EVEREST DECOSTA TUTORIALS 2023

Raman came from a poor rural family. Therefore, he decided to go to the city to earn a
living.…… Complete the story in 110 words and given an appropriate title.

The Rewards of Hard Work

Raman came from a poor rural family. Therefore, he decided to go to the city to earn a living. He
worked on construction sites for a few years as a daily-wage labourer. In the evenings, he would work
with a transport contractor, transporting goods. He regularly sent money to his parents in the village
and also began saving some money for a better future. As the years passed by, he gained a lot of
knowledge about the construction business at the sites where he was working. He then began taking
small civil contracts for repair work and gradually, became a small time contractor. A decade later, he
became a well-established civil contractor in the city. His parents and siblings also moved to the city.
Raman’s perseverance had paid off and he was finally able to provide for his family and lead a
comfortable life.

‘Raju worked as a salesman in a shop for men’s apparel’… Complete the story in 110
words and given an appropriate title.

The Dishonest Salesman

Raju worked as a salesman in a shop for men’s apparel. He received an incentive of ₹ 100 for
every shirt that he sold. Once, the shop received a stock of defective shirts and the owner decided that
the shirts would not be sold. But Raju, greedy for the incentive, began to sell the shirts to the customers
without the owner’s knowledge. Raju even got a high incentive that month due to his deceit. However,
the following month, the customers who had bought the defective shirts, started to come back with
complaints. The owner was shocked to find out that Raju had sold the defective shirts without his
knowledge. Raju was fired from the job and all the ill-earned money was recovered from him. He also
lost his reputation due to the fraud he committed. Raju realised his mistake and swore to be honest
thereafter.

Develop a story about greed with the following beginning. ‘Once a fisherman went to
the sea…’

The Greedy Fisherman

Once a fisherman went to the sea. In the past few weeks, he had been catching quantities of fish
he had never caught before. But the fact that his fellow fishermen had been equally successful during
the same time was bothering him. Thus, on that fateful day, he was determined to keep casting his net
until he had caught enough fish to put their quantities to shame. So, even though the sea seemed
rougher than usual, he ignored the danger and ventured into it. A few hours later he had caught
enough fish to feed his family as well as to sell in the markets to fetch a decent sum of money. But all he
could think about was catching some more fish so he could gloat in front of his fellow fishermen. He
kept making his way deeper into the sea, which in turn kept getting rougher. Ultimately, the fisherman

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found himself caught in a violent storm. By the time he decided to turn around, it was too late and he
was engulfed by the sea.

Complete the story in about 110 words, including a suitable title, with the following
beginning: ‘They were lost in the jungle and the sun was setting fast…’

A Night in the Jungle

They were lost in the jungle and the sun was setting fast. So, Vishal and Sharan decided to look
for a safe place to spend the night. After walking for a few minutes, they came upon a cave. Vishal
insisted that they spend the night in the cave since a number of wild animals could attack them out in
the open. However, Sharan seemed hesitant. The two friends argued for some time before deciding to
part ways. Vishal entered the cave and Sharan climbed onto one of the nearby trees. In the middle of
the night, Sharan felt that he needed to make sure that Vishal was all right. Upon entering the cave, he
saw Vishal sleeping peacefully. Just as he was about to leave, he spotted a scorpion that was getting
ready to sting Vishal. Without wasting a moment, he grabbed a rock and hurled it at the scorpion,
killing the scorpion instantly. Vishal woke up due to the noise and upon seeing the scorpion admitted
that picking the cave was a bad decision. However, upon exiting the cave, they saw the tree Sharan had
climbed onto, get struck by lightning and catch fire. Without saying a word to each other, they knew
that fate had ordained for them to survive that night in the jungle.

Write a short story in about 80-100 words: “There were days when he did not want to be
king. This was one of those days…” and give an appropriate title.

Against All Odds

There were days when he did not want to be king. This was one of those days. In his twenty-
year-long reign, King Vikramaditya’s Kingdom, Vijaynagara, had known nothing but peace. For him, his
army as well as his subjects, war had become a distant memory. Thus, when the neighbouring Kingdom
of Pallava turned hostile, King Vikramaditya found himself scrambling for experienced generals and
soldiers. Realizing that he would never be able to defeat Kingdom Pallava on the basis of the might of
his army. King Vikramaditya began considering other alternatives. He had heard that the enemy had
20,000 soldiers and 400 elephants. On the day of the battle, the Pallava army sensing an easy victory,
attacked without a hint of strategy. King Vikramaditya waited patiently for it to advance onto the
battlefield before giving the signal. In an instant, the sounds of hundreds of drums began shaking the
earth. The elephants, frightened by the loud noises, turned around and started mauling their own
forces. Before anyone could react, a stampede had begun. The Pallava battlefield. Thus, against all odds
the Kingdom of Vijaynagara won the battle.

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 EVEREST DECOSTA TUTORIALS 2023
‘Everything seemed to be going wrong that day….’ Write a story in about 80-100 words
and give an appropriate title.

The Day Everything Went Wrong

Everything seemed to be going wrong that day. Rahul overslept and was late for school. He knew
that even though it was the truth, no one would believe that his alarm did not ring. Frustrated and
upset, he somehow reached the bus stop, only to miss the bus by seconds. He was now sure that the
universe was conspiring against him but he had no time to waste. He had to walk to school and submit
his assignment, the one he had spent all of the previous night completing. All he could think about was
how he would not have had to stay awake all night, and this would not have overslept, if he had not
waited until the last possible moment to complete his assignment. Finally, Rahul reached gate of the
school. And nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. The school was completely deserted. He
looked at his watch and it showed the time as 9:15 am so where was everyone? Upon looking it again he
saw the letters ‘SU’. Rahul was standing at the gate of his school all alone because it was a Sunday! He
walked home with a smile on his face knowing that he would submit his assignment the next day and
that he an entire Sunday to himself to do as he pleased.

Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
beginning: ‘He did not know much about the man, except that he could not be trusted….’

The Stranger
He did not know much about the man, except that he could not be trusted. In the ten years that
Abhimanyu had worked as a customs officer his instinct had never failed him. He could always tell
when someone was trying to smuggle something across the border. And this time he was sure that the
man in the yellow sedan was doing so. The only problem was that he had already stopped the man and
searched his car six times in the last four weeks without finding any evidence of smuggling. Thus, the
exercise was beginning to look ridiculous. The man however, never seemed to mind being stopped. In
fact, he invariably had a smug expression on his face. One that said “You will never find anything, no
matter how hard you look.” Naturally, this infuriated Abhimanyu even more. Finally, after searching
the man’s car on a couple more occasions, Abhimanyu decided to give up. It was twenty years later,
when Abhimanyu, now retired, ran into the man at a bar. “I do not know how you did it. I do not know
how you got away with it. But I know that you were smuggling something all those years.” he said to
the man. The man replied, with a twinkle in his eye, “Sure I was smuggling something. I was smuggling
yellow sedans.”

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Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
ending: ‘….. thus, that was the day Aanya learned that appearances could be deceiving.’

Not judging a Book by its Cover

It was a rainy day and Aanya was excited to use her new silk umbrella for the first time. It was a
beautiful shade of blue and the water seemed to slide right off of it. She walked into the café at the
corner of the street and stowed it with the other umbrellas. A few minutes later, she saw a well-dressed
elderly gentleman pick up the umbrella and begin to make his way out of the café. She followed him
and politely made him aware of the fact that the umbrella was hers. The old man however, was deeply
offended at being accused of petty theft. He told Aanya that the umbrella was definitely his and it was
she who was mistaken. Unsure of how to react, she decided to give the old man the benefit of the
doubt. When she saw him struggle to get a cab, she even offered to drive him home. But after he got
off, she felt like following him. To her utter surprise, instead of entering any of the residential buildings,
he entered another café. And a few minutes later, walked out wearing a coat that was much fancier
than the one he was originally wearing, with a beautiful green silk umbrella in his hand. Thus, that was
the day Aanya learned that appearances could be deceiving.

Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
ending: ‘…. Sahil realised that spreading rumours could quickly get out of hand.’

The Rumour
It was Monday and Sahil was bored out of his mind. The thought of getting through two more
weeks before the summer holidays began sent a shiver down his spine. He figured that he had to do
something to make the idea of coming to school more appealing. Upon looking around he noticed that
Sheena hadn’t brought her expensive sling bag to school. Instead she had brought an old backpack that
looked rather worn-out. Without a thought, he immediately turned to Sameer and said, “Did you notice
Sheena’s backpack? I heard that her family has fallen upon though times. It’s sad for isn’t it?” It was
rather shocking how quickly Sahil forgot about this rumour that he spread but he was reminded of it
quite sternly next Monday. In the span of just one week, the rumour had gone from Sheena’s family
falling upon tough times to Sheena’s father being fired from his job after caught stealing money from
his company. Standing in the Principal’s office, as the student who started the rumour, Sahil realised
that spreading rumours could quickly get out of hand.

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 EVEREST DECOSTA TUTORIALS 2023
Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
ending: ‘…. after that day he started being grateful for everything he had.’

The Things we do have

Mohan was travelling salesman and it was an unwritten part of his job description that he would
have to walk miles and miles everyday. To the company, all that mattered was the number of milkshake
mixers he had sold and not the number of doors he had knocked on or the number of stairs he had
climbed. As the years had gone by, he had become used to the idea that some would rudely shut the
door in his face. And, that some would converse with him for almost an hour and then make an excuse
instead of a purchase. But what was now killing him was the realization that he was not as young as he
used to be. His thighs would sometimes pain through the night and his feet would hurt as if they would
drop off. In such moments, he would envy the shopkeeper he bought groceries from each morning.
According to him, the man was truly fortunate because all he had to do was sit behind a counter. The
next morning, while buying his groceries he shared his theory with the shopkeeper. And, when the
shopkeeper invited him to the other side of the counter to show him the wheelchair he was sat on,
Mohan realised how wrong he had been. After that day, he started being grateful for everything he had.

Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
ending: ‘…. and on that day he decided that he would always hear both sides of a story.’

The Two Sides of a Story

David was the owner of one of the most famous restaurants in the city. It was half-past eight in
the evening when he received the call. On the other side of the line was an angry customer, huffing and
puffing about how one of David’s waiters had spilled hot soup on their expensive dinner jacket. It took
a great deal of consoling and several apologies but David was able to calm them down. As a gesture of
goodwill, he told the customer that their meal would be on the house. However, this seemed to anger
the customer even more and David realised that it was their pride and not their pocket that had been
pinched. Taking the hint, David asked them to stay on the line while he fired the waiter who had ruined
their evening. The following morning, David was shocked to learn the truth. Actually, the customer was
being loud and difficult to deal with and when the waiter politely asked them to quiet down, they made
the call that David received. Immediately David contacted the waiter and offered his job back to him.
And on that day he decided that he would always hear both sides of a story.

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 EVEREST DECOSTA TUTORIALS 2023
Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
ending: ‘…. This year it was an unusual Independence Day.’

The Unusual Independence Day: My Twenty-First Birthday

It was my birthday and I was excited to the core. I woke up and went to my mother but, all she
said was get ready for college. My father was glued to the newspaper. I got a call from my friends which
made me happy again but, they only called up for going together to college for Independence Day
celebrations. This time, I was left aghast! How can so many people forget to wish me! When I finally
returned home in the evening, there was a party planned by my friends and family, to my surprise. But,
all of a sudden, we felt tremors and everything started shaking. It was an earthquake! Eventually the
tremors subsided. Nobody was hurt but everybody departed on an unpleasant note. This year it was an
unusual Independence Day.

Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
beginning: ‘It was a Saturday night and I was all alone at home, when suddenly…...’

Late Night Flames

It was a Saturday night and I was all alone at home when suddenly I saw smoke coming out of our
neighbours’ kitchen window. I ran out of my house to see what was happening. I was shocked to see
that the entire kitchen had caught flames but luckily, there was no one home. I panicked but came back
home and called the fire department. I also shouted and tried to ask for help from the other
neighbours. In only a few seconds, some people had gathered around the burning house. By then, the
flames had reached other rooms too. The fire engine arrived and they were rapidly trying to distinguish
the fire. By the time the owners arrived, the fire had been put out. Everyone applauded my quick
thinking. I was extremely shocked but glad that I could help.

Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
beginning: ‘He boarded the train happily and he searched his pocket for the tickets and
found…...’

Mother’s Love is Priceless

He boarded the train happily and he searched his pocket for the tickets and found an envelope
from his mother. Rajesh was worried as he could not find his tickets in his trouser pockets. All he had
was an envelope with his name on it. Rajesh opened the envelope to find a handwritten note. He grew
angry with his mother for misplacing his tickets. Helpless, he began reading the note. His mother wrote
about how she would miss him as he was travelling miles away from home. Rajesh’s mind suddenly
wavered back to the T.C. who was approaching him. Worried, he read the last lines of the letter, ‘I have
booked you a first-class ticket for your journey so that you don’t have to worry while travelling alone at

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 EVEREST DECOSTA TUTORIALS 2023
night. Love, Maa’. As Rajesh hastily looked back into the envelope, he found a ticket for the A.C. coach
which he happily showed the T.C. In the blink of an eye, Rajesh realised that there is nothing more
precious than a mother’s love.

Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
ending: ‘…... thus they decided to speak the truth.’

Honesty is the Best Policy

Rohan, Aryan and Ron were best friends. When the class teacher announced their yearly trip,
Aryan and Ron were extremely happy but Rohan was rather silent. Upon being confronted by them,
Rohan told Aryan and Ron that he would not be joining them on the school trip as his dad had lost his
job recently. Desperate to find a way to get Rohan aboard, Aryan and Ron lied to their parents. They
said that the cost of the trip was ₹ 750 instead of ₹ 500. They used the extra money to pay for Rohan’s
share. Little did they realise that one lie would lead to a series of lies. They had to convince Rohan that
they had paid for his fee from their pocket money. Then Aryan, had to lie to his parents that he had
submitted the letter from his mother. She had written to the class teacher regarding the increase in the
trip charge that year. Rohan had to convince his parents that the school was not charging for the trip
that year. After all the effort, they were finally happy that Rohan could join them on their trip. But on
the 1st of the next month, Ron'’ parents called him. “Son, how much was the charge for the school trip?”
From their tone, he realised he had been caught and blurted out the truth. The school had sent a
receipt to all the parents along with the monthly mail. All of them confessed their lies before their
parents, who forgave them but expressed regret at their lies. And thus, they decided to speak the
truth.

Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
beginning: ‘Raj was thrilled to get a VIP pass for the concert of his favourite singer…...’

What Goes Around Comes Around

Raj was thrilled to get a VIP pass for the concert of his favourite singer. One of his friends had
actually bought the pass for themselves but could not go due to a family emergency. Since Raj had
always been a huge fan of the singer, Arijit Singh, yet had never attended one of his concerts, his friend
gave the pass to him. On the night before the concert, Raj could not sleep a wink. He was going to
attend his first Arijit Singh concert, plus he was going to be in the front row seats.
The next morning, Raj was barely a kilometer away from the venue when he saw that a large
group of people had gathered around what looked like the site of an accident. Upon realizing that the
victim was bleeding profusely, and no one was helping him, he immediately forgot all about the concert
and rushed the dying man to the hospital. Even though, he missed the concert, he had no regrets as it
was for a worthy cause.

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 EVEREST DECOSTA TUTORIALS 2023
A few weeks later, when Raj had forgotten everything about this incident, he got a letter in the
mail. As soon as he opened the envelope, five VIP passes for Arijit Singh’s next concert, along with the
flight tickets to and from the venue, fell out of it. The person whose life Raj had saved was apparently
Arijit Singh’s manager and was immensely grateful to him. Soon, Raj had not only attended his first
Arijit Singh concert but also met Arijit Sing and gotten a bunch of posters signed by him.

Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
ending: ‘…... and that’s how he got inspired to avoid the use of plastic.’

The Life-Threatening Plastic

Anant was walking home when he noticed a dog lying on the street gasping for breath. It had a
plastic bag chocking its throat. There was some leftover food strewn around the place where the dog
lay, almost lifeless. The plastic bag must have entangled around its gullet, while it was trying to eat the
discarded food. Anant risked his hand to pull the bag out and also pour some water into the dog’s
mouth, before it regained consciousness and limped away. This incident disturbed Anant a lot and
that’s how he got inspired to avoid the use of plastic.

Develop a story in about 80 to 100 words including a suitable title, with the following
ending: ‘…...in this way his sons learnt, ‘united we stand, divided we fall.’

United We Stand, Divided We Fall

Nathuram had four sons who fought all the time. One day, Nathuram decided to teach them a
lesson. He gave a stick to each of his sons and asked them to break it. All four of them could easily
break the stick. He then gave them a bundle of four sticks, and asked them to break it. This time, all
four of them tried breaking the bundle of sticks, but not one of them succeeded. Nathuram told them
that if they fight all the time and stay divided, they won’t be able to survive in life. But if they stay
together, like the bundle of sticks, no one will be able to harm them. In this way his sons learnt, ‘united
we stand, divided we fall’

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