Richardo Keens-Douglas was born on May 17, 1953, on the West-Indian

Island of Grenada. He is a son of Templeman Keens-Douglas, an engineer, and

Muriel Keens-Douglas. He is the youngest of seven brothers and sisters, one of
whom Paul Keens-Douglas, is a popular Trinidadian writer.

Richardo Keens-Douglas is a popular storyteller, playwright, actor, and

composer. He is the author of The Nutmeg Princess (1992), La Diablesse and the
Baby (1994) honored with a Storytelling World Honor Award, Freedom Child of
the Sea (1995) Grandpa's Visit (1996) and The Miss Meow Pageant (1998).
Richardo divides his time between Toronto and Grenada. In addition, he has also
written number of short stories for adults, has hosted the CBC Radio program
Cloud 9, and has performed both as stage and film actor.
 In one city in
China.
 Ah Niew’s money was
stolen in the street and the
onlookers denied that they
had taken the money.
 The boy Ah Niew was an orphan whose mother died
when he was two years old. His grandmother brought him
up by selling cakes cooked in oil. He carried the cakes in
the basket lined with oily paper and peddled these in the
streets.

One day, Ah Niew was lucky. He had sold the three

hundred cakes very fast. He was about to go home when
he saw an old woman crossing the street with a basket full
of fruits. In her haste, she stumbled, and her fruits rolled
in the streets. Ah Niew put down his basket with the
money in it and came to the woman’s rescue. He gathered
the fruits, rubbed off the dust from them, and returned
them in the basket.
When he turned to get his own basket, it was gone.
He looked around and saw it beside a big stone. But the
money was gone.

Ah Niew cried so loud that the people came to see

what the matter was. “Oh! Oh! My money is gone…” Ah
Niew wailed. “What will my grandmother say? She
worked so hard baking all those cakes in oil – and I sold
them all. But the money is gone.”

Paw Kong, a Mandarin who was a kindhearted judge,

happened to be passing by. Ah Niew ran to him for help.
Paw Kong scrutinized the faces of the onlookers. All
people around whom he had asked denied that they had
taken the money. Paw Kong said, “I have asked all of you
and none would admit theft. The only remaining object
nearby is this stone, so it must be the thief. Servants, take
that stone to the court. I shall try it for taking the boy’s
money.”

The people laughed but they were curious to see the

trial of the stone, so they went with Paw Kong to the court
“Each person must put twenty cents in the pot of water
before he enters the court,” he told the people. Paw Kong
stood by the pot of water, looking intently at the water as
each man dropped in twenty cents. The pot was nearly
full of money.

At last, the man with a big nose put in twenty cents.

“That is the man who took the money,” said Paw Kong.
“Servants, take him! Look in his bag and you will find the
money.”

The mandarin’s servants seized the man, opened his

bag, and true enough! They found two hundred eighty
cents. “That is my money,” shouted Ah Niew.

“How did you know that is the boy’s money?” asked the
people.

“Look!” said Paw Kong. “Look at the water. Ah Niew put

his money under the paper lining of the basket. I saw the
paper. So, his money has oil in it. There is oil on the
water, which appeared only when the man put his twenty
cents in the pot.”

Then Paw Kong told his servants, “Give Ah Niew his

money, plus all the money in the pot.” Turning to Ah
Niew, he said, “Your grandmother makes very delicious
cakes. You may ask her to make twenty of them, and you
bring them to me.”

“Thank you, thank you, Sir,” replied the grateful Ah Niew

as he went home to his grandmother.
 “Cheaters only stole his value
as a person”
"Karma hits hard; do good
and you'll be rewarded, do bad
and you'll be punished."
Katigbak, Jasmin M.
Lontoc, Alfred R.

Asi, Jocelyn T.
Bayer, Cathlea Mae B.
Doctor, Eljohn E.
Gaya, Jonalyn C.