Don’t judge a book by its cover

Our forefathers and others were right when they said judging a book by its cover can be a serious mistake. One day, I woke up and found the birds chirping, as usual. My parents had gone on a journey and I had the house to myself. I was going about some chores when, out of the blue, a stranger came calling.

It transpired that he was a relative, an uncle who lived far away. He wore a dark suit and his black leather shoes added to his smartness. I was so happy when he introduced himself as an uncle, who would not want a smart uncle? He asked me about my parents and other family members and soon we were talking as if we had known each other all our lives. He fished out sweets and cakes from his bag and my smile occupied all my face with delight.

I prepared him ugali and beef stew, the way my mother had taught me. We ate, licking our fingers. Afterwards, he handed me Sh500 to buy what I wished.

The shopkeeper opened his mouth in surprise upon seeing the big note. Not many buyers came to him with Sh500. I told her it was my good uncle who had given it to me. She said children should not be given a lot of money. She asked me to take her to my uncle.

When we arrived at my house, we found my uncle carrying the television set out of the house. The shopkeeper screamed and all the neighbours came out. They caught my uncle and called my parents. My ‘uncle’ then confessed that he was not my uncle, but a thief. He was taken to the police station. From that day, I learnt that we should not judge a book by its cover or people by their outward appearance.

By Lenah Akoth Ogollah, 11,

Standard Six, Pesoda Complex Academy,

Suna-Migori.