A purple leaf spiraled down from the jacaranda tree. Ayaan caught it gently. "Why did you turn purple?" he asked, holding it to the bright sky.
He ran to school, the leaf crinkling in his fist. His brow furrowed. What secret was the purple hiding?
At school, Ayaan placed two leaves on the windowsill. He covered one with a cloth and waited.
Days passed. The uncovered leaf turned brown and crinkly. "The sun changes leaves," Ayaan said, tapping the dry edge. Omar nodded beside him.
He tucked the leaves into his notebook and headed home. Rain began to patter on the tin roof. How do clouds make rain?
Samira brought hot water. They poured it into a bowl and covered it with a cold plate. Soon, droplets formed and fell.
"Clouds are full of water," Ayaan whispered, catching a drop on his tongue. He sketched a rainy cloud in his notebook.
The weekend market buzzed with color. Ayaan set up his table under a striped tarp, arranging his notebook, leaves, and a bowl of water.
His family gathered — mother, father, grandmother, and cousin Leila. "Watch what happens," Ayaan said, dropping a pebble into the bowl.
Leila dropped a pebble. It plinked and sank. She giggled. Ayaan grinned as his grandmother nodded slowly.
That evening, Ayaan opened his notebook by lamplight. New questions were already waiting at the bottom of the page.
"Why do stars twinkle?" "How do birds fly?" He closed the book and hugged it. Tomorrow, he would ask again.