Long, long ago in a little village of India, lived a poor elephant family who worked very hard. There were two lovely elephant sisters named Dhana and Kundan who loved to help their family earn money, but it was still not enough. They couldn’t afford many clothes, food, or even a good home. India was longing for something sweet, delicious, and filling. They were looking for an Indian sweet. Tomorrow, the Festival of Lights would be coming to town and the King of India was going to pay a visit.

Alas, the festival had finally come and the excitement had grown. Crowds were cheering for the King of India. “Hoorah, hoorah! The King is here!” The King finally reached Dhana and Kundan’s front door. He proposed a question to Kundan and Dhana that could change their lives forever. “Dhana and Kundan, your family has honored mine for many years, so I would like to return the favor,” the King said with pure glee. “I have two extra castles available. You can each have one castle, but I have some requirements.” The two sisters wondered what they could be.

“Dhana and Kundan, you must live in separate castles, move away from your family, and stay there forever. However, in exchange, you will get the greatest and most expensive jewelry, clothes, shoes, and the maids are the best!” The sisters thought about this very long and hard. “Oh! I almost forgot!,” the King yelled, “You must make a decision before sundown, which is in three hours, before I leave to go back home. Remember, you must stay in the castle forever. See you in three hours!” And, with that, he went off in his rickshaw to carry on with the parade.

Good Bye!

Dhana was in absolute awe. Kundan was puzzled and thought and thought about what to do. “Oh, what should I do? What should I do?” Kundan said to herself millions of times. Dhana had already made a definite decision. She was so swept away by the description of the castle, that she had to go. The sisters’ father left the decision up to them. Their father gave each of them a grand amount of money to help them get on their way.

Dhana and Kundan both discussed the situation together. “Oh Kundan, the castle sounds lovely, doesn’t it?” Dhana said with such joy.

“Yes, Dhana,” Kundan replied, “but I don’t want to leave Daddy and Mommy home to take care of themselves. I don’t want to watch them suffer. They could become homeless.”

“Oh Kundan, they’ll be fine. They have been hard workers all their life. They would be able to handle it,” Dhana stated.

Kundan thought and thought. In one hour, she would have to make her decision. Swept away in excitement, Dhana danced around the house thinking how wonderful the castle would be. The sound of the King’s booming voice could be heard from outside of the house. “I’m baaack! Girls, have you made your decision?”

“I have! I have!” Dhana shouted. “I would like to live in the beautiful castle! Bye Mom! Bye Dad! Love you!” She gave them both a hug and went with the King’s wife in the beautiful rickshaw to begin their journey to her new home.

Kundan had now decided, too. “Excuse me, oh King Elephant, with your permission, I have chosen not to go live in the castle. I’d rather stay with my parents and help them.”

“Very well then, you shall not go,” the King said with a sigh. The King left for his rickshaw to take Dhana to her new castle. Her parents looked astonished. They were speechless, but it was now nighttime. The sky was pitch black with the stars twinkling in the sky. Kundan laid in her bed and stared up at the cracked ceiling.