A story
Sindbad and the Island That Was a Whale (from One Thousand and One Nights)
In the city of Baghdad, by a wide and shining river, there lived a young man named Sindbad. Sindbad loved stories about the sea. He loved the smell of salt and the cry of seagulls. Every day, he walked down to the harbor to watch the big wooden ships come and go.
"One day," he told his friends, "I will sail across the ocean. I will see places no one in Baghdad has ever seen."
When Sindbad grew up, he saved his money and bought bales of cloth, jars of spices, and boxes of sweet dates. Then he joined a group of merchants on a fine ship with tall white sails. The captain was an old sailor with a snowy beard and a laugh like thunder.
"Welcome aboard, young Sindbad," said the captain. "The sea is a good friend, but she is full of surprises. Always keep your eyes open."
The ship sailed down the river and out into the great blue sea. The wind filled the sails. Dolphins jumped beside the ship. At night, the stars were so bright that Sindbad could see his own shadow on the deck. He traded his cloth and spices at busy ports, and he made many friends.
One sunny morning, after many days with no land in sight, a sailor shouted from the top of the mast, "Island ahead!"
Everyone ran to look. There, in the middle of the calm sea, was a small round island. It was covered with soft green grass and little white flowers. It had no trees and no hills. It was smooth and gently curved, like a giant bowl turned upside down.
"How lovely!" said the merchants. "Let us stop and stretch our legs."
The captain stroked his beard. "I have sailed these waters for forty years," he said slowly. "I do not remember this island." But the merchants were tired of the ship. They begged and begged, and at last the captain said, "Very well. But do not go far, and be ready to come back quickly."
The sailors dropped the anchor and lowered a small boat. Sindbad and his friends climbed onto the island. The grass was soft under their feet. It felt a little warm, like a sunny rock. The merchants spread out their blankets. Some took out bread and cheese. Some played a game of tag. Some lay down for a nap.
Sindbad was hungry, so he and a few friends took some dry sticks they had brought from the ship. They built a small cooking fire on the grass to make tea and warm some flatbread.
The fire crackled. The tea began to steam. And then, the ground moved.
At first, it was just a tiny wiggle. The teacups rattled. Then the whole island gave a big, slow rumble, like an enormous tummy.
"An earthquake!" cried a merchant.
Then, right next to their picnic, a fountain of water shot high into the air. Whoosh! It sprinkled down on everyone like rain.
From the ship, the captain was shouting and waving his arms. "Come back!" he called. "That is no island! It is a whale! A great sleeping whale! Your fire has tickled his back, and he is waking up!"
The merchants grabbed their things and ran for the little boat. Sindbad ran too. But just as he reached the edge of the island, the whale gave one more stretch. The grass slid, Sindbad slipped, and with a splash, he landed in the sea.
Sindbad came up spluttering. The whale was swimming slowly away, its giant tail rising out of the water. The little boat was far away, and the ship's sails were already filling with wind. The sailors had not seen him fall.
"Wait!" Sindbad shouted. But the wind carried his voice away.
Sindbad looked around. Floating nearby was a big wooden washtub that had tumbled off the island with the picnic things. He swam to it and climbed inside. He held on tight. All day, the waves rocked the tub up and down. Sindbad was wet, tired, and a little scared. But he did not give up.
At last, the waves carried him to a real island, with real trees and real sand. Sindbad crawled up onto the beach and fell asleep in the warm sun.
When he woke up, he heard music. He followed the sound through the trees and found a group of grooms brushing beautiful horses beside a meadow. They were very surprised to see a wet young man come out of the forest.
"Where did you come from?" they asked.
"I came from a whale," said Sindbad, and he told them his story.
The grooms laughed and laughed, but they were kind. They gave him dry clothes and warm soup. Then they took him to their King. The King loved stories, and he listened to every word of Sindbad's adventure. "You may stay here as my guest," he said, "until a ship comes that can take you home."
Sindbad stayed for many weeks. He helped at the harbor. He wrote down the names of every ship that came. And one day, a ship with tall white sails sailed into the harbor. Sindbad knew it at once. It was his own ship, with the old captain standing at the front!
The captain could not believe his eyes. "Sindbad!" he cried. "We thought we had lost you!" He hugged Sindbad so hard that his feet left the ground. And there, in the ship's hold, were Sindbad's own bales of cloth and jars of spices. The captain had kept them safe, hoping to give them to Sindbad's family.
Sindbad thanked the kind King and gave him a gift of his finest cloth. Then he sailed home to Baghdad.
On the long voyage home, whenever the ship passed an island, the merchants would turn to the captain. "Captain," they would ask, "is that a real island?"
And the captain would smile, look carefully, and say, "Let us watch for a while before we land."
Back in Baghdad, Sindbad told his story to everyone who would listen. And from then on, before he ever built a fire on a strange new shore, he always checked to make sure that the shore was not snoring.
"One day," he told his friends, "I will sail across the ocean. I will see places no one in Baghdad has ever seen."
When Sindbad grew up, he saved his money and bought bales of cloth, jars of spices, and boxes of sweet dates. Then he joined a group of merchants on a fine ship with tall white sails. The captain was an old sailor with a snowy beard and a laugh like thunder.
"Welcome aboard, young Sindbad," said the captain. "The sea is a good friend, but she is full of surprises. Always keep your eyes open."
The ship sailed down the river and out into the great blue sea. The wind filled the sails. Dolphins jumped beside the ship. At night, the stars were so bright that Sindbad could see his own shadow on the deck. He traded his cloth and spices at busy ports, and he made many friends.
One sunny morning, after many days with no land in sight, a sailor shouted from the top of the mast, "Island ahead!"
Everyone ran to look. There, in the middle of the calm sea, was a small round island. It was covered with soft green grass and little white flowers. It had no trees and no hills. It was smooth and gently curved, like a giant bowl turned upside down.
"How lovely!" said the merchants. "Let us stop and stretch our legs."
The captain stroked his beard. "I have sailed these waters for forty years," he said slowly. "I do not remember this island." But the merchants were tired of the ship. They begged and begged, and at last the captain said, "Very well. But do not go far, and be ready to come back quickly."
The sailors dropped the anchor and lowered a small boat. Sindbad and his friends climbed onto the island. The grass was soft under their feet. It felt a little warm, like a sunny rock. The merchants spread out their blankets. Some took out bread and cheese. Some played a game of tag. Some lay down for a nap.
Sindbad was hungry, so he and a few friends took some dry sticks they had brought from the ship. They built a small cooking fire on the grass to make tea and warm some flatbread.
The fire crackled. The tea began to steam. And then, the ground moved.
At first, it was just a tiny wiggle. The teacups rattled. Then the whole island gave a big, slow rumble, like an enormous tummy.
"An earthquake!" cried a merchant.
Then, right next to their picnic, a fountain of water shot high into the air. Whoosh! It sprinkled down on everyone like rain.
From the ship, the captain was shouting and waving his arms. "Come back!" he called. "That is no island! It is a whale! A great sleeping whale! Your fire has tickled his back, and he is waking up!"
The merchants grabbed their things and ran for the little boat. Sindbad ran too. But just as he reached the edge of the island, the whale gave one more stretch. The grass slid, Sindbad slipped, and with a splash, he landed in the sea.
Sindbad came up spluttering. The whale was swimming slowly away, its giant tail rising out of the water. The little boat was far away, and the ship's sails were already filling with wind. The sailors had not seen him fall.
"Wait!" Sindbad shouted. But the wind carried his voice away.
Sindbad looked around. Floating nearby was a big wooden washtub that had tumbled off the island with the picnic things. He swam to it and climbed inside. He held on tight. All day, the waves rocked the tub up and down. Sindbad was wet, tired, and a little scared. But he did not give up.
At last, the waves carried him to a real island, with real trees and real sand. Sindbad crawled up onto the beach and fell asleep in the warm sun.
When he woke up, he heard music. He followed the sound through the trees and found a group of grooms brushing beautiful horses beside a meadow. They were very surprised to see a wet young man come out of the forest.
"Where did you come from?" they asked.
"I came from a whale," said Sindbad, and he told them his story.
The grooms laughed and laughed, but they were kind. They gave him dry clothes and warm soup. Then they took him to their King. The King loved stories, and he listened to every word of Sindbad's adventure. "You may stay here as my guest," he said, "until a ship comes that can take you home."
Sindbad stayed for many weeks. He helped at the harbor. He wrote down the names of every ship that came. And one day, a ship with tall white sails sailed into the harbor. Sindbad knew it at once. It was his own ship, with the old captain standing at the front!
The captain could not believe his eyes. "Sindbad!" he cried. "We thought we had lost you!" He hugged Sindbad so hard that his feet left the ground. And there, in the ship's hold, were Sindbad's own bales of cloth and jars of spices. The captain had kept them safe, hoping to give them to Sindbad's family.
Sindbad thanked the kind King and gave him a gift of his finest cloth. Then he sailed home to Baghdad.
On the long voyage home, whenever the ship passed an island, the merchants would turn to the captain. "Captain," they would ask, "is that a real island?"
And the captain would smile, look carefully, and say, "Let us watch for a while before we land."
Back in Baghdad, Sindbad told his story to everyone who would listen. And from then on, before he ever built a fire on a strange new shore, he always checked to make sure that the shore was not snoring.
