The Mystery of the Missing Mangoes

It was a blazing summer afternoon in Lahore, and 5-year-old Shani Bhai couldn’t contain his excitement. He had just returned from the market with Grandma, proudly clutching a heavy basket of ripe, golden mangoes. These were no ordinary mangoes; they were his mangoes, chosen with the precision and passion only a mango enthusiast could muster.

“These mangoes,” Shani declared dramatically on the daily Zoom call with his cousins, “are mine. No one touches them. Not Grandma, not Mitthu the cat, and definitely not Mamu Zahid!”

Azlan and Irha, watching from London, burst into laughter. “Shani, you can’t eat all those mangoes by yourself!” Azlan teased.

“Yes, I can,” Shani shot back, crossing his arms. “If I eat 10 mangoes every day, I’ll finish them in no time!”

“You’ll explode!” Kiswa, the wise 8-year-old cousin, said, giggling.

“No, I’ll become Mango King Shani Bhai! And you’ll all wish you were me!” Shani announced with a grin.

That night, Shani carefully placed his prized mangoes in the fridge and taped a large note to the door:

“Do NOT eat. Property of His Royal Mango-ness, Shani Bhai.”

The next morning, disaster struck. Shani dashed into the kitchen, ready to feast on his mangoes, but when he opened the fridge, he froze. The basket was empty.

“MY MANGOES ARE GONE!” he shrieked, his voice shaking the walls.

Grandma hurried in, alarmed by the commotion. “Beta, what’s wrong?” she asked.

“Someone stole my mangoes!” Shani wailed, his eyes brimming with tears.

The cousins on Zoom gasped in unison. “A mango thief?!” Irha exclaimed, covering her mouth dramatically.

“This is serious,” Azlan said, stroking his imaginary detective beard. “Shani, you need to interrogate everyone in the house!”

Shani marched into the living room, where Mamu Zahid was lounging on the sofa, scrolling through his phone.

“Mamu, did you eat my mangoes?” Shani demanded, pointing a tiny but accusing finger at him.

Mamu Zahid looked up with mock shock. “Me? Eat your mangoes? Shani, I’m offended! I’m on a diet!”

Shani squinted at him suspiciously but decided to move on.

Next, he cornered Grandma, who was calmly sipping her chai. “Nani, did you take my mangoes?”

Grandma shook her head. “Beta, I don’t even like mangoes. Why don’t you ask Mitthu?”

“Mitthu?” Shani looked at the family cat, who was napping peacefully on the windowsill. “Mitthu, did you—wait, why am I asking a cat?!”

The cousins burst into laughter as Shani crossed Grandma and Mitthu off his list of suspects.

Just when Shani was about to give up, Mirha, the sharp-eyed 6-year-old cousin, noticed something strange on the Zoom call. “Wait! What’s that on Mamu Zahid’s shirt?”

The camera zoomed in on Mamu Zahid, and there it was—a sticky yellow smear on his shirt.

“That’s mango juice!” Azlan declared triumphantly.

“MAMU!” Shani screamed, his voice full of betrayal. “You’re the mango thief!”

Mamu Zahid froze, his guilty expression giving him away. “Okay, okay, fine! I ate a few mangoes… but only the small ones! I didn’t think you’d notice.”

“A FEW?!” Shani gasped, throwing his hands up. “You ate ALL OF THEM!”

Mamu Zahid scratched his head sheepishly. “Alright, maybe it was more than a few… but they were so delicious!”

Furious but determined, Shani stormed off, vowing revenge. The cousins on Zoom quickly huddled together to help him come up with a plan.

“Let’s teach him a lesson he’ll never forget,” Kiswa suggested with a mischievous grin.

The cousins came up with a brilliant prank. They hollowed out a mango peel and filled it with mashed-up bitter gourd (karela) mixed with chili powder. Carefully, they shaped it to look like fresh mango pulp and left it in the fridge with a note: “Last mango left. Enjoy!”

Sure enough, the next morning, Mamu Zahid couldn’t resist. He spotted the mango, grinned, and took a big bite. His face immediately turned red as he spat it out, coughing and fanning his mouth.

“AAHH! What is this?!” he yelled, running to the sink for water.

Shani peeked out from behind the door, laughing so hard he could barely stand. “That’s what you get for stealing my mangoes, Mamu!”

Eventually, Grandma stepped in to make peace. She bought a fresh basket of mangoes for Shani, who reluctantly shared them with everyone—except Mamu Zahid, who was still recovering from the spicy prank.

As the cousins laughed and enjoyed their mango slices, Shani declared, “Next time, I’m installing a security camera on my mangoes. No one will ever steal them again!”

And with that, the great mango mystery of 2030 ended with sticky fingers, full stomachs, and yet another hilarious story for the cousins’ adventure book.