Hind was a small girl, the youngest in the family. She was much younger than her brothers, and younger than her sister, and younger than her mother, and much, much younger than her father. Everyone loved her and pampered her because she was small. But Hind used to think that as long as she was small and did not do what adults did, she was not important.
One day, the family decided - the father, the mother, the older brother, and the older sister - to eat fish. Her older sister said: “Lemon tastes always good with fish. I will go to the market and buy vegetables for the lemon sauce.”
So Hind said immediately: “I will go with you to the market to buy vegetables for the lemon sauce.” But her sister said: “No, oh Hind. I am afraid that I will be busy with cooking, and you will get lost from me in the market among the crowds. You are still small.”
Hind became angry and fell silent, saying to herself: “I am small and not important like my sister. I cannot handle the vegetable ingredients, and after a little while, the older brother said: “But I will go and catch the fish.” Hind smiled and said: “Then I will come with you and catch the fish.”
So her older brother said to her: “No, oh Hind. I will be busy with cooking the fish, and I am afraid that you will fall into the water and get lost from me. You are still small.” Hind remained silent, feeling sad, saying to herself: “Because I am small, my sister will not take me with her to the market, and my brother will not take me with him to fish. So I am not important like them.”
After a little while, the mother said: “I need to bake bread.” Hind hastened and said: “Mother, is it possible that I help you and bake the bread with you?” Her mother patted her on her shoulder and said: “No, my darling. I am afraid for you from the oven’s fire, and I will be busy with you in baking the bread. You are still small.”
Hind moved away, left alone, saying to herself: “I am small and not important. I cannot do anything. I cannot handle the vegetable ingredients, I cannot catch the fish, and I cannot even bake bread.” Then she stood, stretched her arms, and said to herself: “Adults can do many things, so they are important. But I am useless. I am not important, and I cannot do anything.”
When her father saw Hind, looking sad with anger appearing on her, he smiled and said to her: “What if we go to buy watermelons and lemons together?” Hind jumped happily and said: “Let’s go!” Her father carried her between his hands, and they went together to buy watermelons and lemons. When the father bought the watermelon, he saw that his hands were busy carrying his beautiful daughter, so he stretched his hand to her with the watermelon and said: “Is it possible that you carry the watermelon with your hand?”
So Hind took the watermelon from her father and carried it with her hand. Then the father bought the lemons and asked her to carry them, so she put them in her pockets. Then the two of them returned to the house. The brother returned with the fish, the mother cleaned it, and the sister prepared the lemon sauce and was pleased with herself.
Then everyone sat at the table to eat the delicious fish. The brother said: “But where are the watermelon and lemons?” Hind said in astonishment: “They are with me. I brought them with my father, carried the watermelon with my hand, and put the lemons in my pockets.”
The brother smiled, took the lemons from her and sprinkled them on the fish sauce, and they ate together a delicious meal. Hind said to herself: “I am important, for I carried the watermelon and the lemons, and without them they would not eat the fish.”