“Have you found anything here?” the chipmunk asked his partner.

“Yes. A little elephant figurine was under the wicker chair. It's made of sandalwood. Someone might have brought it here. It's too small to be Donut's. I'll show it to our experts.”

Waking up early in the morning, Amita could barely stand up. Her arms and legs were so stiff that every movement was difficult.

“What's wrong with me?” she whispered in horror. “Today is the circus show! How will I do my ball juggling?”

She looked at herself in the mirror and screamed, “Who is it? What's going on?”

Her mind refused to believe what was happening. Her heart was pounding frantically. Amita thought that she was just imagining things and pinched her wrist. There was a slight twinge of pain. The thought struck her that this was reality. She had turned into a doll! The girl flinched at hearing a knock on the door.

“Who's there?” she asked.

“It's me. Barry the parrot.”

“Before you enter the room, swear that you won't tell anyone what happened to me!”

“I give you my word,” Barry replied and swung the door open. He stared at her with undisguised amazement.

“You’re gorgeous as always. But I can't deny that you don't look like yourself today,” the parrot said gently. “Don't panic. You can still think, walk and talk! That's not bad under these circumstances. Try to remember what happened to you yesterday.”

Amita tried to concentrate, but her mind was muddy water.

“I was at the circus. Sparky the Clown had a candy party with fireworks. It was fun! I danced in clown’s shoes and Donut wore a funny clown’s hat. The treats were also delicious!”

“Was there anything strange or unusual about the party?”

“As far as I can remember, there wasn't. But my thoughts are confused,” the doll complained.

“Don’t give up! Being a doll is not that bad!”

“I shouldn't have eaten so many sweets!” Amita added.

“What's wrong? Did you feel sick?”

“Yes. When I ate burfi, I felt dizzy. But this treat is so tasty. It's impossible to resist!”

“What is burfi?”

“Milk-based sweets.”

“Did you see Donut after his funny dance?”

“No. He just disappeared into thin air!” Amita declared. “I can't imagine who did this to me and why. But I'm not going to give up!”

“Donut the elephant is missing from the circus. Krish and Raja are investigating the case. Are you sure the last time you saw the elephant was when he was dancing in the clown’s hat?”

“Let me think … The last time I saw him playing hide-and-seek with the lion cubs!” the doll said excitedly. “Barry, take me to the circus! I want to help. No one will recognize me there. A good opportunity to search the place without prying eyes!”

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO AMITA? IT'S TIME FOR BARRY THE PARROT TO FIND OUT!

“Raja, talk to the seller in that candy shop at the corner, will you? What if he's seen Donut? And I'll have a word with the acrobats.”

“What makes you think he has?”

“He doesn't have any customers in the morning and spends his time watching the street.”

Raja nodded and ran toward the exit. The chipmunk looked a little distracted because he could not get the lines from the elephant's diary out of his mind:

The elephant dances in his hat, in vain,

For amusement and jest, a harmless game.

Yet my hour nears, revenge shall unfold,

No hand-to-hand combat, a different mold.

Magic weaves like strings for marionettes,

The chief instigator reduced to ash, no regrets.

A tale of retribution, a lesson learned,

In this short verse, a twist unearned.

“I'm sure the clown has decided to get revenge on those who touched his personal belongings, and has chosen some terrible magic to do it,” Raja whispered. “What does that have to do with dolls? What did Donut mean by that?” The chipmunk jumped down from the pavement and onto the road, the questions buzzing around in his head.

“Look out!” Someone cried in a thin, frightened voice.

Raja felt his tail grabbed. He was dragged off the road. The chipmunk turned around to look at his savior.

“I’m Oliver. Is your tail all right? It was a dubious adventure pulling you out from under the wheels of that crazy truck!” said the lizard.

“Thank you, Oliver!” The chipmunk exclaimed excitedly.

Krish the peacock ran toward them at full speed. He shouted, stretching his neck furiously:

“Raja, it was him!”

“Who?” asked the astonished chipmunk.

“I could see the red wig and the clown's hat!” squealed the peacock. “You almost got hit by a CLOWN!”

“Coincidence?” Raja said. “I don't think so.”

“Peacocks are adorable creatures, but their voice is so shrill,” whispered the lizard.

“Don't tell him! Krish likes to sing and might get very offended,” warned the chipmunk.

“I'm sorry,” Oliver said and smiled sadly. “Don't mind the depressed lizard.”

The peacock asked, “What happened to you?”

“I’ve lost my tail,” Oliver said, his eyes filling with tears.

“What?” The chipmunk exclaimed.

“Don't be sad. I’ll sing to you!” offered Krish, “What could be better than a good song!”

The peacock coughed and was about to sing an Indian hit when Raja interrupted him, “Krish, wait a minute. Let us first ask the poor lizard what has brought him to our city.”

“I am from the state of Mizoram. It’s a lovely place where bamboo groves grow thick. Cool streams flow in the valleys there. Morning mists gently envelop the hilltops of Mizoram. I came to the city of Jaipur to find the famous wizard. His name’s Sparky.”

“Why do you need Sparky?” wondered the chipmunk.

“He can help me get my tail back!”

“You're wrong. Sparky is just a clown! This is the first time I've ever heard of him practicing magic,” Raja chuckled.

“A clown?” Oliver questioned. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“I'm going back to the circus right now to interview the acrobats. Come with me and find out who Sparky really is!” Krish suggested.

Barry went to find his partner Raja. Meanwhile, Amita slipped into the clown's dressing room.

“Why does the clown need so many shoes?” exclaimed the doll, looking in amazement at the piles of boots and shoes on the floor. “He always wears the same boots!”

Amita counted the boots, then found a pair for each. She did the same with the shoes, but one remained unpaired. The doll examined it and noticed that the heel of the shoe was barely holding on. She used a pair of scissors and managed to break it off. There was a silver coin glittering inside the heel!

Barry flew into Donut's dressing room and was delighted to find Raja there. The chipmunk was outraged, “We've searched the whole circus, but Sparky is nowhere to be found! No sign of the elephant or the lion cubs either! Oliver's disappointed and depressed.”

“Who is Oliver?” asked the parrot.

“A lizard from the forests in northeastern India. Oliver has lost his tail and hopes that Sparky the clown can help him.”

“Ha-ha-ha! Sparky?” Barry laughed. “I have a feeling that's not the whole story. Go on.”

“Oliver saved my life. He pulled me out from under the wheels of a truck! Krish said that the clown was driving the vehicle!”