Afraid to blink, Murni’s eyes are fixed on the floating city. “How did you do it?” she asks with a worried look.

Her father lowers his arms, breaking a trance that has taken years to develop. The illusion of the city disappears in a twinkling of his eyes.

“But how? How did you do that, Abah?”

He looks over at her and smiles, closes his eyes, and raises his hands once more. Murni looks up to see her kite grow in size – first twice the normal size, then three and four times that of the original. It soon becomes large enough to hide the sun and clouds, rocking to and fro against a gathering wind. The sky darkens and a grouping of radiant stars appear above as colorful balls of light.

He snaps his fingers and the illusions are broken once more. He looks down at her with great affection. “Life is an illusion, Murni. Enjoy it while you can. The truth hides behind misleading impressions of reality. Each thought has the power to transform the world around us, and reality is but a thin and flexible silk strand.”