Chapter Three: Blue Bird, Green Rabbit And Bunny Scarecrow

Ida headed for Mars. In the middle of the way, she noticed something was buzzing behind. Turning her head to find a bright blue color bird was following her. “What are you following me for?” asked Ida in a loud voice. “Buzzzzz…” “Well, that explains a lot!”

It took Ida and the buzzing blue bird behind her an hour to see Mars.

Mars was a big planet but nothing like Earth. The sky was cotton candy pink. The planet itself was peach color with some strange blue plants stuck out of its surface.

As Ida got closer to it, she saw a green creature…a rabbit! Sitting beside something more like a bunny scarecrow and chewing on a blue carrot. Ida couldn’t believe her eyes. She never knew green rabbits inhabit Mars. Wow! She whispered to herself. After a long silent moment, she suddenly recalled why she’d flown there in the first place. “Uhum…” she cleared her throat. The green bunny looked up at her. “Ooo! Who are you?”
“I’m Ida and am looking for my doll Molly. Have you seen her?”
“Na. No doll can walk on Mars!” replied bunny in a high pitched voice. “Why?” Ida asked surprised. “Cause they’d drown! Wouldn’t they?”
“What?! How come you don’t drown then?”
“Am a ghost!”
“A GHOST?!” cried Ida.
“But I can tell you where you may find your doll.”
“Where?”
“On the ‘blue bird’ planet”
“But how can I find it?”
“Ask the blue bird behind you.”
“It only buzzes!”
“Take this” the green rabbit stretched out his hand and Ida saw it was transparent. He gave her a strange horn-shaped device with three holes on it. “Give it to the bird. You can understand its words.”
Ida hesitated for a moment and then took it. Before turning to face the blue bird however, she asked the green rabbit one last question, “Why the carrots are blue?”
“It’s because they are actually the same blue birds!”
“WHAT? How?!”
“They drowned and became carrots!” he answered indifferently.
“But they don’t deserve this.”
“We put a scarecrow, didn’t we?”
Ida had heard enough and it was time to go for Molly again so she turned her back to the green rabbit and faced the blue bird behind…

Chapter Two : Molly Is Gone!

Every night, when moon came up and stars started playing around the dark sky, Ida put on her silver wings, stepped on the edge of her bedroom window and flied like a free bird.

That night, she was about to do the same when she suddenly noticed the empty space where her doll ‘Molly’ used to sleep. “Where is she?” she asked herself looking around the room. “I think I left her somewhere out there” she flied again looking around for Molly’s sight.
“What are you doing up again Ida?” asked moon with a dreamy voice. “Uh…I’m looking for Molly, have you seen her?”
“No”
“I think I may have left her somewhere…”
“Hey” shouted a tiny sparkling star behind the moon. “What is it? Have you seen her?”
“Ay. She was on the Mars when I passed it.”
Ida said good-night to both moon and sparkling star and whooshed towards Mars to see if Molly’s still there.
Moon closed its eyes and went back to sleep. Asking for tiny star, it vanished and never was seen again…

Chapter One : Birthday Gift

Once upon a time, a girl named “Ida” lived with her mother in a village far far away called “Happiness”. Ida’s mom had a small pie bakery. Every morning, she’d wake up with the fresh smell of apple and cinnamon. When she was just a year old, her father flew away and never came back again. Her mom told her stories about him every night instead of old bed time stories Ida’s friends used to hear. There was no ‘Red riding hood’, no ‘Cinderella’ or ‘Sleeping beauty’ in them. On her 6th birthday, when all her friends were gone and she’d eaten the last piece of cake, Ida’s mom handed her an odd package. “Your father asked me to give it to you when you are six. I guess it’s about time now.” said her mother with a broad smile on her face. Taking the package, Ida stared at it for a while registering its unusual shape. “Go on. Open it. I know you’ll like it!” Ida tore the papers wrapped around it and saw what was like a dream. “Wow!” two silvery color wings were lying neatly on top of a red silk cloth. “Take this and read it.” said her mom handing her a piece of parchment. “What is it?” asked Ida looking at the old weathered looking paper. “It’s a letter from your father.” Ida took it even more excitedly, opened it carefully and started reading:

“My dearest Ida,

I know when you are reading this I might not be around. I also am aware that it’s your sixth birthday so Happy birthday sweet pie! I wish I was there to celebrate it with you and your lovely mother but things won’t always happen the way we want them to be…
The reason I’m writing this to you is to tell you more about the gift you’re holding right now. I know it’s a bit odd for a dad to give his daughter “wings” on her birthday but then again I never been a normal dad!
I want you to use it properly and I want you to use it as often as you can, even every night but always when you can see the moon and stars to guide you through the sky. Remember NEVER fly when it’s cloudy.
The more you try, the higher you will be able to fly so go out there and fly like a free bird! Start from tonight and feel what it’s like to be weightless.

Good bye dearest. I will always love you.

Dad.”