The Cherry Chair Mix-Up

Mika was a runner at the big Sunday market. She carried boxes and took messages. Her boss was Lorna. Lorna spoke a different language.

That morning, Lorna held up a tiny earpiece. She smiled and pointed at Mika's ear. Mika put it in. It was warm and very small.

Lorna spoke fast. The earpiece spoke in Mika's ear.

"Bring five cherries to the music stage," it said.

Mika did not understand, but she wanted to help. She found a fruit stall. She bought five boxes of cherries. Then she carried them to the stage.

Osei, the music man, stood there with his guitar. He looked at the boxes.

"Where are my chairs?" he asked. "I see only cherries."

"Lorna said cherries," said Mika.

"My band needs to sit. Cherries are not good chairs."

Mika put the boxes down. She felt silly. Then she ran back to Lorna. Lorna talked and pointed at the gate of the market.

"Hang the new sign on the goat," said the earpiece.

Mika looked around. A white goat stood near the cheese stall. A man held it on a rope.

"Please, can I put this sign on your goat?" Mika asked.

The man laughed. "Why not?" he said.

They tied the paper sign to the goat's back. It looked funny. People stopped and took pictures. Then the goat turned and ate half of the sign.

Lorna ran over. She put her hands on her head. She talked very fast.

"Tell Osei the show stops at six," said the earpiece.

Mika ran to the stage again. Her legs hurt.

"Lorna says the show stops at six," she told Osei.

Osei looked at her. "Stops?" he said. "It starts at six. The people come at six. Why does it stop?"

"I do not know," said Mika.

She stood very still. She thought about the morning. Chairs and cherries. Gate and goat. Starts and stops. Every time, one word was close, but wrong.

Mika took the earpiece out of her ear. She looked at it for a long time. Then she put it in her pocket.

She found Lorna by the gate. She did not say a word. She held out a pen and a piece of paper.

Lorna looked at the paper. Then she looked at the earpiece in Mika's hand. Her mouth opened. She began to laugh.

Lorna took the pen and drew a small chair. She drew a gate with a new sign. She drew a clock with the hands at six. Next to it, she drew a face and a guitar.

Mika nodded. Now she understood every picture.

It was four o'clock. There was time. She ran to the café by the fountain. The owner gave her five chairs. Mika carried them to Osei. He put them in a circle and sat down.

"Good chairs," he said. "Now the band can sit."

Lorna painted a new sign. She hung it on the gate. The goat stood far away. It looked sorry, and its mouth was still full.

At six, the music started. The market was full of people. Osei sang, and the band played. The people ate cherries and clapped.

Mika stood at the side. Lorna came and said something with a big smile. Mika did not understand one word. She only gave Lorna a cherry.