WEIRD RIGHT TURN

I was walking down the street, looking for a gift shop to buy something special for my mom’s birthday. It was a busy street with people moving to and fro. I had already checked out some gift shops but could not find anything special for my mom. I continued searching for other gift shops, with a black leather purse on my shoulder and a cute white dress on me with a silk red ribbon tied around my waist and matching white shoes, when I came across a turn. A right turn. I took the right turn which made my life go upside down. I was flabbergasted with what I saw. I saw a golden brown Pomeranian dog walking on two legs like a human being with blue half sleeves shirt and yellow shorts. He waved at me and greeted me good morning. I couldn’t help but turned around to have a look at him carefully. I pinched myself and it hurt which meant that I wasn’t dreaming.
I saw the world around me is more colorful than it used to be. The sky has more blue than usual. The footpath has more orange than usual. They all appear glossy: Glossy sky blue, glossy orange footpath. It was as if I had entered in a 3D animated world. I stood there observing all the things around me and not sure which way to go. Suddenly, out of nowhere came a fish flying hovering around me fluttering its fins.
“Hey, you seem to be new here?” the fish asked me in a chirpy voice
I could not answer anything but look at it in horror. It was a gold fish which was flying and right now giving me its brightest smile ever. The fish’s eyes looked at me excitedly like a small child. The gold fish did not stay at one place it kept shifting within a small range continuing to flutter its fin.
“Hey, why are you so lost?” the fish again asked me with those wide eyes still looking at me enthusiastically
“I…” I stammered finding it weird to talk to a fish.
“Yes, tell me” the fish said chirpily
“Aren’t you supposed to swim in water?” I asked quickly
It was now the fish’s turn to stare at me in horror.
“Oh, we do that too” she said smiling quickly
“No, I mean aren’t you supposed to just swim in water?”
“Why would we just swim in water when we can fly too?” she asked in a concerned voice
This was weird. Now, how could I explain that from childhood I saw them swimming and butterflies flying?
“Umm…” I tried to explain her but then gave it up and said “never mind”
“Okay” she said suddenly sounding cheerfully. “By the way, I am Naira. What is your name?”
“I am Khairu”
“Hey Khairu, nice to meet you. So, what brought you here?”
I had never imagined in my weirdest dream that I would tell a fish where I am going.
“Actually, I wanted to buy a gift for my mom. It’s her birthday on Saturday.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet. Tell me, what does she likes?”
“Hey, is she bugging you?”, came a voice from behind
I spun around to see whom the voice belong to but I couldn’t see anyone. I was scared that may be there was an invisible man behind me. With all the weird things happening with me now, it wouldn’t be a shock to hear from an invisible guy.
“I wasn’t. Why don’t you mind your business?” Naira said to the invisible person
“I always mind my business but you never do. So, I have to poke my nose in your business”
The fish laughed and said “That’s funny, you don’t have a nose”
“Whom are you talking to?” I asked, darting my eyes all over the place.
“Look down at your feet”
I looked and literally jump a foot away. “You are an envelope!” I screamed in horror
“Do you find it a ‘breaking news’?” the envelope asked in a bored voice. The envelope had no face only a mouth which was the flap that is used to seal/cover the envelope.
“You should be in a post office!” I exclaimed
“I was bugged staying in post office and waiting for someone to pick me up and send it to the receiver. I tell you its no use of having a post office. I have to walk miles to get to my receiver and that is why, nowadays people receive their letters late. They blame post office for it but they don’t even know that if it wouldn’t have been for us, they wouldn’t even have receive their letters”
This couldn’t be real. I never saw envelope walking down the street before now.
“Anyways, do you need any help lady?” he asked as a perfect gentleman
“Well, I wanted to go to a gift shop” I said, trying to keep a straight voice
“I will show you the way. Come with me.” Naira chirped
“Naira, drop her to the gift shop safely”
“As if I won’t” she said as if she was bullying him
As I started walking down the street again, I saw several beautiful shops. There were more Pomeranians walking, more fishes flying, flowers nodding at us as if greeting us and the most unusual thing there were people in the shops buying/ selling stuff as if it is normal for them to see fish flying and envelopes walking. Everything was real.
When we finally reached the gift shop, there was no one in the shop. I entered the glass door carefully and Naira came fluttering over my head. As soon as I closed the glass door behind me, all the gifts flew and surrounded me. I was shocked to see the lamps eyes and vase’s mouth and teddy bears moving. I could hear some vague sounds from here and there which said “What is the occasion? Birthday, Anniversary, Wedding, Promotion, Festival…”, “Buy me, I am great as a gift to all the occasions”, “You can store your special memories in me and can cherish it all your life”
“STOOOOOOPPPPP ITTTTTTTTT!!” shrieked Naira. Her entire body was vibrating dramatically when she roared. Everybody or should I say everything was staring at her including me. We saw her panting hard as her energy got sucked up in shouting with all her throats. After a while, she said slowly “Let her choose. It’s her mother’s birthday—“
“Great, then take me.” The pink huge teddy bear said “Ladies love soft toys. She could hug me whenever she wants to,—“he said that hugging himself “—she could play with me and she could even sleep with me”
I laughed on that.
“Kart, stop it!” the white lamp said
“Let her choose” the marble candle said pointing me with its thread.
I looked around all the things that were hovering around me. I was freaking out seeing those things whatever they were. The least I want is to take one of them home and freak out my mom too. They were anxiously looking at me. I didn’t know what to say as they kept gazing me. I didn’t want to break their heart, though I wasn’t sure if they have any heart. So in the end, I gathered up the courage to say “I am not sure if my mom would be glad to see her gift talking to her. I mean, I was searching for something that is not a living thing….I mean…uh, I hope you got it”
“Oh!” they all sighed in one tone
“Oh! I already saw dreams of being in your arms” Kart said sadly “Can I just hug you?” Kart asked me and without even listening to my answer threw himself on me and wrapped his arms around me so that I didn’t fall. This was weird. I was used to hugging teddy bears. This was the first time when a teddy bear came across and hugged me. He was soft and fluffy just like any other teddy bear but his grip was not like any other teddy bear, for sure.
“Hey, you know what? Why don’t you take flowers from here?” Naira suggested excitedly
“Flowers?” I asked thoughtfully
“Yeah, these flowers never dry and will always be as glossy as they are now. They are the ideal gift for your mom”
I looked at the colorful glossy flowers: lavender, white, pink, sky blue, sunny yellow. There were all so attractive. I decided at once to buy them. When I moved close to them they nodded and looked at me as if they were smiling. I gently touched their delicate petals. A rush of happiness ran through my body. Naira came close to me and gently rested on my shoulder.
“These are the happiness flowers. They bless you with profuse happiness. And the one who gets it as a gift is the luckiest. They have all the happiness that they ever wished for.” Naira whispered
I could not help but smile brightly. It was the gift that I was always searching for my mother.
“They are so beautiful and delicate” I said still admiring the flowers.
“How much do they cost?” I asked dragging my gaze away from it.
“For me 5 Chocó Swiss”, “for me two fresh bulbs”, “for me some fresh water”,…
“What?” I asked confusingly
“Guys, she doesn’t know about this. Remember, she is new here” Naira shouted
Kart came forward and took the responsibility to explain me this absurd thing. “When you want to buy something, you have to fulfill one wish of the rest of the things that you didn’t choose to buy. That way, others don’t feel disappointed for not being chosen by you.”
Can there be anything weird than this? On second thought, it’s not a bad idea too. I would love to do something for so lovely people, I mean things.
I fulfilled each and every item’s wish. Naira helped me to gather things that they wanted. They all asked me to wish my mom happy birthday on behalf of them. Kart had beautifully decorated those flowers and tied it with a red ribbon. I hugged Kart before leaving. I felt glad to hug a teddy bear that hugs you back. At last when I reach to the turn from where I had come, I gave Naira a small woolen cap to protect her from sun. She looked cute in that cap. She asked me to come back. I bid her goodbye and took a right turn which led me to the normal busy street. When I looked back, I could not see any street there. I was amazed to see a wall there instead of a road. I tried to go into the wall but instead knocked my head on the wall. I could not be hallucinating that because I still had those flowers in my hands which were tied together by Kart. I touched the delicate petals and felt happy again. I knew that it was God’s plan for me to find the special gift for my mom and in turn explore a new world. I thanked God and started walking towards my home happily with all the memories of that world in my heart.