The Scavenger Hunt

Ajit Narra

Lajjo lives in a village on the banks of the River Kosi.
She loves the rain.
But this year, the rains have been especially heavy.

Lajjo is happy when the rain finally stops.
Then all of a sudden, the banks of the river break. In just a few minutes, the village is flooded with muddy water from the river. Lajjo is scared.

“We have to leave at once!” cries Babu. “Hurry, Lajjo! We need to get to higher ground where we’ll be safer.”
Lajjo and her family wade through the water with great difficulty. With the help of some army men, they reach a hill where their neighbours have moved to.

“Oh, no! I left Gudiya behind,” cries Lajjo.
She never goes anywhere without her doll! But Babu says that they can’t go back until things are better.

The next morning, Lajjo asks if she can go find Gudiya.
This time, Mai yells at her. “Lajjo, our home is under five feet of water. We are running out of drinking water, and all you care about is a doll.”
“Don’t worry, Lajjo. Gudiya will be fine,” says Daadu. “Shall we play a game?”

“A game!” says Lajjo, brightening up.
“Yes! It’s a scavenger hunt. You have to find all the items on this list. As soon as you do, I will show you something amazing.”

Lajjo looks at Daadu’s list.
“I’ll start searching right away,” she says, jumping with excitement.
1. 1 bucket
2. 1 cotton cloth
3. Gravel
4. Sand
5. 1 hammer
6. 1 hole punch

Lajjo runs first to Mai.
“What is it, Lajjo?” asks Mai, sounding tired. “If you are thirsty, I don’t have any drinking water.”
“No Mai, Babu gave me a sip of water. I need a cotton cloth. Do you have one?”
Mai doesn’t have a spare cloth. So she cuts a piece from her cotton sari. “Here! Take this.”
Lajjo gives Mai a big hug.

Babu helps Lajjo find a bucket. She fills it with sand.
“Yay! Three things off my list!”

“Lajjo, I’m thirsty. Do you have some water?” asks her friend Prateek.
“Sorry, Prateek. We finished all our water.”
“That’s okay,” he says. “Are you looking for something?”
“ I’m looking for gravel,” says Lajjo.
“There! You can use that.”
Only two more things for Lajjo to find!

Then Lajjo goes to find the village carpenter.
“Fixer Baba, Fixer Baba, may I borrow your hammer and hole punch?”
“What is it for, Lajjo?”
“It’s for a game I’m playing with Daadu,” she says.
“A game! Who has time for games when the whole village is thirsty?”
Though he grumbles a little, he gives the tools to Lajjo.

Lajjo lays out all the items in front of Daadu.
“Done!” she says proudly.
Daadu smiles and turns the bucket over. He makes a hole in it with the hammer and punch.
Lajjo watches eagerly as he places the cotton cloth at the bottom of the bucket.
Then, he pours fine sand over the cloth into the bucket.

“Lajjo, will you help me fill the bucket with gravel?” asks Daadu.
Lajjo helps Daadu pick out all the tiny stones, and put them in the bucket. They then fill the bucket with larger stones.

Daadu takes a bottle filled with muddy river water and pours it into the bucket.
“Why did you do that?” Lajjo asks, puzzled.
Daadu just smiles. Not long after, clear water starts dripping down from the hole in the bucket.
Daadu collects it in a glass.

“Lajjo, we made a filter that changes muddy water into clean water,” says Daadu. “Go give this glass of water to your Mai and Babu.”
Mai and Babu are overjoyed! They boil the water and drink it.
Soon Prateek, Fixer Baba, Mai and Babu surround the bucket. “Great work, Lajjo!” they cheer.

The next day, the army comes in boats laden with supplies for the flood survivors. Lajjo’s family is relieved.
And in their boat is a special surprise for Lajjo!

Make Your Own Water Filter
Materials Needed:
- 1 plastic bottle
- 1 pair of scissors
- 1 clean cotton cloth
- Sand
- Gravel (fine and coarse)

What to Do
Use a pair of scissors to cut off the bottom of the water bottle.
Punch a small hole in the bottle cap with the pair of scissors.
Stuff the bottom of the bottle with a cotton cloth.
Pour fine sand into the bottle till the 1/4 mark.
Fill the bottle with fine gravel till the 1/2 mark, followed by coarse gravel till the 3/4 mark.
Pour water slowly from the top. You will find clean water dripping down from the bottom.
Note: Boil the water before drinking it in order to kill harmful germs.