There were three individuals in the Qamar family: Papa Qamar, Mama Qamaraya, and Zahra. They were only three. One day, Mama Qamaraya said: Soon the number of the Qamar family members will become four. Zahra hurried in happiness to tell her friend Mimi that they would have a little baby, and he would be exactly like her little brother Mimo. One morning, the Qamar family hurried to the hospital, and when they returned, there were Papa Qamar, Mama Qamaraya, Zahra, and Zizu. They became four.
But there was something strange; Zizu wasn’t spotted like the others. He was striped, and his stripes were very clear! Zahra asked her mother: Can’t we replace him with another child? Mama Qamaraya said gently: No Zahra, he’s our little one, he’s a member of our family. Zahra answered: But he’s not spotted like us. Papa Qamar replied: But he has a beautiful smile despite that.
Zizu grew and became chubby and lovable. He smiled a lot and sent kisses in the air to everyone. He always opened his arms for people to hug him. Mama Qamaraya said: See Zahra? Our little one is beautiful, just like Mimo. Zahra said sadly: No, he’s different mama.
All members of the Qamar family went to the garden, but Zahra wasn’t happy. She thought people would look at Zizu and mock him and his stripes, so much so that she didn’t want to play with Mimi and her brother Mimo.
Zahra said to herself: Zizu didn’t just look different, he was really different. Mimi, Mimi’s brother, could shake his nose and wag his ears right and left, while all Zizu did was smile and send kisses in the air!
Sometimes Zahra wished the Qamar family had remained only three. One day, an idea occurred to Zahra. She found a long spotted scarf and wrapped Zizu with it, and said to mama and papa: Look, no stripes, just beautiful dots. Mama Qamaraya said: But our little one is beautiful by nature Zahra, and we don’t want to change anything about him.
Papa Qamar added: He’s just a little different, that’s all. But Zahra said: I don’t care about all that, I don’t want a striped brother. She started crying and saying I wish he wasn’t born. Zahra was sad, and so were Mama Qamaraya and Papa Qamar, but Zizu was different. He just kept smiling at Zahra and sending her kisses in the air. Zahra kept thinking: Zizu doesn’t care about dots and stripes, maybe these things aren’t really important.
Zahra started drawing a picture, and as she was drawing, a smile formed on her face. She had drawn beautiful colorful stripes like those in her brother Zizu. She went out running until she saw papa and mama, and told them: Look, I drew this picture to apologize for what I did to my brother.
Mama Qamaraya smiled and said: It’s truly beautiful. Zahra said smiling: Yes, beautiful, just like our little Zizu. Zizu laughed and opened his arms, and Zahra hugged him and said: You’re very funny. And so there were four happy people in the Qamar family playing with their friends in the garden. Zahra said: This is my brother, he’s beautiful like a rainbow. And indeed Zahra was right, Zizu was truly beautiful.