Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived Varun with his little sister Dhara. They had lost their parents when they were very younger. They lived with their uncle and aunt. Their aunt was very unkind and made them do all the household chores. She did not give them proper clothes to wear and good food to eat.

One day, the aunt decided to take the children into the forest and abandon them there. The uncle tried his best to make her change her mind, but she was adamant. Little Dhara overheard the conversation between her uncle and her aunt. The next morning, both the uncle and the aunt went into the forest along with Varun and Dhara. Dhara knew her aunt’s plan. She thought of an idea. She had taken some marbles with her. She dropped them along the path. In this way, she would easily find her way back home.

Soon, they reached the forest. It was getting colder and colder. So the uncle lit a fire to warm themselves. He spoke sweetly to the two children and told them stories till they were fast asleep. The uncle and the aunt returned home, leaving Varun and Dhara all alone in the middle of the thick forest.

The following morning, when Varun and Dhara woke up, they did not see their uncle and aunt. They started crying. After a while, Dhara calmed down and told her brother about their aunt’s plan. She also told him about her idea of dropping the marbles along the path. Varun and Dhara followed the trail and could find their way back safely. The aunt was surprised and angry to see the two children. She ill-treated them more and more. She made them do more rigorous work the whole day and harassed them a lot.

Once again, the aunt planned to get rid of Varun and Dhara. This time, too, Dhara overheard her plan. One day, as planned the uncle and the aunt took the children into the forest. Dhara did not marbles, so she started dropping gram along the path. After reaching the forest they lit a fire to warm themselves. The uncle spoke very sweetly to them. As soon as the children were asleep, the uncle and the aunt left them there and went home.

The following morning, when Varun and Dhara did not see their uncle and aunt, Dhara said, “Brother they do not love us and they want to get rid of us. That the reason why they have left us in the forest again. But I have dropped gram along the path. Come on, let’s go home.” Varun and Dhara began to walk, but they could not find the trail. The birds had eaten all the gram early in the morning, so the children did not find a single grain of gram. They were unable to find their way back home. Varun and Dhara were frightened. They began to cry. They wandered about the forest until they saw a small cottage at the end of the forest. They went inside, but there was nobody there. The children sat comfortably in the cottage.

After some time, an old woman came to the cottage. She had big red eyes, long pointed teeth and sharp nails. The children were scared at the very sight of the old woman. Seeing the two children, the woman said in a harsh tone, "who are you? With whose permission have you entered my cottage?"

The angry woman caught hold of Varun and locked him up in a cage. She made Dhara do all the work in the house. In return, she gave them food to eat.

One day, the woman sent Dhara to collect firewood from the forest. Poor little Dhara! She was so tired that she sat under a tree to rest for a while. She was worried about her brother who was locked up in the cage. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

There lived a kind fairy in that tree. She saw Dhara crying and felt sorry for her. She appeared before her, took little Dhara in her lap and caressed her fondly. She said, "Little angel! I know about your misery. I will show you a way to escape the torture of the wicked old woman. Be brave and do as I tell you."

The fairy continued, "In the morning, when the old woman takes her bath, you will pour boiling water over her. This will kill her. She keeps the keys of the cage under her pillow. Take the keys, open the lock of the cage and set your brother free. Under the cage, there is a box full of gold coins. Your brother and you must take that the box and go to the riverside. You will see a swan in the river. The swan will spread its wings on seeing you. Sit on the back of the swan and it will take you to your uncle’s house." Dhara gathered some courage on hearing the kind fairy’s words.

Early next morning, the wicked old woman went for her bath. Dhara took the opportunity and poured boiling water over her. The old woman died instantly. Following the fairy’s instructions, Dhara took the keys lying under the pillow, unlocked the cage and set her brother free. Varun and Dhara embraced each other and dance with joy. Tears of joy rolled down their cheeks.

With great effort, Varun and Dhara pushed the cage away. They found the box of gold coins under it. They took the box and went to the riverside. They saw a beautiful swan in the river. The swan spread its wings on seeing them. Varun and Dhara took the box and set on the back of the swan. In a short while, the children reached their uncle’s house.

The uncle was relieved and happy to see his two loving children. He took them in his arms and began to cry out of joy. He apologized and said, “your aunt forced me to abandon you in the forest. I have hurt you a lot. On realizing my mistake, I have driven your aunt out of this house.”

The children gave their uncle the box filled with gold coins. They said, “Uncle! We cannot live without our aunt. So we are going to bring her back right now.”

Varun and Dhara brought their aunt back to the house. The aunt realized her mistake. She apologized to the children. She was now the affectionate and caring aunt of Varun and Dhara.