A story
Joud and the Map Drawn on a Paper Napkin
On the first morning of the school holidays, Joud and her little cousin Tarek sat at Grandpa Adel's breakfast table in the village. The table was full of good things: warm flatbread, white cheese, olives, honey, and a big bowl of sliced tomatoes that shone red in the sunlight.
Grandpa Adel finished his tea. Then he took a paper napkin, pulled a pencil from his shirt pocket, and began to draw.
Joud leaned closer. Tarek climbed onto his knees on the chair to see.
Grandpa drew a little square. "This is our house," he said. Then he drew a wiggly line. "This is the lane." He drew a small door, a circle, a loaf of bread, and at the very end, a big tree with a cross beside it.
"What is it?" asked Tarek.
"It is a map," said Grandpa Adel. His eyes twinkled. "If you follow it carefully, step by step, you will find a surprise at the end."
Joud's heart jumped with excitement. "A treasure map!"
"Something like that," said Grandpa. "But remember, you must follow every clue in the right order. No skipping."
He handed the napkin to Joud. "You are the oldest. You are in charge of the map. And Tarek, you are in charge of keeping your eyes open."
Joud and Tarek put on their sun hats and ran out of the gate.
"First clue," said Joud, looking at the napkin. "It says to walk down the lane until we find the blue door."
The lane was narrow and sunny, with stone walls on both sides. Pink flowers spilled over the walls. A cat stretched in a doorway. They walked past a green door, a brown door, and a white door.
"There!" shouted Tarek, pointing. "A blue door!"
It was a bright blue door with a brass handle shaped like a hand. On the step sat a small clay pot, and inside the pot was a piece of paper folded into a square.
Joud unfolded it. There was a drawing of a circle with little wavy lines.
"Next is the circle," said Joud, looking back at the napkin. "I think it's the old well in the square."
They hurried on. But Joud was so excited that she began to walk faster and faster. She looked at the napkin. She saw the loaf of bread. She saw the big tree at the end.
"Tarek," she said, "the tree must be the treasure. Let's skip the boring parts and go straight there!"
"But Grandpa said no skipping," said Tarek.
"It will be quicker," said Joud. "I can see where the tree is on the map. It's at the end of the lane. Come on!"
She took Tarek's hand and ran. They ran past the square without stopping. They ran past the bakery, which smelled of warm sesame bread. They ran all the way to the end of the lane.
There was a tree there. It was a small lemon tree in a pot, outside someone's kitchen window. There was no surprise under it. There was no surprise behind it. There was just a sleepy old dog, who opened one eye and thumped his tail.
Joud looked at the napkin again. The tree on the map was very big, with wide branches. This tree was tiny.
"This isn't it," she said slowly. Her excitement turned into a heavy feeling in her tummy.
Tarek sat down on the step. "I'm hot," he said. "And I think we're lost."
They were not really lost. Joud could still see the top of Grandpa's house over the rooftops. But they did not know where the surprise was, and that felt almost as bad.
Joud sat beside her cousin. She looked at the napkin for a long, long time.
"Grandpa said step by step," she said at last. "I think he meant it. Maybe each clue tells us something we need for the next one."
Tarek nodded. "Let's go back to the well," he said.
So they walked back up the lane, slowly this time. In the village square, the old stone well stood in the middle, with a bucket hanging from a rope. Joud looked carefully all around it. Tucked under a flat stone on the edge, she found another folded paper.
This one had a drawing of an arrow and a loaf of bread. Under the bread, Grandpa had written a number: two.
"Two?" said Tarek. "Two what?"
"Let's find out," said Joud.
They followed the arrow to the bakery. The baker, Uncle Wasim, was pulling round loaves from the big stone oven with a long wooden paddle. When he saw them, he laughed.
"Ah, the explorers have arrived at last!" he said. "Your grandfather told me you might come." He wrapped two warm sesame loaves in paper and handed one to each of them. "Two loaves," he said, "for two explorers. Now go out the back door and up the hill."
Behind the bakery, a little path went up a gentle hill between olive trees. At the top, standing all alone against the blue sky, was the biggest fig tree Joud had ever seen. Its branches spread out wide like open arms. Its leaves were large and green and made a cool, deep shade.
And under the tree, on a red blanket, sat Grandpa Adel.
Beside him was a basket full of grapes and apricots, a jug of cold mint lemonade, and a new rope swing hanging from the strongest branch.
"You found it!" said Grandpa. "And you brought the bread."
Tarek ran straight to the swing. Joud sat down beside her grandfather and gave him the napkin.
"I tried to skip the clues," she admitted. "We went to the wrong tree."
Grandpa Adel nodded kindly. "And then?"
"Then we went back and did it step by step," said Joud.
"That," said Grandpa, "is the most important part of any adventure."
They ate warm bread and sweet apricots in the shade. Tarek swung so high his toes touched the leaves. And Joud folded the paper napkin very carefully and put it in her pocket, to keep forever.
Grandpa Adel finished his tea. Then he took a paper napkin, pulled a pencil from his shirt pocket, and began to draw.
Joud leaned closer. Tarek climbed onto his knees on the chair to see.
Grandpa drew a little square. "This is our house," he said. Then he drew a wiggly line. "This is the lane." He drew a small door, a circle, a loaf of bread, and at the very end, a big tree with a cross beside it.
"What is it?" asked Tarek.
"It is a map," said Grandpa Adel. His eyes twinkled. "If you follow it carefully, step by step, you will find a surprise at the end."
Joud's heart jumped with excitement. "A treasure map!"
"Something like that," said Grandpa. "But remember, you must follow every clue in the right order. No skipping."
He handed the napkin to Joud. "You are the oldest. You are in charge of the map. And Tarek, you are in charge of keeping your eyes open."
Joud and Tarek put on their sun hats and ran out of the gate.
"First clue," said Joud, looking at the napkin. "It says to walk down the lane until we find the blue door."
The lane was narrow and sunny, with stone walls on both sides. Pink flowers spilled over the walls. A cat stretched in a doorway. They walked past a green door, a brown door, and a white door.
"There!" shouted Tarek, pointing. "A blue door!"
It was a bright blue door with a brass handle shaped like a hand. On the step sat a small clay pot, and inside the pot was a piece of paper folded into a square.
Joud unfolded it. There was a drawing of a circle with little wavy lines.
"Next is the circle," said Joud, looking back at the napkin. "I think it's the old well in the square."
They hurried on. But Joud was so excited that she began to walk faster and faster. She looked at the napkin. She saw the loaf of bread. She saw the big tree at the end.
"Tarek," she said, "the tree must be the treasure. Let's skip the boring parts and go straight there!"
"But Grandpa said no skipping," said Tarek.
"It will be quicker," said Joud. "I can see where the tree is on the map. It's at the end of the lane. Come on!"
She took Tarek's hand and ran. They ran past the square without stopping. They ran past the bakery, which smelled of warm sesame bread. They ran all the way to the end of the lane.
There was a tree there. It was a small lemon tree in a pot, outside someone's kitchen window. There was no surprise under it. There was no surprise behind it. There was just a sleepy old dog, who opened one eye and thumped his tail.
Joud looked at the napkin again. The tree on the map was very big, with wide branches. This tree was tiny.
"This isn't it," she said slowly. Her excitement turned into a heavy feeling in her tummy.
Tarek sat down on the step. "I'm hot," he said. "And I think we're lost."
They were not really lost. Joud could still see the top of Grandpa's house over the rooftops. But they did not know where the surprise was, and that felt almost as bad.
Joud sat beside her cousin. She looked at the napkin for a long, long time.
"Grandpa said step by step," she said at last. "I think he meant it. Maybe each clue tells us something we need for the next one."
Tarek nodded. "Let's go back to the well," he said.
So they walked back up the lane, slowly this time. In the village square, the old stone well stood in the middle, with a bucket hanging from a rope. Joud looked carefully all around it. Tucked under a flat stone on the edge, she found another folded paper.
This one had a drawing of an arrow and a loaf of bread. Under the bread, Grandpa had written a number: two.
"Two?" said Tarek. "Two what?"
"Let's find out," said Joud.
They followed the arrow to the bakery. The baker, Uncle Wasim, was pulling round loaves from the big stone oven with a long wooden paddle. When he saw them, he laughed.
"Ah, the explorers have arrived at last!" he said. "Your grandfather told me you might come." He wrapped two warm sesame loaves in paper and handed one to each of them. "Two loaves," he said, "for two explorers. Now go out the back door and up the hill."
Behind the bakery, a little path went up a gentle hill between olive trees. At the top, standing all alone against the blue sky, was the biggest fig tree Joud had ever seen. Its branches spread out wide like open arms. Its leaves were large and green and made a cool, deep shade.
And under the tree, on a red blanket, sat Grandpa Adel.
Beside him was a basket full of grapes and apricots, a jug of cold mint lemonade, and a new rope swing hanging from the strongest branch.
"You found it!" said Grandpa. "And you brought the bread."
Tarek ran straight to the swing. Joud sat down beside her grandfather and gave him the napkin.
"I tried to skip the clues," she admitted. "We went to the wrong tree."
Grandpa Adel nodded kindly. "And then?"
"Then we went back and did it step by step," said Joud.
"That," said Grandpa, "is the most important part of any adventure."
They ate warm bread and sweet apricots in the shade. Tarek swung so high his toes touched the leaves. And Joud folded the paper napkin very carefully and put it in her pocket, to keep forever.
