Din Din was whining again. "Mom, I've lost my new pencil," he said as he came back one afternoon from Terrestrial School where he studied.

"What!?" cried his mother as she stood cooking a fruity stew in the cozy cave where they lived in Fruit Park. "Not again, Din Din. When will you learn to take care of your belongings? I'm sick and tired of you losing your things again and again."

"It's not my fault, Mom," said Din Din scowling as he dumped his backpack on the stone shelf which was his bed. "I kept it on my desk in class but when I came back from recess it had disappeared."

Din Din's mom shook her head in dismay. "How could it have disappeared into thin air? This is the fifth pencil you have lost this month. You should have hunted for it. I'll tell your Dad for sure when he comes back from work tonight. I have protected you and hidden your faults from him time and again, but I think you need a good scolding from him."

Din Din stomped out of the cave repeating, "It's not my fault." He made his way to the garden where he grew his assortment of vibrant, sweet-smelling flowers. He sat amidst the floral beauty and finally calmed down. Soon it was evening — time for him to go meet his best friends Delma the dolphin and Dazel the duck at the lake.

Once at the lake, Din Din's mood brightened as he chattered with his friends. While they were laughing at a joke Dazel had cracked, Dazel's gaze fell upon a gleaming rock at the edge of the lake.

"Wow! Look at this," exclaimed Dazel as she waddled towards the green shining object. It was a huge green crystal the size of an ostrich's egg.

"I think this is an emerald," gasped Dazel as she prodded it curiously. "We learned about gems in geography class this year...this is extremely precious”.

Delma and Din Din also oohed and aahed. "What a great treasure you have found to add to your collection, Dazel," said Din Din.

"Yes but how in the world will I carry such a huge rock to the pond," said Dazel.

"I'll help you," said Din Din loyally.

"Oh! Thanks a million, Din Din but where will I keep it. The rocks under which I store all my collectibles are not big enough to store this enormous gem."

After a moment's thought it was Delma who suggested, "Din Din, would you be able to take it to Fruit Park and take care of it. I would have offered to keep it with me but I have no proper home in the lake. I don't want it to get lost. You can keep it in your cave home and then whenever Dazel needs it she will take it from you."

"Sure," replied Din Din happily and the three friends parted. Din Din hauled the huge, sparkling gem on his broad green back. When he reached home, his family was having dinner. He quickly put the gem on his bed and joined them. He was looking forward to his Mom's delicious stew after a long, tiring day.

"Derek," Din Din whispered as he lay on his bed later that night. "Can I borrow a pencil from you for school tomorrow?"

"Why? What happened to the new one Mom gave you? Don't tell me you lost it." Derek replied cheekily.

"I didn't lose it...it got lost. There's a difference," hissed Din Din. He felt something hard on his bed as he snuggled into the bedding of soft moss which covered it. "What's this?" he said sleepily. But instantly he was snoring and did not hear something roll to the floor.

A few days later, during the daily meet-ups of the three friends at the lake, Dazel asked Din Din for the green crystal.

"Din Din, will you please bring the green emerald when you come to the lake tomorrow. I wanted to show it to Wiz Rooster at the Aviary School and find out if it is really an emerald or just a crystal. If it turns out to be a genuine emerald then Wiz Rooster has promised to display it in the school showcase," shared Dazel excitedly.

"Sure," said Din Din easily. But that night when he began to hunt for the emerald he couldn't find it. "I remember putting it on the bed a few days ago. Where did it go," he muttered in panic. "Mom, have you seen a large, green gem anywhere," he yelled out.

"Yes, I found it under your bed with some more of your junk and threw it out," replied his mother as she tucked his brothers into bed.

"What!" cried Din Din horrified. "It was a precious stone and it was Dazel's. I was supposed to take care of it. I can't believe you threw it away!?"

"If you were supposed to take care of it, then what was it doing under your bed. You should have put it in a proper place," replied Din Din's mother sternly and she stalked off.

Din Din couldn't sleep the entire night. He knew that Dazel was very particular about her possessions and might never speak to him again if she found out that Din Din had lost her precious gem.

The next evening when Din Din went to the lake and saw Dazel he blurted out, "I have lost your gem, Dazel. I am so sorry. Please forgive me," his eyes filled with tears.

At first Dazel was thunderstruck.

Then she said with a drooped head, "It’s okay, Din Din." But for the rest of the evening the three friends were silent. Din Din was ashamed at his carelessness; Dazel was upset because of the lost gem and Delma was agitated as to how to patch up things.

It took Dazel a few days to go back to her cheery self but Din Din had learnt a lesson. He had nearly lost his best friend due to his carelessness and promised himself that he would be responsible in future.

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