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Outside, a strong wind blew, and the cypress trees swayed north and south, almost hitting each other. On the clothesline in the neighboring building, the clothes’ sleeves danced with the wind. After the shift ended, the boys gathered at the club. Badr put his face on the window glass, looked outside, and said, “This is exactly the right time to build a kite.” The guide Suad said, “We will build a big kite at home.” Badr said, “You will see tomorrow the beautiful kite we will bring.” Ahlam said, “Yes, yes. I, Ali, Majid, and Fadi are friends and neighbors. We will prepare a big kite at home and bring it tomorrow to the club.” The guide said, “Good. If the wind continues to blow tomorrow, we will all go out to fly the kite.” ...

One of the kings had an intelligent son named Sa’id. The king’s happiest moments were those when he sat with his son and told him about the heroism of his soldiers and his courage. The prince would spend hours listening to his father. He would be very annoyed if anyone interrupted these pleasant sessions with his father the king. But the king’s burdens were many, so he had to meet his soldiers and officers to ensure the kingdom’s affairs were in order. The king always advised his son and said to him, “You must have friends, O Sa’id.” Sa’id asked him one day, “How do I choose my true friend, Father?” His father said to him, “You must test the one you befriend to be sure of his love and sincerity toward you. There is a funny test you can do. ...

Our Arab folk heritage abounds with many grandmothers’ stories that they used to tell us when we were small children. Among those folk stories is the story of the Locust and the Bird from our brotherly Tunisian heritage. Zahra was staying at her grandmother’s house for several consecutive days. During the period she stayed, she would go out every day to water the flowers in the backyard garden. One day, she saw a shiny green locust standing on one of the flowers. She kept contemplating it until her grandmother came, grabbed the locust with her hands, and said to the children, “Here is the bird’s wife, oh children.” The boys cheered a lot, but Zahra asked her grandmother to tell her the story. ...

In winter, a small wind blew over the sea. The wind looked around and saw a vast expanse. It was confused and felt alone. What a worse feeling than loneliness! But alas, when the wind turned a second time, from afar it saw a gray cloud. The Friendship of the Cloud and the Wind: The cloud approached the wind and said to her, “I carry a lot of water. Push me so I can reach the earth.” The wind agreed immediately and pushed the cloud until we reached the shore. Around the shore were fields, houses, and villages. The cloud said, “Thank you, my friend the wind. Leave me now to let down the rain.” ...

It is told that in the small village, three days passed during which the children did not see their friend the donkey Zurayf! They told the village crier. The crier went around the village and announced, “O people of the village, O people of the village, gather, gather! Who among you has seen Zurayf or heard anything about him, tell the children, and whoever does that has a great reward with the Creator, the Exalted!” ...

No matter how painful reality is, there is always a ring of salvation called hope. In the midst of crises, graces come to us that make the sun rise again after the darkness and gloom of the moon. It is told that near a beautiful lake in western India, there was a beautiful house on the lake’s shore. A small boy lived there with his elderly mother named Ayoubi. On a hot summer day, Ayoub decided to go to the lake behind the house and swim, for the water was beautiful and cold. ...

Laziness is a blameworthy trait. Our true religion has warned us against it and asked us to be active Muslims, for activity is part of hard work. We are required to work hard, continuously, and at a high level so that our Arab nations can rise, advance, and compete with other nations in progress, science, and elevation. But did Filfil realize all these matters? On the morning of one of the bright days, the teacher Sumaya went to her school to meet her dear children, the male and female students, and give them their lessons as they were all accustomed. The students were waiting for her lessons with great enthusiasm, for she was accustomed to telling them a story containing many, many lessons and morals. As soon as she entered the classroom, the students cheered and smiled at her. ...

Once, there was a cloth merchant who lived in a beautiful Indian village with his wife and two young children. They were well-off and lived a very comfortable life, for they owned a remarkable hen that laid an egg every single day. However, it wasn’t just an ordinary egg—it was a precious golden one. Despite this blessing, the man was not satisfied with receiving only one egg a day; he grew greedy for more. ...

One summer night, the Sultan went out to stroll through the city after feeling some sudden distress. He shouted at one of his guards to bring his chief to go out on a tour with him. This Sultan was accustomed to strolling through the city from time to time in disguise. As soon as his guard chief met him, the Sultan began, saying, “Come, let’s go out for a walk; I feel distressed.” His guard chief agreed and went out with him, strolling among the city streets. ...

The window in my room overlooks the garden. Every morning, a bird’s voice comes to me singing, so I wake up early, get up, and open the window. The dim morning light and its humid air enter. I remain for moments to gaze through the window and enjoy the beautiful bird’s singing. The bird was singing lightly among the almond tree branches and was happy with the beginning of the day. I was happy with his company, optimistic when seeing him flying. ...