Today Saba is holding a pair of shoes.  They look like boys shoes!   Everyone is puzzled by looking at them.   

As usual they enter the little cottage and sit on the Persian rug to hear what is new that day.  Once the freshly baked bread is served by Bibi, she starts the tale of…..

The prince and the poor boy’s shoes

Once upon a time there lived a young boy with his mother in a remote village.   Every day he used to walk for miles to earn money and bring food for his mother.   He worked in a bakery, where at the end of each day he would be given the leftover of the bread that hadn’t been sold.  

The boy’s shoes were so old and worn-out that they hardly protected his feet from the cold.   One day after cleaning the shop he was getting ready to go home, when he suddenly saw a pair of pure leather shoes in the storage behind the shop.   He asked his master if he could have them since they seemed to be his size.    

The master refused to give the shoes and told him not to tell anyone about it.  So the boy finished cleaning the shop and the old brick oven and set off to walk home.   It took him quite a while to reach home as it was very cold and wet.     By the time he reached home his feet were quite sore and cold and he couldn’t feel them anymore.

After a simple dinner he went to bed to rest his tired feet and legs.    Half way through the night he woke up with a noise, right at the entrance of their little cottage.    He jumped out of bed and looked through the window.   Outside it was pitch black and he couldn’t see anyone or anything.     As he was going back to bed he heard another noise.    He thought someone was knocking at the door.  He slowly went back towards the window and peeked out cautiously.   He noticed a squeaky noise at the door.   As he looked more closely he saw the pair of shoes that he had seen in his master’s shop. 

He excitedly opened the door and took the shoes from outside.   He thought his master had taken pity on him and brought the shoes to make him happy.  

That night he slept like a rock, feeling so pleased that he didn’t need to worry about the cold feet any more. 

The next day he set off for work with great energy, happily whistling while walking.    As he reached to the shop, he saw his master waiting for him at the entrance.    He looked quite angry and disappointed.    

The boy had no clue why his master was angry.  He walked closer to say hello.

“Good morning Sire.”  Said the boy. 

“How dare you to even come close to my shop.” Shouted the master   “you are nothing but a thief”! 

“Beg your pardon Sire, I don’t understand”

“You don’t understand?  How could you say that to my face?” said master with a louder voice.

As he was getting louder and louder everyone was gathering around the shop.   Thinking that the boy has stolen something they took him to the king’s palace, where the thieves and criminals were always taken to be taken to the high courts.

The prince was practicing his horse riding, when he saw the people bringing the young boy through the gates. 

“What is happening?” said the prince. 

“This boy is a thief and has stolen something from his master.”  One of the men said.

“What has he stolen?”  asked the prince.

“He has stolen the shoes from his master’s shop”.

“I did not steal them.  They were left outside my house.”  The boy shouted.

“Outside your door aye?” laughed the men at once. 

The prince was staring at the shoes, while asking the men to take the boy inside the palace.

“Please leave him here.  I will take him to the court rooms” said the prince.

When everyone had left the Prince took the young boy inside the palace. 

“Tell me the truth, where did you get these shoes from”?  asked the prince.

So the young boy told the whole story and how he got the shoes. 

“These were my shoes that I had left by the river when we had gone hunting last year.”  Said the Prince.     “I had been looking for them since then.   They are quite precious as they belonged to my great grand-father”. 

So the young boy and the prince became very good friends.  The mother and his son never went hungry again.

Bibi was busy in her herb garden, while Saba was putting the freshly cut roses in the old vase.  Mia was enjoying the mid-morning sun and having a snooze. 

It was almost time for the little visitors to arrive.  Every day was a new adventure as they were taken on a different journey through Bibi’s stories.   By the time Saba finished arranging the roses, the children had arrived and sat on their usual place, all waiting for Bibi. 

**The Old Farmer’s Son**

Once upon a time there lived an old farmer who had two sons.   The older son loved to sit in the shade under the trees, day after day, watch the birds and the farm animals, while his younger brother helped on their piece of land. 

Every time the farmer asked his older son to help out he would bring an excuse and avoided to help.

The younger son was always at his father’s side and gave him a hand whenever possible. 

One day the old farmer decided to retire and pass his farm on to his sons.  In his heart he was not happy to give anything to his older son, because he had never offered a helping hand.  The younger son asked his father to let each of them take charge of half the farm and cultivate the land for his own food. 

He was hoping this might help the older brother become more responsible, as he had no choice but to work, if he wanted food on his table. 

The old farmer agreed and so each son took charge of half the land.  They each built their own little cottage and started to live on their own.

The first few months everything went well, as the plants on the old son’s land was still full of crop and fruits. 

As the months went by, the trees started to get drier and drier.  The plants looked really unhappy. 

On the other side of the fence, the plants looked green, fresh and happy.  There was so much fruit on the trees and so much milk from the cows that the younger son would sell them in the market and get lots of money. 

One of these days, the older brother woke up to the biggest surprise of his life.  His piece of land seemed to have gone upside down!   The roots of the trees were on the surface and the branches were hidden under the soil!   It was as if he was living under the ground with nothing to eat or drink.  He could no longer hear the birds singing. 

He was getting hungrier and hungrier by the day and he decided to ask his younger brother to give him some food.  He went over the fence and knocked at the door.  The old father opened the door and welcomed him in. 

The aroma of the freshly baked bread and the stew was swirling in the cottage.  He could no longer stand it and asked for food.  The younger son put the food on the table and invited his father and brother to eat. 

The older son was so pleased to be able to eat fresh food after such a long time. 

He served a big portion on his plate.  His hands were shaking while he was digging the hot fresh bread into the stew.  His father and brother were watching him with widened eyes as he raised his hand to put the bread in his mouth. 

As soon as he had a mouthful of the food, he shouted with agony.  It was as if the food had turned into hard rock and he nearly chipped his tooth!   He started running towards the door and spat the mouthful out on the ground, outside the cottage.   

He then ran to his own land and, from then on, worked hard to bring the plants back to life again.   He learned that to harvest the food of life he has to cultivate and feed his plants. 

As promised, today I’ll take you inside Bibi’s home.  Let’s knock at the door and see if she’s there.   ..Knock, Knock..... here we go….   The old wooden door always makes this creaking sound as she gently pulls it open to welcome the visitors.    Can you see her silver hair shining under the bright rays of the sun?   Look at her kind, warm and welcoming smile that immediately attracts you into her cosy home.       This is why children from all four corners of the land come here so that Bibi can show them the treasures and take them on exciting journeys.

 “Hello and welcome dear friends.” Said Bibi with a kind voice.  “Come in and meet Saba,  my grand-daughter”. 

In the little room there was a colourful Persian rug.   In one corner there was a golden samovar with a nice china teapot full of freshly brewed, aromatic tea.      

Saba stepped out and went towards a little room at the back of the cottage.    A few minutes later she came back in the room.  She was holding a golden crown, embedded with lots of precious stones, in one hand and an old oil-lamp in the other hand.  

“I know you’re thinking why we have an old lamp beside such a valuable crown”.  Said Bibi. 

“Today I’m going to tell you their story.  Now, all of you come and sit down in a circle.” Said Bibi, while sitting down and tapping her hand on the Persian rug.   

****The Old Lamp And The Kings Crown****

Once upon a time in a faraway land there lived a King who was known for his cruelty.   He used to make people build huge castles for him, dig the gardens and plant fruit trees all day long.   They never got rewarded for their hard work and also had to pay tax by giving away their precious belongings.    

Among these items there was an old oil lamp, which the King liked very much.  Every night the servants used to light the lamp and put it in the dark corridors leading to a huge treasure room. 

Each night the King used to put on his precious crown and stroll towards the treasure room to inspect what had been collected that day.   Along the way he used to stop in front of the lamp and look at it with admiration.   

One of these nights the crown said: “Oh dear lamp, I so envy you.  Everyone pays so much attention to you because you are a symbol of light and love.   I’m only a useless ornament who sits there all day long trying to look pretty.  What should I do to become as loveable as you are?” 

“Dear friend, you are so precious and unique.  Everyone wants to be like you.  What makes you feel so unhappy and depressed?” said the lamp sympathetically. 

“Every single day I feel ashamed to be the centre of attention, accompanying such a cruel king.  I can’t help feeling guilty for how he treats his people.   After all I’m the closest thing to him.  He doesn’t go anywhere and doesn’t do anything without me being present.  This is the reason that I feel so unhappy and bitter.” 

“Being the closest to the King makes you that much more powerful, my dear friend.  You can influence this situation, if you take my advice and use some wit along the way.”  said the lamp.

“I will be grateful if you could help me.  I’ll do anything to make a difference”.  said the crown anxiously. 

“Every morning as soon as you are placed on the King’s head, start thinking of all the good things he can do that day.   Don’t let anything distract you and influence your thoughts.  He will not notice why he is behaving differently.  Give it some time and he will finally become the kind King you desire.” said the old lamp. 

So the crown started doing what the old lamp asked him to do.    He persisted and persisted on his mission, because he wanted to make a difference.   Gradually the King started to behave differently and became kind and passionate towards his people.  He didn’t know the reason why he had changed so much.  All he knew was that everyone started to like and respect him as a great ruler.  The King finally realised that he enjoys getting his people’s love and respect much more than having all treasures of the world. 

Bibi's Treasure House

Bibi has the best collection of treasures in the whole wide world.  No demon has ever managed to get close to them.  They are somehow protected from evil eyes and satan followers. 

She only shares them with fairies, angels and alike.   Do you want to enter her magic house?  Do you want to be part of the fascinating adventures?    Wait for me same time, every Sunday in front of the entrance to Bibi's Treasure House.