the stories.

40 stories. read them in any order.

around the house

the first durian
the first durian of the year is nenek's. i could not wait for it to fall. that was the whole problem.
the balloon
i have one red balloon. it is the only thing that is just mine, and it has to last one whole day.
the last one awake
i want to know what the house sounds like after everyone is asleep.
the assistant
all i want is one morning to myself. so i gave the baby a job.
the book
the credit book knows everyone's business. i have wanted to read it my whole life.
the broadcast
atok believes the radio over every living person. i am going to beat it to the football score.
report day
they sealed my report card in an envelope and i cannot wait until home. i am going to read it now.

across the causeway

the friday jam operation
ayah is stuck on the causeway and the kuih is going cold. i have a plan the size of a war.
the giant roti
ayah crosses back from singapore tired. i am going to make him a roti canai the size of a bicycle wheel.
syafiq's grand tour
my cousin syafiq thinks singapore beats the kampung. i have a tour that will fix that.
the carry
we are going across the causeway with a cake in a box. i am going to be the one who carries it the whole way.
the back row
a whole day on the long bus to visit family. i am claiming the back row as my own kingdom.

the whole street

the longkang voyage
the monsoon turns the longkang into a river. i am going to be the first to sail it.
the talent night
i want to win the kampung talent night with the biggest finale anyone has ever seen.
the three-legged race
there is one race you cannot win on your own. i have found the perfect second leg.
the kite war
fighting-kite season. i am going to cut every kite out of the sky and be the last one flying.
the makcik weather
the makciks know everything before it happens. i am going to keep one secret from them.
the dare
nobody has ever walked the pipe across the flooded longkang. i am going first.
the stall
ah wei's family has a stall. i am going to give it a proper review, with stars.
the missing tin
ah wei's family makes pineapple tarts once a year, and somebody keeps stealing them. i am opening a case.
the longest wall
the tide is coming in. before it does i am going to build the longest sand wall in the history of the kampung.
the dark night
the power is out and the whole street's ice cream is melting in the dark. i am going to rescue it.
the salvage
ah wei's family sign just floated off down the river. i am going to get it back before the stall opens.
the spot
the best spot on the whole beach goes to whoever gets there first. i am going to get there first.
the silent record
there is nothing to do, so i am going to make the gang set the record for the longest anyone has stayed silent.

growing up a bit

the shoes
aiman's little sister needs new school shoes. nobody, least of all aiman, is going to know it was me.
the first fast
this year i am keeping my first whole fast, all the way to buka, and nobody is going to call me too small.
one fish
the uncles catch fish off the jetty like it is nothing. i am going to catch one for the table myself.
the brave queue
it is jab day and the whole waiting room is about to cry. i am going to be brave so nobody does.
the bicycle
i have until dark to ride to the kedai and back on my own. i am going to learn to cycle today.
the haircut
pak mat gives every kid in the kampung the exact same haircut. i am going to argue my way to a grown-up one.
the weighing
mak sent me to the market on my own with one ringgit. i am going to come home with more than she asked for.
the queue number
the clinic gives you a number and you wait. i have a spare good one, so i am going to make the queue fairer.

feasts & festivals

divya's deepavali
once a year divya's whole house fills up with light. this year i am going all the way in.
the pasar malam
there is a scarf mak wants and will not buy. i am going to earn it in one night.
the open house
it is hari raya and the singapore relatives are here. i am going to make them feel like kampung.
the lion's tail
every year the lion dance turns the corner and is gone. this year the gang is going to keep up with it.
the trays
the grown-ups carry all the food at the surau and the kids just wait. i am going to get us the job.
the bunga telur job
there is a wedding two houses down and they gave me napkins to fold. i want a real grown-up job.
harvest day
it is durian season and i have worked out the knack. i am going to open a school and teach everyone.