A story
Sindbad and the Valley of the Great Roc (from One Thousand and One Nights)
After his first voyage, Sindbad stayed home in Baghdad for a whole year. He told stories, ate sweet dates, and watered the lemon trees in his garden. But soon he began to look at the river again. He began to listen to the seagulls. His feet itched to travel.
"One more voyage," he told his mother. "Just one more."
So Sindbad packed his bags and joined a ship full of merchants. They sailed for many days. They stopped at islands with pink sand and islands with tall green palms. One afternoon, they came to a quiet island with a stream of fresh water and trees full of ripe fruit.
"Let us rest here for a while," said the captain. The sailors filled their water jars. The merchants picked fruit. Sindbad found a shady spot under a tree beside the stream. He ate a juicy orange, and the sound of the water was so soft and sleepy that he closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the island was quiet. Too quiet. Sindbad jumped up and ran to the beach. The ship was gone! It was only a tiny white dot far out at sea. Nobody had noticed that Sindbad was still asleep under his tree.
Sindbad sat down on the sand. "Oh dear," he said. "What shall I do now?"
He felt like crying. But then he took a deep breath. "Crying will not build me a boat," he said. "I must look around and think."
So he climbed the tallest tree on the island. From the very top, he saw something strange. Far away on a hill, there was a huge white dome. It was smooth and round, and it shone in the sun.
"Is it a palace?" Sindbad wondered. He climbed down and walked toward it. It took him most of the afternoon. When he finally reached it, he walked all the way around it. It had no doors and no windows. He knocked on it. It made a hollow sound. It was warm to the touch.
Just then, the sky grew dark, as if a cloud had covered the sun. Sindbad looked up. It was not a cloud. It was a bird, the biggest bird he had ever seen. Its wings were as wide as a ship's sails. Its feathers were white and gold. It was a roc, the great bird of the old stories.
The roc landed gently beside the white dome and fluffed its feathers. Then it settled down on top of the dome, very carefully, and closed its eyes. Sindbad understood at last. The dome was not a palace. It was an egg!
Sindbad stayed very still. The roc was so big that it did not even notice him. Night fell, and the roc slept on its egg. Sindbad curled up beside one of its warm golden toes and slept too.
In the morning, Sindbad heard voices. A group of sailors from another ship had landed on the island. They were walking up the hill with sticks and ropes.
"Look at that enormous egg!" said one. "Let us break it open and see what is inside!"
"No!" cried Sindbad, running toward them. "Please do not! There is a baby bird in there. Its mother is only gone to find food. If you hurt the egg, the baby will never hatch."
The sailors stopped. They looked at the egg. They looked at Sindbad. "We were only curious," said one of them, a little ashamed. "We did not think."
Just then, they heard a small tap, tap, tap. A crack appeared in the shell. Then another. The sailors and Sindbad stepped back and held their breath. With a crunch and a pop, a fluffy head poked out of the egg. It had big round eyes and a tiny tuft of golden feathers on top. It was a baby roc, as big as a camel, and it went "Peep!"
Everyone laughed with joy. The sailors dropped their sticks. They brought fresh water from the stream in their jars, and the baby roc drank and drank. They picked fruit from the trees, and it gobbled the fruit up.
At that moment, the great mother roc swooped down from the sky. When she saw the people around her baby, she flapped her huge wings and gave a loud cry. But the baby roc peeped happily and nuzzled Sindbad with its fluffy head. The mother roc tilted her head. She saw the water jars and the fruit. She understood that these little people had helped.
She lowered her great head and looked at Sindbad with one golden eye. It was a gentle look, full of thanks.
Then the sailors said, "Our ship is broken, and we cannot sail it. We are stuck here too." Sindbad looked at the roc's strong legs. He had an idea. He took the long cloth from his turban and tied it into a soft loop. He held up the loop to the roc and pointed far across the sea, the way the ships had gone.
The roc seemed to understand. She lowered one leg, and Sindbad and the sailors held on tight to her soft feathers. With a great whoosh, she rose up into the sky.
They flew over the blue sea. They flew over green mountains. Then they flew over a deep valley, and the valley sparkled in the sunlight. It was full of shining stones in every color: red, green, blue, and purple. They glittered like a rainbow spilled across the ground.
The roc flew down and landed on a hill at the edge of the valley. There, a group of merchants was camping. They were very surprised to see people climbing down from a giant bird.
The merchants told Sindbad that this was the Valley of Gems. "Long ago, a great river carried these stones down from the mountains," they said. "We come here each year to gather a few, carefully."
Sindbad picked up only three small stones: one for himself, one for his mother, and one to give to the poor of Baghdad. He thanked the roc with all his heart. The roc gave a soft cry and flew away, back to her baby.
Sindbad and the sailors traveled home with the merchants. When he reached Baghdad, Sindbad sold one of the little stones and built a well for his street. And every spring, when he saw birds building nests in his lemon trees, he made sure that nobody ever disturbed them.
"One more voyage," he told his mother. "Just one more."
So Sindbad packed his bags and joined a ship full of merchants. They sailed for many days. They stopped at islands with pink sand and islands with tall green palms. One afternoon, they came to a quiet island with a stream of fresh water and trees full of ripe fruit.
"Let us rest here for a while," said the captain. The sailors filled their water jars. The merchants picked fruit. Sindbad found a shady spot under a tree beside the stream. He ate a juicy orange, and the sound of the water was so soft and sleepy that he closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the island was quiet. Too quiet. Sindbad jumped up and ran to the beach. The ship was gone! It was only a tiny white dot far out at sea. Nobody had noticed that Sindbad was still asleep under his tree.
Sindbad sat down on the sand. "Oh dear," he said. "What shall I do now?"
He felt like crying. But then he took a deep breath. "Crying will not build me a boat," he said. "I must look around and think."
So he climbed the tallest tree on the island. From the very top, he saw something strange. Far away on a hill, there was a huge white dome. It was smooth and round, and it shone in the sun.
"Is it a palace?" Sindbad wondered. He climbed down and walked toward it. It took him most of the afternoon. When he finally reached it, he walked all the way around it. It had no doors and no windows. He knocked on it. It made a hollow sound. It was warm to the touch.
Just then, the sky grew dark, as if a cloud had covered the sun. Sindbad looked up. It was not a cloud. It was a bird, the biggest bird he had ever seen. Its wings were as wide as a ship's sails. Its feathers were white and gold. It was a roc, the great bird of the old stories.
The roc landed gently beside the white dome and fluffed its feathers. Then it settled down on top of the dome, very carefully, and closed its eyes. Sindbad understood at last. The dome was not a palace. It was an egg!
Sindbad stayed very still. The roc was so big that it did not even notice him. Night fell, and the roc slept on its egg. Sindbad curled up beside one of its warm golden toes and slept too.
In the morning, Sindbad heard voices. A group of sailors from another ship had landed on the island. They were walking up the hill with sticks and ropes.
"Look at that enormous egg!" said one. "Let us break it open and see what is inside!"
"No!" cried Sindbad, running toward them. "Please do not! There is a baby bird in there. Its mother is only gone to find food. If you hurt the egg, the baby will never hatch."
The sailors stopped. They looked at the egg. They looked at Sindbad. "We were only curious," said one of them, a little ashamed. "We did not think."
Just then, they heard a small tap, tap, tap. A crack appeared in the shell. Then another. The sailors and Sindbad stepped back and held their breath. With a crunch and a pop, a fluffy head poked out of the egg. It had big round eyes and a tiny tuft of golden feathers on top. It was a baby roc, as big as a camel, and it went "Peep!"
Everyone laughed with joy. The sailors dropped their sticks. They brought fresh water from the stream in their jars, and the baby roc drank and drank. They picked fruit from the trees, and it gobbled the fruit up.
At that moment, the great mother roc swooped down from the sky. When she saw the people around her baby, she flapped her huge wings and gave a loud cry. But the baby roc peeped happily and nuzzled Sindbad with its fluffy head. The mother roc tilted her head. She saw the water jars and the fruit. She understood that these little people had helped.
She lowered her great head and looked at Sindbad with one golden eye. It was a gentle look, full of thanks.
Then the sailors said, "Our ship is broken, and we cannot sail it. We are stuck here too." Sindbad looked at the roc's strong legs. He had an idea. He took the long cloth from his turban and tied it into a soft loop. He held up the loop to the roc and pointed far across the sea, the way the ships had gone.
The roc seemed to understand. She lowered one leg, and Sindbad and the sailors held on tight to her soft feathers. With a great whoosh, she rose up into the sky.
They flew over the blue sea. They flew over green mountains. Then they flew over a deep valley, and the valley sparkled in the sunlight. It was full of shining stones in every color: red, green, blue, and purple. They glittered like a rainbow spilled across the ground.
The roc flew down and landed on a hill at the edge of the valley. There, a group of merchants was camping. They were very surprised to see people climbing down from a giant bird.
The merchants told Sindbad that this was the Valley of Gems. "Long ago, a great river carried these stones down from the mountains," they said. "We come here each year to gather a few, carefully."
Sindbad picked up only three small stones: one for himself, one for his mother, and one to give to the poor of Baghdad. He thanked the roc with all his heart. The roc gave a soft cry and flew away, back to her baby.
Sindbad and the sailors traveled home with the merchants. When he reached Baghdad, Sindbad sold one of the little stones and built a well for his street. And every spring, when he saw birds building nests in his lemon trees, he made sure that nobody ever disturbed them.
