My name is Elise Mustang.
I thought it’d be a weekend like any other.
I just wanted to play and eat and sleep.
Who would’ve thought that opening a small box would unleash the wildest magic and take me on an out-of-the-world adventure?
Now I’m back to tell you my story.
A story so extraordinary, I wouldn’t have believed anyone if they told me the same.
I travelled across continents and explored the world with new eyes.
…except that I wasn’t human anymore.
“Truly one of the most spectacular books of all time... must read...”
- Elise Mustang (yes, that’s me again!)
Ananth Kopalle took the train every day to return home. Most of the seats were taken during the rush hour, so the 20-minute ride had to be done standing, often sandwiched between other passengers. Unable to read a book or comfortably browse the phone, he’d use this time preparing for what he loved the most – narrating bed-time stories to his then-8-year-old son. Holding on to the handrails, he’d weave stories intended to stimulate critical thinking and bring a sense of adventure and wonder about life. He’d often intermix a variety of subjects like love, nature, war and conflict, Gods, fairies and demons, life in other countries, and so on. He created enough stories in his memory bank to never run out of them at bed-time.
After about three years of doing this, Ananth thought it was a good idea to take story-telling to the next level by writing a book. That’s where he found contentment – creating stories that inspire curiosity and enrich young minds.
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