“Laila, get up! It’s time to go to Furkhan’s factory!” yelled Kumar, the keri (the unripe mango) from the crate next to Laila, the lemon.

“Oh ... please … let me sleep ... I want to complete my beauty sleep,” yawned Laila, the lemon.

“Leave her, Kumar. She doesn’t want to come with us and enjoy the ride!” Pasha, the pepper, giggled with other peppers in his crate.

“I just can’t wait to see what we will be used for in the factory!” said Gurya, the carrot and went into deep thoughts.

“I’ll be used in tantalising chicken karahi!” said Pasha, the pepper, while licking his lips.

“So what? I’ll be used for a refreshing lemonade!” said Laila, the lemon with pride.

“In her dreams!” joked Gurya, the carrot.

Laila gave her a scary look.

“Ok, ok, fine. But I will be used in some delicious halwa!” Gurya proclaimed.

“Hmm… yes! But, I think, I will be used for pickles!” Kumar joyously said.

“Oh yea! Pickles!” Laila smacked her lips.

“Laila! Stop smacking your lips! Seriously, it’s disgusting!” Gurya looked pretty annoyed by Laila’s habit. Laila stuck her tongue out at Gurya.

“Mr Nazir is coming to load us on the truck!” Pasha, the pepper, announced with joy.

The others screamed with excitement while they were loaded on a green truck with “Furkhan’s Food Industry” engraved on its body. The journey to the factory was short, but fun for the four friends. They laughed, giggled and teased Leila about her beauty sleep.

“But what if we four never meet again?” suddenly Gurya blurted out her emotions.

“Gurya, think positive! Think about the bright side too!” said the pepper, encouraging her.

“Oh look! There’s the factory! Oh no, so much smoke! It’s going to ruin my shiny yellow skin,” Leila shrieked.

“Seriously, Leila! Stop it!” said the carrot and slapped her hand on her head.

The truck stopped outside the factory and the crates were unloaded and numerous men carried the crates inside the factory.

“Oh my God! That smell! That delicious smell!” Pasha screamed with excitement.

“That smells of...” Leila began and was cut off by Kumar.

“It smells of pickles! Fresh mango pickle!”

The four friends began jumping up and down. The men holding the crates became puzzled due to the movement of the crates.

“Did you put something in the box? It is moving!” yelled one worker to another one.

“No! Just forget it and keep moving!” a worker answered.

“Shh…! Stop screaming and partying! Be still guys!” Pasha made his friends silent.

The crates were kept near a machine, which made pickles.

The four friends kept their fingers crossed because they wished to go in the same bottle of pickle.

The lemons, unripe mango, carrot and peppers were cut into pieces.

“Don’t worry guys! I’m alive!” Pasha, the pepper, giggled.

The others laughed too.

They were then put in a bottle of thick sauce and were mixed.

“Is anyone here?” Gurya, the carrot, asked.

“I’m here!” Kumar joyously said.

“Me too!” Pasha announced happily.

“Me three!” Leila screamed with delight.

All the bottles were then taken to a shop named “Mehmood’s store”.

“I hope we go in the hands of a nice person,” said Laila, the lemon.

Just then, a man entered the shop and picked up the pickle bottle with the four friends inside it.

“I am buying this. How much is it for?” he asked. The man bought the bottle of pickle and took it home. He kept it in his refrigerator and went to his bedroom.

The other items in the refrigerator greeted the four friends.

“Well, now that we are together as a pickle, let’s celebrate!” Pasha the pepper suggested.

“Yes, but the reason for celebration should be that we’re together!” Gurya smiled at her friends.

Thus, Kumar the unripe mango, Leila the lemon, Gurya the carrot and Pasha the pepper, lived together inside the bottle and enjoyed their life being part of a delicious and mouth-watering pickle!

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 25th, 2021