by Reena Yadav
Mother Flame, alive and swimming in a large bowl. The bowl was dirty as it looked like it had not been cleaned in days.
‘Father, Mother!! Look! I am here!’ Emily said but her parents didn’t recognize her and just continued swimming.
‘They won’t recognize you because you are now in human form. We must get them out to sea fast’ Jacob said as Jacob climbed quietly onto the open window pane. He then gently held onto the large bowl and said, ‘Father and Mother Flame, Angel has come to get you. She is outside there!’ Jacob continued while Father and Mother Flame looked up at him, with worry in their eyes.
‘Who is he? I can hear him, he said something about Emily. Who is Emily? Mother Flame asked Father Flame who looked bewildered.
Jacob passed the large bowl to Emily who said, ‘Father and Mother Flame, it’s me, your daughter, Angel!’
‘Angel! Angel is here! She has come to save us! But, Angel, why , how did you become human?’ Father and Mother Flamed danced excitedly as they swam in circles in the large bowl.
Suddenly, they heard a noise, ‘Thief! Thief! Father there are thieves at the window’ a little boy shouted and then Emily and Jacob saw the captain. They panicked and ran, with Emily holding the bowl. As Emily ran, water spilled onto the road, with waiter declining, Father and Mother became breathless and Father Flame said, ‘Stop, Angel! Stop! What are you doing? Water is spilling!’
‘It’s a long story. Father and Mother Flame, we are here!’ as Emily lay down the bowl onto the sand. ‘Where is Asia? We need to go back before they come’ Emily said as she frantically turned around, hoping that the captain was not following them.
‘Don’t worry Emily’ a familiar voice said. As Emily turned, she saw Asia. ‘The captain and his son who saw you didn’t come looking after you two as he felt that you guys just took a bowl of fish. His son was upset, but he told his son, he would get a puppy for his son, who made the little boy happy’ Asia said as she looked at Emily and Jacob.
‘You have done well; I gave you twenty-four hours but you only used four hours. What would you like me to do?’ Asia asked Emily and Jacob curiously.
‘Well … can you make my parents human too so that we can spend the day together as humans, that would be nice … pretty please’ Emily said sheepishly as she looked up towards Asia.
‘Yes, I can do that, but, dear, please return to this spot by sunset’ Asia said as she took Father and Mother Flame out of the large bowl and placed them on the sand. She then waved her arms and soon Father and Mother Flame had transformed into human form.
With only twenty-hours left, the Flame family together Jacob walked around town. They went to the nearest fairground. They were all mesmerized by the dazzling lights. The colors of the neon rainbow flashed brightly. There were men walking on sticks, giant teddy bears, medium teddy bears and small teddy bears. People were scattered everywhere in excitement, milling around the various rides and games that the fair had to offer.
Suddenly, there were loud screams and all four of them, turned scared, only to be greeted by sights of children and adults whirling and twirling in roller coaster rides which went slowly up the ramp and came down in an instant. Some rides were so high; it was as if they reached the clouds. Emily and Jacob went on the roller coaster, got wet in the water rides and they loved it. Father and Mother Flame watched as the kids enjoyed themselves. There were also different aromas which they were not used too. Emily and Jacob loved the smell of cotton candy, it was sweet and its pink color made them curious to try it. But, knowing that they could only eat fish food, they were sad that they could not try it out. There was the aroma of burgers, hot dogs and pizza wafting through the air. Beside the food stalls, there were people enticing visitors to try their food.
As sunset drew near, it was time to return to shore. They walked slowly knowing that their time as humans was less than a couple of hours. As they sat by the shore, placing their feet in the water, they were glad that they had the opportunity to experience a day as humans. Now, they didn’t fear them anymore, they learnt that they needed to be cautious of their surroundings and not be easily influenced by the crowd mentality.
Asia approached them and asked, ‘how has your day been?’
‘It’s been great, Asia. Thank you so much for the opportunity to experience one day as a human’ Emily and Jacob chimed.
‘Yes, thank you Asia, but it is now time to return to who we really are and where we really belong’ Father Flame said.
‘Please stand in the sea. It would be easier for you to swim back to Ocean Valley’ Asia said. With a wave of a hand, the four of them had been transformed to Father Flame, Mother Flame, Angel and Puffer. Once back as fishes, the waved goodbye to Asia and made their way back to Ocean Valley. This was definitely an adventure they would not forget.
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About the Author
Reena Yadav is a freelance writer, eBook author and is currently working as an editorial operations associate at a multi-national company. Her hobbies include writing, reading, listening to music and travelling. She loves to explore historical sites and loves beaches. She is in the midst of writing her first eBook novel. She lives with her husband in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Other books by the Author
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