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The Evening Storyteller

Author: Yamam Khartesh

Ilustrator: Alia Ali

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.

How could that possibly be! Could Noura rest in bed for three whole weeks?! Noura was an enthusiastic, lively girl. She can’t stop moving around. Wherever there was life, there was Noura.

“She suffers from a fracture in the leg, she needs a cast and lots of rest in bed.” The doctor’s words were just as painful as the fracture itself for Noura. How will she spend all that time in bed!

The days started passing like months until one day something happened and everything changed. Her mom’s friend Jane visited her. She brought her a lovely flower bouquet and an ele-gant gift.

She did not stay for long. She wished Noura to get well soon and left.

As she unwrapped the gift, Noura murmured, “I wonder what this elegant wrap is hid-ing?”

“The Evening Storyteller, what an interesting title! I wonder if it’s as interesting as it looks.”

The book wasn’t only interesting. It was charming in every single detail. It took her to places she never went and told her stories about people from all around the world.

The three weeks passed in no time. Noura looked at the name of the author and said, “He’s such a wonderful person. How could I thank him?”

She smiled and said, “I know how, I’ll write him a thank you card.”

She chose an elegant card and wrote thoughtful words about how much the book meant to her.

She placed the card in the book and went to bed.

The card jumped out and thought about the words that Noura wrote, then it went through the pages of the book. “Oh no!” sighed the card, as she read that the author died twenty years ago.

Noura will be sad to hear that she couldn’t thank him. How can I help her?!

The card thought and thought…

What if I flew as quick as lightning against the earth’s orbit! Maybe then I can go to that time!

The big book of geography couldn’t hold himself anymore. He burst into laughter after it heard what the card murmured until it fell on the floor.

Geography

Then he sat and said, “The largest distance between a point and another on earth is only one day; that is twenty-four hours and you want to travel twenty years backwards; that’s twenty years!”

Geography

The card said.... “You’re making fun of me! Well, do you know that I’m trying to do an act of kindness and nobility?” The card lowered her head and said, “I wish I could fold time just as people fold paper…” The great Physics reference woke up after all the noise the big book of geogra-phy and the card were making. He put on his glasses and said, “I thought I heard some-one saying they would like to fold time!”

Geography

physics

The big book of geography pointed at the card and said as he laughed, “poor thing, it thinks it can travel a few years back in time.” The great Physics reference seriously said, “Science my friend, makes anything possible. Can you please give me one of your pages to explain?”

physics

The reference spread the paper and said, “This paper represents the life we’re living in-cluding time and place”. Then he drew a point on the right side of the paper and said, “This is the point where the author lived.” Then he drew another point on the left side of the paper and said, “And Noura lives here.”

physics

Geography

The point where the author lived, still exists but we can’t recognize it or see it anymore. Then he folded the paper and inserted a pencil from the point on the left side to the point on the right side. He smiled and said, “See how we moved from a place to a place and from time to time! The big book of Geography laughed and said, “And how will we pluck this hole to reach the time the author lived? Don’t tell me with your pencil.”

Geography

The great Physics reference contemplated the sky from beyond the window for a few moments and said, “The holes are already there in space… They’re black holes that are caused by celestial bodies with highly intense gravity. All what you have to do is to travel in mighty speed to these black holes and pass through them. Then you’ll find yourself somewhere else in another time. But before the card left…

They all heard a deep voice coming from the library saying,

What if it passed through the black hole to find itself on the back of a dinosaur?

They all looked towards the voice…

physics

physics

Volume two of the great Physics reference stretched its arms as it yawned and said, “How would you know that she’ll travel for twenty years only not sixty million years for example!”

physics

They were all confused and started staring at each other. Then the card said, “It seems that travelling back in time is crazy.” The book patted it on the shoulder and said, “No it’s not crazy. You know what…”The card’s face glowed with hope as the book continued…

physics

physics

Geography

“When you reach the black hole don’t pass through it. All what you have to do is to move around it, then come back.” The big book of Geography was astonished and said, “What’s the benefit of doing this?” Volume two replied, “When she arrives I’ll tell you what will happen next.” The card trusted Volume two, and blasted off as fast as lightning to the nearest black hole after it installed a transmitter.

She rotated and rotated. Then she said, “Hello hello can you hear me, over? The book finally heard the signal and said, “Yes I hear you clearly, over...” The card yelled, “The black hole is making me rotate in maximum speeeed. It’s craaaazy.”

Volume two yelled, “Great, this is what we want. Maximum speed means a very short time and for us, time decreases and decreases the more you move and rotate.” The great Physics reference said, “That’s right there is an inverse proportion between speed and time.” They observed the time the card spent there and yelled, “You’ve spent one hour now, now one minute, what’s that?”

physics

physics

Geography

The big book of Geography said, “Oh my goodness, she’s travelling back in time.”The card yelled, “I can hardly say anything.” The great physics reference said, “You can do it. Don’t stop. You’re doing a great job.” After you rotate for ten minutes you’d have travelled ten years backwards according to our time. After a few moments, the book yelled… “Now come back!” The card returned and landed on earth but…

physics

It landed in another city, and wondered, “Did I really go to the time of the author?”

It wasn’t easy to find the author’s address. When it finally found it checked and said,

“Yay, It seems that I’ve done it”

The author had just finished writing the book. He was thinking of the dedication.

Suddenly the card, landed on his desk. He was astonished to see the card, so he smiled and wrote something on the first page of the book.

Noura woke up next morning. She searched for the card between the pages but she couldn’t find it. She decided that she wanted to re-read the book because it was so lovely. She opened to the first page again and read. Her eyes were wide open as she gazed and said

“This is impossible!”

Dedication

To her, whom my book cheered her up and accompanied her during her loneliness until she recovered.

To Noura.

THE

END