LITMIR.BIZ

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spongy flour and milk balls, fried and soaked in syrup, were so sweet. So wickedly irresistible!” Amita’s thoughts were confused; her mind hummed. The girl flinched as she heard someone knock on the door. She asked with caution, “Who is it?”

      “It’s me. Barry the Parrot.”

      “Come on in,” the girl said, “but you have to swear not to tell anyone about what happened to me.”

      “You have my word.” Barry replied and snapped the door open. He stared at her with undisguised amazement.

      “Well, you’re amazing as ever, but I won’t deny that you look a little bit different,” the parrot added with caution.

      “I know I look weird. But I can’t imagine who did it to me and why. My body is stiff; my thoughts are mixed up.”

      “Don’t give up. I’ll find out. That’s what friends are for!”

      CHAPTER TWO

      “I’m normally not a morning person – in fact, I hate mornings and don’t really want to talk to anyone,” Krish the Peacock whooped.

      “Really? Why? Mornings are bliss – quiet and cool; the traffic is light, and the rickshaws are running like fine-tuned machines. I love India in the mornings more than ever!” Raja the Chipmunk said, sipping his masala tea. “It’s the best time to drive a rickshaw on dusty roads.”

      Krish was somber and asked, “Where’s Barry the Parrot?”

      “I’ll find him, eventually, but I doubt he’ll be much help.”

      “Why not? He speaks Hindi. None of us can.”

      “You’re right. We should interrogate the locals. They might have seen Donut the Elephant. Let’s go!”

      “Don’t rush me. You know, my shoulder’s still sore from when that crazy chimp hit me with a stone.”

      “Sorry, that was my fault. I had to warn you that the chimp was dangerous. I’m not good enough to be your partner.”

      “Are you kidding? You’re the best I’ve ever worked with.”

      “That’s good to hear, and encouraging! Let’s get back to work then! And you won’t have time to get all weepy over a couple of scars. We’ve got a big case. Big as an elephant. I mean the mysterious disappearance of Donut the Elephant in the Jaipur Circus. No witnesses or clues. The elephant has been missing for six hours.”

      “Could a gigantic elephant have disappeared?”

      “Precisely. Odd, or what?”

      “To tell the truth, I’m worried.”

      “It seems we’re going to deal with a kidnapping.”

      The circus was overcrowded. That was the time of the performance. Acrobats, clowns, jugglers, conjurers, mimes, and rope-walkers scurried back and forth.

      “We must find Donut’s dressing room,” Krish assumed.

      “I think it won’t be very hard. His dressing room should be the biggest in the circus!” Raja smiled. He saw a pony with a braded mane and asked him, “Where is Donut’s room?”

      “Over there. Just turn around the corner and you’ll see it on your left,” the pony replied, and galloped away.

      “That’s fabulous! I mean…the circus atmosphere,” Krish said. “I just like to smell the sawdust when I walk in here!”

      “Should we knock?” Raja the Chipmunk asked.

      “What for?” Krish whispered, “The owner has disappeared. If there is a stranger in the room, we’d better catch him off guard.” So they walked in, without knocking.

      The dressing room was huge and full of bright circus outfits; gigantic hoops and balls were scattered around.

      “Well, zany outfits…Just look at that pillbox hat!”

      “It’s fun. Everything is SO HUGE! I feel myself a tiny bug!”

      “Let’s not waste time. Look for clues!” Krish said.

      “What exactly shall I look for?”

      “I don’t know… Weird things that don’t belong here.”

      Raja went to a large chest by the window. He opened up the lid and examined the contents. There were two yellow buttons, a fake clown’s nose, and a few silver garlands there.

      “What is in there?” Krish asked him.

      “Nothing important,” Raja said with disappointment.

      “Keep looking! The clues have to be somewhere here.” Raja came to a shabby wicker basket. The chipmunk looked into it. And he felt his heart miss a bit. A note-book! The word “DIARY” was written in large letters on the cover.

      “I think I’m lucky today! I’ve just found Donut’s diary! “This diary is the key to success!” Raja said with a victorious smile. He opened the note-book and frowned. “It’s like chicken scratch! Hard to read. Impossible to understand!”

      “Let me take a look!” Krish the Peacock said, “The last diary entry was written yesterday. Great! It can give us leads that we may follow. But I can’t make out what he wrote either.”

      “Perhaps, Donut was in a hurry writing this,” the chipmunk suggested. Krish nodded as he flipped through the pages.

      “Being able to read Donut’s writing is a gift!” Raja laughed.

      The peacock bowed his head and said, “There is a peculiar rhyme about lions in the diary. It seems relevant to our case. Listen, Raja!” He read the rhyme out loud.

      I WOULD’T BE MUTE!

      THE LIONS WERE GOOD,

      BUT TURNED INTO SOOT.

      TO FIND THAT BOOT,

      MIME BURNT THE WOOD.

      I DO WHAT I SHOULD…

      “Any ideas what it means?”

      “No, I can’t guess any…”

      “All right. We’ll think about it later.”

      The door snapped open; Barry the Parrot darted into the room with his scooter.

      “Why are you late? Your vehicle is small and can squeeze through little spaces between cars in any traffic jam!” Raja the Chipmunk said in a loud voice.

      “Hi, guys! Busy working? I’m sorry for being late. Taking a cup of spicy lassi is an essential part of my way of life, you know,” the parrot replied cheerfully.

      “A joyful belly is half success,” Krish giggled.

      “Any progress? Where are we with the case?”

      “We’ve just started. Raja has found a diary with cute rhymes. I noticed a tiny figurine of an elephant. It seems to be carved from sandalwood. I think someone else left it here because it’s too small to be Donut’s belongings!” Krish the Peacock said, “I’m going to show the figurine to our experts.”

      “Well, what’s about Sparky? Have you questioned him?” Barry the Parrot tweeted.

      “You mean Sparky the Clown?” Krish whooped. “Why?”

      “I see you’re once again one step behind me in this investigation. Gossip is buzzing about the bizarre incident with the clown’s boots.”

      “What? Tell us everything you know!” Raja pleaded.

      “Well, there was a confrontation between Sparky the Clown and the lions the day before yesterday. A big and nasty quarrel, I should say. The next day the clown’s boots were found chewed and torn. The lions had escaped from the circus without being noticed. Is there any connection with Donut’s disappearance? I wouldn’t hesitate a moment to say “Yes”. We have to find the link between the two crimes.”

      “You’re absolutely right.” Krish nodded. “If there is any link, our priority in the investigation is to find it.”

      Raja said excitedly, “Do you really believe that lions ran away?”

      Barry said, “Once is an incident;

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