“The school faculty has arranged a carnival tomorrow,” Ms Sumera announced. A wave of joy ran through the class. Everyone started cheering and dancing.

“Finally, we can have some fun at school!” Saad shouted excitedly.

Meekal, on the other hand, could only think about all the food he would eat the next day. He had been saving his pocket money for this carnival.

“The price list of everything will be displayed on the notice board by the end of the day. You should bring money accordingly,” Ms Sumera added before leaving the classroom.

That day, everyone eagerly waited for school to end — not because they wanted to go home, but because they wanted to see the price list.

During the break, the girls spent their time discussing the dress they would wear, while the boys were busy talking about games and food. By the end of the day, everyone gathered around the notice board.

“A pizza slice for 100 and shawarma for Rs150,” Meekal whispered while noting it down in his notebook.

“That would be 250 rupees in total,” he murmured. “Then if I have a scoop of ice cream with a brownie, the total would be almost 500 rupees.” His mouth started watering as he imagined fresh samosas and gol gappay. His tummy rumbled with hunger.

Soon it was time to go home.

On his way back, he kept calculating how much money he should bring. Later that day, he told everyone at home about the carnival. Even his grandpa came to know about it.

“Beta, eat everything you like,” his grandpa said while placing crisp notes in Meekal’s hands.

His eyes sparkled with joy. Now he had enough money to spend. He could barely sleep that night because of excitement. Tomorrow was not just an ordinary day at school, it was carnival day.

He woke up early and even got ready well before the van arrived. His mother had never seen him this excited about anything.

On the way to school, he kept checking his pocket to make sure the money was still there. All the kids were nicely dressed in bright, colourful clothes. The school was decorated with balloons and posters. Stalls were being set up in the playground. The air was filled with the smell of fresh samosas and jalebi.

Meekal waited for his best friend Harris while walking around the stalls. His heart raced with excitement as he looked around, knowing that he had enough money to buy anything he liked. Just then, his eyes caught a small charity box placed on one of the stalls.

A few seniors, whom he recognised from cricket practice, were standing nearby.

Without thinking much, he walked towards them.

“We are collecting charity for children who cannot afford winter clothes,” one of the seniors explained.

“Maybe there are people who need this money more than me,” he thought. Meekal paused for a moment and glanced at the crisp notes in his pocket. But at the same time, the picture of a juicy shawarma and pizza kept flashing in his mind.

“I could buy anything with this money,” he thought again. The idea of eating a freshly baked brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream felt very tempting.

He was about to put all the money into the charity box when one of the seniors gently held his hand and suggested, “Hey friend, you don’t have to give all the money. Enjoy the carnival too. You can donate a part of it for charity.”

Meekal thought it was a wise idea. Later, when Harris arrived, the two friends enjoyed the carnival together. They shared money while buying food and playing mini games. When it was finally time to go home, Meekal realised he had still saved some money. Harris had saved some as well. Both of them ran back to the charity stall and happily placed the remaining money in the box.

That night, Meekal slept peacefully. For him, it had been the best carnival ever.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 19th, 2026