Rani, who was much older and taller, helped her up. “Hey!” she said, laughing. “What’s the hurry? Is there a wild animal chasing you?”
“Oh, sorry, Rani! I didn’t see you!” gasped Amina.
“Don’t worry, I’m all right!” said Rani. “But why are you in such a rush?”
“I was looking out my bedroom window with my binoculars and I’m sure I saw a tiger outside the palace wall!” explained Amina. “It was walking through the long grass next to the river. I was just going to take a closer look.” She held out her binoculars. “Oh no!” She stopped and looked at them more closely.
“What’s wrong?” asked Rani.
“One of the lenses is broken. I must have knocked it against the ground when I fell.” She showed her cousin the crack in the glass on one side of the binoculars. Her heart sank. She used her binoculars nearly every day. They were so handy for seeing all the Kamalan wildlife.
“What a shame!” said Rani sympathetically. “I know how much you love them. Come and show me the tiger — we can close one eye and look through the side that isn’t broken.”
“All right, then.” Amina turned toward the archway that led out to the garden.
“Rani! Amina! Where are you?” A loud voice came from inside the palace.
Amina froze. Her aunt, Queen Keshi, had been hurrying around the palace all morning. With the royal visitors due to arrive that day, there was lots to do.
“Mom wants us,” said Rani. “We’ll have to look for your tiger later.”
“But he might be gone by then!” Amina looked longingly at the archway. If only she could get through before her aunt came along. She wanted to see the tiger so badly!
“You go, then,” said Rani. “Mom probably wants me to try on my wedding dress for the hundredth time! You should go and have some fun.”
Amina grinned. Even though Rani was much older, she was a perfect cousin — kind and funny. Amina was so happy that she was going to be her bridesmaid the next day!
“There you are!” Queen Keshi climbed down the steps to the courtyard, wearing a purple sari and a gold crown.
“Rani, you must try on your wedding dress one more time. Amina, I have some jobs for you to do. The royal guests are already starting to arrive and I am determined to make this the best wedding ever held in the kingdom of Kamala!”
“But, Aunt!” began Amina. “Could I go out into the garden first because —”
Queen Keshi waved her hands. “Amina! There isn’t much time! We need to get the table decorations right and then we have to make sure that the guests’ rooms are ready.”
Amina’s shoulders drooped. She wished she could go and see the tiger first. She’d seen deer and monkeys near the palace before, but never a tiger.
Rani noticed her disappointed face.
“Maybe Amina could pick some flowers from the garden to decorate the tables?” she said. “Maybe some of those pink and white lilies.”
Amina perked up. If she was picking flowers in the garden, then she could sneak a look over the wall with her binoculars at the same time. She looked hopefully at her aunt.
Queen Keshi nodded. “Just make sure you pick plenty, and don’t forget to put them in water, so that they last until the wedding. And don’t get dirt under your fingernails!” She swept back up the steps.
Rani gave Amina a quick grin and followed her mom.
Text copyright © 2013 by Paula Harrison
Interior illustrations copyright © 2013 by Artful Doodlers
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., New York, NY 10012, by arrangement with Nosy Crow Ltd.
SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. NOSY CROW and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd.
First printing, December 2013
Cover art by Sharon Tancredi
Cover design by Jeannine Riske
e-ISBN 978-0-545-50934-3
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
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