When it was coming down, it looked like a small yellow bird had died in the air and was now falling to the ground. When it landed, it was a giant yellow bird twice my size. Its big grey eyes glared at me, and my body chilled with fear. I blinked. It blinked. I squinted. It squinted. Then we laughed together.
“What’s your name?” I asked it.
“What’s your name?” it said.
I smiled. “My name is Eve Nanyange.”
“Eve Nanyange… I don’t have a name. Can I be called Eve Nanyange too!” it danced, wiggling its big brown belly.
“Yes. You can call me Nanyange. And I’ll call you Eve.”
“Eve. Haha. My name is Eve,” it wiggled some more.
“Where are you from?”
“Come, I’ll show you.”
“I can’t go anywhere… Mum will be back from work anytime soon. I’ll get in trouble if she doesn’t find me home.”
“Don’t worry Nanyange. I’ll bring you back before mum comes home.”
“How would you know she’s back?”
“I’ll know. Trust me,” it winked.
Eve then lowered her left wing and scooped me off the ground to her back. “Hold tight,” she laughed. And before I could protest we were riding towards the clouds. It was scary and exciting. I wanted to scream, but instead, wet my undies a little.
My hands curled tight around Eve’s yellow feathers…what was opening…
One minute we were flying up high over my home, the next I was standing over a flower-filled plain. There were flowers in every colour and in every direction as far as the eyes could see.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it,” a familiar voice whispered over my shoulder. It was Eve, standing on my shoulder.
“Why are you small?”
“I’m not. It’s you who has changed. You’re a giant now.” I observed myself, I looked just about the same.
“Don’t be scared.”
“What’s going on? Where are we?”
“Ssenna. My home.”
“This is your home? Wow. I’ve never seen so many flowers.”
“Let me give you a tour. Follow me.”
Eve’s little feet lifted from my shoulder. I stretched out my hand and Eve flapped onto my wrist like we were the oldest of friends and this is the kind of thing we would do.
“So how did you end up in my home?”
“Well, I was lonely, and I saw that you were lonely too. I wanted a friend.”
“You have no friends here?”
“I don’t. Nobody likes me. I’m different.”
“Nobody likes me too,” I said. “I am different too. I’m much smaller than everybody else back at home.”
“Well, you’re much bigger than them right now.”
“Haha,” we laughed.
“Why do you think other people don’t like you?”
We were walking towards a mountain of white, pink, and yellow daffodils.
“You know, I think it’s because I can see clearly as far as two hundred light years.”
“Wow. So you’re the only one who can see as far as my home?”
“Yeah, pretty much. I’ve always told them about this other world down below, but no one believes me. They think I’m mad.”
“Where is everybody anyway?” I hadn’t seen any other living creature since we had started walking.
“They all live on the other side of the mountain. It would take us nineteen days to get there. I moved away and grew my own garden, my home, the kind of place I wanted to live in, a flower garden.
“I love your garden Eve. But don’t you miss talking to other people…I do.”
“I do too. That’s why I visited you.”
“That was a huge risk you know. What if I wasn’t nice!”
“I could tell you were nice. And you needed a friend too.”
“Haha. I’m glad we are now friends, Eve.”
“Me too, Nanyange.” Eve happily flapped her little wings.
“Now hurry along, your mum is driving up the hill to your house. But first I have to show you something pretty cool. You are going to love it. Haha.”
We were standing before an anthill. Eve flew towards the anthill. Then disappeared.
“Just walk in,” Eve’s voice came from inside the anthill. “Just a few steps. Don’t be afraid.”
I exhaled and took a few steps forward….I could not believe my eyes. I was floating in space.
“Where are we?”
“Everywhere.” Eve pointed at a bluish star. “See, this is earth, where you are from. Then she pointed at a brown star. This is Ssenna, my home.”
“Wooow.”
“Okay. Time to get you home Nanyange. Mum is on the last stretch up the hill. Can I pick you up tomorrow? I have so much more to show you.”
“Oh yeah. Pick me up at seven. Mum leaves for work at six. I’ve been really lonely and bored at home alone.”
“Well, not anymore,” Eve laughed.
“How are we going…”
Next thing I know, I am on top of Eve and we are flying through the clouds. We landed just as mum’s car disappeared inside the garage. I ran through the backdoor to my room, then got under my bed cover and pretended to be asleep.