The Youngsters' Corner

After Sheikh Tamar came back from his far journey to the land of China and told me of the sights he had seen — which I related to you, my little dears, last month — he left me and vanished quickly among the oak trees, making for his pretty hut in the middle of the green forest known as the Forest of the Golden Nightingale.

On the morning of one fine day I went with my little companions for an outing on the edges of the Forest of the Golden Nightingale, where we played and danced and swam in Squirrel Lake until it grew late in the afternoon. Then we gathered up our things and wanted to return to the village — when behold, we saw a herd of gazelles drawing near the lake, each one of them carrying a piece of clothing, and they began washing them in the water of the lake. When I looked closely at the clothes, I knew they were the clothes of Sheikh Tamar which we were used to seeing on him whenever he visited us in the outskirts of the village. We were astonished at this sight, and I began to feel that the presence of Tamar's clothes with the gazelles, washing them in Squirrel Lake, meant that our friend the Sheikh must be unable to leave his hut; perhaps he was ill and could not wash his clothes. And perhaps he had met with a dangerous accident that had laid him low on his bed. At once I asked my little companions to go back to the village, and I told them that I would watch the gazelles and discover the place they would go after they finished washing the clothes, so that I might reach Uncle Tamar's hut and learn the reason that had made me anxious about the health of our charming friend.

My little companions were delighted with this idea and said to me: "Go, Nono, in God's keeping; as for us, we shall return to the village before sunset and tell all the

children of your absence." And my child companions did not leave me alone, but asked Dandan to accompany me on my journey through the forests to discover Uncle Tamar's hut. This Dandan is the eldest of us, strong of body and brave; he loves children and always accompanies them on their outings and helps them keep order.

Dandan and I stayed near the lake watching the gazelles until they had finished washing the clothes and wrung them out and spread them on their horns, and walked off among the trees and the green grasses, sorrow plain on their faces and tears falling from their sweet black eyes.