1 The Mysterious Magic Lamp. À Ģreat Ďiscovery!

Chico was a ragpicker. His mother and he lived a simple, poor life. Arokyabai, being illiterate, never felt the need to send her fast- growing son to school. He was growing up just like any of the other boys in the Gotiawadi slums.

One sunny day , as he was on his rounds through the town , picking paper's, plastic bags etc., he found an old rusty lamp .No sooner did he see the lamp , than the memory of Alladin and His Magic Lamp swept across his mind.

" Papa, I remember you so much today. Especially the stories you told me before going to bed. But now . . . you are far away, looking at me from another world. "

Chico cried, still staring at the lamp. He shed a few tears , remembering his father who had gone for his heavenly reward, just two years ago.

He slowly picked the lamp. Soon he was lost in its beauty. Though a little dirty , it still had a mysterious look about it.

" I wonder if its magical, like Alladin's lamp," he mused.

Before anyone could see it he put it into his sack and with steps which picked up speed every minute, he raced home. He hoped he wouldn't meet anyone familiar on the way--for he was sure his first words would be about the new discovery and he didn't want anyone to know about it yet.

One step into his rundown house,with his creaking door and cold thatched roof, he heaved a sigh of relief. Arokyabai , was baking chapati's and was surprised to see Chico home so early.

"Is the sun overhead already? " she asked, turning to Chico ,who was still recovering his breath. As soon as he could breathe normally, he started digging into his big rugged sack-bottles, papers, plastic bags - eeks ! A big brown cock - roach and then there it was: the little mysterious lamp.

It did look queer. It had a long spout, which was now rusted .A little chain,still intact hung from the handle . The other end of the chain seemed to have broken away from the spout .

Quite satisfied with himself , he cautiously removed the lamp from the sack - hoping deep inside his ten year old mind that it was a magic one. He wanted to rub it right away, but just then he heard his friends calling him to play. Not wanting to let them into his big secret yet, he hid it again and scampered off to play.

Rumble ! Smoke ! Horrorface !

After dark, when he was sure that no one would disturb him, he called his mother and after a short mumble of a prayer, his hand shivering with nervous- ness , he rubbed the side of the lamp. Suddenly, there was a rumble inside the lamp.

"CLANG!!" Chico dropped it with fright .

'Thank God it is metallic one,' he thought.

Eyes wide open, fear gripping their hearts they waited- ---- hoping that all would turn out well. Quiet . Nothing happened. A whole minute passed. Slowly moving towards the lamp, he stretched out his hand and rubbed it once more ---- a little harder this time.

Boom!! Bang!! Whooshhhhh!!!!

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho! Ho ! . . . . ."