The

wooden triangle

Author: Alaa Alyan

Illustrator: Maya Abood

3asafeer.com

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.

We ran and played after school, we raced with our friends to see who will reach our favorite playing yard first. Although everyone warned us about playing there, we still went every day.

In our village, “Happy Train Village,” a train passes every hour. When the train comes. Everyone stops. As usual, we were playing when the train approached. It went chuga chuga choo choo. When we all stopped playing.

and suddenly,

We heard a crash… .and the dust filled the place.

We went to see what happened and discovered that it was a big parcel that fell from the train.

Flash said, “It’s a parcel for the museum” Fred said, “It must be

important and precious.” I enthusiastically said, “we have to take it to the museum now.”

We tried to carry it, then we tried to push it… one two three…go, but it only moved a few centimenters.

After several times, we sat to catch our breath and and to think about an- other way to move the parcel .

Fred said, “The closest help we can get is from the country, if we go and come back again, the parcel will have been destroyed by the time we come back.”

Then, I remembered my father’s tool set that he got me a day ago.

We searched through the tools, for we might find something to help us, then…

Fred enthusiastically said, “Here I found something that might help.” He got a rope and a bobbin. Then, he placed it on Flash’s crane. I tied the rope to the parcel then…

We started pulling. Fred said, the bobbin will help us,

they raised the parcel upwards and upwards then

Trimmmm the rope was cut.

We stared at the parcel. Flash started moving around it until glimpsed something on Flash’s locomotive.

I jumped from my place and shouted, “this log may help us.”

We placed the log diagonally on Flash’s locomotive and we pushed the parcel. The parcel started moving on the surface of the log. Two more pushes till the top but…

At the top, the parcel started moving upside down and it turned and turned until it reached the railway again.

We all said in one said voice, “No way, the next train will sure destroy the parcel.”

We kept silent after that, until I got an idea.

I got a wooden triangle from the box.

I pulled the surface and put the triangle under it right in the middle. It looked exactly like a seesaw. I pushed the parcel away and away.

And what will you do with the tringle, smart?

Flash and Fred screamed, “Move away John.” John said, “I only need one more push.” Fear appeared on everyone’s faces.

Then, Flash ran as fast as he could and pushed with me one more time. The parcel became on the edge of the log and jumped on the other side.

then .... The parcel flew up in the air and ended up on Fred’s back.

Then, we ran as fast as we can to deliver the parcel.

The next morning the sheriff rewarded us for what we did. We were so proud.

but I’ll tell you something. We have stopped playing next to railway since that day.

The End