Living with the motto of leading a happy, carefree life, Guddu finds no reason to worry. For him, life is nothing but fun. Thus, portraying one`s self as a deeply worried individual, that too in this fun-packed world, does not make sense to him. Absolutely not! Unlike his father, Guddu believes things are not as difficult or complicated in everyday life as most people claim. According to him, for instance, when you are left with no money in your pocket, all you need is just an ATM card, which you can use anytime to draw as much money as you want from an ATM machine as simple as that! Though it took Guddu a great deal of time to realise that money does not grow on trees, he thought he could now find it in abundance in an ATM. What a great revelation! Guddu feels no place in the world could match the excitement and sensation offered by a tiny, yet almost magical, ATM booth a place of wonder more enjoyable than embarking on the most adventurous ride of an amusement park. ATM, by way of comparison, appears to be a kind of imaginative money tree every next soul living in this world yearns to grow in his backyard. Despite its small-size, the ATM stands taller than the impractical money tree fabricated by old-fashioned wordsmiths and is way better than any money-minting contraption still fancied by sci-fi enthusiasts.

Also, the so-called money plant that does exist in the world makes no sense either. Rather than any money, the wrongly assumed money plant could only offer some green leaves to feed a little goat kid, or decorate a home`s interior to inject some cheap greenery into a dull ambiance. What else? Nothing. Then why do people tend to fool themselves by adding `money` to the names of things that have nothing to do with money? Nonsense! Even if a money tree was for real, it would not be better than its electronic counterpart, the ATM. As a proof, whether you are tall or shortin height, you don`t need to climb up the fictitious money tree to pluck the currency notes hanging high and low on the tree`s branches. In all honesty, the machine called ATM is mind-blowing. It is real. It is practi-cal. And the cherry on top is its accessibility to everyone around the clock.

For Guddu, the ATM booth is the place to be. It`s a much-visit site not only for those who have been blessed with their personal ATM cards, but also for people like him who are too young to operate their bank accounts on their own, but can equally enjoy the thrill of watching an endless stream of swoon-worthy currency notes flowing from the machine`s cash withdrawal slot at the push or tab of a few button wow! Whenever Guddu, along with his father, steps into the ATM booth, he is welcomed by the cool whiff of the air-conditioned breeze from the AC. The unparalleled chill environment, coupled with the fully technologically equipped ambiance, with loads of security features, makes the ATM booth look like a giant vid-eo game cabin no player would ever leave until the last aliens` spaceship is blown with a bang.

The ATM wonder can also be referred to as a modern magic wand made of plastic, which needs to be swiped into a card reader for each transaction. Then, a four-digit password,or the modern-day`opensesame` magical phrase, is entered to open the treasure cage, replete with fresh currency notes. That really sounds cool! Other than making the most of the money stream, Guddu never forgets to place his hands under the sanitiser dispenser mounted on the side wall of the ATM booth. After all, a germ-free hand holding a stack of fresh currency notes is way betterthan a dirty hand with no money in it.

In the end, a momentary stay in the ATM booth leaves a lasting impression with an urge to revisit such an irresistible place at the earliest opportunity possible.

Intelligent people draw cash from the ATM. Fools, in marked contrast, count their pennies by keeping them in a savings box. That`s why, for Guddu, the money box was the most boring gift given to him on his birthday, which was held last week.

`Papa! Why did you choose the money box as my birthday gift?` Guddu asked his father in an angry tone that was unlike his usual one.

`What`s wrong with the money box? I think it`s the most sensible gift for you,` Papa replied with a worried look on his f ace.

`Sensible gift? Papa! I am nolonger a silly toddler. In place of such a boring money box, you should have given me an ATM card,` Guddu reacted swiftly.

`What? ATM card?` Papa was clearly surprised by Guddu`s weird gift choice.

`Yes,` Guddu replied with full confidence.

`Honey, an ATM card cannot be given as a gift, as you must have a bank account to have your own ATM card, which can be issued by the bank only,` Papa explained with incredible patience.

`Then, should I open my bank account because I want my own ATM card?` Guddu asked.

`Yes. That`s a good idea to have a bank account. But what will you do with the ATM card?`Papa wondered.

`To draw as much money as possible! `As much money as possible? Are you sure you could have that much money in your bank account, and how?` `Since the ATM is always full of money, I only need an ATM card to draw the cash. Why worry about the amount?` `Guddu! The ATM card is just a plastic card with a magnetic strip that directly connects and gives us immediate access to our bank accounts only. We can only draw whatever money is in our account. We cannot empty the entire machine as all the money in it is not for anyone with an ATM card to withdraw.

`What if we have no money in our bank account?` Guddulooked curious.

`Then we will get nothing out of the machine,` Papa replied.

`Does it mean I will first need to put money in my account to draw it later from the ATM?` Guddu thought as he asked.

`Yes, of course. Though the ATM looks like a magic device, there`s no such thing as magic in this world where only consistent hard work and effort can help you earn and save money, coin by coin. And that`s why I gifted you the small, yet quite useful money box, to help you save as much money as you can and use it whenever the need arises.

`Coin by coin?` asked a dismayed Guddu.

`Yes, my son.

Feeling heartbroken about his ATM fantasy dissolving into thin air, Guddu returned to his room and picked up the money box he had rejected a little while ago. He searched his front pocket and found a five-rupee coin to put into the box to kick-start his money-saving drive.

Money does not grow on trees, but Guddu can now save and accumulate money out of his pocket -little by little, coin by coin!