John and James were best friends. They fought for many reasons, but never gave up their friendship. They went in search of a job and visited many places to earn some money. In the process, they passed through various places, villages, towns, forests and beaches. They supported each other throughout their journey.

One day, they reached a desert. They had very little food and water. John said that they should save the food and water for later use. However, James disagreed. He wanted to drink the water as he was very thirsty. As a result they quarrelled over the water. John slapped James, and they walked on in silence. James wrote on the sand, "My best friend slapped me!”

Finally, they reached an oasis. They were very happy, and had a lot of fun in the water. While they were both bathing, James was a bit careless and almost drowned. John rushed to him and saved him.

James hugged his friend and thanked him. They had a little nap and decided to leave the place. When they were about to leave, James carved something on the rock.

It read, "My best friend saved my life!”

He said to John, "When you slapped me, I recorded it on sand. The wind would have blown it away by now. However, when you saved my life, I recorded it on rock. It will remain there forever.”

Moral of the story: We have to forget the bad things and cherish the good things done to us. Compiled by Ishimwe Mugabo, a pupil at Umuco Mwiza School