Meet Mimas
by Dean Browell

Samar looked out the window of the moving bus and wondered what kind of day it would be.   Would I get to go to my grandmother's apartment?   Would I get to look at the toy vendors near the grocery store?   Or would my mother simply take us straight to the jewelry store and back home?

The bus rolled down the road to Qatar.   They were citizens of Iraq and here the air was dry and sand-filled.   It was usually very hot in the day but some nights it was very cold.   The desert was a strange place, but Samar knew many nice people.

Samar and her family were going to the jewelry store to fix her father's favorite watch.   It was his birthday tomorrow and we had sneaked the watch, which had not worked for many years, out of the house and into the city.

The bus wound down the road and into the city.   Dust clogged Samar's mouth as she adjusted the window shut.   This road was always more full of loose sand and rocks than most- it was probably like that, she wondered, because so many cars went across it every day.   Eventually they reached the stop they wanted and her mother took her and her brother by the hand.   They left the bus and made their way through the busy streets to the jeweler.

The streets were always crowded but they seemed more full than normal.   Soon Samar could hardly see down the street- there were too many people in front of her!   The whole street had people in it and cars were no longer rolling around.

In the center of the street was an old man who had fallen down.   It appeared that his leg was very hurt.

Suddenly the street parted and a group of people walked by that seemed to make everyone stop and take notice.   They were from all different countries and places from around the world.   Samar had never seen such a collection of people, but she had heard that they were in the cities helping things.   One of them in particular was very friendly- this woman had paler skin and very dark short hair.

Samar's mother leaned in and explained, "She is from Japan- a group of islands far away."   Samar had heard of Japan in school.   It was a very different place than what she was used to and had different customs.

The Japanese woman wore gloves while everyone else didn't.   There was a strange blue glow coming from the gloves, like something was underneath.

The woman stopped in front of the old man and took off her gloves.   Her hands glowed blue!   Samar stared in awe as she touched the old man with her hands and he felt better.   He stood up and walked around as if nothing was ever wrong!   The Japanese woman smiled at the crowd's joy.   She stood up and brushed herself off.   When she did, her strange glowing hands touched a seed that had landed on her pants- and as it fell it grew into a tiny plant by the time it hit the ground!

Samar was so excited to see her!   She overheard the woman introduce herself as Mimas, and she confirmed that she was from Japan.   She was a hero helping out Samar's country from far away and for that Samar was happy.

Samar followed her mother to the jewelry store that day and didn't mind not stopping for the toy vendors.   She was too excited to think about Mimas' adventures as a hero with her healing hands!