"The Homework That Grew Legs"

Bilal was known for two things in 6th grade:

1. Never missing homework


2. Always blaming weird things when he did



So when he came to class one Monday morning, red-faced and panicking, holding nothing but his pencil and a banana, everyone knew something weird was coming.

“Miss! Miss Amna!” he cried, sliding into the classroom like a panicked penguin. “My homework... it grew legs and RAN AWAY!”

The whole class burst into laughter.

Even Miss Amna chuckled. “Bilal, that’s a new one. Better than the ‘homework got eaten by my baby brother’ excuse.”

“I swear! It was on my desk! And then... it just—POOF—gone!”

“Where did it go?” asked Saima, giggling.

Bilal sighed dramatically. “Out the window. I think it’s headed for the library.”


---

The Investigation Begins

After school, Bilal sat on a bench, muttering to himself.

“Everyone thinks I’m lying... again.”

That’s when his best friend, Daniyal, sat beside him, munching on a samosa.

“Did it really grow legs?”

“Yes!” Bilal huffed. “Okay... I mean, not literally. But it disappeared! I finished all 5 pages! I even added a drawing of a dinosaur wearing glasses!”

Daniyal blinked. “Okay, that’s oddly specific.”

Together, they returned to Bilal’s room that evening. Papers were everywhere, socks on the fan, and a half-eaten slice of mango on the table. But no homework.

“Looks like a science experiment exploded in here,” Daniyal muttered.

Then they saw it: little muddy footprints on the floor... and a single page of homework half-chewed under the bed.

“Rats?” Daniyal guessed.

“No... my tortoise!” Bilal shouted.

They both turned slowly toward the corner, where Bilal’s pet tortoise, Sir Newton, sat in his box—innocent, slow, and clearly full.

“Oh. My. Grade,” Bilal whispered.


---

The True Culprit

Apparently, Sir Newton had developed a taste for lined paper.

Bilal had left his homework on the floor while getting snacks. The tortoise had crawled over, nibbled the pages, and dragged part of the homework into his box to build a nest of knowledge.

“That’s actually kind of... impressive,” Daniyal said. “Your tortoise is smarter than most students.”

“But now no one’s going to believe me!” Bilal groaned. “I’ll get a zero!”

“Maybe,” Daniyal said with a smirk, “we turn this into a science project.”


---

The Presentation

The next day, Bilal walked into class, holding a large box and a poster titled:
"How My Tortoise Ate My Homework – A Scientific Explanation"

The class went silent.

Miss Amna raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

Bilal cleared his throat. “I would like to offer my missing homework… in the form of a scientific case study.”

He explained the incident in detail: Newton’s diet, the paper’s scent, his observations, the tortoise’s nesting habits, and included graphs (drawn in crayon) showing “Rate of Paper Disappearance” and “Tortoise Satisfaction Levels.”

He even brought Sir Newton in his box, wearing a tiny bowtie made of ribbon.

The class howled with laughter. Even Miss Amna couldn’t stop smiling.

“This is ridiculous,” she said. “But also… creative. Very well explained.”

“So... I pass?” Bilal asked, hopeful.

Miss Amna grinned. “Let’s just say you’ve submitted an alternative assignment. And next time—keep the tortoise away from stationery.”


---

A Lesson Etched in Shell

From that day, Bilal became famous—not for missing homework, but for turning chaos into curiosity.

He and Daniyal started a classroom club: “Pet Projects,” where students shared science or funny incidents involving their pets.

One student shared how her parrot mimicked her math teacher yelling "WRONG!" every time she did her homework. Another swore her cat helped her build a solar system model—though most of the planets were missing by the end.

Bilal learned something important:
Honesty + Effort + Humor = People actually listen.


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Epilogue: Years Later

Bilal grew up to be a science communicator, making funny YouTube videos about animal behavior. His most popular episode?

“How My Tortoise Launched My Career” – featuring the now very old but still wise Sir Newton.

At the end of every episode, Bilal looked into the camera and said:

> “If life eats your homework, make a lesson out of it. And maybe a laugh, too.”




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Moral of the Story:

> Mistakes and mess-ups can lead to the most creative discoveries. Be honest, be curious—and never underestimate a tortoise with a taste for education.