Chapter 3 The Frightful Morning
Waking up early in the morning, Amita could barely stand up. Her arms and legs were so stiff that every movement was difficult.
“What's wrong with me?” she whispered in horror. “Today is the circus show! How will I do my ball juggling?”
She looked at herself in the mirror and screamed, “Who is it? What's going on?”
Her mind refused to believe in what was happening. Her heart was pounding frantically. Amita thought that she was just imagining things and pinched her wrist. There was a slight twinge of pain. The thought struck her that this was reality. She had turned into a doll! The girl flinched at hearing a knock on the door.
“Who's there?” she asked.
“It's me. Barry the parrot.”
“Before you enter the room, swear that you won't tell anyone what happened to me!”
“I give you my word,” Barry replied. The parrot swung the door open. He stared at her with undisguised amazement.
“You’re gorgeous as always. But I can't deny that you don't look like yourself today,” the parrot said gently. “Don't panic. You can still think, walk, and talk! That's not bad under these circumstances. Try to remember what happened to you yesterday.”
Amita wanted to concentrate, but her mind was muddy water.
“I was at the circus. Sparky the Clown had a candy party with fireworks. It was fun! I danced in the clown’s shoes, and Donut wore the funny clown’s hat. The treats were also delicious!”
“Was there anything strange or unusual about the party?”
“As far as I can remember, there wasn't. But my thoughts are confused,” the doll complained.
“Don’t give up! Being a doll is not that bad!”
“I shouldn't have eaten so many sweets!” Amita added.
“What's wrong? Did you feel sick?”
“Yes. When I ate a burfi, I felt dizzy. But this treat is so tasty. It's impossible to resist!”
“What is “burfi”, I wonder?”
“A milk-based sweet.”
“Did you see Donut after his funny dance?”
“No. He just disappeared into thin air,” Amita declared. “I can't imagine who did this to me and why. But I'm not going to give up.”
“Donut the elephant is missing from the circus. Krish and Raja are investigating the case. Are you sure the last time you saw the elephant was when he was dancing in the clown’s hat?”
“Let me think… The last time I saw him, Donut was playing hide-and-seek with the lion cubs!” the doll said excitedly. “Barry, take me to the circus! I want to help. No one will recognize me there. A good opportunity to search the place without prying eyes!”
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO AMITA? IT'S TIME FOR BARRY THE PARROT TO FIND OUT!