The Desert Kite Festival

In a golden desert of rolling dunes, the children count the days until the yearly kite festival arrives. Amara, small and quick with tight black curls and a gap-toothed smile, takes her place on the highest dune in her red headscarf and saffron tunic, making sure every child has a kite and a part to play. Her friends Zayd, tall and lanky with a sketchbook of fresh designs, and Layla, carrying ribbons and snacks, join her, along with Pip, a tiny fennec fox whose large ears and star-patterned neckerchief show his excitement.

Red diamonds, yellow stars and green fish fill the sky until the wind shifts and the kites tumble into the sand. As the younger children worry over their crumpled creations, Amara calms them, Zayd watches the stronger gusts and suggests narrower frames with long tails, and Layla hands out her ribbons and scarf. Sticks, paper and string are gathered, and Pip carries spools and fallen strings in his mouth while new kites take shape. This gentle tale by Yavuz DEMİRKIRAN follows one day of teamwork and invention and can be read on Online Masal.