THE MAGICAL LIBRARY

Aamir was solving some A trigonometry problems in his notebook when his mother called from the kitchen. It was supper time, and the delicious aroma of hot food simmering in the kitchen had already reached his nose.

- Neha Bhatia

And though his belly was growling with hunger, it took him a long time to get out of his cosy blanket.

Even though it was the month of March, it was an unusually cold night and he was making the best of it by cuddling in his warm blanket, reading books, relishing snacks, watching television, and completing his homework.

In the lobby, the fireplace was sizzling with crackles from wooden logs.

Snuggled in a thick red woollen sweater and a matching pair of socks his grandmother had sewn for him, he walked into the lobby, slumping straight into a chair at the dinner table. His parents and grandmother were already seated at the table.

His mother had cooked a special dinner because his father had just returned from a week-long business trip to a neighbouring town.

Once they finished supper, his father unpacked his suitcase and gave Aamir a package wrapped in shiny, holographic gift paper.

Impatiently, Aamir unwrapped it to reveal a picture storybook. On its front cover, the title Champak was printed in bold, colourful typography. Flipping the book's pages loosely, he noticed that it had glossy pages filled with bright, colourful illustrations, comics, poems, and stories.

Aamir's heart was filled with enthusiasm. He opened the book from and on the front page of the book was a large gateway illustration printed in dark purple. The headline above the gateway read, "Gateway to the Magical Library."

At the bottom of the page was a short tagline, "Turn this page to reveal a magical library!"

Excited as he opened the page, a ball of stardust emerged, rose, and shimmered in the space. In another moment, a fullyfledged gateway appeared in Aamir's room. To his eyes, the gateway seemed to be the real-life version of the illustration on the first page, except it was outlined with zillions of tiny chiming stars.