The Blue Blur at the Fair

Danish woke up before the first light had even reached the window. A tiny sound rang in his ears:

"Blup!"

A glowing bubble floated in from the storeroom and popped right in front of Danish's nose. "Blup!"

Danish laughed and panicked at the same time. When Zib got nervous, he blew hiccup-bubbles — glowing, pale-blue bubbles that drifted through the air and went "blup!" as they burst.

"Zib! Stop! Ammi's about to wake up!" Danish whispered, slipping into the storeroom.

Zib was curled inside an old pot, his big eyes looking even bigger with fear. Another bubble escaped his mouth — "blup!"

"I'm scared, Danish!" Zib said in a trembling voice. "Your Ammi will come… and the cleaning… and me…"

"Blup! Blup!"

Two more bubbles floated upward.

Danish grabbed his school bag and stuffed his books under the bed. "Get in. Today you're 'toys for donation.'"

"Donation? Is that food?" Zib asked.

"No! Donation means giving to others. The school is collecting old toys."

Zib climbed into the bag. His big ears poked out of the top. Danish quickly plopped an old cap over them. "Now you look exactly like a toy. Just… don't blow bubbles!"

"I'll try," said Zib. "But the bubbles don't listen to me. They come from fear."

Right then came a knock — "tok tok!"

Danish's breath froze. "Danish? Breakfast is ready!" It was Ammi.

"I… I'm coming, Ammi!"

"And listen — after breakfast I'm cleaning the storeroom myself."

"Yes, Ammi!" Danish zipped the bag shut. A muffled voice came from inside: "Blup!"

In the kitchen, Ammi was making parathas. Danish ate in a hurry, swung the bag onto his shoulder — and just then Madam the cat leapt in through the window.

Madam's eyes locked onto the bag. A glowing bubble drifted out through the zip's little gap — "blup!"

Madam's eyes went wide. "Meow!!"

She pounced on the bag!

"Madam! Stop!" Danish yelled.

The cat clung to the bag. The bag toppled onto the floor. The zip slid open a crack — and a blue ear flopped out!

Ammi turned around. "Danish! Why is this cat attacking your bag?"

Danish's brain ran like lightning. "U… Ammi! There are old toys inside! The school is collecting donations. Madam thinks there's fish in it!"

Just then another bubble escaped the bag and popped right in front of Madam's nose — "blup!"

Madam sprang backward, wrinkled her nose, and with an angry "Meow!" leapt out of the window.

Ammi laughed. "See? Even the cat knows they're only toys."

Danish snatched up the bag. His heart was still thudding.

"Now listen," Ammi said, "you go to school. I'll clean the storeroom."

All day at school, Danish's heart wasn't in his books. The bag sat under his desk, and every few minutes a faint sound rose from inside: "Blup!"

At dismissal came the announcement: "Remember — the school's annual mela is this evening! Everyone must come!"

Danish's eyes lit up. He whispered into the bag: "Zib! Tonight you'll see the mela!"

"Mela? Is that food?"

"No! Mela means games, fun, celebration!"

That evening Danish dressed Zib up: Ammi's old shawl over his shoulders, and a big black pair of sunglasses on his eyes — the ones that had sat in Ammi's drawer for years.

"Now you look exactly like…" Danish looked and burst out laughing, "…some sick uncle from the village!"

"I'm not an uncle! I'm Zib!" Zib protested, then adjusted the glasses. "But through this black glass, the world looks blue. It reminds me of home."

The mela glowed with coloured lights, drums were beating, and delicious smells hung in the air. Zib's eyes grew round.

"That spinning wheel!" He pointed at the Ferris wheel. "On Golmol we ride to school on round wheels like that!"

"That's a Ferris wheel," Danish laughed.

At the samosa stall, Zib stopped short. He picked up a samosa, turned it over and over, and said in amazement, "This… is a triangle?!"

"Yes, samosas are triangles."

"On Golmol there are no triangles! Everything is round there — round houses, round schools, even round rain!" Zib popped the samosa into his mouth. "But this triangle… is very tasty!"

"Golmol boy, don't fear the triangle!" Danish laughed.

Then they reached the ring stall. Bottles stood on a wooden board — land a ring on a bottle neck and win a prize!

"Come on, kids!" the stallkeeper called. "One try, only ten rupees!"

Danish tried three times — all three rings bounced off the bottles and fell.

Zib slipped his four fingers out from under the shawl. "Shall I try?"

"Everyone will see your four fingers!"

"The sunglasses are on!" Zib picked up a ring.

He held the ring with all four fingers — the fingers spread perfectly even, the ring sat perfectly straight. He gave a gentle flick —

"Tonng!"

The ring landed straight on a bottle neck!

The stallkeeper's eyes bulged. "Oh wow!"

Second ring — "tonng!" Third — "tonng!"

"All three!!" The stallkeeper was stunned. "Kid, there's magic in your hands!"

The prize was a round, glowing moon-lamp — exactly like a tiny moon!

When Zib took it in his hands, his eyes filled up. "This… is like my Ammi-Jaan's locket."

Danish fell quiet. In the mela crowd he saw a father carrying his son on his shoulders. His heart swelled all at once — his own Abu was in Dubai, so far away.

Zib held the moon-lamp out toward Danish. "You keep this. Like your Abu's photo — those who live far away… live close to the heart."

Tears came to Danish's eyes, but he smiled.

Just then a voice shouted from behind: "Stop! Blue light! I saw it!"

Chacha Rasheed! Camera around his neck, torch in his hand!

"Alien! There's an alien at the mela!" he yelled, raising his camera.

Zib panicked — "blup!"

A glowing bubble left his mouth and floated right in front of Chacha Rasheed's camera lens.

"Click!"

Chacha Rasheed looked at the photo and jumped for joy: "Got it! A blue spot! That's the alien! Proof!"

Danish and Zib looked at each other and clapped their hands over their mouths to stop laughing — the photo showed only one glowing blue bubble, and behind it a hazy blue smudge!

On the way home, Zib's wrist-band suddenly started glowing green — "ting! ting!"

Zib's eyes went wide. "Danish… this… this is a call coming from Golmol!"