Storytelling and story writing are ancient traditions. There are many writers whose stories have influenced us very much. The story writers are considered the backbone of literature because teach us lessons through their moral, spiritual and educational stories.

In our Kashmir Valley, we see young and dynamic youth who are working for the benefit of literature and are producing different genres day by day. Today I have a storybook “Fancy Flight” in my hands which influenced me and gave me immense pleasure. “Fancy Flight” is a story written by the young daughter of Kashmir Haya Sajad Wani. At the time of writing this storybook, Haya was studying in the 6th class at Doon International School Srinagar. At this age, children remain lost in their own fantasy world but Haya became passionate about reading and writing. She belongs to Panzgam, a frontier district of Kupwara in north Kashmir. Here, I am presenting a brief version of Haya’s story.

The 148-page book “Fancy Flight” published in 2021 by Ink Links Publishing House, Pampore is a milestone in children’s literature. I would like to focus on which “Fancy Flight” may be seen to selectively highlight some features of Haya’s stories. The story is mainly divided into two sections, and both sections belong to the wonder world. The first section is “The Land of the Spirit”  and the second section is “A Trip to the Great Garden of Eden”. Haya weaved these stories in the best way. I suppose we should be grateful that at least one young girl makes an appearance in the world of literature. The Language of this storybook is used in the simplest way and every reader can understand it easily. No metaphor, no simile, and even no strong words have been used in it. I can say that Haya has written with distinction on fiction and “Fancy Flight “is the best of her works. She never indulges in generalities, but works only through concrete examples.

Haya begins her story with “The Land of the Spirit” and tells us about a series of spirits and kings and about their family kingdom and their lives. The main characters of this part of the story are Joseph March and Abel Crystal. At first, they are enemies but in the end, they become good friends and decide to get to the “Land of the Spirit” to live happily as they had turned into spirits. In the “Land of the Spirit”, they met with their friends, relatives and live their life happily. This dual-character story is immediately apparent in its consistency. By publishing these stories, Haya shows us that, unlike all other such categories, women are numerically equal to their men. Unlike those persecuted on grounds of sex, women do not have a shared history but instead of such kinds of oppression, women have always existed. They inherited all those qualities which men possess and men should accept women’s existence whiteout any excuse.

The second section “A Trip to the Great Garden of Eden” is about the Crystal family and their neighbours who lived in America a long time ago. There are a father, mother and four sisters in the family. In this story, the four sisters and their friends go on a crazy adventure to discover paradise but instead of paradise, they discovered the woods which are not haunted. They have the courage to do so. Through this story, Haya wants to eradicate fear from girls because we dismay girls to go away. If girls will read these stories they will become fearless and manage their world very well. “Fancy Flight” is an inspiration for those students who are eager for art and literature. It is expected that this daughter will continue this journey of reading and writing and will provide more and more interesting stories.

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Bashir Athar