TALES FROM MY GRANDMOTHER’S MAGICAL QUERNSTONE
No Matter What You Do, They Will Always Nag
My name is Ali. My father’s name is
Nasruddin. My donkey’s name is Sesame. My father has his own donkey; he
permanently takes it and set on long journeys. He is a famous tradesman. And
this is my story.
I had always dreamt to go on a trip with my
dad, and above all on the back of his donkey. My father was a famous merchant.
He travelled for weeks and months. One day, his donkey passed away, so he
decided to take mine. I begged him to take me with him this time for I had
never imagined Sesame to be away from me. He was so nice and loveable. He was
not like the other donkeys, dirty and repulsive. Mine, on the opposite, was
clean and smart. I always washed and took care of him.
When my father heard me say I wanted to
travel with him, he said, “You know travelling is not so that easy. It’s
strenuous and tiring. Time and distance are real obstacles. Not to talk about
people, that’s another issue.”
“I know, daddy! Mummy has already told me
about it whenever you go on a journey. I’m already 7 years old, and you can
count on me.”
“If you are ready, then prepare yourself.
We’re leaving too early tomorrow morning.”
That night I spent the whole night counting
the hours to fly to accompany my father on this adventurous journey to Baghdad.
I really didn’t know how I fell asleep in spite of the torrential ideas
whirling like tornados inside my mind.
Early in the morning, after we performed
our dawn prayers, we set off for Baghdad. After a hard journey, sometimes
getting on Sesame, and sometimes walking and pulling the harness to give him
certain time to rest, we finally arrived in the city of Baghdad, which is a
very big city.
Whenever I heard Baghdad, stories of
Aladdin and the 40 thieves, Sinbad, Shahryar and Shahrazad jumped into my mind.
Baghdad with its bazars- spices, soft, colourful saris, jewels, emeralds,
dates, incense…The grandeur of its mosques precedes its booming reputations.
Recollecting all the splendours of the City
I had in mind was broken by the sound of mocking laughter of a group of people
who saw us walking while my father was pulling Sesame’s harness.
“How stupid these strangers are. God created donkeys for us to ride, and they are walking,” said one of them mockingly.
As we went a little far from them, my father helped me get on Sesame while he kept on walking. Suddenly, two men looked at us as we passed, and one of them shouted at me,
“How dare you disobedient son! Aren’t you
ashamed of yourself? You are on the back of the donkey like a prince or a king,
and your poor father is pulling the harness like a slave! What generation is
this?”
Shocked and puzzled, I said to my father,
“Am I really disobedient, Dad?”
My father looked at me smiling and said,
“Don’t care about them. You seem you will be learning one of the most important
lessons in your life.”
Then, he helped me get off Sesame and he got on it letting me pull the harness. I felt proud doing this. This was the first time Dad got on Sesame. That was absolutely historical!
No sooner had we gone for a few metres than
we heard someone shout, not at me this times, but at my father.
“Are you crazy, man? Aren’t you ashamed of
yourself? What a stone-hearted man you are to let that pauper boy walk while
you, ruthless man, are enjoying the seat!
Not aware of what was happening, my father
asked me to stop, gave me his hand, and helped me got behind him after I had
passed the harness to him. We kept going hoping no one would nag again. But it
seemed we were dreaming.
A group of people ahead saw us both on
Sesame and started bombarding us as if we were criminals.
“What cruel creatures you are! Look at that
poor donkey! Surely, he is suffering so much the burden of your heartless
weight.”
As we went away, they still kept nagging
and nagging. Suddenly, my father got off Sesame; he helped me get off, too.
Then, surprisingly, he asked me to help him carry Sesame on our shoulders.
After that, we walked through the City, Sesame, like a king, on our shoulders.
Scarcely had we passed by a group of
people, when they burst into hysterical laughter. Some of them even fell onto
the ground soaked in the dirt as donkeys do when they feel something itching
their harsh skin. One of them, holding his laughter, said,
“Look at these google, doodle guys. Instead
of getting on the donkey, hah hah hah, look! The donkey is getting on them, hah
hah hah!”
We did not feel at ease until we got far
away from the city of Baghdad. My father told me we were to put down Sesame.
Both of us got tired. He was a heavy burden for both of us. My father gave me a
gourd to drink some water and then it was his turn to drink some. We continued
walking, Sesame following us until we got onto a hill. My father stopped.
He looked at Baghdad and then he looked at
me and said with a broad smile on his face,
“No matter what you do, people will always
find a flaw to nag about! Remember to do what you believe is right, and forget
about people’s never ending remarks.”
This was indeed the biggest lesson I had
ever had in my life.
The End
Blueprint:
The main characters, Ali, his father Nasruddin, and
their donkeys, Sesame and the father's donkey. Ali wants to go on a trip with
his father and his donkey, Sesame.
The father takes Sesame on his trip, and Ali begs to
come along. The father agrees reluctantly and warns Ali about the difficulties
of travelling.
They arrive in Baghdad, and Ali is excited about the
sights and sounds of the city.
They encounter some people who mock them for walking
instead of riding the donkey. Then, they encounter others who criticize the
father for riding the donkey while his son walks.
The father allows Ali to ride the donkey while he
walks, but then they criticize again the son for being disobedient.
Then, when they both ride the donkey, they are
criticized for being cruel to the animal.
They carry Sesame on their shoulders to avoid further
criticism, but they are still ridiculed.
They finally leave Baghdad and stop to rest on a hill.
The father looks out over the city and says to Ali, “No matter what you do, people
will always nag.”
The moral of the story:
"No matter what you do, people will always keep nagging. So, do what you think is right, and don't worry about what others say."