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The afternoon sun beat down on the dusty, winding paths of Sairang, Mizoram, a village nestled amidst the verdant hills of Northeast India. Six-year-old Derek C. Lalchhanhima was zooming around on his bright blue bicycle, a blur of boundless energy and childhood glee. His tiny legs pumped furiously, his laughter echoing against the quiet hum of village life.

Suddenly, a flash of brown feathers, a frantic squawk, and a sickening thud.

Derek’s bicycle skidded to a halt. His laughter died, replaced by a gasp of horror. Lying motionless in the dust was his neighbor’s prized hen, its feathers ruffled, its eyes still. A wave of gut-wrenching guilt washed over the little boy. He knew he had done something terribly wrong.

His first instinct, perhaps, was to hide, to pretend it never happened. But Derek, even at six, possessed a heart far too pure for deceit. He remembered his mother’s teachings about taking responsibility, about caring for all living things. And the hen, it looked… broken.

With trembling hands, Derek carefully scooped up the lifeless bird. It was warm and heavy in his arms. He knew, with the simple logic of a child, that when someone was hurt, they went to the doctor.

He fumbled in his pocket, pulling out his entire life’s savings: a crumpled ten-rupee note. It was meant for sweets, perhaps a new toy, but now, it was for the hen.

Tears welled in his eyes, but his small feet were resolute. He marched towards the village’s nearest clinic, the hen cradled like a fragile treasure, the ten-rupee note clutched tight in his other hand.

He burst into the clinic, his face streaked with dirt and tears, his chest heaving. A few patients looked up in surprise. He approached the nurse at the counter, his voice small but determined.

“Please,” he pleaded, holding up the bird and the money. “My bicycle… it hit her. Can you save her? I have money for the medicine.”

The nurse, momentarily stunned, gently took the bird from his arms. Her heart ached for the earnestness in his eyes. She checked the hen, then looked back at Derek, her expression softening.

“Oh, dear,” she said gently, kneeling to his level. “I’m so sorry, little one. The hen… she has passed away. There’s nothing we can do.”

Derek’s lower lip trembled. The tears he had been holding back streamed down his face, silent and profound. He had tried. He had truly, desperately tried.

A photograph of this heartbreaking, yet incredibly pure moment, was taken and shared. It quickly went viral across India, then the world. Derek’s story, his tiny act of immense compassion, touched hearts far and wide. People were moved not just by his innocence, but by his profound sense of responsibility and empathy.

Though the hen could not be saved, Derek’s kindness did not go unrewarded. His genuine act of remorse and his desperate attempt to save a creature’s life earned him the PETA India “Compassionate Kid” award. It was a testament to the fact that even in the smallest hearts, the greatest lessons of empathy and kindness can shine the brightest, reminding us all of the simple, yet powerful, promise of a ten-rupee note offered with pure love.