Going Away

Baba was putting a cake in the oven when I ran into his arms and cried all over his favorite sweater | Fiction

Baba was putting a cake in the oven when I ran into his arms and cried all over his favorite sweater. He patted my back and said everything would be alright. He saw this coming, he said, and knew exactly how to make me feel better.

“Once upon a time,” Baba said, stroking my hair, “there was a princess named Zara who lived in a big, beautiful castle. She spent her time studying hard, eating lots of baklava, and most of all, flying her kite. She loved the feeling of the string unraveling as her most prized possession went up into the fluffy white clouds.”

I wiped my eyes on Baba’s apron. I smiled a little.

“Then one day,” Baba went on, “something magical happened. Zara’s kite came to life. It started to speak to her. He said his name was Safar. He asked Zara to fly him a little higher. Zara agreed. She released more and more string, until Safar was just a small, diamond-shaped dot in a big blue sky.

“When Safar came down, he told Zara everything he saw. The mountains. The oceans. The forests. And the villages. Together, Safar said, they could explore them all. Zara’s eyes lit up. Her mind raced with the endless ideas for adventures. But then the shadow of her big, beautiful castle, fell over the meadow. Zara looked down at her feet. She felt butterflies in her stomach. She told Safar she couldn’t go with him.”

“Did Safar get sad?” I asked.

“Safar was heartbroken,” Baba said. He placed his hand over his chest. “He thought Zara was the brightest, prettiest, and kindest princess. He knew the world would welcome her with open arms, if only she would let it. So, the next day, Safar came up with a plan. He asked Zara to fly him even higher, and for the first time, Zara released all her string. She watched Safar fly above the clouds until she couldn’t see him at all. The two of them were laughing, smiling, having the time of their lives. But then, a powerful gust came. The string broke. Safar was swept up by the wind and carried into the horizon. Zara dropped the spool. She sprinted into the forest, hurdling over thorny branches, fallen trees, and unfriendly creatures to track down her best friend. But sadly, Safar was gone. Zara was somewhere between her castle and the rest of the world.”

“What’d she do?”

Baba’s mustache smiled. “She took a moment to think,” he said. “She knew that, if she returned to the castle without Safar, then she would have to spend the rest of her life wondering what happened to him. On the other hand, she could—”

“She should look for him!”

“That’s what she did!” Baba said. He lifted me up and spun me around. “Zara faced her fears. She searched the world for Safar, knowing she was brave enough to conquer any amount of danger that came her way, as long as she was doing it for someone she loved.”

“So, did Zara ever find Safar?”

Before Baba could answer, the oven beeped.

He got up, took out the cake, and set it down in front of me. He smiled. His eyes were a little wet. I felt like he wanted to say something important, but couldn’t.

Instead, he grabbed a tube of icing. He squeezed out big pink letters: America awaits you, my princess. Make Baba proud!