Gary woke up at 4 a.m. every morning and went running. He was building his speed and stamina, so that he might participate in this year’s marathon! There were still six months to the event, but he wanted to be well prepared. One day, while running, Gary tripped over a loose pebble and fractured his […]
One day, a man went to the king and gifted him a big fat hen. The man said, “Sir! I gambled in your name and won this hen.” The king was very pleased. After a few days, the man came again and said to the king, “Sir! I gambled in your name and won this
Oedipus was sailing home, when his ship was caught in a terrible storm. The next morning, his ship washed ashore a small island. Oedipus and his crew wandered the island, but saw no one. Finally, they took shelter in a large cave. To their surprise, the cave was well stocked with food! Oedipus warned them
Hercules was one of the greatest Greek heroes. Once, his cousin King Eurystheus ordered him to find and kill the Nemean Lion. The Nemean Lion would capture young women. To rescue them, warriors from nearby regions would enter the lion’s cave. The lion would at first pretend to be a young woman. When the warrior
Once, a poor man was very generous. But his wife did not like it. One day, two men came to her house. The wife guessed that her husband had invited them to lunch. She cleaned a mortar and pestle, applied saffron paste to it and garlanded it. The men entered the hut and saw the
Daedalus was one of the most famous Athenian inventors. He had created a wonderful maze for King Minos of Crete. However, the cruel king imprisoned Daedalus and his son Icarus, so that they might never tell anyone how to escape from the maze. Still, Daedalus made plans for their escape. For months, he collected bird
Greece and Troy had been fighting bitterly without a pause. The Prince of Troy had abducted Helen of Greece, and refused to let her go. Both sides were equally matched, and even after months and years, neither side could win. Finally, the Greeks had an idea. They built a huge, hollow wooden horse and decorated
Long ago, there was a school. In that school, a schoolteacher used to teach some children. Every day, after lunch, the teacher used to give some work to the students and take a short nap after that. When his students asked him why he took a nap, the teacher replied, “I go to dreamland to
A band of gypsies had set up a camp in the commons near Tydewell. The younger villagers were excited, and visited the camp to buy embroidered cloth, or to get their fortune told. But the older villagers were not happy. Whenever a gypsy camp came to the area, there were always many thefts. This time,
Ali was excited for his first camel race. His family had been participating in the race for years, and his father had won many times. Just then, he saw his closest competitor, Umar. They hated each other. Ali could not bear the thought of being defeated by him! Soon, it was time for the race
At one time, the Arabian Sea was the busiest trading route in the world. However, there was always one danger to be faced in these waters–pirates! They lived on remote islands, paid no taxes, and had no rulers. Dewan was a pirate. His parents had been killed by tax collectors, but he had fled. Hiding
A lion looks so mighty that it is called the king of the jungle. A lion has a golden brown-yellow coat. The male lion has a rich mane of golden, brown or black fur around its neck. A male lion’s loud roar can be heard for as far as 5 miles. Lions live in dens
Mir Singh was going to Bukhara from Punjab as part of a trading caravan. He had heard of the wonderful markets there, and was excited to see them himself. The caravan had just entered the passes of Afghanistan, however, when they were attacked by a tribe of Pashtuns. They plundered the goods and sold the
Anna was on a cruise ship, with about fifty people on board. One night, after dinner, Anna was standing on the upper deck, admiring the moonlight. Suddenly, she heard a scuffle and a small splash. Looking over, she clearly saw a figure sinking in the water, and another running away from the deck below. Anna
Once, a farmer used to live with his parents. One day, the farmer became very rich. So, he collected all his valuables and left his poor parents for greener pastures. When his parents asked him for food and money, he drove them away. The poor parents were full of grief. Suddenly, they met an elf.