Henry’s Shoes or Cindrella’s Shoes?

Author: Asmaa Emara

Illustrator: Hanan Taha Tabaq

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The original work of this book was made possible through the generous support of the All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GCD) Partners (the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Vision, and the Australian Government). It was prepared by Asafeer Education Technologies FZ LLC and does not necessarily reflect the views of the ACR GCD Partners. Any adaptation or translation of this work should not be considered an official ACR GCD translation and ACR GCD shall not be liable for any content or error in this translation.

Henry’s mother asked him to go sleep early, but the sound of the clock ticking drove him crazy.

Especially that little seconds hand. Why can’t it do it’s work quietly like the others?

What is Henry thinking of now?

He tried to take the seconds hand off, so he can sleep soundly until the morning.

But the seconds hand had another plan and wanted to teach him a lesson.

So…

Oh no! what’s going on! Is this a dream? The seconds hand pulled Henry towards him very hard. Did the seconds hand go mad? He’s kidnapping Henry vroooom!

“I’m kidnapping you so that you can learn the importance of the seconds hand.” said the seconds hand. Henry knew he was looking at an Egyptian obelisk. It looked exactly like the one he saw in history books.

Finally, the second hand spoke, “This is the sundial, the first clock humanity ever knew.”

This one belonged to the Pharaoh Amenhotep the first. The ancient Egyptians were the first to design if from rocks.

And after a little while...

All of the sudden, spearmen surrounded them. Just a second before they could spear them, the seconds hand grabbed Henry and left.

Where will they go next? Vroom

Henry found himself standing in the middle of a dark room. The seconds hand said, “Look, isn’t this a candle clock?”

“The candle is marked so the range between each indent is burned in

exactly twenty minutes.”

And all of the sudden…

The ground shook and shivered. It was and earthquake! Henry’s knees trembled.

A huge crack in the ground appeared. It grew wider and wider and was heading towards them. They were doomed.

And just a second before they fell into the crack, the seconds hand grabbed Henry.

Where will they go this time?

Vroom.

The seconds hand said, “This is the first hydraulic clock that works using mercury and gears.”

In a glimpse, a hydraulic piston was heading down their way. It was about to crush them, but seconds hand pulled his friend Henry just a second before they would have been crushed.

Vrooom… but…

The seconds hand said, “We’re inside Elizabeth’s clock tower or Big Ben, the most famous clock in the world.”

Henry skipped happily from gear to gear till his shoe

laces were stuck between two gears.

He couldn’t move. He tried to take the lace away, but he couldn’t. And in a flash of light…

They heard the clock

pendulum falling towards them. It was about to smash them. The ticks of the clock were so loud. The seconds

hand yelled, “Hurry up, take your shoes off. We don’t have any time!”

And just a second before the pendulum smashed into them, the seconds hand pulled his friend Henry.

Vrooooom.

Henry said, “The pendulum would have smashed us, if we waited just one more

second.”

Suddenly he realized the worth of a second,

he smiled assuredly at the seconds hand:

“Let me put you back where you belong.”

After fixing the seconds hand in it;s place

Henry remembered he didn’t know what

to tell his mother about where his shoe went.

The seconds hand winked at him and said, “Maybe it’s in the same place where socks go missing.”

Then he heard his mum calling.

Did she realize that Henry was not there?

Did she hear him talk ing with his friend?

She called him to tell him the breaking news she just saw on TV.

The British parliament announced that Big Ben has stopped for the first time in a hundred and fifty-eight years.

Henry’s face looked pale, and prayed they wouldn’t find his shoes, or else they’ll search for the boy with the right foot size, and his story will be told just like Cinderella’s.

THE END