Best Bubble – J. C. Mehta

“See, so many lovely bubbles,” shouted Shubham pointing to a man blowing hundreds of bubbles in the park. “I too can blow bubbles like that,” said Tani. “My bubbles are the best. But they are in a secret place.” “Show me, Tani, show me,” said Manasi. “Show me, Tani, show me,” said Manasi. “Not now,” replied Tani, “ but one day I will.” “You are lying,” said Rohan. “You do not have any secret bubbles, that is why you cannot show them to us.” “I do, I do. They are the best bubbles in the world. I can even make magic things from them,” cried Tani. “Ho, ho, ho,” laughed Shubham, Manasi, Rohan and Maitreyi, as they ran home. “Ho, ho, ho, Tani’s secret bubble is no bubble.”

“ I will show you,” shouted Tani as she followed them come. “I will show you.” But the next day not one of them remembered about the bubbles. They could only think of the lovely invitation card they had received. It said:
“Come to a SPLASH SPLASH
Party tomorrow – May 15.
Please come in your swimsuits.
There will be tubs of water
In which you can splash
About before having the goodies.
Your friend
Maitreyi

Manasi, Shubham, Rohan and Tani were very excited. Shubham had decided to take his motor boat. Manasi thought she would take her doll along. And Tani thought she would take a cake of soap and show her friends her secret bubble. The children had lots of fun in Maitreyi’s house. Shubham and Rohan were in the red tub, bathing the doll. Tani was splashing about alone in the blue tub.

“Look, look everybody,” she called out suddenly. “See my great, big secret bubble…” She put a thumb and forefinger against her soapy stomach. She pulled them away in a ring and blew into it. “Ah… oh!” cried Shubham, Manasi, Maitreyi and Rohan. “It is so beautiful and so big,” they said. A big, round, pink, blue, green, golden coloured soap bubble bobbed up and down in the air before it burst.

“One more, Tani,” begged her friends. They all tried to make big bubbles like Tani. But neither Shubham, nor Manasi, nor Maitreyi, nor Rohan could make a single bubble. “Show me how you did it,” said Shubham. “See,” said Tani putting a thumb and a forefinger against her belly. Again she drew out a soapy circle. “Here comes the spaceship,” she yelled and blew into the bubble and left it on the floor. It looked just like a flying saucer.

“Teach me, teach me,” cried Rohan and Shubham. “First tell me whose is the best bubble in the world?” asked Tani. “YOURS!” shouted all the children together. “Tani’s secret bubble is the best bubble in the world.” There stood all the children blowing bubbles in the red, blue and green tubs. And Tani’s was the biggest and the best.

∼ J. C. Mehta