The boy who wanted to grow up quickly
Not far from where Alaya lived, there was a boy named Daniyal. Daniyal was a perfectly ordinary boy… except for one tiny detail: he was absolutely, positively tired of being told what to do.
Whenever he played with Alaya and Itcan, he would sigh loudly and say, “Oh! I must grow up faster, Alaya! I’m tired of being small! Tired of being shouted at!”
Alaya would giggle, and so would Itcan. “But Mrs. Atkins is so nice!” Alaya would say. “She makes the best cakes in the whole village! I can’t even imagine her angry!”
But Daniyal only huffed. No one understands my struggles, he would complain inside his head. Every day there was the same chorus of grown-up orders:
“Put on your shoes!”
“Finish your homework!”
“Hurry up, Daniyal!”
As if homework were
