“Are We in Trouble… or Are We Guests?” -📍India
The problem began with tea.
They were just standing near a small house, talking quietly, when a man stepped outside and smiled.
“Please come,” he said. “Have tea.”
Milo froze.
Bobo whispered,
“Did we break something?”
Luna shook her head.
“No. He’s inviting us.”
Milo’s eyes widened.
“Invite… us? We don’t know him.”
Tiki popped its zipper slightly.
“And yet, here we are. Suspicious kindness detected.”
Inside the house, chairs appeared.
Cups appeared.
Snacks appeared.
Too many snacks.
Milo sat stiffly.
“Okay,” he whispered, “be honest. Are we in trouble?”
Bobo counted biscuits.
“If this is trouble, it tastes amazing.”
The man laughed softly.
“You are guests,” he said. “Guests are blessings.”
Milo blinked.
“…Blessings?”
More tea was poured.
More snacks arrived.
Then more.
Milo panicked.
“We can’t eat everything,” he whispered urgently to Luna.
“That would be rude.”
Luna smiled.
“Here, refusing everything can also be rude.”
Milo looked at his cup.
Half-full.
Then full again.
“…I didn’t even finish,” he said.
The woman smiled warmly.
“No hurry. Eat slowly. You are home.”
Milo’s shoulders relaxed a little.
Bobo offered a biscuit back.
“For you,” he said proudly.
The man laughed kindly and accepted it.
Bobo whispered, amazed,
“He accepted my snack.”
Tiki nodded.
“Mutual respect achieved.”
As they prepared to leave, Milo stood up quickly.
“Thank you,” he said nervously. “Sorry for taking your food. Sorry for sitting. Sorry for—”
The woman gently stopped him.
“No sorry,” she said. “You came. That is enough.”
Milo felt something warm again.
Not spicy.
Not loud.
Just… kind.
Outside, Milo took a deep breath.
“I thought hospitality meant rules,” he said.
“But it means sharing.”
Luna nodded.
“And trust.”
Bobo smiled.
“And snacks.”
Tiki zipped itself shut happily.
“India lesson unlocked.”
As they walked away, Milo looked back at the house.
“Next time,” he said softly,
“I won’t be scared of kindness.”
Review The Giggle Globe Gang – India: Story 5.