DANNY returned from school in a bad mood. He had failed his math test again!

‘Ah, if instead of watching the new thriller last evening, I should have studied for the test!’ he realised as he hurled his schoolbag in the corner and proceeded to the kitchen. Though he was hungry, he felt too lazy to warm up the lunch his mum had left for him in the fridge, so he fixed himself a quick sandwich and fished out a packet of crisps. Back in his room, he turned on the TV and plopped down on the sofa.

Gradually, the ‘action’ on the screen and crunchy bites perked his mood up and the boy, now absorbed in the film, completely forgot about the time.

“Hi!” a sudden voice made him jolt with surprise.

He turned round. On the back of an armchair — dangling her feet and broadly grinning — there sat a plump red-haired little girl (about the size of a monkey) with funny ponytails and sharp crooked teeth. Danny stared at the strange visitor, hardly believing his eyes. The girl jumped down, run to the TV and switched it off.

“H-h-hello… Who are you?”

“Don’t you know me?” the guest flung her hands in astonishment. “Seriously?”

“N-n-no…”

“Aw, come off! Look at you! I’ve been your best and faithful friend since you were knee high to a grasshopper, and now you refuse to recognise me! Shame on you! I am your very own Laze!”

“W-w-what do you mean ‘Laze’?” Danny was flabbergasted. “That’s impossible!”

“It is!” the ponytails nodded confidently. “By the way, I came here to thank you.”

“What for?” asked Danny.

“Are you joking?” the intruder rounded her eyes. “You cared, nourished and cherished me for ages, and now look how big I have grown!”

“A-a-ah! So, it’s your fault that I always feel lazy about everything!” finally realised Danny, reaching for a duster, “Leave my house right away!”

“My fault?” yelled Laze, promptly fleeing from the clumsy shots of the boy. “And who brought me up, eh? At first I was so tiny and frail, but you nursed and fed me…”

“I fed you?” exhausted by the chase, Danny stopped in the middle of the room, panting.

“Exactly, lazybones!” in a blink of an eye she jumped on the cupboard, then the chandelier and started to swing. “You! You fed me on your laziness and indolence.”

“That’s not true!” Danny protested. “My classmate Farhan is lazier than me! He even skips his classes at times!”

“That’s why his Laze is larger than me,” informed the girl. “I know her. So healthy and well-fed! Once she told me she would spare no chance to have her master kicked out of the school. I felt so jealous! I wish you fed me better — I want to grow as large as her!”

“Why? To have me expelled from school? No way!” he vigorously shook his head, warily eyeing the girl.

“You can’t win against me,” the little monkey chuckled cunningly.

“I can… I mean, I must… I will win…,” Danny squeezed the beater and shot ahead. The read-haired jumped and, having demonstrated double somersault, hang on the curtain.

The boy had already mounted the chair when he heard the click of the door lock – his Mum was home from her work. Danny hurriedly stepped down and tossed the duster, while Laze silently slid off the curtain and ducked beneath the sofa.

“How was the school today?” Mum asked tiredly.

Danny opened his mouth to deliver the customary “Good,” but something inside stopped him. ‘How many more lies will you tell? Enough!’ he questioned himself.

“Mum, please, don’t get upset,” he started cautiously. “I’ve failed math…”

“Again?” Mum sighed.

“But I’ll fix it! I promise!”

“Oh dear, I wonder whom you’ve taken after? It seems your laze is smarter than you!”

The word “laze” made Danny shudder.

“No, mum!”

Mother sadly shook her head. “I know you! I am sure you haven’t had a proper lunch yet, have you? Not to mention you school work…”

“Maybe later…” nearly blurted Danny, and here he remembered about Laze who was hiding under the sofa.

“I’ll be done with my schoolwork before the dinner is ready, mum!”

“We’ll see,” she caressed her son’s cheek and left for the kitchen.

The boy kneeled before the sofa — Laze huddled in the farthest corner, her eyes viciously gleaming in the darkness.

“You still cannot defeat me! Your willpower is weak!” she hissed out.

Deigning no reply to her, Danny sat at his desk and opened his textbooks.

When he put the last dot in his notebook, there came a muffled gasp from beneath the sofa and he saw the little girl disappear in the air. Danny smiled. Today he had won!