Once upon a time there was a little girl named Rebecca. She loved her grandfather very much. Usually, children had to travel long distances to reach their grandparents’ homes, but Rebecca was very lucky because her grandfather and grandmother’s house was in the same village where she lived. The school bus even dropped her off at her grandfather’s house every day, and she would stay there until her mother returned from work. ...
One day, a family lived in the attic of a large green house. It was not a human family but a family of mice. They were very proud of themselves, as they were never ordinary mice and were always thinking of ways to improve their situation. They were always suggesting ideas for work, but the ideas were all they had—just ideas. Until one of them came and said, “The human couple has invited guests to dinner. You know what that means—we’ll have leftovers. But we must plan. Remember that humans are large creatures and can catch us.” Then he said, “I’ll hide behind the refrigerator until dark, and then I’ll signal you so you can come out.” The mouse left with another mouse. While walking, he told him about an idea from a mouse named Jerry. He said, “Jerry spoke with us about declaring war on humans. We will own the entire planet. I’m sure he has an idea.” ...
It is told that there was once a great emperor who ruled a vast land, a kingdom that stretched far and wide. This emperor possessed every means of happiness and comfort, yet despite all this, he was not happy. He had no friends—not because of any cruelty or harshness in his dealings with others, but rather because of his majesty. Everyone feared him, including his ministers and closest advisors. No one could confide any secret to the emperor, who remained alone, suffering from deep sorrow. He did not know what to do or how to escape this state, until he thought to himself: “People keep their distance from me because they know I am the emperor. But if I want to have a friend, I must hide that from them.” ...
After years of working not successful there was a merchant who liked his luck, and one time while he was walking with his donkey and taking with him what was annoying him, when the donkey’s wife knew that the merchant was very beautiful of faces and great of wealth, he became very jealous and went out of him very surprisingly strangely of a variety of donkeys and mules and chickens with some of them on some of them, and there was among them a donkey with green color and the other one red, and in every donkey there was some strange faces, each of them with the color of its donkeys, and he said to the walking, “Calm down, I have faced some of the hard things when I was with donkeys, so he is very patient under what he faces and gave the donkeys to him, so the merchant became angry at what but the walking comforted him that these donkeys are donkeys of the donkeys. ...
On a beautiful sunny morning, Raneem woke up early and began getting ready for her first day of school. As her mother brushed her hair, she said, “You’ve grown up, Raneem… you are going to school now.” Raneem and School: Raneem asked, “Will you stay with me at school the whole time, Mama?” Mama replied, “I will stay with you for a little while, my love, and then I will come back to take you home.” In the kitchen, while eating her breakfast, Raneem said, “Mama, what if I help you with the housework today instead of going to school?” ...
Shams Rawi, or Red James, woke up one night to a great noise coming from the kitchen. He crept quietly and stuck his head through the door. He saw six old women gathered around the stove fire, joking and laughing. He saw his elderly housekeeper, Midj, distributing cups of drink with the help of her sister, Krunz, and she was in extreme joy and cheerfulness! The Housekeeper and Her Witch Companions: He was surprised by his servant’s boldness in inviting those elderly women, especially after she left beside his bed hot milky drink mixed with alcohol as a treatment for the cold attack he had suffered from, which he drank before falling asleep. It seemed she had pinned her hopes on the effect of that drink in making her master a forgiving, mute, deaf person about the noise of her witch companions and their fun, thinking he would soon teach them a lesson in manners with the end of the broom, which he wanted to do, but he controlled his nerves with difficulty. ...
That night was stormy, and the three small girls in their captivity—tree branches clapping and the wind whistling—did not feel cold, for the room was warm and the floor was soft woolen. The mother, who liked to recount her grandmother’s stories on such a night, said: Once upon a time in ancient times. The eldest interrupted her: We know the story. There were three girls who secluded themselves until they ate. The mother returned, sighing: No, this is not the story. The middle one said: Three girls work in the Sultan’s palace, and the small one’s name is Love of the Romans. The mother laughed and said: Rather, the middle one whose name is Love of the Romans is the one who deliberately and intentionally threw the thimble into the water. ...
The sun rose at the beginning of a new day in my life. God had begun to grant me the treasure of the twenty-four hours. But I found myself grieving somewhat, so I spent this day at home and did not go to school. Visit to the Grandmother and Grandfather: For I lived with my grandfather and my grandmother. I went to them to reassure myself about my sick grandfather. He was every day sleeping on the bed, wandering in thought. He would repeat my name: when would I become and when would I sleep? He loved me intensely. ...
Samr entered upon her father and saw him sitting at a table reading in a book. She approached him, asking: “Father, will you take me to the public park today? The weather is beautiful and the scenery is charming.” Her father looked at his little daughter smilingly and said: “I will take you, O my little sparrow. Wait a little until I finish reading the remaining page.” Samr rejoiced and began to contemplate the things upon the table. She saw white papers and a red wax candle, pens placed in a wooden box, and a small earth globe whose blue surface she was touching, mounted on a metal base. ...
One day there was a great king named Sharīf, and he had two sons. The older was named Rafīq and the younger ʿAdil. When the king died, Rafīq became the new king. The King and the Sorceress: On the first night of his kingship, he requested of the soothsayers to bring him all the sorceresses in the lands and ask them what would happen to his kingdom if the neighboring kingdoms waged war against him and seized its throne. One of the strongest sorceresses of the lands answered and said: “Your people will hate you and strive to kill your elder brother.” All the other sorceresses agreed with her according to their magic. ...