Once upon a time, there was a kind girl named Nargiz. She had an older sister. Although Nargiz was still little, she was a child who loved quiet, didn't talk much, and didn't ask for everything she saw. Even though her heart was small, a big world was hidden within it.
Nargiz went to school. And in kindergarten, she had another friend who shared her name. Since both of their names were Nargiz, sometimes the teachers would confuse them.
One day, our Nargiz was standing by the classroom window, watching the birds perched in the yard. Just then, she saw her older sister approaching the school yard from afar. Her sister had a small package in her hand.
Nargiz's heart pounded with joy. She was sure her sister had brought her favorite treat. After all, she had asked her sister for that very chocolate croissant!
A little while passed. One of the teachers called out to the other Nargiz, who was standing by the window:
— Nargiz, your sister brought you a delicious treat! Come, take it, eat!
Our Nargiz wasn't surprised. She thought to herself: «Perhaps my friend's sister also arrived at the same time as my sister»."
Her friend moved away from the window and went towards the teacher. A little later, she returned to the classroom with a chocolate croissant in her hand.
As soon as Nargiz saw the croissant, she recognized it. It was one of her favorite treats. Moreover, she had specifically asked her sister to bring that one.
At that moment, the little girl understood everything. So, the teacher had mistakenly given the treat to the other Nargiz.
If Nargiz had wanted to, she could have approached the teacher and told the truth. She also had the right to ask for her croissant back. But for some reason, she didn't. She just stood quietly.
She looked at her friend's face. Her friend was eating the croissant, but she didn't look as cheerful as before. It was as if there was a worry in her little heart.
When she returned home in the evening, her older sister asked Nargiz:
— Sister, did you like the croissant I brought you?
Nargiz had already understood everything. She looked into her sister's eyes and smiled:
— Yes, sister, thank you very much! It was very delicious.
Her sister was satisfied with her answer. But another thought was swirling in little Nargiz's heart.
The next day, when she came to kindergarten, she saw her friend keeping her distance. The same happened the day after. As days passed, the distance between them grew. Yet, once upon a time, they used to do everything together.
Nargiz understood why her friend was behaving this way. Sometimes people are ashamed to look others in the eye because of a mistake they made. And the more they try to hide their mistake, the heavier the burden in their heart becomes.
One day, Nargiz brought some delicious treats with her. During break time, she approached her friend and kindly said:
— Come, let's eat together!
Her friend hesitated for a moment. Then she slowly approached her. The two girls sat side by side and began to eat the treats.
A little while later, her friend's eyes welled up. She couldn't stay silent any longer.
— Nargiz, you know, the croissant I ate was actually yours. The worst part is that I knew it from the beginning. But the croissant looked so delicious that when the teacher mistakenly gave it to me, I didn't object. I ate it even though I knew it was yours. Please forgive me. The kinder you are to me, the worse I feel. Your kindness made me feel very ashamed.
Nargiz saw her friend's tears. Then she smiled kindly and said:
— Don't worry. Everything is fine.
Her friend looked at her face in surprise.
— Aren't you angry with me?
— I was a little hurt. But now I'm glad you told the truth. We all make mistakes sometimes. The main thing is to understand our mistake and try to correct it.
Her friend took Nargiz's hand. That day, kindness was rekindled between the two girls. But this time, their friendship was even stronger than before. Because its foundation included not only joy, but also honesty and forgiveness.
Thus, little Nargiz learned a great truth from the incident involving a chocolate croissant: sometimes a person's greatest kindness is not only to protect their own rights, but also to give others a chance to correct their mistakes.
The end of the tale, but kindness has no end.
Because making a mistake doesn't make a person bad. But understanding and admitting one's mistake and trying to correct it beautifies a person's heart.
