Chore isn't a Bore

"Who is our mystery guest, then?" Daddy asked, grinning at the scruffy little boy Mridul had brought home with him.

Mridul had just turned 10, and as a reward for being grown up and responsible, was allowed to go to the nearby shopping center all by himself, with his pocket money. He sometimes found something interesting at the dollar store and had a little drawer in the cupboard in his room for his treasures.

He'd met his new friend, Ajay, at the dollar store and brought him home to show him his hoard. Then they'd go to Ajay's house and do likewise.

"He's Ajay," Mridul explained to Dad. "He has a marble of twenty colours and a pen that writes in five colours!"

"I see. And does he like pineapple juice? If he does then both of you get washed up and sit at the table and I'll give you some."

Over pineapple juice and bread-and-peanut-butter, Ajay told Dad all about himself. He lived in the next street and his parents were both journalists. "Mom has a blog for children. She often blogs about my adventures," he said.

"Blogging about her son drinking pineapple juice?" Dad twinkled.

"Oh, no, I've had better adventures than pineapple juice," Ajay protested. "Once I saved a lady's purse what a gangster had snatched and once I rescued a kitten who was stuck on top of the flagpole."

"Will you take me on an adventure with you?" Mridul asked.

"You can't plan adventures, silly. They just happen," his new friend retorted.

"Maybe you can make them happen," Dad suggested.

"How?"

"Do something that'll lead you to adventure."

"Like what, Dad?"

"Hmmmmm - let's see - taking the trash out, maybe?"

"Dad, I'm ten years old. I'm not going to fall for chores in the name of adventure."

"How about an adventure in the name of a chore, then?"

"What's in a name?" Ajay piped up unexpectedly. "A chore by any other name is as boring."

"Not if you make it interesting. Make taking the trash out so interesting that it'll be your Mom's most exciting blog."

"We can play we're great recycle researchers."

"Or that there are trash burglars hot on our trail."

"We'll have more peanut-butter-n-bread later, Dad, we have to take the trash out!"