Every day Suwi would follow her mother as they looked for bottles of all types. They would search everywhere even in garbage bins. Suwi did not like doing this. She would watch other little girls in their pretty school uniforms and their happy faces, and wished for the same. She had always wanted to go to school. She also dreamed of sleeping on a proper bed, sleeping her troubles away.
Suwi lived in a two-room house. The walls were not yet painted, but her mother promised her that one day it would be done. Her mother sold vegetables outside of the house and her father worked as a brick layer. Sometimes he worked in gardens, tending to people’s yards. This was the life that Suwi knew, and sometimes she wished it was better. She would never tell her parents, for she feared that they would get angry with her.
She was outside, playing with the other children, when her mother called her. It was time once again to go out and search for bottles. Suwi had noticed that her mother hadn’t sold vegetables. She did not feel like going, but she had no choice. She reluctantly said goodbye to her friends and answered her mother’s call. As she ran towards her mother, she saw a group of girls enjoying ice-cream. She fought back tears and continued towards her mother.
They walked and walked in the blazing heat. Suwi cried for some ice lollies and her mother got them for her. She carried the big sack on her back. Her legs grew tired of walking and all she wanted was to sit down. That was when she saw a huge bed by the road side. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The blankets looked nice and fluffy and the pillows looked like clouds. Suwi wanted so desperately to run to the bed and jump on it, but she knew she would be in trouble with the person who was selling the bed. Was it being sold? She could not see anyone else near the bed. Was she dreaming? Maybe the bed wasn’t even there. She looked at her mother ahead and back at the bed. ‘I just want to rest. Just one little nap on a bed and not the floor,’ She thought of this as she walked towards the bed.
Suwi jumped onto the bed. Her body sinking into the comfort of the bed. Her head rested on the pillows, and she closed her eyes. She felt free. Her mind and body felt rested. She was happy. She felt wind blowing on her face. It was nice and cool. She opened her eyes, and was surprised to discover that the bed was flying.
Suwi could not believe her eyes. She could see the many houses and buildings below. She really was flying. She crawled under the blankets, and wrapped herself nice and snug. She closed her eyes and let the sound of the wind put her to sleep. Suwi did not seem to care if this was all a dream. She hoped that she would never wake up.
Suwi did not know how long she slept. She pulled off the blanket and saw that the bed was still in the sky. How was she going to get back to her mother? The bed seemed to have read her mind. It slowly went back down and landed on the exact same spot that she had found it. It was still the same time and her mother was still exactly where she had left her. That was strange. Had nobody seen what had happened? She jumped off the bed and quickly ran after her mother. She looked back at the bed and saw that it was gone. She took her mother’s hand and held it tight. Suwi did not understand why, but she felt that things were going to be better from that time on.
Read – The Elder’s Thief – A Children’s Literature by Jessica Murage, Kenya
