Amina and the Magic Drums

Amina loved drumming. When she was a baby, she used to sit in her high chair and bash on the tray with her plastic spoon. When she was a little girl, she would drum on the table with her fingers with one hand, while eating with the other. When her legs were long enough to reach the ground, she would tap out rhythms on the floor with her feet. Even when she was sleeping, her hands just wouldn’t keep still. She drummed on her pillow, her teddy bear’s tummy, and sometimes even on her sister’s head – since poor little Noor was forced to sleep in the same bed.

‘Amina! Stop that!’ said her father.

‘What a racket,’ said her mother. ‘For heaven’s sake, please stop drumming!’

‘I can’t sleep,’ complained her little sister. ‘Amina keeps hitting me!’

‘I’m not ,’ Amina tried to explain, ‘it’s just that …’ and she