A small boy, about seven years old, holds tightly to his mother’s hand, his eyes wide with excitement and wonder as they approach the fairground. Tall banners flutter in the breeze, and the voices of hawkers mix with the music from a distant merry-go-round. The boy’s heart beats faster as he catches sight of balloons bobbing above a vendor. "Mother, I want to buy those balloons! Please?"
The boy’s mother, gentle but firm, tries to keep him close, warning him not to stray. "We will see everything, but you must stay by my side," she says, squeezing his hand. Yet the child’s curiosity gets the better of him as he glimpses a man with a tray of sweets, and his small hand slips free.
He looks up and realizes, with a jolt of fear, that his mother and father are no longer beside him. The stalls and faces blur together, and the excited chatter of the crowd now feels menacing. "Mother! Father!" he cries, his voice trembling as he searches desperately among the strangers.
He rushes from stall to stall, calling for his parents, but only unfamiliar faces turn to look at him. The boy stumbles near the roundabout, hands clasped to his chest, sobbing. "I want my mother! I want my father!"
the kind stranger[/@ch_3], kneels beside the boy. The man’s eyes are kind, and he offers the boy a sweetmeat in an attempt to comfort him.]
"Why are you crying, child? Did you lose your parents?" The boy nods, unable to speak between sobs. Vendors and passersby gather, some offering toys and treats to cheer him, but the boy shakes his head. "I want my mother, I want my father," he repeats, refusing all else.
The kind stranger lifts the child gently and calls out for his parents. At last, the boy hears familiar voices—his mother and his father—calling his name. He runs into their arms, tears of relief mingling with joy. "Oh, my dear child, we thought we had lost you forever," says his mother, hugging him tight as the fair’s lanterns burn softly in the evening gloom.
