Read an Excerpt
THE DIRT PATCH (excerpt for Chapter 1)
On a clear and starry night, Mitu sat by the window gazing at the Moon. Wow! How milky white and rounded he looked! Mitu had been watching the Moon for a fortnight now. At first, he was only an oh-so-thin crescent, making her wonder if a piece of Amma’s white sewing thread had somehow floated out and fixed itself onto the night sky in the shape of a smile. She had loved seeing that smile grow bigger and bolder with each passing night so that tonight she could well imagine the Moon to be the open mouth of a giant rolling with laughter!
Even as she threw herself into an imaginary world, a sudden gust of wind sent a shiver down Mitu’s slim body. When she returned her gaze to the sky, she was in for a jaw-dropping sight! The Moon appeared to be incredibly huge, so much so that Mitu thought she could touch him if she climbed up a slightly oversized ladder. She craned her neck out of the window to appreciate the beauty of the Moon from as close as she possibly could, expecting the Moon to be pleased with his perfect round shape and glow. But to her surprise, that was not so. That night, the Moon looked rather sad.
“Dear Moon, why do you seem so sad tonight?” asked Mitu. “You are much rounder, bigger and brighter than on any other night. You should be happy!”
Mitu’s question was not really directed to the moon; it was just a general remark that she had whispered to herself. So when the Moon actually answered, Mitu almost fell out of the window in disbelief!
THE GIANT WHITE GHOST (excerpt from Chapter 6)
Strong winds started blowing as Mitu walked home with a group of friends. It quickly got dark and chilly even though it was just half past twelve. When she reached home, Amma gave Mitu a tight hug and sent her to her room while she continued to march up and down the verandah, waiting for Mitu’s father to return.
Back at Dhobi Kaka’s house, Kaka was still asleep, unaware of the chaos outside. As soon as the Moon noticed the changes, he realized what was happening. As per his instructions, the clouds were supposed to gather after dusk, when people expected the Moon to have risen. But the clouds (who had only recently had a squabble with the Sun), had taken matters into their own hands and had decided to teach him a lesson. The Moon was quite cross with the clouds for not sticking to their plan. But what could he do now, hanging on a clothesline in Dhobi Kaka’s backyard?
As the winds gained strength, pieces of clothing hanging on the lines, started flying away one by one. The Moon was quite concerned now and started shouting out to Kaka to take him back inside the house. Unfortunately for him, with the windows shut tight, his voice did not carry and wake up Kaka. Though he was quite strong and tried hard to fight the winds, the Moon’s efforts were all in vain. When an extra-strong gust of wind rushed past, the Moon too, was blown from the clothesline.