Neal and the Stolen Ball

There was once a small boy living in a tiny, old neighborhood in India. The little boy’s name was Neal. He lived in a house so small, it hid inside the neighborhood like an ant in an enormous grassland. Everyday when he was alone in his crowded and cramped room, he stared admiringly outside his window with his eyes glued to the street, looking at the popular boys playing ball. He would then turn back around to see his filthy, tiny room. “Wow, look at them, how are they always so happy?” he said sadly to himself.

Neal was a boy who, unlike other boys, did not have any toy cars, or any toys in fact. All it had in his tiny little room was a small, rugged bed. Where mattress was as hard as rock and a very low table. He did not have anyone to play or laugh with or help him with his homework. His parents were always busy. He looked back at the popular boys,outside his window, laughing, smiling, and joking around with each other. They talked about different things and they cared about each other. They were playing with their special ball. The ball was autographed by a famous ball player!

Neal started to imagine what it would be like if he had someone to smile and laugh and tell jokes to. He was so happy thinking about having friends, that for a second he forgot about the real world, where he was just a sad, lonely boy. Everyone just passed by him. Not a word said. So, when the popular boys left and forgot their special ball on the ground, Neal thought, “Maybe if I steal the ball everyone will like me because I have such an amazing ball.” He loved the thought of everyone liking him. He loved the thought of not being alone.

Soon enough, he looked around to see that no one was looking at him, so he quickly stole the ball, and he slowly and sneakily put it in his backpack, and ran away without looking back, he ran as fast as a jaguar!
When he came back home he started wondering if he did the right thing or not. He did not have the feeling of happiness that he thought he would have. But for the rest of the day, he did not mind. He hid the ball under his bed so no one would see it. After a few days past by, he came to his room to look out the window, he saw that the popular boys were frantically running across the lawn, looking for the ball. They were looking at every place imaginable.. They were talking to each other,anxiously, they were comforting each other. Then, they went back to looking for the ball again, with hurried steps.

Neal suddenly realized what a horrible thing he had done.“Why did I take that ball”, he said sad and full of guilt, “How could I have been so selfish and mean? I took it just because I was jealous and that was a terrible thing to do.” So as the days went by, he could not even touch it. Every time he saw it, he immediately felt sad and mad at himself. He closed his eyes so tears wouldn't slowly droop down his cheeks. He held his stomach so that the gut - retching guilt would not come. But it did not work. He still felt sick to his stomach with regret. He had no idea what to do.

He felt regretful for a long time. Everyday a feeling of guilt punching him in the stomach . The sound of the ball under his rugged bed, rolling side, to side, back and forth, thundered in his ears. He was trying to think about what to do. Should he keep the ball and pretend it never happened, or give it back to the boys and face the consequences?Outside, the lights of the lamp posts, through the window, shimmered in the distance, as Neal sat wide awake in his bed thinking what to do, with a far look in his eyes.
He knew he would be on thin ice if the boys found out he stole the ball. This was the hardest decision he had made in his life.

“What am I gonna do” Neal said panicking. He could not make up his mind. But then he remembered the boy’s panicked faces, he remembered how special the ball was to them. He knew what to do.
He decided to conquer his fears, tell the truth and give the ball back to the boys.

It was unusually cloudy the next day. Outside of Neal’s room in his small, dark house, the clouds in the sky were so large it almost seemed unreal. Neal immediately left his house and anxiously walked toward the boys who were on the field again. Neal walked for so long it seemed as if he was walking forever.He saw the boys looking for the ball. They were all so frustrated and upset, they were so tired and their faces were red and sweat was dripping from their foreheads down to their cheeks. Neal’s heart was beating rapidly as continued to slowly and fearfully walk toward the boys.

When Neal came up to the boys, he looked at his shoes because he did not want to see the boys tired and terminated faces.Then, he gathered every bit of his courage, and he slowly and nervously said, “Here’s the ball you were looking for, I stole it because I wanted to have fun with it like a you guys. I don’t have any toys like this or anyone to play with. I’m really sorry for stealing the ball.” The boys looked at each other and then looked at Neal.