The Thieves
The ship had stayed in Morocco half a day when the Captain announced the next port would be in old Tunisia. It was night when the Castle-One drop anchor at the port. The next day Peter and Sarah ran to the rail wanting to see the Tunisian port city. The story said it was part of the Atlas mountain range of the Sahara desert. The Tunisian country at thousand years old country was very old, their mother said. It was part of the Atlas’ mountains. Their mother told them about Hannibal the Tunisian; a great military commander considered by many one of the best in history, their mother explained.
"Was he better commander than Alexander the Great mother? Peter asked.
"It’s hard to say. But the two men are considered great Generals," her mother said.
"Did his men ride on warring elephants for real from Spain to invade Italy mother as father read? Peter asked.
"Yes, they trained the elephants and men rode on them Peter, " his mom said.
“The brave Hannibal marched with hundreds of warring elephants from Spain to Rome! He took over Italy for over fifteen years son,” their mother said. Peter imagined himself riding on the back of a warring elephant and himself commanding thousands of men from Spain to Rome, like a great general.
"Sarah, just imagine for a moment! You and me riding on the back of a huge elephant. Elephants can take us anywhere we want to go. We would then go through mountains and rivers, wow! We could go anywhere! Peter told his sister.
“I would be scared. The elephant could get me with his trunk, "Sarah said. “Be brave, remember? Peter said and ran to the deck.
"Let's go back and look around before we sit for lunch, “ he asked Sarah.
The two children ran to the deck. Their mother followed them as they walk everywhere and both children stopped here and there. Other times they went to discover anything while they also stopped and talked to other children. Peter and Sarah went on to the deck along with their mother. They walked and ran. They made friends again and soon the moon rose over and evening came again. It was time to rest have dinner and get to bed. Once in bed, their mother read about the Seven Wonders. Alexandria was one of the Seven Wonders in the old world. She said reading slowly for them. Peter asked his mom what are the other Wonders?
“I’ll tell you quickly for is getting late,“ she said looking at the children getting sleepy eyes already.
“Well, let me see if I remember them all. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were the Great Pyramid of Giza we’re going to see soon. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, they don’t exist anymore. Also, the Temple of Diana where she was the goddess of the hunt and the moon. She talked to all the animals the story goes.
“Also, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia who was a giant seated figure of Zeus, the head of all Gods of the Greek people in the old days. The statue of Zeus was over forty feet tall. It was from the water to the deck of this ship! She said and listened to these children quietly. The statue was made by a Greek important sculptor named Phidias.
He made it more than twenty-five hundreds of years ago! People went to see his ivory and gold plates in the Temple of Zeus.
“What’s a sculptor mom? Sarah asked.
“Well, let’s see here. A sculptor is like someone who draws and paints. Instead of drawing and painting on paper.
“He draws the face or the whole body on someone on a piece of stone; or instead of painting with brushes, he uses tools called chisels, some large, some small but very sharp. Then, with chisels, a sculptor cuts into the stone.
‘He cuts out the lips and the ears and the eyes and the hands until one can see what the sculptor wanted to cut out from the stone, “ her mother explained and went on saying. Now, also, the one wonder was the Colossus of Rhodes also called the Lighthouse of Alexandria; you Peter know already what it is. All others will be our story for another day,“ their mother said.
“What’s a Wonder? Sarah asked cuddling closer to her mom.
“A Wonder is something very unique and very special as you and you! Alexandria was the most important city in the Mediterranean sea at one time. Its lighthouse was the largest ever built in the old days. Ship captains could see in the darkest of nights Alexandria’s lighthouse from afar. They could see it from hundreds of miles, even in the worst of storms,” their mother said.
Both children listened with great curiosity, but their eyes were slowly closing with heavy sleep.
"The city, their mother said again, is very old. More than a thousand years old.
“The great Alexander of Greece ordered it to be built. Yes, he wanted all sailors to be guided by its lighthouse when lost at sea, “she whispered for them and went on.
“Alexander built it to be the largest. It had more books than any other library in the world in those days. Ah, but that is not all.
“The city had also a queen named Cleopatra. Marc Anthony a Roman general presented the queen with a gift. Over two hundred thousand books he sent her! Their mom said.
"Two hundred thousand books...wow! They would sink the largest ship in England. Peter said and they laughed.
"So, tomorrow morning, their mother said, “we’re going to see the port of Tunisia. A day after we’re going to see the great city of
Alexandria. A city built more than a thousand years ago! More than a thousand years ago and that’s before England or France, think children! She said that to wake up the children’s imagination.
“I’ll dream about the lighthouse of Alexandria! Its light signaling the Castle One as the ship moves closer and closer to the port, “Peter said.
“I would like a dream of me on top of a baby-elephant. It would be very small, a baby elephant with large trunks. It would protect me from any of Ali-Baba’s thieves, “Sarah said softly half-sleep.
The next, daylight entered early through the little portholes windows of the ship and Peter's eyes gazed at the port of Tunisia. At first, it looked tiny then, it grew and grew and grew larger. Finally, it got bigger as the ship got very close to the shore. The ship hooted aloud and let people on board know they had arrived at the port of Tunisia. By midmorning, the ship entered the Tunisian port and it dropped anchor to stay fixed on the water. Then, one by one all passengers walked down the ship's ramp.
Peter and Sarah dragged their mom as they hurriedly walked to the port's grounds. They followed the Captain to the visitors’ house and Peter and Sarah begged their mom to take them to explore the market.
They wanted to see the market firsthand.
"Let's look for a baby camel I can pet," Sarah said without fear. "Children you cannot touch! The merchant may demand that we buy it. Keep your hands off any items we don't need to buy,” their mother explained.
"But mom, there are millions of things to see and touch. Also animals to pet and get close to pet,“ Peter complained.
"Be careful their mother warned. You cannot touch any animals. Some may bite your hand. Do not feed them or get to close. Do not touch any fruits and food, fresh fish and especially goats either they will chew on your fingers. Please do not touch anything or up to the ship we go, right? Their mother warned but everything invited the children to look around and they walked from one place to the next followed by their mom nearby.
The merchants offered their goods and pointed to them while the children stopped and only looked obeying their mom. Sometimes laughing and running from here to there. Their mother kept walking faster behind them as they walked from shop to shop.
“Mom, I'm not scared of camels more,“ Sarah said.
"I know you're not afraid any more honey-pie,“ her mom said catching with her.
"I want to be brave like the girl from Fatima! Sarah said looking at her mom.
Her mom smiled at her softly and saying yes dear. The children’s eyes glowed with delight at the sight of the market as they walked through the people. Merchants and visitors all there at the same time. Peter's eyes caught the gleaming of rows of pots; some made of bronze and some of the brass. They hang everywhere from merchant’s tents and all glittered with light; gleaming with every waft of breeze pushing them around even more. Then came to sight multicolored hand-woven carpets.
“Imagine you and me flying on a flying carpet,” Peter said to Sarah. She giggled looking back to carpets all over on the ground of the open market.
"I would fly very low. I won't scrape if I fall, "Sarah said.
“I would go very high and see it all from above,” Peter said with sparkles in his eyes.
Suddenly, everything thundered! The heavy pounding of horses' hooves shook the ground. Women screamed in panic and tried to hide with children while merchants lowered their tents and covered their goods! People screamed everywhere! The howling of many men filled the air in the market! "Thieves are coming!
Thieves...thieves....are coming to rob us!!