu that if she had actually drawnblood he would have had to take injections like they dofor dog bite And when Munia heard what he had saidshe threatened to bite him again

So who was this nawab on a charpai Kallu wondered ashe helped himself to another parantha Who in thewhole village had the suicidal courage to make Muniaangry

The story came out during lunch after a few bites ofparantha and vegetable had calmed Munia down

6

One dayhellip she said chewing away ldquoMangu Malirsquosprecious tree will be struck by lightninghellip just you waitand see Irsquove cursed it today

Aaah said Kallu and Shabbo together everything wasexplained You tried to get a mango again

Just one mangohellip I really begged you knowhellip just the tiniest smallest onerdquo Munia shook her head Andagain he saidhellip

7

Come and get it from the Ambia Bhoot Kallu andShabbo said together

Everyone in Khajuria knew that the sweetest juiciestmangoes in the whole district grew on the tree in thecorner of Mangu Malirsquos orchard Every summer thebranches would droop with large pale-green-and lemoncoloured Dussehri mangoes with that heavenly flavourthat you could smell from far away The problem wasthat Mangu would never allow anyone near his tree Andletting you taste a slice of a mango Forget it

All day he sat on his charpai smoking his hookah rightin the shade of the tree and what was worse he wouldlook at the children give his crooked smile behind hismoustache and say No one can steal my mangoes Allday I guard my tree and all night I leave it to the AmbiaBhoot the ghost of the mango tree

8

Then he would take a drag at his hookah cough andlaugh nastily showing his large yellow teeth If anyonehas the courage to face the deadly Ambia Bhoot andsteal any mangoes he can have them for free heh heh

For years all the kids in the village had dreamed oftasting a mango from the lsquobhoot treersquo but every mango-stealing expedition had failed No one had ever met theAmbia Bhoot but somehow Mangu Mali seemed to readtheir minds Every time anyone crept into the orchardthere he was waiting in the shadow of that dark leafytree smiling nastily behind his moustache

This time Mangu Mali had made a mistake He hadchallenged Munia and her gang Their gang includedKallu and his best friend Damu studying in class nine

9

Kallursquos sister Munia and Damursquos sister Saru were both inclass eight and Shabbo the youngest was in class sevenIn the school register Kallu was Kallan Damu wasDamodar Munia was Munira Saru was Saraswati andShabbo was Shabbir but even Masterji often forgot theirreal names

They were determined to get mangoes from the lsquobhoottreersquo as Damu called it Only the prospect of a ghostlyattack by Ambia Bhoot made them rather nervous Butthey had taken Mangu Malirsquos insults long enough andwere determined that this summer they had to defeatthe Ambia Bhoot As Saru said their reputation aschampion mango stealers was at stakeAccording to Mangu Mali the Ambia Bhoot lived rightthere among those dark leafy branches All day whileMangu Mali sat under the tree on his charpai AmbiaBhoot slept somewhere out of sight But all night hecould be heard moving from branch to branch makingthese horrible hissing and gargling noises and countingthe mangoes

10

And he got very very angry if he found that any mangowas missing Then if he caught anyone trying to steal hismangoes he attacked them by turning into coils ofpoisonous smoke that strangled the thief to death

11

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

There she is Kallu pointed down the lane

Why is she so late today Something must havehappened in school his younger brother Shabbo addedworriedly

They had returned from school much earlier but theirsister Munia was still not home so lunch had to wait AsMunia came closer walking very slowly dragging herschool bag behind her they noticed the flushed cheeksand the fiery glitter in her eyes

2

Oye Shersquos angry about something Kallu mumbledunder his breath and then turned to stare at ShabboDid you say something to herNoooohellip I donrsquot think sohellip Shabbo blinked nervouslyDid youNever Are you mad

Everyone in the village of Khajuria knew about Muniarsquoshot temper It was that famous She did not lose it easilybut when she didhellip baap re Everyone knew about itreally fast

3

According to Kallu when Munia was angry the streetdogs hid behind trees and the crows flew away to thenext village And now looking at her glittering eyes heknew something had got her burning again So he andShabbo watched her very very carefully as she marchedinto the house muttering something under her breath

4

That stupid man sitting there like a nawab orsomething on his stupid charpaihellip who does he think heis

Whordquo Kallu asked very carefully

You wouldnrsquot understand Yoursquore too stupid

5

Theek hai he said meekly and followed her inside Youdid not argue unnecessarily with Munia when she was inthis dangerous mood Once when she was mad at theirmother for making her cook Kallu had tried to jokeabout it and she had whipped around and tried to bitehim Luckily she only got a mouthful of his kurta butwith a quick toss of her head she had torn off a piece

Kallu told his friend Damu that if she had actually drawnblood he would have had to take injections like they dofor dog bite And when Munia heard what he had saidshe threatened to bite him again

So who was this nawab on a charpai Kallu wondered ashe helped himself to another parantha Who in thewhole village had the suicidal courage to make Muniaangry

The story came out during lunch after a few bites ofparantha and vegetable had calmed Munia down

6

One dayhellip she said chewing away ldquoMangu Malirsquosprecious tree will be struck by lightninghellip just you waitand see Irsquove cursed it today

Aaah said Kallu and Shabbo together everything wasexplained You tried to get a mango again

Just one mangohellip I really begged you knowhellip just the tiniest smallest onerdquo Munia shook her head Andagain he saidhellip

7

Come and get it from the Ambia Bhoot Kallu andShabbo said together

Everyone in Khajuria knew that the sweetest juiciestmangoes in the whole district grew on the tree in thecorner of Mangu Malirsquos orchard Every summer thebranches would droop with large pale-green-and lemoncoloured Dussehri mangoes with that heavenly flavourthat you could smell from far away The problem wasthat Mangu would never allow anyone near his tree Andletting you taste a slice of a mango Forget it

All day he sat on his charpai smoking his hookah rightin the shade of the tree and what was worse he wouldlook at the children give his crooked smile behind hismoustache and say No one can steal my mangoes Allday I guard my tree and all night I leave it to the AmbiaBhoot the ghost of the mango tree

8

Then he would take a drag at his hookah cough andlaugh nastily showing his large yellow teeth If anyonehas the courage to face the deadly Ambia Bhoot andsteal any mangoes he can have them for free heh heh

For years all the kids in the village had dreamed oftasting a mango from the lsquobhoot treersquo but every mango-stealing expedition had failed No one had ever met theAmbia Bhoot but somehow Mangu Mali seemed to readtheir minds Every time anyone crept into the orchardthere he was waiting in the shadow of that dark leafytree smiling nastily behind his moustache

This time Mangu Mali had made a mistake He hadchallenged Munia and her gang Their gang includedKallu and his best friend Damu studying in class nine

9

Kallursquos sister Munia and Damursquos sister Saru were both inclass eight and Shabbo the youngest was in class sevenIn the school register Kallu was Kallan Damu wasDamodar Munia was Munira Saru was Saraswati andShabbo was Shabbir but even Masterji often forgot theirreal names

They were determined to get mangoes from the lsquobhoottreersquo as Damu called it Only the prospect of a ghostlyattack by Ambia Bhoot made them rather nervous Butthey had taken Mangu Malirsquos insults long enough andwere determined that this summer they had to defeatthe Ambia Bhoot As Saru said their reputation aschampion mango stealers was at stakeAccording to Mangu Mali the Ambia Bhoot lived rightthere among those dark leafy branches All day whileMangu Mali sat under the tree on his charpai AmbiaBhoot slept somewhere out of sight But all night hecould be heard moving from branch to branch makingthese horrible hissing and gargling noises and countingthe mangoes

10

And he got very very angry if he found that any mangowas missing Then if he caught anyone trying to steal hismangoes he attacked them by turning into coils ofpoisonous smoke that strangled the thief to death

11

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Oye Shersquos angry about something Kallu mumbledunder his breath and then turned to stare at ShabboDid you say something to herNoooohellip I donrsquot think sohellip Shabbo blinked nervouslyDid youNever Are you mad

Everyone in the village of Khajuria knew about Muniarsquoshot temper It was that famous She did not lose it easilybut when she didhellip baap re Everyone knew about itreally fast

3

According to Kallu when Munia was angry the streetdogs hid behind trees and the crows flew away to thenext village And now looking at her glittering eyes heknew something had got her burning again So he andShabbo watched her very very carefully as she marchedinto the house muttering something under her breath

4

That stupid man sitting there like a nawab orsomething on his stupid charpaihellip who does he think heis

Whordquo Kallu asked very carefully

You wouldnrsquot understand Yoursquore too stupid

5

Theek hai he said meekly and followed her inside Youdid not argue unnecessarily with Munia when she was inthis dangerous mood Once when she was mad at theirmother for making her cook Kallu had tried to jokeabout it and she had whipped around and tried to bitehim Luckily she only got a mouthful of his kurta butwith a quick toss of her head she had torn off a piece

Kallu told his friend Damu that if she had actually drawnblood he would have had to take injections like they dofor dog bite And when Munia heard what he had saidshe threatened to bite him again

So who was this nawab on a charpai Kallu wondered ashe helped himself to another parantha Who in thewhole village had the suicidal courage to make Muniaangry

The story came out during lunch after a few bites ofparantha and vegetable had calmed Munia down

6

One dayhellip she said chewing away ldquoMangu Malirsquosprecious tree will be struck by lightninghellip just you waitand see Irsquove cursed it today

Aaah said Kallu and Shabbo together everything wasexplained You tried to get a mango again

Just one mangohellip I really begged you knowhellip just the tiniest smallest onerdquo Munia shook her head Andagain he saidhellip

7

Come and get it from the Ambia Bhoot Kallu andShabbo said together

Everyone in Khajuria knew that the sweetest juiciestmangoes in the whole district grew on the tree in thecorner of Mangu Malirsquos orchard Every summer thebranches would droop with large pale-green-and lemoncoloured Dussehri mangoes with that heavenly flavourthat you could smell from far away The problem wasthat Mangu would never allow anyone near his tree Andletting you taste a slice of a mango Forget it

All day he sat on his charpai smoking his hookah rightin the shade of the tree and what was worse he wouldlook at the children give his crooked smile behind hismoustache and say No one can steal my mangoes Allday I guard my tree and all night I leave it to the AmbiaBhoot the ghost of the mango tree

8

Then he would take a drag at his hookah cough andlaugh nastily showing his large yellow teeth If anyonehas the courage to face the deadly Ambia Bhoot andsteal any mangoes he can have them for free heh heh

For years all the kids in the village had dreamed oftasting a mango from the lsquobhoot treersquo but every mango-stealing expedition had failed No one had ever met theAmbia Bhoot but somehow Mangu Mali seemed to readtheir minds Every time anyone crept into the orchardthere he was waiting in the shadow of that dark leafytree smiling nastily behind his moustache

This time Mangu Mali had made a mistake He hadchallenged Munia and her gang Their gang includedKallu and his best friend Damu studying in class nine

9

Kallursquos sister Munia and Damursquos sister Saru were both inclass eight and Shabbo the youngest was in class sevenIn the school register Kallu was Kallan Damu wasDamodar Munia was Munira Saru was Saraswati andShabbo was Shabbir but even Masterji often forgot theirreal names

They were determined to get mangoes from the lsquobhoottreersquo as Damu called it Only the prospect of a ghostlyattack by Ambia Bhoot made them rather nervous Butthey had taken Mangu Malirsquos insults long enough andwere determined that this summer they had to defeatthe Ambia Bhoot As Saru said their reputation aschampion mango stealers was at stakeAccording to Mangu Mali the Ambia Bhoot lived rightthere among those dark leafy branches All day whileMangu Mali sat under the tree on his charpai AmbiaBhoot slept somewhere out of sight But all night hecould be heard moving from branch to branch makingthese horrible hissing and gargling noises and countingthe mangoes

10

And he got very very angry if he found that any mangowas missing Then if he caught anyone trying to steal hismangoes he attacked them by turning into coils ofpoisonous smoke that strangled the thief to death

11

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

According to Kallu when Munia was angry the streetdogs hid behind trees and the crows flew away to thenext village And now looking at her glittering eyes heknew something had got her burning again So he andShabbo watched her very very carefully as she marchedinto the house muttering something under her breath

4

That stupid man sitting there like a nawab orsomething on his stupid charpaihellip who does he think heis

Whordquo Kallu asked very carefully

You wouldnrsquot understand Yoursquore too stupid

5

Theek hai he said meekly and followed her inside Youdid not argue unnecessarily with Munia when she was inthis dangerous mood Once when she was mad at theirmother for making her cook Kallu had tried to jokeabout it and she had whipped around and tried to bitehim Luckily she only got a mouthful of his kurta butwith a quick toss of her head she had torn off a piece

Kallu told his friend Damu that if she had actually drawnblood he would have had to take injections like they dofor dog bite And when Munia heard what he had saidshe threatened to bite him again

So who was this nawab on a charpai Kallu wondered ashe helped himself to another parantha Who in thewhole village had the suicidal courage to make Muniaangry

The story came out during lunch after a few bites ofparantha and vegetable had calmed Munia down

6

One dayhellip she said chewing away ldquoMangu Malirsquosprecious tree will be struck by lightninghellip just you waitand see Irsquove cursed it today

Aaah said Kallu and Shabbo together everything wasexplained You tried to get a mango again

Just one mangohellip I really begged you knowhellip just the tiniest smallest onerdquo Munia shook her head Andagain he saidhellip

7

Come and get it from the Ambia Bhoot Kallu andShabbo said together

Everyone in Khajuria knew that the sweetest juiciestmangoes in the whole district grew on the tree in thecorner of Mangu Malirsquos orchard Every summer thebranches would droop with large pale-green-and lemoncoloured Dussehri mangoes with that heavenly flavourthat you could smell from far away The problem wasthat Mangu would never allow anyone near his tree Andletting you taste a slice of a mango Forget it

All day he sat on his charpai smoking his hookah rightin the shade of the tree and what was worse he wouldlook at the children give his crooked smile behind hismoustache and say No one can steal my mangoes Allday I guard my tree and all night I leave it to the AmbiaBhoot the ghost of the mango tree

8

Then he would take a drag at his hookah cough andlaugh nastily showing his large yellow teeth If anyonehas the courage to face the deadly Ambia Bhoot andsteal any mangoes he can have them for free heh heh

For years all the kids in the village had dreamed oftasting a mango from the lsquobhoot treersquo but every mango-stealing expedition had failed No one had ever met theAmbia Bhoot but somehow Mangu Mali seemed to readtheir minds Every time anyone crept into the orchardthere he was waiting in the shadow of that dark leafytree smiling nastily behind his moustache

This time Mangu Mali had made a mistake He hadchallenged Munia and her gang Their gang includedKallu and his best friend Damu studying in class nine

9

Kallursquos sister Munia and Damursquos sister Saru were both inclass eight and Shabbo the youngest was in class sevenIn the school register Kallu was Kallan Damu wasDamodar Munia was Munira Saru was Saraswati andShabbo was Shabbir but even Masterji often forgot theirreal names

They were determined to get mangoes from the lsquobhoottreersquo as Damu called it Only the prospect of a ghostlyattack by Ambia Bhoot made them rather nervous Butthey had taken Mangu Malirsquos insults long enough andwere determined that this summer they had to defeatthe Ambia Bhoot As Saru said their reputation aschampion mango stealers was at stakeAccording to Mangu Mali the Ambia Bhoot lived rightthere among those dark leafy branches All day whileMangu Mali sat under the tree on his charpai AmbiaBhoot slept somewhere out of sight But all night hecould be heard moving from branch to branch makingthese horrible hissing and gargling noises and countingthe mangoes

10

And he got very very angry if he found that any mangowas missing Then if he caught anyone trying to steal hismangoes he attacked them by turning into coils ofpoisonous smoke that strangled the thief to death

11

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

That stupid man sitting there like a nawab orsomething on his stupid charpaihellip who does he think heis

Whordquo Kallu asked very carefully

You wouldnrsquot understand Yoursquore too stupid

5

Theek hai he said meekly and followed her inside Youdid not argue unnecessarily with Munia when she was inthis dangerous mood Once when she was mad at theirmother for making her cook Kallu had tried to jokeabout it and she had whipped around and tried to bitehim Luckily she only got a mouthful of his kurta butwith a quick toss of her head she had torn off a piece

Kallu told his friend Damu that if she had actually drawnblood he would have had to take injections like they dofor dog bite And when Munia heard what he had saidshe threatened to bite him again

So who was this nawab on a charpai Kallu wondered ashe helped himself to another parantha Who in thewhole village had the suicidal courage to make Muniaangry

The story came out during lunch after a few bites ofparantha and vegetable had calmed Munia down

6

One dayhellip she said chewing away ldquoMangu Malirsquosprecious tree will be struck by lightninghellip just you waitand see Irsquove cursed it today

Aaah said Kallu and Shabbo together everything wasexplained You tried to get a mango again

Just one mangohellip I really begged you knowhellip just the tiniest smallest onerdquo Munia shook her head Andagain he saidhellip

7

Come and get it from the Ambia Bhoot Kallu andShabbo said together

Everyone in Khajuria knew that the sweetest juiciestmangoes in the whole district grew on the tree in thecorner of Mangu Malirsquos orchard Every summer thebranches would droop with large pale-green-and lemoncoloured Dussehri mangoes with that heavenly flavourthat you could smell from far away The problem wasthat Mangu would never allow anyone near his tree Andletting you taste a slice of a mango Forget it

All day he sat on his charpai smoking his hookah rightin the shade of the tree and what was worse he wouldlook at the children give his crooked smile behind hismoustache and say No one can steal my mangoes Allday I guard my tree and all night I leave it to the AmbiaBhoot the ghost of the mango tree

8

Then he would take a drag at his hookah cough andlaugh nastily showing his large yellow teeth If anyonehas the courage to face the deadly Ambia Bhoot andsteal any mangoes he can have them for free heh heh

For years all the kids in the village had dreamed oftasting a mango from the lsquobhoot treersquo but every mango-stealing expedition had failed No one had ever met theAmbia Bhoot but somehow Mangu Mali seemed to readtheir minds Every time anyone crept into the orchardthere he was waiting in the shadow of that dark leafytree smiling nastily behind his moustache

This time Mangu Mali had made a mistake He hadchallenged Munia and her gang Their gang includedKallu and his best friend Damu studying in class nine

9

Kallursquos sister Munia and Damursquos sister Saru were both inclass eight and Shabbo the youngest was in class sevenIn the school register Kallu was Kallan Damu wasDamodar Munia was Munira Saru was Saraswati andShabbo was Shabbir but even Masterji often forgot theirreal names

They were determined to get mangoes from the lsquobhoottreersquo as Damu called it Only the prospect of a ghostlyattack by Ambia Bhoot made them rather nervous Butthey had taken Mangu Malirsquos insults long enough andwere determined that this summer they had to defeatthe Ambia Bhoot As Saru said their reputation aschampion mango stealers was at stakeAccording to Mangu Mali the Ambia Bhoot lived rightthere among those dark leafy branches All day whileMangu Mali sat under the tree on his charpai AmbiaBhoot slept somewhere out of sight But all night hecould be heard moving from branch to branch makingthese horrible hissing and gargling noises and countingthe mangoes

10

And he got very very angry if he found that any mangowas missing Then if he caught anyone trying to steal hismangoes he attacked them by turning into coils ofpoisonous smoke that strangled the thief to death

11

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Theek hai he said meekly and followed her inside Youdid not argue unnecessarily with Munia when she was inthis dangerous mood Once when she was mad at theirmother for making her cook Kallu had tried to jokeabout it and she had whipped around and tried to bitehim Luckily she only got a mouthful of his kurta butwith a quick toss of her head she had torn off a piece

Kallu told his friend Damu that if she had actually drawnblood he would have had to take injections like they dofor dog bite And when Munia heard what he had saidshe threatened to bite him again

So who was this nawab on a charpai Kallu wondered ashe helped himself to another parantha Who in thewhole village had the suicidal courage to make Muniaangry

The story came out during lunch after a few bites ofparantha and vegetable had calmed Munia down

6

One dayhellip she said chewing away ldquoMangu Malirsquosprecious tree will be struck by lightninghellip just you waitand see Irsquove cursed it today

Aaah said Kallu and Shabbo together everything wasexplained You tried to get a mango again

Just one mangohellip I really begged you knowhellip just the tiniest smallest onerdquo Munia shook her head Andagain he saidhellip

7

Come and get it from the Ambia Bhoot Kallu andShabbo said together

Everyone in Khajuria knew that the sweetest juiciestmangoes in the whole district grew on the tree in thecorner of Mangu Malirsquos orchard Every summer thebranches would droop with large pale-green-and lemoncoloured Dussehri mangoes with that heavenly flavourthat you could smell from far away The problem wasthat Mangu would never allow anyone near his tree Andletting you taste a slice of a mango Forget it

All day he sat on his charpai smoking his hookah rightin the shade of the tree and what was worse he wouldlook at the children give his crooked smile behind hismoustache and say No one can steal my mangoes Allday I guard my tree and all night I leave it to the AmbiaBhoot the ghost of the mango tree

8

Then he would take a drag at his hookah cough andlaugh nastily showing his large yellow teeth If anyonehas the courage to face the deadly Ambia Bhoot andsteal any mangoes he can have them for free heh heh

For years all the kids in the village had dreamed oftasting a mango from the lsquobhoot treersquo but every mango-stealing expedition had failed No one had ever met theAmbia Bhoot but somehow Mangu Mali seemed to readtheir minds Every time anyone crept into the orchardthere he was waiting in the shadow of that dark leafytree smiling nastily behind his moustache

This time Mangu Mali had made a mistake He hadchallenged Munia and her gang Their gang includedKallu and his best friend Damu studying in class nine

9

Kallursquos sister Munia and Damursquos sister Saru were both inclass eight and Shabbo the youngest was in class sevenIn the school register Kallu was Kallan Damu wasDamodar Munia was Munira Saru was Saraswati andShabbo was Shabbir but even Masterji often forgot theirreal names

They were determined to get mangoes from the lsquobhoottreersquo as Damu called it Only the prospect of a ghostlyattack by Ambia Bhoot made them rather nervous Butthey had taken Mangu Malirsquos insults long enough andwere determined that this summer they had to defeatthe Ambia Bhoot As Saru said their reputation aschampion mango stealers was at stakeAccording to Mangu Mali the Ambia Bhoot lived rightthere among those dark leafy branches All day whileMangu Mali sat under the tree on his charpai AmbiaBhoot slept somewhere out of sight But all night hecould be heard moving from branch to branch makingthese horrible hissing and gargling noises and countingthe mangoes

10

And he got very very angry if he found that any mangowas missing Then if he caught anyone trying to steal hismangoes he attacked them by turning into coils ofpoisonous smoke that strangled the thief to death

11

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

One dayhellip she said chewing away ldquoMangu Malirsquosprecious tree will be struck by lightninghellip just you waitand see Irsquove cursed it today

Aaah said Kallu and Shabbo together everything wasexplained You tried to get a mango again

Just one mangohellip I really begged you knowhellip just the tiniest smallest onerdquo Munia shook her head Andagain he saidhellip

7

Come and get it from the Ambia Bhoot Kallu andShabbo said together

Everyone in Khajuria knew that the sweetest juiciestmangoes in the whole district grew on the tree in thecorner of Mangu Malirsquos orchard Every summer thebranches would droop with large pale-green-and lemoncoloured Dussehri mangoes with that heavenly flavourthat you could smell from far away The problem wasthat Mangu would never allow anyone near his tree Andletting you taste a slice of a mango Forget it

All day he sat on his charpai smoking his hookah rightin the shade of the tree and what was worse he wouldlook at the children give his crooked smile behind hismoustache and say No one can steal my mangoes Allday I guard my tree and all night I leave it to the AmbiaBhoot the ghost of the mango tree

8

Then he would take a drag at his hookah cough andlaugh nastily showing his large yellow teeth If anyonehas the courage to face the deadly Ambia Bhoot andsteal any mangoes he can have them for free heh heh

For years all the kids in the village had dreamed oftasting a mango from the lsquobhoot treersquo but every mango-stealing expedition had failed No one had ever met theAmbia Bhoot but somehow Mangu Mali seemed to readtheir minds Every time anyone crept into the orchardthere he was waiting in the shadow of that dark leafytree smiling nastily behind his moustache

This time Mangu Mali had made a mistake He hadchallenged Munia and her gang Their gang includedKallu and his best friend Damu studying in class nine

9

Kallursquos sister Munia and Damursquos sister Saru were both inclass eight and Shabbo the youngest was in class sevenIn the school register Kallu was Kallan Damu wasDamodar Munia was Munira Saru was Saraswati andShabbo was Shabbir but even Masterji often forgot theirreal names

They were determined to get mangoes from the lsquobhoottreersquo as Damu called it Only the prospect of a ghostlyattack by Ambia Bhoot made them rather nervous Butthey had taken Mangu Malirsquos insults long enough andwere determined that this summer they had to defeatthe Ambia Bhoot As Saru said their reputation aschampion mango stealers was at stakeAccording to Mangu Mali the Ambia Bhoot lived rightthere among those dark leafy branches All day whileMangu Mali sat under the tree on his charpai AmbiaBhoot slept somewhere out of sight But all night hecould be heard moving from branch to branch makingthese horrible hissing and gargling noises and countingthe mangoes

10

And he got very very angry if he found that any mangowas missing Then if he caught anyone trying to steal hismangoes he attacked them by turning into coils ofpoisonous smoke that strangled the thief to death

11

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Come and get it from the Ambia Bhoot Kallu andShabbo said together

Everyone in Khajuria knew that the sweetest juiciestmangoes in the whole district grew on the tree in thecorner of Mangu Malirsquos orchard Every summer thebranches would droop with large pale-green-and lemoncoloured Dussehri mangoes with that heavenly flavourthat you could smell from far away The problem wasthat Mangu would never allow anyone near his tree Andletting you taste a slice of a mango Forget it

All day he sat on his charpai smoking his hookah rightin the shade of the tree and what was worse he wouldlook at the children give his crooked smile behind hismoustache and say No one can steal my mangoes Allday I guard my tree and all night I leave it to the AmbiaBhoot the ghost of the mango tree

8

Then he would take a drag at his hookah cough andlaugh nastily showing his large yellow teeth If anyonehas the courage to face the deadly Ambia Bhoot andsteal any mangoes he can have them for free heh heh

For years all the kids in the village had dreamed oftasting a mango from the lsquobhoot treersquo but every mango-stealing expedition had failed No one had ever met theAmbia Bhoot but somehow Mangu Mali seemed to readtheir minds Every time anyone crept into the orchardthere he was waiting in the shadow of that dark leafytree smiling nastily behind his moustache

This time Mangu Mali had made a mistake He hadchallenged Munia and her gang Their gang includedKallu and his best friend Damu studying in class nine

9

Kallursquos sister Munia and Damursquos sister Saru were both inclass eight and Shabbo the youngest was in class sevenIn the school register Kallu was Kallan Damu wasDamodar Munia was Munira Saru was Saraswati andShabbo was Shabbir but even Masterji often forgot theirreal names

They were determined to get mangoes from the lsquobhoottreersquo as Damu called it Only the prospect of a ghostlyattack by Ambia Bhoot made them rather nervous Butthey had taken Mangu Malirsquos insults long enough andwere determined that this summer they had to defeatthe Ambia Bhoot As Saru said their reputation aschampion mango stealers was at stakeAccording to Mangu Mali the Ambia Bhoot lived rightthere among those dark leafy branches All day whileMangu Mali sat under the tree on his charpai AmbiaBhoot slept somewhere out of sight But all night hecould be heard moving from branch to branch makingthese horrible hissing and gargling noises and countingthe mangoes

10

And he got very very angry if he found that any mangowas missing Then if he caught anyone trying to steal hismangoes he attacked them by turning into coils ofpoisonous smoke that strangled the thief to death

11

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Then he would take a drag at his hookah cough andlaugh nastily showing his large yellow teeth If anyonehas the courage to face the deadly Ambia Bhoot andsteal any mangoes he can have them for free heh heh

For years all the kids in the village had dreamed oftasting a mango from the lsquobhoot treersquo but every mango-stealing expedition had failed No one had ever met theAmbia Bhoot but somehow Mangu Mali seemed to readtheir minds Every time anyone crept into the orchardthere he was waiting in the shadow of that dark leafytree smiling nastily behind his moustache

This time Mangu Mali had made a mistake He hadchallenged Munia and her gang Their gang includedKallu and his best friend Damu studying in class nine

9

Kallursquos sister Munia and Damursquos sister Saru were both inclass eight and Shabbo the youngest was in class sevenIn the school register Kallu was Kallan Damu wasDamodar Munia was Munira Saru was Saraswati andShabbo was Shabbir but even Masterji often forgot theirreal names

They were determined to get mangoes from the lsquobhoottreersquo as Damu called it Only the prospect of a ghostlyattack by Ambia Bhoot made them rather nervous Butthey had taken Mangu Malirsquos insults long enough andwere determined that this summer they had to defeatthe Ambia Bhoot As Saru said their reputation aschampion mango stealers was at stakeAccording to Mangu Mali the Ambia Bhoot lived rightthere among those dark leafy branches All day whileMangu Mali sat under the tree on his charpai AmbiaBhoot slept somewhere out of sight But all night hecould be heard moving from branch to branch makingthese horrible hissing and gargling noises and countingthe mangoes

10

And he got very very angry if he found that any mangowas missing Then if he caught anyone trying to steal hismangoes he attacked them by turning into coils ofpoisonous smoke that strangled the thief to death

11

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Kallursquos sister Munia and Damursquos sister Saru were both inclass eight and Shabbo the youngest was in class sevenIn the school register Kallu was Kallan Damu wasDamodar Munia was Munira Saru was Saraswati andShabbo was Shabbir but even Masterji often forgot theirreal names

They were determined to get mangoes from the lsquobhoottreersquo as Damu called it Only the prospect of a ghostlyattack by Ambia Bhoot made them rather nervous Butthey had taken Mangu Malirsquos insults long enough andwere determined that this summer they had to defeatthe Ambia Bhoot As Saru said their reputation aschampion mango stealers was at stakeAccording to Mangu Mali the Ambia Bhoot lived rightthere among those dark leafy branches All day whileMangu Mali sat under the tree on his charpai AmbiaBhoot slept somewhere out of sight But all night hecould be heard moving from branch to branch makingthese horrible hissing and gargling noises and countingthe mangoes

10

And he got very very angry if he found that any mangowas missing Then if he caught anyone trying to steal hismangoes he attacked them by turning into coils ofpoisonous smoke that strangled the thief to death

11

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

And he got very very angry if he found that any mangowas missing Then if he caught anyone trying to steal hismangoes he attacked them by turning into coils ofpoisonous smoke that strangled the thief to death

11

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Mangu Mali said no one could be so brave or so stupidto face the terrible Ambia Bhoot and stay alive And thatwas why he slept peacefully in his bed every nightbecause he knew that no one could ever get thosemangoes for free

That evening the gang meeting was held at the run-down pillared hall behind the temple Once upon a timethis open hall was a sort of village clubhouse wherepeople met in the evenings to chat But nowadays all themen preferred to gather at Dharampalrsquos chai shopsipping tea in tiny glasses and munching his hotsamosas and pakoras So Kallu and his gang had takenover the hall and Saru and Shabbo had even paintedsome crazy pictures on one wall

They all knew it was going to be quite a challenge

12

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

It was the toughest mango stealing expedition they hadever planned and the enemies were very powerful Afterall to fool both Mangu Mali and the dangerous AmbiaBhoot was no joke So they planned the wholeexpedition very very carefully

Irsquove read somewhere that ghosts hate to come out inthe moonlight Kallu said So wersquoll go tomorrow nightwhen itrsquos full moon

And Irsquoll carry some garlic said Damu A mango bhootused to the heavenly aroma of Dussehris would hate thesmell

13

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

There must be some special bhoot prayers Saruwondered thoughtfully may be Moti Dadi would knowsome Irsquoll ask her

Moti Dadi was Damu and Sarursquos grandmother and shewas always making dark brown horrible-tasting potionsfor coughs and stomach aches So if anyone knew aboutanti-bhoot mantras it would be her

Do you think I should carry my lucky marble Shabboasked a little nervously It helps me during the mathstests

Garlic Marble Hah Irsquoll carry my biggest stickrdquo saidMunia grimly

14

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Stick What for they all asked together

If the moonlight prayers marble and the garlic donrsquotwork said Munia with a steely glitter in her eyes Irsquollbeat the silly bhoot to a pulp

Donrsquot be silly laughed Kallu a bhoot is like a smokycloud with sharp teeth and looong pointy nails Youcanrsquot beat up a bhoot Munia Munia gave a superiorsniff swung her pigtails and walked away

15

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

That night they waited until everyone was asleep andthen crept out of their beds and tiptoed towards theorchard Kallu looked up at the bright moon and sighedin relief Damursquos kurta pocket had a handful of garlicwhile Saru was trying to remember that really tried-and-tested anti-bhoot prayer that Moti Dadi had taughther

16

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Shabbo who had forgotten to bring his magic marblewas already in a panic and ready to run the moment theAmbia Bhoot appeared

Munia took a deep breath and clutched the thickbamboo stick that she used when taking the goats tograze in the fields As they moved swiftly through theorchard they kept a sharp ear for Mangu Mali who sleptin his small house across the nullah The house was darkand Mangu Mali was clearly asleep

17

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Hearts thudding they crept towards the lsquobhoot treersquoGetting closer they listened carefully The orchard wasbathed in silvery moonlight with patches of loomingshadows and it was absolutely silent Except for thedrone of the mosquitoes around their heads not even abird called or a bat flew about

The silence was really scary Where was Ambia Bhoot

18

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Obviously he wasnrsquot counting his mangoes tonight oryoursquod have heard him slithering around the brancheshissing Ekhellip dohellip teenhellip pandrahhellip

Kallu was the best tree climber among them and hespecialized in mango trees So the plan was that hersquodclimb up quickly pick a few mangoes from the lowerbranches drop them to Munia and Damu waiting belowand slide down fast before Ambia Bhoot could spot himSaru was stationed at the gate of the mango orchardkeeping watch and was going to whistle if she sawMangu Mali come out of his house And Shabbo justhung at the back his knees shaking ready to run

Catching hold of the lower branches Kallu clamberedquickly to the nearest branch that was laden withmangoes Then just as he reached out to break a fruitthere was a funny thin cough from above and a hissingvoice came floating down Whorsquos there Whorsquos thatWhorsquos thaaaat

19

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Kallu froze as below the tree Damu carefully reachedinto his pocket pulled out the garlic and waved it in theair

Go away Go awaaay hissed Ambia Bhoot as Kallucrouched on the branch ready to spring down I amcominghellip I am cominghellip

Kallu Are you alive quavered Damu from below

20

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

I will get you I will get you hissed Ambia Bhootmaking these weird gargling noises Munia clutched herstick harder looked up into the dark branches andasked Why do you repeat yourself like that AmbiaBhoot Wersquore not deaf

There was a surprised silence from Ambia and then witha crackling of branches a scary grey-white thing cameslipping quickly down the tree making these horriblegroaning noises Irsquoll eat you Irsquoll eat you

RUN yelled Damu and instantly Shabbo and Sarustreaked out of the orchard at super speed and headedfor home Damu about to follow them turned andtripped over a hole in the ground and went sprawling tothe ground and lay there all dazed and breathless

21

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Kallu slid down the tree as fast as he could droppinginto a heap under the tree leaving his chappals behindThen as Ambia Bhootrsquos sinister shadow got closer andcloser Kallu and Damu scrambled up and turned to flee Munia yelled Damu RUN

The dark scary shadow hissing gargling and groaningwas getting closer and closerhellip when Munia clenchedher teeth raised her big stick and hit Ambia Bhoot with aloud Thwack and then a Phataack

OW yelled Ambia in surprise OOOF

Kallu and Damu already halfway down the orchard slidto a halt in utter surprise Who was that Did AmbiaBhoot say Ooof

22

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Then Munia hit Ambia Bhoot again

Bachao yelled the voice of Mangu Mali as hescrambled down from the tree in panic and dropped thesheet hersquod wrapped around himself Stop hitting meMunia That hurts

23

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Now whorsquos the bhoot Whorsquos the bhoot mimickedMunia dancing around him in triumph still waving herstick

Theek hai said Mangu Mali with a cough You winPick some mangoeshellip

Pick some mangoes Pick some mangoes repeated agrinning Munia Kallu and Damu after him as they beganto climb the tree

Saru and Shabbo ran away did they asked Muniabusy picking mangoes They missed all the fun

24

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Story AttributionThis story Kallus world 3 - Mangu Mali and the Ambia Bhoot is written by Subhadra Sen Gupta copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Releasedunder CC BY 40 license

Other CreditsKallu 03 - Mangu Mali and Ambia Bhoot has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books The development of this book has been supported byPANI Foundation wwwprathambooksorg

Illustration AttributionsCover page A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 2 Framed photographs of seven people by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40license Page 3 An angry girl entering her home by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 4A girl entering a house angrily while a boy opens the door for her by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 5 A man lying on a folding bed under a tree and smoking by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released underCC BY 40 license Page 7 A beautiful mango tree by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page11 A ghost grabbing a screaming boy and lifting him up in the air by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY40 license Page 15 Moon shining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 16 Adetermined girl leading her pack of friends at night by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page17 A boy looking upset and worried by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 18 Moonshining in the dark by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

Illustration AttributionsPage 20 Someone in a ghost costume by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license Page 23 A girlhitting someone in a ghost costume with a stick by Tapas Guha copy Pratham Books 2015 Some rights reserved Released under CC BY 40 license

Disclaimer httpswwwstoryweaverorginterms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved This book is CC -BY -40 licensed You can copymodify distribute and perform the work even for commercialpurposes all without asking permission For full terms of use andattribution httpcreativecommonsorglicensesby40

This is a Level 4 book for children who can read fluently and with confidence

(English)

Kallus world 3 - ManguMali and the AmbiaBhoot

Welcome to Khajuria ndash a village where young Kallu and his gang rundelightful adventurous riots almost everyday Sometimes theyquestion the village traditions defy bullies or might just be goingabout their daily business but Kallu and his gang are up foranything Join them as they grow wiser and wittier happily roamingthe village finding new things to do and see what they come upwith Everybody in Khajuria knew about Munias temper Everybodyalso knew how stingy Mangu Mali was about giving away mangoesfrom the tree in his orchard Now Munia wanted mangoesreallybadly and that too from Mangu Malis orchard Can you imagine asituation like this Read on to find out what happens

Pratham Books goes digital to weave a whole new chapter in the realm of multilingual childrens stories Knitting together children authorsillustrators and publishers Folding in teachers and translators To create a rich fabric of openly licensed multilingual stories for the children ofIndia and the world Our unique online platform StoryWeaver is a playground where children parents teachers and librarians can get creativeCome start weaving today and help us get a book in every childs hand