"Here," the brother said, throwing a roll of old rags at him. Ahlam sneezed, which made a little red panda jump and hide behind the door. The door of the house that was supposed to be his.

"Take this and get out!"

His wife's grinning face peeked out from his back. Cunning witch. She hated him from the very beginning. And now she even set his own brother against him.

Well, he'd been worse. Ahlam took the bag on his back, grapped the panda and went along the hot dusty street.

Happiness is not made in money. And frankly speaking, he would consider a blasphemy to share grandmother's belongings. She brought them up after their parents' died. She meant everything to them – well, at least that was what he thought until his brother suddenly showed his dark greedy side after the funeral.

"That should be enough for us, right?" he turned to panda that was playing with a dry fig – the only thing he got to eat in his old hut.

Now, he said to himself, let's look at what is in the bag.

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Her smell. A delicate hint of incense that permeated her old prayer beads – no wonder that brother's wife didn't like them. Once covered with dark polish, they looked completely white now as granny had always kept them by her side.

Ahlam took out a piece of cloth with unfinished embroidery. That was nice. He would make a good cloak out of it.

And what is this?

A carpet. Well, maybe that would be too much

for an old rug with its canvas so worn-out that it was falling apart every time he touched it. And all those strange blue feathers − .... tried to pluck them out though they seemed to be growing roots right into the fabric.

Never stop flying, my boy. Keep dreaming high, but don't let the wind throw you at the sharp stones of reality.

Grandmother's voice blew through the room like a soft distant ringing of crystal bells. And it seemed to give life to an old carpet too, as the fabric suddenly turned into a rich tapestry and the flickering feathers covered the bottom, making the cloth rise above.

"Where are you going? No, don't do that!"

But the panda was quick enough to jump on the carpet and Ahlam didn't have a choice but to follow her as he couldn't let a tiny creature go before him when it came to adventures.

So it could fly? Ahlam didn't believe his eyes. What should he do now?

Calm down. What's wrong about it? he thought. Now he was free to go anywhere he wished. What was the name of the girl living on the outside of the village? He really liked her lovely smile. How about visiting her right now?

"Let's go!" he commanded to the carpet that obediently flew out of the window. A new life, a new road... A new page in his story.