Once upon a time, a poor shoemaker worked in a shoeshop. As the holiday of Aid El Kabir approached,
the other workers in the shoeshop began to speculate on the gifts their boss would give them for the necessities of the feast.Some
men wished for enough money to buy a sheep, others wished for money to buy clothes and new shoes for their children and family.
Meanwhile, Hakim, the poor shoemaker remained silent as his fellow workers continued their greedy lists of things they thought
their boss should give them. (At that time, all the workers of any handicraft business were considered apprentices and were
never promoted as masters, so they were paid at the mercy of the employer no matter how great were their skills or tenure.
Only the employer had the title of 'master' of the profession , even though he never did any handicraft work.) Finally the
other fellows realized that tha poor man hadn't spoken of any request nor wishes. For each question asked, the poor man replied,
"Allah is the Giver" with a sigh of anxiety. Meanwhile, unknown to them all, the boss was listening to these requests, comments
and replies as he hid behind one of the shop doors. Even though he was prosperous enough to fulfill the wishes of his workers,
he decided that he would give each worker half the money he wished for.
On the eve of Aid El Kabir, the boss came to the shop to wish everyone a happy holiday. He gave a bindle of money to
each worker which he had already counted and tagged with the name of the apprentice on it. Each worker took the money without
counting it. Each hid it in his pocket and thanked the boss without looking at his eyes and kept working as a sign of approval
and loyalty. Finally, when the boss came to Hakim, the poor little man, he asked, "What is it that you wish for?" Hakim, armed
with images of his past misfortune and his painful reality, replied, "If I lie, I'll be punished; If I tell the truth, you'll
be punished and I'll be punished twice. Because I want to keep being an honest person, I prefer to tell the truth. I keep
obeying your poisoned orders that fill my heart with pain. I'm feeding a poisonous snake with my own blood. I have to kneel
on my knees to pick the crumbs fallen from the bread I make for you to sustain my life and misery. I keep serving your endless
greed and hunger for wealth so you'll give one glass of water for each jar of my sweat. You're poorer than I am. The richer
I'm making you, the less money you're giving me. No man was ever yet a great rich person without being at the same time a
blood sucker of the poor. If I were in your situation and you were in mine, I'd treat you with humanity, obedience and gratitude
for what you'd do for me." He concluded, "you're just another poor person; you're darkening the human race with your example.
ALLAH IS THE GIVER."
The boss then looked at the foolish little worker and said, "If God is the giver, then go to God for whaty
you wish". As he finished speaking these words, he gave the poor man a kick and threw him in the street, punishing him twice
-just like Hakim had predictyed. No, he had no money nor a job.
The poor shoemaker picked himself up from the gutter and brushed his clothes. He silently walked home trying
to think what he would say to his wife. By the time he arrived at his modest little dwelling, he had thought of a solution
that might save him from total shame and embarrassment to his family. He greeted his family as usual and gave his wife the
few coins he had left in the bottom of his pocket to buy simple foods for their lunch and soap to wash the clothes so that
they would be clean for the holiday. Hiding the truth from his wife, he explained to her that he would then go to buy the
things needed for the feast. It is a tradition in Morocco for all men to try to buy the biggest sheep with the largest horns
possible. Men also wish to celebrate with dignity by buying the finest foods and clothes to keep a high sense of pride in
their family.
The poor man Hakim, knowing that the neighbours, relatives and friends would soon know of the pitiful situation of his
home, decided the only thing he could do was to abandon his family and hide in the wilderness like a caveman in order to free
himself from the burdens of civilization and its injustice. He cast his last loving glances and words to his family, shed
tears which he dried quickly and started his walk without being certain of the destination; he wandered to the far country
and mountains so he wouldn't suffer any more from human cruelty and where noone would know his whereabaouts.
After walking in the mountain, the poor man developed an urgent need for water. Finally, he found an abandoned
well without a bucket or a rope.After some minutes of contemplation, the poor man decided to tie his turban to his shoe and
to lower it into the well for some water. When he felt the shoe should be filled, he started to tug on the rope but for some
reason the shoe was unusually heavy as if it were stuck. As Hakim looked into the well to see what the problem was, he was
surprised to see a genie looking up at him. At first, the poor man was filled with fright to see the genie because he feared
it was a devil in disguise, but as the genie spoke, he got some kind of relief. The genie said, "If you wish water from this
well, you must first answer my questions." Hakim agrred as by now he was reaching an uncontrollable thirst.
The genie asked him, "What's the best drink in the world?" Hakim answered, "anything that quenches my thirst."
Then the genie asked another question, "What is the best food?" to which the poor man answered, "anything that can calm my
hunger." The genie continued, "What are the best clothes?" Hakim answered: "anything that can protect my decency." The genie
asked the last question, "Who is the most beautiful person that ever walked on earth?" Hakim answered, "Anyone belonging to
human race is the most beautiful person on earth."
The genie appreciated these answers an,d released the rope. The poor man was so relieved to drink the water that he was
surprised to hear the genie telling him to put his shoe down again. Hakim obeyed, and as he lifted the shoe from the well
he was astonished to see it filled up with gold coins. Again the genie asked him to lower his shoe and this time it was filled
up with precious stones: diamonds, rubies, emeralds, etc. and again the genie asked the poor man to throw his shoe in for
the last time. Hakim found it filled up with pearls. Then the genie told the poor man that everytime he wished for anything
else, he could come to the well to answer some other questions.
After expressing his gratitude to the genie, Hakim started immediately his journey back home to the city all the way
repeating, "Thanks Allah The Giver, Thanks Allah The Giver."
As Hakim was going back to his home, he met a wealthy dweller who lived in the city and who owned
a mansion.This man had just left his wife after an argument and he vowed not to live with her again, so he wanted eagerly
to sell his house with all his possessions in it as soon as possible. Hakim said he was interested. He bought the mansion
with the gold coins.
The poor man, who was no longer poor, ran home to his decrepit house and jubilantly told his wife of their new fortune.
Hakim left his house to the other poor families and went with his family to his new mansion where they were welcomed by servants
and other staff.
The first thing everyone did was to bathe in the luxurious hammam of the mansion. He was brought new clothing
like that of royalty. Even though Hakim realized his great fortune, his simple ways and ideas of life remained. On the morning
of Aid El Kabir, he sacrificed ten sheep and offered them to the poor people as prescribed by the Islamic religion.
Meanwhile, the shoemaker's boss and fellow workers were beginning to feel sorry for Hakim because they had
treated him so badly. They decided to take the parts of their sheep (feet, tail, tripe, head, organs and anything they wouldn't
like to eat) to the poor man and his family, knowing that he had no money to buy the sheep.
When the boss and other shoemakers reached the modest little home where they believed Hakim lived, they were told by
the neighbours that he had moved to his new mansion. The boss and the other workers found these words hard to believe, but
continued with their small gifts to the mansion. Upon arriving, they were greeted and received very graciously by Hakim who
had invited other friends to join him and his family in their feasting of Aid El Kabir. (Embarrassed by the organs they had
brought as gifts, they hid therir basket in some dark corner of the porch of the mansion in order to pick it up when they
left.) All partook of the wonderful mint tea, dainty cakes, gazelle's horns and the main courses of the banquet. As the shoemakers
ate, they could no longer hold back their questions. They asked Hakim how was he had become so wealthy overnight, and Hakim
told them all the truth about what had happened to him.
Later, the shoemakers excused themselves and thanked Hakim for such a nice feast. The men immediately went to the nearest
store and bought the largest bucket and strongest rope available and started their journey to the mountains that Hakim had
mentioned. When they finally arrived at the well, they were shaking in delight at the fortune waiting for them also.
As the men lowered their huge bucket into the well, the genie held the rope and asked the same questions
he had asked Hakim. But these men were so impressed by their idea of the rich life and appearances, so they tried to answer
with the most intelligent responses possible so as to please the genie. They finally agreed that:
" The finest drink surely was French champagne,
the best food must be bastela ( the delicately prepared squab pie made with
filo dough.)
the best clothes possible were made of silk and alpaca, and
the most beautiful person in the world should have been Cleopatra."
The genie was horrified with these answers and gave each man such a kick that they fell into a deep ditch. Stunned that
their answers had not satisfied the genie, the unhappy men started their way back to their homes after being warned by the
genie that they should never again come to him.
Meanwhile, the wise Hakim continued to live in his mansion modestly and when he needed anything, he would go to the well
and answer simply to the questions the genie asked him.
The life of his former fellows didn't change for the better. They continued their jobs in the shoeshop feeling jealousy
at the WISE MAN WHO LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
___________________________________________
THE WOODEN HORSE OF TROY
A long time ago, there was a war between the Greeks
(the people of Greece) and the people who lived in the ancient city of Troy. It started like this: A young Prince called Paris,
who was the son of the King of Troy, went to visit one of the kings of Greece. During the visit, he argued with the King and
then left Greece very quickly. The Greek king was so angry that he called together an army and followed the young Prince back
to Troy. He went to war against Troy because he wanted to find and kill Paris.This war lasted for ten years. Many of the bravest
young soldiers of both Greece and Troy fought each other and died in the battle.
The war finally ended when the Greek pretended to sail
back to Greece, leaving behind them outside the gates of Troy a huge wooden horse. Inside the body of the horse were Greek
soldiers hiding. The people of Troy believed the horse to be a present to one of their gods and took it back into their city.
They didn't have a single idea about what was inside.
That night, the soldiers quickly climbed out of the
wooden horse and opened the gates of Troy. The Greek army was waiting outside (they had come back at night). They entered
the city and killed many people of Troy. They also captured many soldiers and took them back to Greece. Finally, they burned
the city to the ground.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE LAST PHOTO
It is Saturday afternoon. Martin and his sister Pam are in
Cambridge for the day. They're looking at the beautiful old buildinbgs of this University City. Pam has a camera with her.
She likes taking photos and sometimes they're very good. But sometimes they're not very good and Martin laughs at them.
It's 5 o'clock. Pam and Martin are going home now. They're tired
after their long day. They're in the garden near the bus station. " Let's have a last photo of you," says Pam. "Oh, no, not
again," says Martin. "Come on!" says Pam. "It's the last one. I want to finish the film in my camera."
"Oh! all right," says Martin. He stands in front of the flowers. "Look at me,"
says Pam and takes a photo.
A man with a big rucksack on his back walks between Pam and Martin. "Oh no,"
says Pam. "Now I've got a picture of that man, not of you Martin."
The man looks at Pam. He's angry. He goes across the road without a word. "That
man isn't very nice, is he?" says Martin. "No," says Pam. "And that was the last picture on the film, too."
The man with a rucksack on his back goes into the bus station. He has got sunglasses
and a blue hat.
"Come on," says Martin. "Let's find our bus." They go into the bus station.
"Look!" says Martin. "There's that man again. He's getting into the bus. He's going to Aberdeen. That's in Scotland."
"Good," says Pam. "Far from here and far from me." She's angry with the man.
Three days later, on Tuesday, Pam has got her photos from the shop.
"Look at these," she says to Martin. "They're the photos of us in Cambridge."
"Oh, these are all very good," says Martin. "Look! it's that man with the rucksack."
In the photo, the man is in front of Martin. You cannot see Martin behind the man's rucksack. "Wait a minute," says Martin.
"I know that face. It's in the newspaper. Have you got it?"
"Today's paper?" says Pam. "Yes, it's here. Why?"
"Yes, here he is. Look at this picture," says Martin. Pam looks at the photo
in the paper."Who's that?" she asks. "It says in the paper his name's Alan Rook," says Martin. "And he works in a bank in
London. But on Monday morning -yesterday morning- no Alan Rook! The people at the bank don't know where he is. And they say
he's got a hundred thousand pounds with him. The police are looking for him, too." "But, is that the man in my photo?" asks
Pam. "He hasn't got a beard and he hasn't any hair." "Look at his ears. Look at his nose," says Martin. "It's him. I know
it is." Martin has an idea. He takes a pencil and starts to draw on the newspaper. "What are you doing?" asks Pam.
"Look," says Martin. "I'm putting dark glasses and a two-day beard on the man
in this photo. Now I'm drawing a hat on his head. See? Now look at the two pictures." "You're right," says Pam. "It's him.
It's Alan Rook." "Come on," says Martin. "Let's take these pictures to the police."
At the police station, Pam and Martin speak to a policeman. They put Pam's photo
and the newspaper on the table and they tell their story. "That's Alan Rook," says the policeman. "In Cambridge at 5 o'clock
on Saturday. The big question is -where's he now!?"
"We think we know. He's in Scotland, in Aberdeen," says Pam. "Or he's near there."
They tell the policeman about the man and the bus to Aberdeen. "He's got a rucksack and a tent on his back in the photo,"
says the policeman. "He's not living in a hotel.He's camping. If we're lucky, he's still in Scotland. I must make a phone
call." The policeman phones the police station in Aberdeen.
"Alan Rook's in Scotland," he says. "We think he's camping near Aberdeen. He's
got a short beard now."
The next day, the police in Aberdeen find Alan in a tent in the mountains
near Aberdeen. The money from the bank is in his rucksack.
The next morning Pam and Martin's story is in all the newspapers. There's
in Pam's photo of Alan Rook at the bus station. There's a picture of Martin and Pam, too. In the paper, it says: CAMERA
GIRL GETS PHOTO OF ROOK
POLICE IN ABERDEEN FIND BANK MONEY
The people at the bank are very happy. They give Pam and Martin
a thousand pounds.
"My last photo's a good one after all," laughs Pam. "Now I can buy a
very good new camera.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
