Raju and Meeni were out in the garden. Meeni had her dolls and Raju his kite. Meeni had scatterd her dolls and Raju his kite. Meeni had scattered her dolls on the grass. It is too hot to fly kites, Raju said. I am also tired of playing with dolls. Let us do something new! Meeni said. Just then, a sparrow flew by with a piece of rag in her beak. Look, Raju, the sparrow is building a nest! Meeni cried.
Raju jumped up. Let us also build a birds house. That would be nice, said Meeni. She got a small plywood box from the house. Raju got his penknife, a few nails and a paint box. There were some holes in the box. Raju said, This big hole can be the door and the small one a window. I will cover up the other holes by nailing bits of plastic on them.
And I will paint it bright yellow, said Meeni. The birds house was soon ready. Raju wrote on it in bold, blue letters: BIRDS HOUSE. He fixed the house on a guava tree with a strong piece of rope. When will the birds come in? I hope they will not fight to get inside! Meeni said anxiously.
I do not think they will all come together. The bird that comes first will live in it, Raju said wisely. Meeni and Raju peeped into the birds house every day. But no bird came. Then they stopped looking into the house and forgot about it.
The summer holidays were over, and the rainy season came. It rained day and night. Then one day the rain stopped. There was a sunshine. Meeni and Raju went out into the garden. They saw the birds house up on the tree. Its paint had been washed away.
Raju peeped into the birds house. Meeni! he cried with joy. There is something inside! Suddenly a squirrel jumped out from the birds house. Oh, it is old Blinky! Raju cried. Was not it clever of Blinky to find the house? Meeni asked. Very clever! It is Blinkys house now, Raju said and both the children laughed.
They painted the house again and wrote on it BLINKYS HOUSE. It started raining again. Blinky hopped inside her house. Meeni and Raju giggled and rain indoors.