The sun shone high in the bright, blue sky. It looked like a fried egg among the surrounding clouds. In Hightamp Academy in Karachi, all the children were talking in the playground in excitement. They had been told that the next day they would have a test on ethics and good manners.

The children had thought that hygiene was an important chapter to revise. Hannah commented that they should use sweet perfumes after showering and wear the best garments possible, to which everyone agreed. One child added that they should curtsey and remember to say “please” and “thank you.”

The next day all the children appeared in their best clothes and wore all sorts of expensive perfumes. The playground was a whirl of bright colour that day; a contrast that was provided with the usual black and white uniform of the school.

All the children made a line and began to go inside the building. As they went, an old washerwoman appeared. She had white hair and carried an extremely heavy load of clothes on her back. As the students passed, she asked each of them for help. Some of them did not reply at all and some of them replied, “Sorry but we have a very important test and we cannot be late.”

That was until the washerwoman asked the last student going inside, Maria. Maria replied, “Of course I’ll help you.”

Maria took the burden off the old washerwoman’s back and eased it onto her shoulders. She then followed the old lady to her cottage.

The path was not a smooth one. On the way, there were large boulders. Maria slipped on one of them and her dress became filthy, as did all of her beautiful accessories. Maria was sure she would fail her test now, for she was already late and now she was not presentably dressed either, but she put on a brave face and continued walking.

After an extremely tiresome and long walk, Maria and the washerwoman came to the cottage. The washerwoman lifted the rusty doorknob and Maria followed her inside. Maria was shocked to find her whole class inside the cottage.

“But what happened?” she stuttered

The washerwoman pulled off her costume. The class gasped as they recognised this washerwoman as their class teacher.

She told the class, “We wanted this test to be real, rather than a paper-based one. I disguised myself as a woman in need of help and asked each of you in turn to help me.

“Ah, yes of course,” chorused the class in reply.

“You have all passed for the courtesies were splendid and you all said ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. However, only you, Maria, went out of the way and helped, not caring about how hard it will be for you or how dirty you will get in the process. You will receive a special medal for your outstanding performance and will represent our school at an international youth conference.”

All the children had learnt the most important lesson of their life. They now looked at every person in need as an opportunity, rather than a burden.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 3rd, 2022