Nine-year-old Molly was bored. Ever since summer began, she had nothing to do but stay at the house and count the ceiling tiles. Her parents were always at work, and her only companion was her younger sister, Jessie.

Scanning the room, Molly spotted a box fan sitting in the corner. An idea suddenly popped into her mind, and a devilish grin curled up on her face. She called Jessie over to her.

"Hey, Jessie,” Molly said, glancing at the fan. “Dare you to stick your tongue in the fan when it's on." Jessie's eyes widened.

Jessie hesitated, but she wanted to show Molly she wasn't a scaredy-cat. Swallowing her fear, she stuck her tongue out and slowly moved it towards the fan.

Just as her tongue touched the blades, they got entangled. Jessie shrieked, but with her tongue stuck, it came out as an unintelligible muffle.

Molly couldn't hold back her laughter, not realizing the severity of the situation. Jessie, meanwhile, was in panic mode, struggling to free her tongue.

Just then, their mother arrived home. As she saw what was happening, her face turned red with fury. She quickly turned off the fan and helped Jessie free her tongue.

"Molly! How could you dare Jessie to do such a dangerous thing?" The mother yelled, her stern gaze fixed on Molly, who just giggled in response.

This casual attitude infuriated the mother even more. In a bout of anger, she reached out, grabbed Molly's tongue and tied it to the nearby railing.

Molly's eyes bulged in surprise, but she couldn't say anything with her tongue tied. She tried to free herself, but to no avail.

Jessie, still recovering from her ordeal, watched this unfold, surprised and curious. She was confused, frightened, but also found it a tad funny.

Once she got over her surprise, Jessie couldn't help but laugh. After all, Molly did look funny with her tongue tied to the railing!

Molly had always been the one to pull pranks on her, but now, the tables had turned. It felt good to be on the other side for once.

The mother watched both her daughters - Jessie laughing while Molly was stuck with her tongue tied to the railing. She sighed deeply, a mix of frustration and amusement.

The mother finally untied Molly who rubbed her red and sore tongue. She looked at Jessie, then at her mother, realizing she got a taste of her own medicine.

"I hope you've learned your lesson," said the mother, looking sternly at Molly. Jessie, still giggling, gave her sister a teasing look.

Molly nodded meekly, rubbing her tongue again. She cast a glance at Jessie who was still laughing, making her frown.

The rest of the day passed without incident. But both Molly and Jessie had learned a valuable lesson that summer day - to think before acting on a dare.

The fan was moved to a higher shelf where neither of the girls could reach it. And Molly, well, she promised not to dare Jessie into doing dangerous things anymore.

As for Jessie, she became a little wiser and less susceptible to Molly's dares. She learned to stand up to her sister when needed.

The mother, on the other hand, had a story to tell at her next coffee meeting about her daughters' summer shenanigans - a tale of the tongue tangle.

Every time the mother recounted the story, Jessie would blush while Molly would scowl. But, deep down, both knew they had grown from the incident.

The incident became a family legend, a quirky story they would share at family get-togethers, always eliciting laughter and lessons about prudence & consequences.

So, the boring summer day turned into an adventure for the girls - full of mischiefs, consequences, and realizations. And they never forgot the day of the tongue tangle.

Despite the chaos, the girls built a stronger bond that they cherished. It was a summer they always remembered not for the heat but the lessons it brought.

Their summer mischief ended, but lessons lingered. And in the end, the box fan, a silent witness to the whole incident, whirred on, a symbol of a summer they would never forget.