The Great Pillow Fort Treaty

A funny story about sharing, fairness and compromise.

It was a rainy Sunday, and Ravi and his sister Tara had built the biggest pillow fort in history. It had cushion walls, a blanket roof, and a tunnel made from a cardboard box. It was magnificent.

There was only one problem. Both of them wanted the best spot, the one by the little window, with the fairy lights. “I was here first!” shouted Ravi. “No, I was!” shouted Tara. They both sat down in it at once and glared.

Their grandmother put her head through the tunnel. “It sounds like a war in here,” she said. “May I suggest a treaty?” Ravi and Tara looked at each other. “What is a treaty?” asked Tara.

“It is an agreement that is fair to both sides,” said their grandmother. “You write it down, and you both sign it.” She gave them a sheet of paper and a pen, and went off to make hot chocolate.

Ravi wrote, “Article One: Everyone gets a turn in the best spot.” Tara added, “Article Two: Each turn is ten minutes long, timed on the kitchen clock.” They both agreed that this seemed fair.

“Article Three,” said Ravi, “the person who is not in the best spot gets to choose the snack.” Tara nodded. “Article Four: Biscuit the dog gets the end by the tunnel, because he is the guard.” Biscuit wagged his tail on hearing his name.

They signed the treaty, Ravi with a big loopy R and Tara with a star. They stuck it to the wall with sticky tape. Then Tara went first in the best spot, and Ravi chose crackers and cheese.

When the clock hit ten minutes, Ravi shuffled over to the window. Tara moved out without a single grumble. The treaty had worked. They spent the afternoon reading torch-lit stories, and nobody fought once.

Their grandmother peeked in later. “How is the treaty going?” she asked. Ravi grinned. “It is the best idea ever,” he said, “and we are going to use it for the next fort, too.”

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