After failing at house cleaning, road cleaning, and even their robbery attempts, Josh and his four friends gathered under their usual big tree.
Josh stood up dramatically.
“Friends, we have tried everything, but we have never succeeded in our mission!”
Steve sighed. “Correction, Josh. We have succeeded in finding jobs. We just never get paid!”
Jamal burst out laughing.
Josh ignored him. “This time, we need a perfect plan. One big plan that will fulfil our lifetime dream of becoming rich. No more wasting time!”
Kiran nodded seriously. “Agreed. Our next operation must have proper planning, risk analysis, and a guaranteed return.”
Raju raised his hand. “And food breaks.”
“Just shut up!” everyone shouted.
Josh pointed towards the village road. “Tonight, we begin our final mission!”
The Midnight Mission
That night, the five friends entered a new village. Around midnight, they spotted a huge building standing behind a tall gate.
Josh whispered excitedly, “Look at that place! It must belong to a very rich man!”
Steve examined the building. “Why is there so much wood stacked outside?”
“Rich people have strange hobbies,” Josh replied confidently. “Don't ask questions. Follow me!”
They sneaked inside, imagining bags of gold and piles of cash.
Suddenly—
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr! THUD! THUD! THUD!
A deafening noise shook the entire building.
Raju jumped and grabbed Jamal.
“Josh! The house is angry! Let's run!”
Before Josh could answer, a man appeared behind them.
“Hey! Are you the new workers? Why are you standing here? Come on! I'll show you the work and train you.”
The five friends froze.
Josh nervously smiled. “Workers? Sir, we actually came to—”
“Good, good! New workers are always shy on their first day. Come with me!”
He dragged them towards a giant wood-cutting machine.
Kiran stared at the machinery. “Wait a minute! This isn't a rich man's house. It's a wood-cutting factory!”
Jamal looked at Josh. “Brilliant plan, leader! We wanted to steal money, and now we're about to manufacture firewood!”
Steve pointed at the machine. “At least this time, we don't have to clean anything.”
The supervisor handed him an axe.
“Start by cutting those logs!”
Steve stared at the axe. “Sir, is there any position available in management?”
“Yes!” the man replied.
Steve's eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Of course. You can manage the wood after cutting it!”
Jamal burst into laughter.
Josh clenched his fists. “Friends, stay calm. We must think of a way out of this situation.”
Raju looked at the wood piled nearby.
“Before we escape, can we ask whether they provide dinner?”
Josh slapped his forehead.
“Raju! For once in your life, think about something other than food!”
The supervisor blew his whistle.
“Enough talking! Your training starts now!”
The five foolish thieves reluctantly picked up their tools.
They had entered the village hoping to steal a fortune.
Instead, they had found another job.
And this time, the work was going to be much harder than washing clothes!
The Wood-Cutting Disaster
The supervisor handed each of the five friends a tool and pointed towards a huge pile of wooden logs.
“Your job is simple! Cut the wood, stack it neatly, and finish everything before evening.”
Josh nodded confidently. “Don't worry, sir. We are experts!”
Jamal looked at him. “Experts in what? Finding jobs by mistake?”
Before Josh could reply, the supervisor shouted, “Start working!”
Josh lifted his axe and struck a log.
THUD!
The axe bounced back, and Josh nearly fell backwards.
Steve burst out laughing. “Excellent, Josh! You attacked the wood, but the wood won!”
“Shut up and do your work!” Josh shouted.
Steve raised his axe and struck his log.
THUD!
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
THUD!
Still nothing.
Steve dropped the axe and held his back. “Sir, I think this wood is too strong for me.”
The supervisor glared at him. “Then use your strength!”
Steve looked at Jamal. “Do you have any extra strength? Mine expired this morning.”
Meanwhile, Kiran was studying the logs carefully.
“Friends, according to my calculations, if each of us cuts ten logs per hour, we can finish the job in approximately—”
“Stop calculating and start cutting!” the supervisor yelled.
Kiran immediately picked up his axe.
After a few minutes, Jamal began sweating heavily.
He wiped his forehead and complained, “I thought we came here to make money. Why does making money require so much physical work?”
Raju, who had been working slowly, suddenly sat on a wooden log.
Josh noticed him.
“Raju! Why are you sitting?”
“I am supervising.”
“Who appointed you as supervisor?”
“My stomach. It says I need a break.”
Josh grabbed him by the arm. “Get up and cut the wood!”
Raju sighed. “In our previous jobs, we washed clothes. Now we're cutting wood. What's next? Are we going to dig a well with our teeth?”
Jamal laughed so hard that he accidentally dropped his axe.
The supervisor appeared behind them.
“Why are you all laughing? Do you think this is a comedy show?”
Josh immediately became serious.
“No, sir! We are discussing teamwork.”
“Excellent! Then work together and move those logs!”
The five friends joined forces to lift a particularly large log.
“One, two, three… LIFT!” Josh shouted.
Nobody moved it.
“Again! One, two, three… LIFT!”
This time, the log rolled slightly—and all five fell backwards.
Steve lay on the ground, staring at the sky.
“Friends, I have made an important decision.”
Josh groaned. “What now?”
“Tomorrow, I'm starting a business that requires only sitting and eating.”
Raju immediately sat up.
“Wonderful! I'll be your first employee!”
The supervisor blew his whistle again.
“Enough! Back to work!”
The five friends slowly stood up, picked up their tools, and returned to the logs.
By midday, their arms were aching, their backs were hurting, and their confidence had disappeared completely.
Josh looked at the enormous pile of uncut wood.
“Friends, I think we made one small mistake.”
Kiran sighed. “Only one?”
Josh lowered his head.
“We should have checked what kind of business this was before entering!”
Jamal nodded. “Finally! Our leader has discovered the importance of research.”
Just then, Raju raised his hand.
“Can we research where they serve lunch?”
To be continued…