Jeet made his own kites. He would carefully cut the paper to size and stick it to frame made with thin, but strong twigs. He would then add a flying line and a tail. As he pulled the string, the kite would soar into the sky. It would rise above all other kites. If any other kite got closer, Jeet would move quickly to cut it off. No one could cut his kite. Other kite flyers called him ‘Kite King’.
One evening, Jeet went out to fly his Yellow-Green kite. There was no one on the field. But Jeet was certain others would come. He tossed the kite into air and pulled the string. The kite wobbled a bit; he quickly pulled the string and let it go. The kite steadied itself. Gently pumping the line, he allowed the kite to rise a few feet. He then pulled the line, and then slowly let the line out which made the kite go higher.
With no other kites in sight, Jeet lost interest. He made up his mind to wind up the string. Just then, a competitor arrived on the scene. It looked like another kite, or so he thought. He was surprised it had no string. No, the rival was not a kite. It was a butterfly — a Monarch.
Monarch had spread its wings. It seemed to have taken a liking to Jeet’s Yellow-Green kite. It flew closer and then started to rising. Jeet pulled and then let go the string quickly. His kite caught up with the Monarch. The butterfly rose further up, leaving the kite behind. Jeet was quick to pull and release the string, sending his kite soaring above Monarch.
By now other kite flyers had arrived. No one released their kites. They all stood watching the rivals in the sky — — the bright yellow-green kite and the bright Orange flier. There was a hushed silence. One moment the kite was up and above, and the next, the Monarch reigned higher. It was a neck to neck race to infinity!
Suddenly the Monarch started losing height. It was unbelievable but true. The Monarch was left far behind as the Yellow-Green kite raced ahead. Jeet gave a shout of triumph. The next moment, he frowned. Monarch was losing height rapidly. At that rate he would hit the ground fast. Jeet started winding the string, lowering the kite fast. The kite was on level with monarch, the next moment, it came down below Monarch. Onlookers held their breath, Jeet broke into sweat as he maneuvered the kite. Lo and behold, the Monarch landed on the kite, as everybody clapped.
Gently, very gently, Jeet lowered the kite and brought it to ground. The Monarch was still perching on it. Jeet went down on his knees and stared at Monarch. He thought the butterfly was staring at him. A few minutes passed. Jeet hoped that Monarch would regain strength.
They were all happy to see the Monarch’s wings flutter. The Monarch rose majestically. He flew up, flew in a wide circle and headed back to where Jeet was standing. Monarch flew round Jeet once, then gained height and flew away as Jeet waved goodbye and the kite flyers clapped.
