Pomegranate Melody

 Written by: Wajiha Sayar

First Lane:

Faisal and Osman are playing with their cat in the alley. Peddler comes with his rabbit and they welcome him.

Osman asks about their gifts. Rabbit says that she likes cats too and then she tells a melody about the pomegranate. The children like the melody. Peddler and rabbit go to the next lane.

Second Lane:

Shafiq, Nooria and some other children are laughing in the lane. Peddler and rabbit also joint them. Peddler asks them about their laughing. Shafiq says that Nooria told them a joke. Rabbit asks Nooria to tell the joke to them too. Nooria says, “A boy showed a foot of an animal and he asked the other boys to tell the name of the animal. The second boy said that he doesn’t know. The first boy asked his name. The second boy showed her foot and asked him if he knows his name from his foot.”

Peddler likes the joke. Children ask the peddler to give their gifts.

Peddler brings out a picture from his bag and asks them what they could see in it.

Nooria says that there are four trees in the picture. One tree has blossomed; the second has fruits; the leaves of the third tree are yellow and the last tree is covered with snow.

Peddler asks again that what else they could find in the picture. Shafiq says that he could see nothing more. The rabbit asks them how many seasons could they see in the picture. Nooria says that she could see four seasons in the picture. Peddler asks about the first season of the year. Nooria replies that in the first season trees blossom. Rabbit says that the second season is summer in which the trees yield fruits. Shafiq says that the third season is autumn and the color of leaves changes into yellow. Nooria says that winter is the last season of the year and it snows or rains in most of the country in this season.

Peddler appreciates them and he goes to the other lane.

Third Lane:

Zarif and Qaseem repeat the previous part of the story to each other and say that in the previous partm, Hameeda went home and told the whole story to her mother and what Naseer told her. Her mother appreciated Naseer for not giving the necklace to her. A few days later Naseer toke his flock of sheep again to the pasture and when he was coming back home, he saw that one of his sheep is missing from the flock and he could not find it and went back home.

The next day, Naseer went to the pasture again to find his sheep but he did not succeed. He sadly sat beside a big stone.

Meanwhile, his sister, Hameeda arrived at the pasture. Naseer saw the necklace in Hameeda’s neck and he became angry with her and asked her why she had worn the necklace.

Hameeda said that when she was coming to the pasture, a man saw the necklace and said that it belongs to a fairy but she ran away from him.

Hameeda wanted Naseer to go with her back home. When they wanted to go, they heard the bleating of the sheep from a cave. Naseer and Hameeda entered into the cave. Hameeda was afraid of the darkness of the cave and asked Naseer to go back but a terrible voice told them that no one could go out from the cave.”

Peddler comes with the Golden Wing fairy and the fairy tells them a new part of the story.

The Lost Necklace: part four

The terrible voice was of the giant and wanted them toward himself. Nasir took the necklace from Hameeda’s neck and put it in his pocket. The giant took them to a room. There was a nice fairy in the room. The giant said to the fairy that this brother and sister would perform his house chores. Hameeda and Naseer were crying and wanted water. The fairy asked them not to cry and added that when the giant went away, she would tell about her story to them. The fairy asked about their story. Naseer told that he lost her sheep and the giant captured them. The fairy told them that she was also a girl and she lost her magic necklace. She added that if she has it with her, the giant could not arrest her.

Naseer showed the necklace to the fairy. The fairy became happy and wanted to Naseer to give it to her. Hameeda prevented Naseer and asked the fairy that if this is a magic necklace, then why they are in the cave.

The fairy replied that the necklace only works in her neck. Naseer wore the necklace in the fairy’s neck. Suddenly the cave became shining and the spell ended and they left it. The fairy wanted to give the necklace back to Naseer but Naseer said that he wanted to give the necklace back to its owner. Naseer took his sheep with him and they all went back happily toward their homes.