In the morning when the festival started the children flew kite outside their kite fought other kites the stronger once winning and the weaker ones breaking into paper tears before falling to the ground And Rasool tried to cheer ZAheera up
Eid is nearly here and that's a time to be happy he said I will buy you a young goat the best in the market But Zaheera's face empty of all feeling
A week before Eid they heard a knock at the door one night Terror returned to Zaheera's eyes
Don't worry Rasool whispered to her it can't be riots We'll soon be voting so one wants to make trouble now
He went to open the door
three or four men in uniform stood outside
Is this yours They asked And in the torchlight Rasool saw his lost kite Its body had been torn and all its bells were gone but the eyes Zaheera had painted still shone
we found across the border one of the men said And they pushed someone forward Someone who looked very hungry with an untidy beard
Zaheera fell to her knees, crying and thanking allah at the same time
We found him very ill your son he could not remember a thing but the moment he saw this kite the man laughed shaking their head he began talking about his village and the kite festival and begged us to talk him home
Rasool remembered his manners Come in he said to the man for tea
No they said we must go didn't get permission to cross the border Eid mubarak Happy Eid