“Hurry up, Meera!” called Rani, Meera’s elder sister. “We’ll miss the bus!”

“Coming!” called Meera, “Just one shoe more!”

Meera quickly buckled her shoe and ran out to where Rani and her parents were waiting for her.

They were going to the book fair. Rani loved going to the fair. She would come back laden with books and then disappear into her room for hours. Meera had never been to the book fair before. But she was as excited as Rani.

“Now Meera,” said Mummy, as the bus stopped outside the book fair, “you must stay close to Papa or to me. Otherwise you could get lost very easily in the crowd.”

Meera nodded, but she wasn’t really listening. She could see the stalls now, crowded with people looking at the books. There were bright lights everywhere and loud music over the speakers. An ice cream van was doing good business.

A big tent near the entrance seemed to be full of children’s books. It was decorated with bright posters. Children were going in and out with their parents, some laden with bags bulging with books. Rani and Papa immediately made for the big tent.

Meera tugged at Mummy’s sari. “Let’s go in as well, Mummy,” she said. “I want to see what Rani is buying.”

“Yes, Meera, in a minute,” said Mummy. “I want to see some books in this stall first.”

Mummy turned to look at some books in a small stall outside. Meera looked too. The books looked boring. They had no pictures and no bright colours. The words were too big for Meera to read. “Let’s go, Mummy,” said Meera again.

“Yes, Meera, I’m almost finished here,” said Mummy. “Give me a moment more.”

But Meera was tired of waiting. She wanted to join Rani and Papa in the big bright tent. She decided to go in by herself. “I’m sure I’ll find them inside,” she said. “After all, I did see them go in, and they haven’t come out yet!” Meera left her mother and walked into the big tent all by herself.

She had never seen so many books in one place before.There were shelves upon shelves of books, bright books with lots of pictures and words that Meera could read. There were people everywhere – children with their mothers and fathers, even grown-ups without children. Everybody was busy looking through books, choosing books, buying books.

Meera looked around for Rani and Papa. But she could not see them anywhere. She felt a little worried. “Perhaps they’re hidden by the shelves,” she thought. “I should look for them a little more.”

But Rani and Papa were nowhere to be found. Meera decided to turn back and join her mother. She came out of the tent and turned towards the stall where she had left her mother. But everything looked different. Even the ice cream van was no longer where Meera had seen it. There were just stalls and stalls of books, and crowds of people milling around. Meera could not see her family anywhere. Meera was lost.

Meera did not know what to do or where to go. She felt very scared. Tears began rolling down her cheeks, and soon she was sobbing loudly. “Mummy!” she called. But she could not see her mother anywhere.

“What’s the matter?” asked a kind voice suddenly. “Are you lost, little girl?”

Meera looked up to see a kind looking lady in jeans and a kurta smiling at her.

“Yes,” sobbed Meera. “I want my Mummy, and I can’t find her!”

“What’s your name?” asked the kind lady.

“Meera,” said Meera.

“Come on, Meera, let’s see if we can find your Mummy,” said the lady.

The lady took Meera by the hand and led her to a large tent in the middle of the fair. Several people were sitting there, making announcements of all kinds over microphones. Meera could hear these announcements all over the fair.

The lady led Meera up to one of these people and said, “This child is lost. Her name is Meera. Could you please make an announcement to find her parents?”

Soon Meera heard her name being announced over the loudspeakers.

“A little girl called Meera is lost. She is four years old and is wearing a pink frock. She was found looking for her mother near the children’s book tent. Would her parents please come to the Control Tent to collect her?”

The Control Tent was the tent from where the announcements were made and where the kind lady had brought her.

Suddenly Meera saw her mother, father and Rani running towards the Control tent.

“Meera!” said her mother, hugging her. “What a fright you gave us!”

“What a silly you are, to run away like that!” said Rani, giving her a hug as well.

Papa did not say a word; he just held her close. Mummy and Papa then thanked the kind lady and the Control Tent people for finding their little girl.

Meera held on tight to Mummy’s hand the rest of the evening. She never wanted to get lost again. She cheered up again only when Papa bought her a big book full of stories and lovely pictures.

That night Mummy made her promise that she would never, ever run off on her own again.

‘We were lucky, Meera, that a kind lady found you and helped you. Suppose it had been somebody wicked instead?’ said Mummy.

Papa explained that if ever she got separated from them in a crowd, she should stay where she was, and they would come and find her. If she needed help, she ought to go to somebody in charge, and not speak to strangers.

Meera promised to remember. She still felt like crying when she thought of being lost and alone in that swirling crowd.

‘Now stop fretting about this evening,’ said Mummy giving her a kiss. ‘Let’s read your new book instead.’ Mummy read her a lovely story about the strange adventures of a naughty little cat called Kitten-Cat.

Meera fell asleep with her new book clutched in her arms, and dreamed of cats all night long.

The End.