Joy at the Taj Mahal

“Where shall we go next?” is what Joy and Sid kept discussing the whole week. Sid wanted to go to see the Taj Mahal, but Joy was keener on the Niagara Falls. Finally, they wrote the two names on pieces of paper, folded them, and asked Ginni to pick one up. Ginni picked up the paper marked “Taj Mahal”. So they agreed to go to Taj Mahal this week, and to Niagara Falls the next.
The Blue Fairy was only too happy to oblige. “Taj Mahal is the epitome of love”, she explained.
“What love?” asked Joy, still a little grumpy, since he wanted to go to the world famous waterfalls instead of yet another building.
The blue fairy noticed his lack of enthusiasm and said, “I guess you don’t know enough about the Taj Mahal. It is no doubt a very beautiful building, marked by intricate carvings in white marble, on the banks of river Yamuna. But the marvel of Taj Mahal lies in something else.”
“Something else! What?”asked the two children in chorus.
“Taj Mahal was built as a symbol of love. The Mogul emperor of India, Shah Jahan, got it made in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.”
“Oh!!” said the children, obviously not finding much to be impressed about. Sid told Joy that it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and that got some of his attention.
Soon the trio reached Agra, the north Indian city where Taj Mahal is situated. Joy looked around the city, hoping to find Taj Mahal towering above the rest of the city.
“We have been visiting only tall buildings lately”, said the blue fairy, smiling. “You can’t find Taj Mahal like that.”
Sid had a better idea to locate the Taj Mahal. Knowing that it is situated on the banks of river Yamuna, he followed the river, and soon found himself flying over one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
“Wow!!” was the only thing the kids could utter. They roamed around and about the timeless monument, and were taken in by its’ sheer beauty.
“The Blue Fairy didn’t leave us tonight?” suddenly Joy asked. “She usually comes back only to pick us up.”
That was strange indeed. There must be some reason why the fairy decided to stay back at the Taj. She was sitting silently at the base of the Taj Mahal, looking tirelessly at it. The boys stopped goofing around, and quietly tiptoed to her. Only when they were rather close to her, they noticed that the Blue Fairy was crying!!
This puzzled them. But Sid soon understood. He went up to the fairy and hugged her.
“Oh!” exclaimed the blue Fairy, wiping away her tears. “How I wish someone loved me as much..” she said softly, still looking wishfully at the majestic Taj Mahal.
While Sid sat down with the Fairy, Joy flew fast to one of the many souvenir shops nearby. He picked up a small marble replica of the Taj Mahal, and rushed back to the Fairy.
“We love you!!” he yelled, and presented the little Taj Mahal to the fairy. A lovely smile glowed on her beautiful face, as she held the kids close.
“I love you too!” she said gently. “And it is now time for you two monkeys to go back home.”
They laughed and giggled all the way home, thanking God probably for the first time for each other.