The first monsoon rain had come to Delhi. Wet mud smelled sweet, samosas sizzled on every corner, jalebis glowed golden in hot oil. Kids on balconies were shouting for pakoras. It smelled amazing outside.
Then, right at noon — it all went wrong.
Dogsy was in the kitchen. His mother was cooking his favourite carrot halwa, but... "Mom, why can't I smell the ghee and cardamom?" Dogsy asked, sniffing hard. Nothing. Not one whiff.
His mother sniffed too. "Odd! I can't smell it either. Maybe my nose is blocked?"
Just then Napu banged on the window, out of breath. "Dogsy! Come outside! Jasmine flowers, golgappa water, everything — no smell anywhere in Delhi! It's like someone stole every scent in the city!"
Outside, chaos. Spice sellers stood by chilli powder bags — nobody sneezing. Perfume shops sprayed their best bottles — nothing. The whole city smelled of... nothing at all. Spooky, right?
Dogsy ran to the park where his dog friend Sheru sat whimpering, rubbing his nose on the grass. For a dog, smell is EVERYTHING — and his was gone.
"Sheru, buddy, what happened last night?" Dogsy asked in dog language.
Sheru barked sadly, "There was thick fog, and I saw a glowing purple cloak floating in the sky! A girl, holding a giant golden bottle. She waved her wand, and — whoosh! — all of Delhi's smells swirled up into her bottle like colourful smoke! Then my nose just... stopped working. I couldn't see her face, but she dropped a gold coin near the neem tree."
Napu picked up the coin. On it: a bottle with a nose, crossed out in red. His face went pale. "Oh no, Dogsy. This is the mark of Bantini — the most famous, sneakiest thief in the magic world. She steals people's senses — sight, hearing, taste, smell — locks them in bottles, and sells them for a fortune on the magic black market!"
"So... where is she?" Dogsy asked.
Napu called Kaliya the wise old cobra, who whispered, "She's hiding behind the oldest tomb in Lodhi Garden — an invisible glass castle, guarded by spinning wind tornadoes. Careful, or you'll get blown away like a kite!"
On the way, they passed the garden's old lily lake. Napu — Snake Man and friend to every water creature — knelt at the edge and gave a soft, gurgling call. A grumpy old catfish poked his whiskers out of the murky water.
"You lot again," the catfish grumbled. "Fine. Saw her last night — that thief flew right over this lake. Dropped a shiny thread from her cloak. It's tangled in the lotus roots, near the third pillar. Might help you sneak in quiet-like."
Napu fished out the shimmering thread — it turned invisible in his hand for a second, then reappeared. "A cloaking thread! This will help us slip past the tornadoes unseen!"
Wrapping the thread around themselves, Dogsy and Napu tiptoed straight through the spinning winds without a single hair moving. They slipped into the glass castle through an open window.
Inside: floating bottles glowing every colour, and on a velvet throne — Bantini herself, holding the golden bottle full of swirling, rainbow-colored Delhi smells.
"That's enough, Bantini!" Napu shouted. "Hand it over!"
Bantini spun, eyes glinting. "Hahaha! Too late, little heroes. This smell is MINE to sell. Annoy me further, and I'll steal your voices too!" She swung her wand — "Darkness magic, steal their sound!"
But Napu blew a whistle, and a squad of flying snakes zoomed in through the window, shielding them. Bantini's spell missed completely. At the same moment, Sheru — who'd sneaked in below the window — leapt and snapped at her hand. The golden bottle flew into the air —
Napu dove and caught it just before it smashed on the glass floor. Bantini's wand got snatched away by the snakes a second later. Powerless, she sat down in a huff.
The magic police arrived with sparkly handcuffs and arrested her on the spot. "Well done, you two," the inspector said, tipping his hat.
Outside, Dogsy carefully opened the bottle. A beautiful rainbow-coloured breeze swirled out and rushed across the whole city. Kitchens filled with halwa smells again. Gardens smelled of jasmine. Sheru took one giant sniff and howled with joy, tail wagging like crazy.
Delhi smelled wonderful again — and everyone, even the grumpy catfish back at the lake, agreed it had been a very good day.
Sleep tight, little one. Even the smallest, grumpiest creature — a catfish hiding in the mud — can hold the biggest clue.