"What would you have done?" asked little Abu to his friend thumping the sand hard while creating a castle where the evil King Zuluma had imprisoned the beautiful princess Zeba.
"Why should I tell you?" responded Ma'n.
"Please tell," replied Abu in a desperate voice.
"Atleast I wouldn't have ran away," Ma'n said with a smile.
"I didnot run away!" Abu stood at once from his place.
"Watch out the Pyramid!" shouted Ma'n but in vain. Abu had unintentionally destroyed a corner of the Pyramid and it now actually looked like one.
Abu controlled his balance and said, "Actually I couldn't, they were big and strong and they had my bag with them."
"Did you tell your mother?"
"No," said Abu, "but they took my pencil box and she might know soon."
Looking at the Pyramid his mind drifted towards saving Zeba. Abu said, "The Pyramid has an entrance from the top, but once inside no one can come out of the same path." So he made an exit at the corner that was demolished.
"That looks like an Igloo now," commented Ma'n and made that exit a little broader and flat.
It was a total of three months that princess Zeba was a prisoner to King Zuluma. Had it not been for princess Zerina, the twin sister of princess Zeba, she would have been killed by King Zuluma long back. It was the magical power of the Great Jaabari that was protecting princess Zeba, on behest of princess Zerina. But alas! Had it not been for princess Zerina, she would not have been in the evil place in the first place.
"But why did princess Zerina help King Zuluma?" asked Ma'n.
"Where were you when those people caught me?" asked Abu suddenly realizing that Ma'n was his best friend and never left him alone.
"I went to return Kabir's book after the class," defended Ma'n, "By the time I came to you, they were gone and moreover, I was worried looking at your condition than to initiate a fight with someone."
"You cannot initiate a fight," Abu passed a comment.
Ma'n pushed Abu back and shouted in an animated voice, "I am the gatekeeper of the castle of the great King Zuluma." He took a stick found nearby, pointed towards him and continued, "I am the ferocious Mobita, half man half fire.Grrrr...."
Abu said, "Mobita, eat and drink, for your days are numbered. And so are the days of evil Zuluma." And he made a quick sound, "Zub!!!" and continued, "Princess Zeba will find the prince Hisham who is lost inside the maze of the great pyramid."
Ma'n quickly said, "Hey, princess Zeba is in the prison in the castle." He pointed towards the beautifully built sand castle with its dome standing firm.
Abu said in a whisper, "I know, I don't want Mobita to know."
"But Mobita already knows..."
"No, What Mobita knows is that king Zuluma had kidnapped princess Zerina to take revenge on her. Even king Zuluma doesnot know that he unknowingly has kidnapped princess Zeba," explained Abu.
Ma'n smiled in amusement, moved towards the pyramid built beside the castle and continued the story, "So princess Zerina, after travelling hundreds of miles reaches the great pyramid. Filled with remorse and guilt she would do anything to save her sister."
Abu said,"She needs to find prince Hisham quickly. So she enters the majestic, mysterious pyramid."
Ma'n thought something was missing. He saw Abu put a rock inside the pyramid through the "entrance" at the top. In a thoughful tone he said, "Prince Hisham is lost in the pyramid; he is bonded by the dark magical spells of the vizier of the evil king."
Abu asked, "Who is prince Hisham?"
Ma'n continued without heeding to his question,"Prince Hisham had travelled, struggled to reach this pyramid in particular so that he could find the enigmatic chest that holds the power that could kill king Zuluma. But the evil king found out his plans and held him prisoner in his enchanted prison."
Abu took the stage and in an excited voice continued, "Flashback: Zuluma, the then High Command of the king's army has tricked princess Zerina to fall in love with him so that he can become the king after their marriage. But unfortunately king died before their marriage and Zuluma feared that prince Hisham would declare authority over the kingdom, he being the fiance of princess Zeba. So he conspired to kill prince Hisham and princess Zeba."
Ma'n interfered as if there was a competition to be imaginative, "Meanwhile prince Hisham's father, the mighthy king came to know of Zuluma's evil plans. But before Zuluma can be captured, with the help of minister and Mobita, he declared war and killed prince Hisham's father. Enraged, prince Hisham vowed for a revenge but because of lack of power he had to abandon the kingdom and migrate to a safe place."
"But what about the princesses?" thought Abu and said, "The fierce but foolish Mobita was sent to kill prince Hisham and princess Zeba and capture princess Zerina. He captured princess Zeba instead but failed in killing the others."
Ma'n looked up towards the sky and the said, "I think it is starting to be late, your mom will be taking us back anytime."
Oblivious to the groups of other people playing on the beach and the vast surging carpet of the water Abu said, "Not before princess is saved."
Ma'n said, "Yes, so prince Hisham went in search of the mysterious chest whereas princess Zerina seeked out the help of the Great Old Jaabari."
Abu interfered, "Princess Zerina used a spell learnt from the Great Jaabari to break the spell of the evil king upon entering the pyramid. She found prince Hisham who was gazing upon the golden, long, mysterious chest." Abu put his hand inside the pyramid to hold the rock put inside but felt something cold. He held it tight and continued, "Prince Hisham and princess Zerina have found what they were looking for and they wanted to come out of the pyramid before they are trapped inside forever." As he removed his hand he said,"They bring the chest along with them and which is...."
Abu was shocked to see his pencil box in his hand. He couldnt speak for a moment but quickly he understood that Ma'n would have brought it back somehow. He tried to ask, "Ma'n, you...," when Ma'n cut him short and said, "Quickly prince Hisham cut opened the chest to find something extra ordinary in it."
He took the pencil box from Abu's hand, opened it and took out a pencil out of it. He held it by the eraser at the end and shouted, "The Sword of Natheer!!!!"
Abu looked in awe when he heard a voice, "Abu!! Abul-Baari!!!"
He at once knew it was his mother calling and was disappointed as he would not be able to save the princess.
As his mother approached him he packed the Sword of Natheer in the enigmatic, golden chest and prepared to leave.
She saw the sand constructions, amused she said, "So I see what were you busy with." She noticed the pyramid's corner and asked pointing to it, "Did somebody trouble you?"
"No, mom," started Abu, "That was done by prince Hisham and princess Zerina."
"Oh I see," she whispered.
"You brought your pencil box to the beach?" she asked in amusement while they walked away leaving the forts behind.
"No, that was brought by Ma'n."
"Hmm, Who is Ma'n? A prince or a magician?" she inquired like a kid.
"He is a friend," he said and turned back to wave him goodbye. Ma'n shouted,"See you in school."
His mother turned back to see the waves approaching the the base of the sand castles and his son waving them goodbye.
